John Lewis' moving words, Lights and mirrors in my house

The above fairy lights give a warm glow in the living room, even on a summer overcast day. The lights are round bulbs about an inch across. They stay cool to the touch and I can turn them on and off using my iPhone and the Wyze app. That is a nice touch because I don't have to reach down to plug and unplug the lights.

Above is my new kitchen dining mirror which was to be installed in March 2020 but then the coronavirus struck, and when our city let many businesses open in June I had it installed. I was concerned about workers coming in but the two men wore masks and entered the kitchen from the side gate, so were only in the kitchen. They were in the house about an hour and a half.
I am sharing below some moving words from John Lewis, American hero and Civil Rights leader, who died July 17 of this year. He will be missed. I was in the Civil Rights movement in college and my best friend and I founded  the campus group dedicated to action and change in that arena. I recall we even wrote to another leader, Stokely Carmichael, when he was in jail in the south, and we asked him to join us in a march in the north. He didn't answer, understandably he was busy. Any blog friends active in the movement?
Here are John Lewis' words:
“Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul and embed this planet with goodness. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself.” John Lewis

Shark eggplant, humor, church birdhouse, Julia Child rose

This looks like shark eggplant to me with the shark fin on top. It tasted good in a spaghetti sauce.

After live streaming church on Sunday Bounce and I walked to a Little Free Library to give them a C.S. Lewis book and saw that a neighbor had two birdhouses out with a sign that said "free." This one was meant for me, as it is a church. A very appropriate Sunday morning of church, C.S. Lewis and a church birdhouse! The birdhouse is old, wooden, and made by hand which makes it that much more lovable.
My Julia Child rose above is in full bloom again, it rested for a couple of weeks. I  did the hard work of cutting off all the old spent blossoms and the rose bush burst into another yellow sensation.
I found these two funnies on Oddball Observations blog  Oddball Observations

Poor sad baggage might need some therapy.

Bounce, Fluffy, movie Edie, Melaleuca tree

Fluffy Kitty and Mr. Bounce taking a nap together on Bounce's favorite sofa spot.

Above is before I woke them and called to them so they would look at me. What is going on around your house in these days of Covid-19? Yesterday my book club met on Zoom, eleven of us, and we each reviewed one book, so I got some reading ideas. I shared The Warden by Anthony Trollope, I do love that book! I enjoyed all 27 of Trollope's novels that I have read thus far, out of the 47 he wrote, bless his heart. He wrote in the 1850s through the 1880s.

Above are my son Lane and Bounce enjoying the shade under the canvas awning Lane bought and put up for me.

I am standing in the kitchen when I took this photo of our new canvas awning on our back patio.

This is me under the awning, I am rather dark in the shade.

Melaleuca quinquenervia tree in my neighborhood, AKA broad-leaved paperbark. I learned that it is an invasive problem tree in the Florida Everglades and an important tree for wildlife in its native Australia. It is pretty with its soft white cloud like flowers.

Above is a close up of the Melaleuca flowers, a bit blurry, but you can see the flowers are attractive.

I watched a good movie today titled Edie. The main characters are Edie, a spry 84 year old widow, a young man she meets named Jonny, and the wild hills of Scotland.  Edie is played by Sheila Hancock and Jonny is played by the handsome Kevin Guthrie. Guthrie is in the new TV series, An English Game,  which I aim to watch. After short opening filming in London, where her daughter has Edie set to enter assisted living, all the filming is done in Lochinver, Scotland. Edie attempts to fulfill her long ago dream of hiking up Mt. Suilven. I recommend this movie. What beautiful scenery in the hills of Scotland and a story that is meaningful to me, about aging, looking back on life, and going ahead to try an adventure.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

Above is a page from the book I recently bought, on a whim, because it sounded so good. It is every bit as wonderful as I hoped. This is a book for anyone of any age, child to adult, who loves to dream, to hope and to grow.
The title is "The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse", words and drawings by Charlie Mackesy.
Below is the cover.

In a move against all the darkness in the world these days, I treated myself to the hardcover edition and it is a book I will read or just dip into, again and again. Maybe I have intrigued you to get a copy too.

Clementine Churchill, clever, opinionated and interesting in her own right

I am captivated by the strength, beauty, courage and intelligence of Clementine Churchill, and recommend the biography "Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill" by Sonia Purnell.

Clementine pushed herself to the max, periodically to the point of physical and mental exhaustion, and created a strong role for herself, supporting Winston whenever he needed, and he was always in need of her emotional support, and her campaign and political advice. They had a long successful marriage and each of them battled exhaustion, depression and ill health, continuing on in order to serve the people of Great Britain. Clementine was brave during the Blitz, continually visiting bomb shelters, factories and hospitals, cheering people on, and they cheered for her in return. 

She was the first P.M.’s wife to be so influential in politics, wooing politicians and the public to support Winston and his efforts to stay the course and win WWII, and to convince Roosevelt to join the war. When European country after country were toppled by the Nazis, England was barely and bravely holding on. Clementine Churchill used diplomacy and charm to woo world leaders including Roosevelt’s personal trusted envoy. Clementine’s daughter Sarah compared her to a “chandelier” and daughter Mary said “she did give forth great life and sparkle.” Purnell writes she was “an alluring hostess” and that a visitor recalled “an almost physical shock that Winston had such a life-force of a wife, someone so clever, opinionated and interesting in her own right.” She outlived three of her five children, which is heart breaking to endure.
The Kindle book has great photos at the end, including my favorite, which shows her in profile reading a book, looking every inch the alluring beauty.

Another photo shows her and Winston in 1921 on a camel trek to the pyramids in Cairo, with T.E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell, and another shows her on horseback on a wild boar hunt in France, Purnell explaining that she was fearless on horseback. I knew nothing of  Clementine (pronounced Clemen-teen) before reading this book and must learn more about her, so ordered Mary Churchill Soames' book about her mother and the new Erik Larson book "The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz".
Bravo to Clementine, a trail blazer for strong and honorable women.     

New things for me, my mask, Instacart and more

Above is the new pottery I treated myself to, which was hand painted in Mexico by a family who has done that for 30 years. The pot is large, the biggest I could find and is flat on the back so it will hang on my fence outside a window. If you buy this type of pot be sure to find one with a drain hole on the bottom, for some strange reason, most pots in this style lack that. And see the cute Chihuahua pillow? I bought that the first Christmas Bounce joined my family.
I have noticed new things in my life since the lockdown. Here are some of them:
Wearing a mask outside when in public.
A year ago would you have believed you would wear a mask when outside near other people? No way. Masks used to be used by bank robbers, probably still are.

How glamorous is this? Ha ha. I like this style of mask, which looks like a sleeve, because there are no ties behind the ears and it is easily pulled down and worn around my neck. See photo below with mask pulled down around my neck, handy at a moment's notice. If you search online to buy one, a term used by sellers is rave masks. Anyone else like women's tops from Jess and Jane? The ones I buy, including this turquoise floral one, are 100 percent cotton and made in the USA.

Using Zoom
I had never used Zoom until this crisis and I think increased use of Zoom and similar programs will continue. It could have a good effect because people will drive less often to business meetings, hang outs with friends, school meetings, etc. One thing that irks me is that well known environmentalists and politicians schedule big conferences on saving the environment and fly hundreds of people from all over the planet to meetings. Teleconferencing would be much less polluting, listen up people! That would be a good change going forward, not just during lock down. I joined my first environmental group when I was eleven, it was called Defenders of Fur Bearers, and focused on protecting coyotes from being poisoned and trapped and I am still a member of that group albeit it has a new name Defenders of Wildlife.
I attend our once a month book discussion group, our weekly church group which usually met right after church, and friends had a birthday party for me, all on Zoom.

Cleaning in my house in a new way 
Feel free to laugh at the photo above, my life has some boring aspects to it these days.
Since I am home almost all day I have noticed things in my house; I saw that my stainless steel kitchen sink, which is only two years old, looked less bright than it used to. If I didn't have all this time home I would not have noticed this; no matter how carefully I cleaned it, it looked a bit shabby.
So I ordered some Stainless Steel Sink Cleaner, Perfect Sink, used it, and am pleased how the sink looks renewed. I had never before thought of such a product. So that is a bit of a plus.
Ordering Groceries Online and having them delivered to my door using Instacart
Services like Instacart will continue to be used by many people after the crisis, especially by our aging population. It has a cost but saves me big in time and in driving, and I am at the age where I am supposed to not go in stores during the crisis so this is an all around good service for me. Instacart includes a tip in my bill, the standard tip is 5 percent and I give tip of 10 percent. The delivery is no contact, and they wear masks and disposable gloves, for their safety and mine.
Going for 10 weeks and more with only me in my house
Well that is not happy! Most of the time it is just me in the house, and I am excited when my adult sons visit me. I will love when I can give my favorite friends and family hugs and see them in person. My dog Bounce reminds me that he is here in the house with me, so I am not alone. A loyal dog. A prayer I am saying more often recently is "I am not alone. God is with me. He is my protector. He is all powerful, and no problem is too big for Him."
Searching online for cleaning supplies
Toilet paper, masks, disinfectant wipes, disposable gloves and paper towels. After this crisis when supplies are available I will order enough to have supplies on hand. It is frustrating that some people are hoarding these supplies in large quantities! I am almost out of disinfectant wipes and have read about some alternatives involving hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol. In a comment Lin asked about the wipes; I use Lysol or Clorox Disinfectant Wipes that kill 99.9 percent of viruses and bacteria; guidelines from many sources recommend using them to wipe frequently touched surfaces like door knobs, refrigerator door handles, TV remote controls, exterior packaging of foods (for example, plastic bags that hold loaves of bread and plastic wrapped around packaged cheese), etc. and that is what I have been doing. Also car door handles, gear shifts and steering wheels if I have been driving where people are. I am a senior citizen so am being extra careful.
Some positive results of this pandemic
Junk phone calls have almost disappeared
I keep a landline phone and usually get 25 junk calls a week. I don't pick them up, they usually hang up when they reach my answering machine. Now the spam call centers seem to be shut down, since I am only getting about 7 junk calls a week on my landline. I am also getting less junk paper mail.

Dogs are happy
Above is Bounce and his new Crocodile toy. Dare I tell you that the first day he got the toy, Crocodile lost a front leg!
So many dog owners are home and bonding with their dogs. I see people walking their dogs, keeping a proper social distance from other people, all around my neighborhood. I think all this time spent with dogs shifts people's perspective in a good way. Dogs notice everything in the minute, which is very meditative. On each walk I pray prayers of protection and of thanksgiving as I see beauty around me.
Have you noticed anything to add to this list?

Yellow roses in my garden, and poem My Neighbor's Roses

My Floribunda rose is in its full glory now in May. It is Julia Child floribunda planted in 2018.

I like the tight buds before they open.

The full size watering can shows the size of the bush which is about five feet all and five feet wide. It was small when planted two years ago.
Are you like me in that you greatly enjoy all the flowers and gardens that your neighbors grow?
Bounce gets me to take two walks a day and I love seeing the beauty neighbors provide. A jacaranda tree. California poppies. A stand of sunflowers each summer.

My Neighbor's Roses
The roses red upon my neighbor's vine
Are owned by him, but they are also mine,
His was the cost, and his the labor, too,
But mine as well as his the joy, the loveliness to view.

They bloom for me, and are for me as fair
As for the man who gives them all his care.
Thus I am rich, because a good man grew
A rose-clad vine for all his neighbors' view.

I know from that that others plant for me,
And what they own, my joy may also be;
So why be selfish, when so much that's fine
Is grown for you, upon your neighbor's vine?
                    written by Abraham Gruber. I haven't found out more about this poet, except some sources say he was a 19th century poet and that his middle initial is L.