Quick
2019. Three years. It ain’t over. There are still statistics for deaths and hospitalizations. We are largely unmasked. Some places persist. Our vet. Our doctor. Halcyon Yarn store, Maine. Olsen House, Farnsworth Museum. Not much else. We are fortunate not to have had Covid though many family and friends have not been so lucky.
Over? Not so quick. Shots?! They worked for us so far. Colleen and I had the worst colds in years after our recent trip to ME and CA. Related? We cannot be sure. It took a long time to eat out again but we are not worried to much at the moment.
Quick? It took a few moments to find mask pictures in my catalog. Gee! I take a lot of pictures… most without masks.
Oh, no!
Saved. I almost passed Valentine’s Day without a post for my beloved. Colleen would be my present and most favorite wife. I got a favorite cat… Silly! Yes, she is above all my cats. I was able to put something together from… gee, it’s been a long pandemic. And, honey, I brung you flowers! Flowers! In a few scant weeks we can start planting again. And, yes, I will be with my one and only Valentine. Sorry, I just gotta smile to myself. Life is full of unexpected blessing some days.
Oh no!
Why couldn’t it be rolling pins… that I/we collect? I never considered masks.?! And, well, I should not! No! No no. We simply are out of wall space. Oh well, time to reinvent myself (ourselves) once more. These masks are from Mexico. I bet you could tell. Masks are ingrained in many cultures around the world. These masks tell a story and are full of stories about the ceremony and how they evolved. You can see primitive culture and the Spanish influence all wrapped up and melded together. Symbolism is heavy. Top left – Moor/Chinese influence ?? go figure. You can readily see Hispanic influence. Snakes? They are not ‘garden of Eden’ evil, but are water sign. Rain dance! Me? It’s another thing to eye more closely when we go thru and antique store. Gee! Can we just get one? NO!!!
Non sequitur: driving to the museum lecture we were treated to a spectacular sunset all the way up the road. It was gone by the time we arrived. Note: crescent moon over the parking lot.
We need a bigger table
This holiday season things are returning to normal in an abnormal state. Covid rages and 1000 people a day die in this country – still. No worries. Everyone is virus fatigued. Masks are off. Well, not quite. We went to a Xmas concert. Certainly, many venues recommend and suggest mask. Many ignore masks if it is optional. Stupid? Ignorant? Or Republican? Eating out? Obviously, you don’t wear a mask. Safe? Who knows? There are a lot of moving parts in a restaurant. It’s a risk. At this time of year, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. And, we need a table that is bigger than just for two.
Parked
I watch people when there is no scenery to photograph. Library? Yes, again. The building was picturesque enough to demand a visit. Books? But, of course! There was a sale of used books! Oh, surprise! We came away with a couple (books, not people). Hat? Hats? Alpaca, you gotta feel! Soft!! Of course, they are all the more stylish in this year’s fashion cat mask. Imagine me, parked, patiently sitting in one place? Hardly! I usefully perused my phone for a place to eat. Yeah, all that sittin’ makes me hungry.
Hum-ah
In Maine, they pronounce long “A’s.” (pfewf!!, that was a punctuation nightmare!) Like supp-ah for supper. And so forth. Seriously. ?! Socks? T-shirts? Dancin’s in the streets? Candles on a blanket on the beach at low tide. In the time of Covid, you can actually go out for takeout wearing a clown outfit/mask. The beard was the cherry on top. There is a lot to see if you know where to look. Or, if you just look, there is lots to see.
Ticks and bees
I dreamt about posting/blogging. Yeah, weird. I never did that before. The old question arises. Am I shooting for the blog? Or, are my shots “worthy” photos? Technically correct, many of my images are good. But, worthy? Goofy! Goofy? My garden – I discovered a tick (looking at the flower picture) after the shoot. Ha! I thought it was a spider. Wrong! And, long gone, there is no finding that tick. Now, I have to worry about my cats. Bee? Almost, but no cigar. The focus missed by just that much. Alas. Focus!? Ah, an antique store with old cameras. Wonderful, but, they are film. Collector’s item? No, more like they are dust collectors. Covid is pretty much done. There are no rules any longer. We are half masked, or, not. Brain coral celosia? Close, but not quite, I am still working on focus and lighting. Poor Peas, the calico kitten, has her own problems. She’s cute. The older Maine coon cats are jealous? They keep jumping her! I mean pouncing, hissing, loud, mean, ambush type altercations. So, ticks, are a problem but not foremost among what I think about.
… not as I do/did
Don’t go out. Do what I say. We have admonished all our family. It’s dangerous out there. Covid. We’re out in the antique store. Yes, we have/had masks on. Carolers – collectible. Colleen took notice. No! we got no room. Honest. Thankfully, we passed on mangers/nativity too. Santa? We somehow got to collecting them a couple years back. It was sneaky, insidious really. They just seem to show up….
We got this set, too many, in three or more trips. She felt guilty acquiring them in one haul. Ha ha.
One more
Colleen made masks. She found elastic and material in her stash. Ok! I’ve only worn a mask (for)ever since I started surgery. I overheard Jess exclaim, who could wear a mask for hours? Ha ha! No big deal. You get used to it. It’s like wearing rubber surgical gloves and doing fine microscopic work. You get used to it. No choice. Now I have a Hawaiian style mask. We never had anything so stylish when I operated. Special! Or, perhaps I have been drinking the alcohol again?
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