June 2020 - Covid 19 Hits Home

July 1, 2020                                                                 Most Recent Posts:
Greenfield Mountain Farm           A Birthday Brings a Road Trip Without Winnona
Virginia                                                                             Back to the Farm

The most difficult part of June this year was my father’s death from Covid 19.  He would have been 100 years old in October and Carrie, my brother, sister-in-law and I had planned to visit him then and celebrate.  He is one of the last WWII veterans and worked hard all his life to provide for his family.

But he hasn’t had much of a life in the past year or so.  His hearing is very weak so I have not been able to talk to him over the phone.  He has macular degeneration so he could not really see.  His memory declined as his dementia increased.  His loss has not been as difficult for me as David’s death since I know the quality of his life was not what he wanted.  I had been concerned about his getting covid as he lived in a Veteran’s Home. His was a very long long life though it was never the same after the death of my mother on whom he depended so greatly.   In all honesty, I believe he would be relieved and I hope I don’t live that long though I’m sorry he was so close to the century mark but didn’t make it.  He amazingly outlived his son-in-law though he only heard about his great grandchildren as he was never able to see them.

With life slowed down to a standstill, there isn’t much to blog about.  It’s good and bad that  Virginia is doing very well with its shut down in terms of # of Covid Cases and deaths.  It seems a safe place to be but there is nothing to do with so many rules.    Masks are required in public places.  Restaurants doing mainly or only take out. 

So here is my life in the slow lane.

Carrie sent a picture of Colin’s first haircut and of Celia’s 4 year check up.  They are the real bright spots in life at this point.

Lucky for Colin his babysitter is in cosmetology school and thus he can get a haircut in this time of quarantine.  Pretty sure you can distract Colin from anything with food.  Just like his GrandPapa David.

Celia seems pretty happy about the check up but this taken was before her immunizations though her mom said she didn’t cry.  That seems amazing.

Compare that picture of the smiling Celia to this one taken after her parents told her she could not go back in the pool as it was dinner time.  Isn’t she just a riot!  What an expression. 

Here at the farm, life goes on.  The fields need mowing but Shannon is too busy.  Yet this allows the wildflowers to grow.  Daisies begin to fill in the foreground of the overgrown pond.

Each day it seems there are more of them.

I love their smiling summer faces.

Star chickweed

Not a dandelion.  I believe it’s Common cat’s ear (Hypochaeris radicata)

The fields must be mown but when they are I lose the wildflowers and the wonderful sounds of the Whipoorwill who then moves on to other grasslands.

This was the full moon out the bedroom window when I was hearing the night sounds of the link below.

Here’s the link.  The video is black but turn up the sound to hear the whippoorwill and the frogs that are my sleeping sound track

A weekly routine has developed with my friend Laurie as we discuss books each Saturday on zoom.   We are really enjoying The Overstory by Richard Powers and are stretching it out over multiple sessions.  My last post talked about our previous books.   Another recurring event is a nearly weekly dinner with Pam.

Usually it is take out but this time we were able to actually eat in and have margaritas.  Hers is regular, mine was strawberry.

I’ve had some visits from the neighbors.

Visits including this narrow fellow in the grass who is kind enough to keep the mice under control.

Salamander or skink on the cinder block steps into the shop?

Have I mentioned the heat in Virginia?  Did I mention recurring 90’s IN JUNE not August and how I was supposed to be in Maine at Acadia National Park until things fell apart?  Well my much needed air conditioner also fell apart and had to have a new compressor.  Luckily, it was 9 years old and the warranty was 10 years so I only have to pay the not inconsequential labor costs but not the $1500 for the compressor itself. 

Even here in the country where it is admittedly 3 or 4 degrees cooler than Charlottesville, air conditioning is necessary in the late afternoon especially to deal with the humidity.

Other”business” things of note for me are that since I am the executor of my father’s estate I get to start the process of going through everything to get his will executed.   I guess it will give me more “business” to attend to in these slow quarantine days.

In the mean time, I am trying unsuccessfully to get the IRS to tell me where my stimulus payment and my Income Tax Refund are.  I have spent hours on this task using every on line tool I could find but not, of course being able to talk to anyone at the IRS because they apparently are not working from home.  SO I have instead complained to my senator in Virginia the wonderful Tim Kaine and his office is working on the problem for me.

I have done some hiking in the latter half of the month so that will be in my next post.

P.S.  I have been receiving a lot of spam comments so I have changed my comments settings.  If you find you are unable to comment as you have done in the past, let me know via the email at rvdreamlife@gmail.com.