Today is a cloudy but bright day. Maybe the sun will appear (ASIDE: the sun has started to break through). It’s a little chillier than yesterday and the last few days. I stood out on the deck for a bit this morning watching Henry in the yard. He always runs down the steps and across the gated driveway to a tree with a good size trunk. That’s where he lifts his leg and has been lifting his leg for the almost two years he’s been mine. Poor tree! Strong tree!

I have been watching Star Trek movies. Right now it is the Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto film on the origins of the first TV Enterprise crew. I’ve seen it before, but that doesn’t matter. I like this movie

When I brush my teeth and lean close to the sink, I can smell pine. It is the most wonderful aroma and comes from the candle by the sink: Bedrock Tree Farm Soy Candle with freshly harvested fir needles you can see on the top of the candle. They’re covered with a single layer of wax so they look green all the time. It’s like a Christmas memory.

Jack keeps meowing and he is driving me crazy. I tried being pleasant, but he still meowed. I got firmer. He meowed. I yelled. He meowed. I moved to another room. He followed me, meowing the whole time. I gave him treats. He stopped meowing.

Before I decided to stay mostly inside, I have always stayed mostly inside. I’d go out a couple of days a week for dump runs, any sort of appointments and a grocery stop. Now I have groceries delivered and all appointments are cancelled. I can wait a week before I need a dump run. I’m okay mostly, but every now and then I’d like a connection, a call. Any conversations I have with Henry are very one-sided.

My vacuum is waiting. I brought it down from upstairs. I’m almost at the I must vacuum point but not quite yet. It can wait.

Take care of yourselves!

The dafs in the front garden are almost ready to bud. Finally there is some color in this drab world still dressed for winter. The clouds haven’t left. Rain is predicted. There is a bit of a breeze, but it is warm, 50˚. There was fog this morning.

I’m going nowhere. I have sent orders for delivery to Agway, animal provisions, and to Ring, my provisions. Each place has e-mailed an acknowledgement of its order but doesn’t know when it will be filled. Henry is down to two cans of dog food. He has plenty of treats so he’ll be a happy boy. I have ordered treats for me so I’ll be a happy girl: a slice of the bakery’s chocolate three layer cake, 3 Payday bars, baby back ribs, a Danish and some flowers to brighten the house. I just got a call from Ring double checking my order. I’ll have it this afternoon.

My cleaning couple didn’t come. Lee called to say they are self-quarantining themselves. They have no symptoms, but they have been in a few different houses so they don’t know. They didn’t want to come here because they didn’t want to take a chance infecting me if they have it. I think Lee said something about my age; he was courteous of course. My house is dusty, animal hair dusty. I may clean.

I was in Ghana during its first cholera epidemic in 1970. I was returning to Ghana from out of country and entered at Kotoka International Airport. The passport part was easy, not so health. The inspector said we couldn’t enter as we hadn’t had cholera shots. We didn’t know about the cholera. We begged to be allowed in because we lived in Ghana. We promised the inspector we’d go right to Peace Corps from the airport and get our shots. He let us in. We went right to the Peace Corps office, and we got our shots.

Yesterday went quickly. I changed my bed and threw the laundry down the cellar stairs. I read most of the afternoon and the evening though I did have TV on later to watch a movie. I counted it as a day well spent.