COVID Diaries: Day 133

Today our Governor suspended any movement through the reopening phases that he implemented several months ago.  Indefinitely.  The lock-down will continue.  I feel like we will never be done with this…

I’m having trouble adulting this week.  I’m tired of COVID, I’m tired of immature people, I’m tired of seeing so many people suffering.

So to provide something a bit more light, here are some things I’ve learned in lock-down.

1. In an average week, I spend approximately 95% of my time alone; I’ve been loosely keeping track.  One week recently I got down to 90%; that was unusual.  No wonder I get lonely.
2. On the marshmallow roasting curve, I’m a four.
3. Since the lock-down began, I have read 19 books.
4. I’m really, really craving a Scotch egg.
5. I seriously think of taking the seats back out of my car, putting the bed back in, and taking off.  Every. Single. Day.  This leads to a lot of obsessing about my early retirement…
6. I have done four puzzles since the lock-down started, but haven’t done any in the last month or so.  Maybe I should start a new one.
7. Last night was the first night this summer that it was too hot too sleep.  I consider that an improvement from July 1, when I had to turn the heat back on.
8. Recently I discovered that Costco is selling boozy otter pops and I may now be ruined for life.  Genius!
9. Google “I smell like beef,” and watch the Katie Ryan YouTube video.  Trust me.
10. Today I ate what was suspiciously like a Cheese Puff; it was in my bag of Cheetos.  It was all light and puffy and gross.  This describes everything that’s wrong with 2020.  There is no room in the world for cheese puffs.  2020 is a cheese puff.

But remember… We’ll get through this.  Together, but separate…

COVID Diaries: Day 131

We have now been at this for over four months.  Four months!  I’m tired.  It feels like one endless cycle of workdays and weekends, with the occasional grocery shopping trip.  Well, who am I kidding.  It has been that endless cycle – the furthest I have traveled in the last four months has been to work, and even that is very rare.  I need a vacation!

I’m still trying to keep track of an endless series of rules and guidelines.  Last week I could still eat inside in a restaurant but this week that’s banned.  You are supposed to wear a mask in public, which is simple enough and has been in place for weeks, but apparently being at home with people you don’t live with is now “in public.”  That’s new.  How are people supposed to keep up?  I still haven’t been able to get a haircut and now I wonder if I’ll get in before that rule changes again. Good thing I don’t dye my hair or have a fancy hairstyle.

This week in the sermon the priest said, “hell is an absence of anything and everything but yourself.  Do you really want to spend an eternity with just you?”  He wasn’t talking about COVID, but it certainly felt relevant.  Of course, lately I’ve been feeling like maybe that’s not so bad.  The ranting, the judgment, the call out and cancel culture, and some people’s beliefs that their opinions are the only right opinions – it is wearing on me.

The sun has been out though, and I have been spending some time on the deck reading.  COVID is definitely a boost for churning through books!

Thursday night I went with Lelani to the beach after work.  We picked up fried chicken dinners from the grocery store along the way, hiked in and relaxed while drinking wine from a can with our dinners.  An impromptu photo shoot and my sassy mood resulted in my new favorite photo of myself!  The weather was windy and slightly chilly, my hair was a mess, but the waves on the shore did the trick.  This girl’s soul needs the ocean.

My sassy self!

That hair!

I have also been working on pruning some of the big shrubs and trees in the yard; they were badly pruned five years ago (not by me), and they have finally grown back in the right places to attempt to prune them back into a better shape.

I pinched a nerve in my right shoulder a few weeks ago and ouch!  It has been painful.  Hopefully a second trip to the chiropractor this week will have me on the mend; it is not fun!

Last night I went to a very small BBQ, and had salmon, shrimp and home grown zucchini.  I brought the wine.  It was a rye barrel aged red blend from Beringer, and it was quite good!  It was this month’s wine club red, and it was certainly not something I would pick on my own, so it was great to be introduced to something new!  It paired well with a warm evening and good company.

I hope you are all well, and able to get out and enjoy the summer!

Circus Trip 2018: Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS

Day 44, Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, Buffalo, New York

Most of you probably know that President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz while he was attending the Pan American Exposition on September 6, 1901.  That’s my birthday! Well, it is long before my actual birthday, but you get my point.

McKinley hung on for 8 days, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt rushed to get to Buffalo to be by the President’s side.  He originally arrived on September 7, and McKinley’s prognosis was good; in fact it was so good that on September 10 doctors determined he was out of danger, and Roosevelt left to return to a family vacation in the Adirondacks.

Of course, the President soon worsened, and a telegram was sent to summon Roosevelt back to Buffalo.  He arrived shortly after McKinley died on September 14, 1901, having learned the news on his journey back.  A suitable location for the inauguration was sought and determined to be the home of Ansley Wilcox, a prominent attorney and friend of Theodore Roosevelt.  It also happened to be where Roosevelt was staying while he was in Buffalo.

The home itself was built beginning in 1840; it was the Officer’s Quarters of the Buffalo Barracks Compound, built because of concerns about a minor insurrection to the north in Canada at the time.  It was eventually sold and became a private residence, and the Wilcox family purchased the home and built an addition that doubled its size in 1896.  It is built in the Greek Revival style, with huge columns adorning its front porch.  That is how the home looked in 1901, when Roosevelt’s inauguration was held.

Me at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS

The exterior of the Ansley house

Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt was inaugurated in the library of the Wilcox home, a small room that ended up being packed with several cabinet members, dignitaries, and the judge administering the oath.  Theodore Roosevelt was now the President of the United States.  No photos were taken of the inauguration, but several were taken of the room afterwards.

Here is where Roosevelt stood during his inauguration

The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site is set up with exhibits on the exposition, McKinley’s assassination, and Roosevelt’s Presidency.  There is an interesting film detailing the political climate at the time, and the events that happened surrounding the assassination.  Upstairs, the rooms on the main floor of the home have been restored to what they looked like when Roosevelt was inaugurated here.  The docent led tour takes visitors to the library when Roosevelt took the oath of office, and photos taken after the inauguration are displayed.

The dining room!

A newspaper from the time (plus they tie down the silverware!)

The parlor

TR wrote at this desk

The text of TR’s first Presidential Proclamation

Upstairs you can see additional exhibits and sit at a mock President’s desk!  It was certainly worth a visit and it wasn’t crowded, only averaging about 13,000 visits per year.  It is a must if you are interested in Presidential history!  If you aren’t able to visit, they have a virtual tour!

 

Book Review: Holy Ghost Girl

Holy Ghost Girl, by Donna M. Johnson

Our city library has a library book sale four times a year (well, at least we did before COVID).  In a community of strong readers, that bodes well for finding some interesting books!

Donna M. Johnson led a fascinating life, growing up as a child traveling with an itinerant preacher who conducted tent revivals throughout the South in the 1960s.  Holy Ghost Girl is her story.

Brother Terrell was a charismatic preacher, known for large, long tent revivals, with plenty of preaching, singing, and faith healing.  He fasted, sang, played guitar, preached the gospel and healed the sick, often with dramatic hands on displays.  Young Donna’s mother was the organist, so she and her brother attended revivals and lived with the group on the road.

It was a strange life for a child, made even more strange by Brother Terrell’s affair with Donna’s mother, and a successive list of other women.  Not to mention that pesky little issue of the money…

She is upfront and candidate about the trials of her childhood, as well as the impacts it has had on her adult life.  She has struggled with her faith, after seeing Brother Terrell live in a way that was inconsistent with his messages to his faithful.

The book is an enlightening look into a world that is little known and explored.  Although tent revivals are largely a thing of the past, charismatic religious leaders still sell faith through the U.S.  Promising eternal salvation – for a price.  Johnson provides a unique behind the scenes look at a community not many experience.

4 stars. 

2017 Massaya Rosé

I had never had a Lebanese wine, until yesterday!

About a month ago, with my favorite wine shop still closed to indoor shopping, I had the owners put together a six pack of summer sipping whites and rosés.  Beyond a general description of what I like, I let them choose for me – I’ve done this several times and have always been pleased with the results.  With curbside pickup, it was a breeze to just pull up and have them load my purchases into my car!

The 2017 Massaya Rosé is 100% Cinsault, hand picked from vines that are on average 30 years old. It is stainless-steel aged and bottled after 8 months. This wine is a beautiful light strawberry color, with flavors of ripe berries.  It is dry with a hint of light spice and just a touch of sweetness.  It was great to enjoy it on the deck on a hot summer day!

It made me happy to try something new!

Circus Trip 2018: Fort Niagara Light

Day 44, Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Fort Niagara State Historic Park, Youngstown, New York

The current Fort Niagara Light was completed in 1872.

Of course, it was not the first lighthouse on this site; the first was built on a pedestal on top of the French Castle in 1782.  It was lit with whale oil and reflectors.  It was removed by 1806.

It was challenging for ships to navigate this route through Lake Ontario without a light, and a light was once again erected on the roof of the French Castle in 1823.  And there it rotated for years.  A tornado damaged the fort and the light in 1855, and historical records from the period show the light was in a poor state of repair.  Advancing technologies meant that a fourth order Fresnel lens was sent to Fort Niagara in 1857, and mounted on the rooftop light.

The light structure continued to deteriorate and a fire burned the roof of the light.  In 1868, recommendations were made to built a completely new lighthouse, with a keeper’s quarters; up to this point the keeper lived in a separate building and had to travel through the officer’s quarters several times a night to get to the light.  The new Fort Niagara Light was constructed between 1871 and 1872, and the fourth order Fresnel lens was moved over to the new lighthouse.

You can visit the lighthouse and climb to the top for free; you just have to sign a waiver, and be at least four feet tall.  The lighthouse is 61 feet tall, and there are 72 steps to the top!  Keep in mind that the winding staircase is very narrow and some of the steps are quite tall and not very deep.  You want to be careful!  It is worth it though, for such a pretty view!

 

COVID Diaries: Day 117

I was supposed to go hiking today, but my friend was sick (not COVID), so Shelley and I decided to take a long walk to happy hour instead.  It was sunny and warm, and I wasn’t motivated to clean the house anyway.

The cocktail special was called a Georgia Ice Pick, with peach vodka, peach Schnapps, and iced tea.  I rarely drink hard liquor but it sounded so good.  And it was!  I might have to try this at home sometime; it would probably be very good with vodka, raspberry liquor, and iced tea.  That way I wouldn’t even need to purchase any ingredients!

The long walk also meant that I have over 21,000 steps today too!  I hope your work week starts off well tomorrow!

 

Circus Trip 2018: Fort Niagara

Day 44, Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Fort Niagara State Historic Park, Youngstown, New York

Fort Niagara has a history of white colonial settlement that spans over 300 years.

The first fort on this site was established by the French in 1679; they named it Fort Conti, and it wasn’t occupied for long.  The French returned again to establish Fort Denonville between 1687 and 1688.  It wasn’t until 1726 that the first permanent structure was built; a stone building known as the French Castle that still stands on site today!  Additional structures were built between 1756 and 1758.  In 1759 the British gained control of the fort during the French and Indian War, and it was British until the Revolutionary War was won, and the Americans were the proud new owners of Fort Niagara.

Of course, the British weren’t known for giving up so easily and they briefly reconquered Fort Niagara between 1813 and 1815, during the perhaps not-so-aptly named War of 1812.  The Americans got it back at the end of the War of 1812, and Fort Niagara never saw combat again.

 

The French Castle – 1729

The French Castle

A Redoubt with mounted cannon

Cannon view

Me with the French Castle

The view from a Guardhouse

The Fort did continue operating as a peaceful border post, and American troops were stationed here during the Civil War.  It was common during the early years of the Civil War to parole enemy troops, with the condition that they not return to fighting for a year.  The parolees at Fort Niagara were put to work building stuff.  Troops were trained here during both World Wars as well, and the last troops were finally withdrawn in 1963.  Since then, the Coast Guard is the only military branch that is on site.

 

Fireplace in the French Castle

Dining Hall

Officers quarters

Enlisted Men’s quarters

Best bed in the house!

Cannon in the Guardhouse

Of course, Native Americans from the Seneca tribe were in the area long before the Europeans came along.  The Seneca was using the area around Fort Niagara as a seasonal hunting and fishing camp through the 1600s.

While I was there, I got to explore the buildings, and I also got to see both a cannon firing and a musket firing demonstration!  Apparently they used to lob tennis balls into the water when they did the cannon firing demonstrations, but the Canadian government asked them to stop, so now the demonstration does not include a projectile.  That’s better for the environment!

 

Blacksmith

British troops

Fire!

The explanation…

Getting ready…

Fire!

This was such a cool place to visit!

 

Book Review: Girl, Stop Apologizing

I found this book on the library website; it was available and sounded interesting.  I didn’t know then quite how relevant it would be.

Rachel Hollis is a consultant and motivational speaker who has transitioned from a career as a wedding planner; her business empowers women to live their best lives, unapologetically.

As women, we feel the pull of competing priorities, the pressure and shame of not being enough, and the ideas about what others think we “should” be.  But why do we allow other people’s opinions to affect us so much?  Rachel speaks to women everywhere, encouraging them to follow their own dreams and let go of excuses and behaviors that do not serve.

She speaks of shaming and ways in which women are subtly and overtly discouraged from reaching for the stars, the struggle of raising children as a career minded woman, and the experience of not conforming to society’s expectations of women. She talks of her own experience, as a woman who, looking from the outside, appears to have it all.  She is honest and forthright about how family members and strangers alike have felt a right to weigh in on her choices and goals.

As a single, childless woman who has been very successful in my career, this resonates with me.  Not everyone in my life has been supportive of my dreams, and sometimes when you don’t meet the expectation that others have of you, the passive aggressive push back has been noticeable.  I have experienced the pain of having people in my life lash out against me for being successful, as if my success somehow hinders their own.  Perhaps my achievements are a reminder that they have not been living their own best life, and they only know how to pull someone down to their own level so they can feel less insecure – I’m merely speculating.  But my point is, and the book’s point is, why let somebody else dim your shine and keep you from reaching for your own goals?

Her message is clear.  Live your dreams, do what you need to do to make space for them, and be unapologetic about what they are.  You only get one life, so make sure that you live it wisely and without regret!

3 stars.

COVID Diaries: Day 111

After three days of rain last week, the blue sky has returned.  It was so cold and so dreary that I actually had to turn the heat back on in the house on Wednesday!  That is pretty rare with our mild coastal weather.

I had a four day weekend, and was soooo tired for my first two days off – worn out to the core.  I didn’t do much Thursday and Friday so I could build back up some energy reserves.  Is that even possible – can you bank energy?  It’s hard on me that I can’t travel.  It would be nice to take a week or two away, but what would I do with very little open and tourism destinations still asking people to stay away?  So meanwhile I’ll continue building up my vacation bank, and saving money for my early retirement.  What more can you do?

Independence Day was pretty nice, and I went for a long walk with Shelley in the morning, followed by lunch at a place with outdoor seating.  I did some yard work, then got a chance to go stand-up-paddleboarding with Lelani in the afternoon.  It was nice to try it again!  We talked and relaxed on the lake for a while.

As usual, I was in bed before dark, but apparently my fellow citizens wanted to light off copious amounts of fireworks to demonstrate their angst at being pent up for so long.  With no city sponsored fireworks show this year, the neighborhood booms were the worst they have been in years, and I wasn’t able to get to sleep until after midnight.  Things are just so different these days.

Sunday I got up early and did a long hike up to Oyster Dome with Lelani.  This has long been one of my favorite local hikes.  It’s a pretty tough one, with a lot of up up up, but the view at the top over the bay and the Skagit tidal flats is always a stunner!  We were early enough that it wasn’t too crowded, and we went a different route than I usually do, which took us back along a trail that was very quiet!  We clocked just under 4 hours, and when we got back the trailhead parking was packed!

I’m still lonely, but it has been nice being able to get out more.  Getting to see friends and getting up in the woods are both good for the soul.