It’s Friday the 13th! Are you superstitious?
Since black cats are often a symbol of bad luck, I want to take a minute to advocate for them. Not only is my little Scout not bad luck, I consider him my lucky charm.
I wonder sometimes what might have happened to him given how cruel people can be to black animals. Black animals are often the last to be adopted in shelters and at higher risk of abuse.
If you have a chance to adopt a black kitty, I hope you’ll do it. All animals deserve a good life.
Happiness is the first subtle signs of spring. The initial hint that spring is near came last week with a chorus of March Peepers serenading us at night. Yesterday it was the bloom of Crocus and Daffodils. Some trees have buds on them and the air is a bit warmer despite the absence of sun most days.
After months of rain and cold, these harbingers of spring give us hope that better days await.
Fortunately, sometimes hope is all we need to get ourselves through.
I grew up in the country.
We were a single car family for a lot of my childhood so my mother went to town just once a week to do all her shopping. Back then, gas stations were closed on Sundays and there wasn’t a Dollar General in every hamlet across the country so, if you ran out of something, you likely did without until the next grocery trip.
I still live in the country but work in a town with a pharmacy, grocery, hardware and a couple of dollar stores. However, I attempt to limit my stops at the store, making a point to never need anything.
There are always plenty of supplies in my home – from toilet paper and rice to frozen vegetables and cat litter, I try to always have a supply of essentials on hand. This is especially true in the winter because you never know when you might be snowed in for a few days.
That’s probably why it’s so shocking to me to realize that other people don’t do this. Those who keep only a five day supply of food on hand are not my people. Those who could eat out of their pantry and freezer for a few months are.
And no, I’m not a hoarder – I tend to only keep what I can use – and bargain shop to get it. After all, if you don’t need something today, you can afford to wait for a sale later.
So I’ve been watching with interest as friends fearfully stock up on supplies like it’s a fresh concept. Last night I made one of my two monthly trips to Walmart. The goal was to pick up regular list items and to gather a few extra supplies I would need in a time of sickness or quarantine – Morningstar sausage patties, vegan chocolate chips, tissues, Clorox wipes, and cat food were on the list.
After all, if the zombie apocalypse is going to happen, we can’t have Scout going hungry!
You can see where people’s priorities are. As I suspected, the selection of toilet paper was picked over and the shelves nearly cleared of soap, Clorox wipes, bleach and other cleaning supplies.
The store seemed busier than it should be on a Tuesday night and it made me wonder if people are just out doing their normal thing or if they’re stocking up for the COVID-19 which will inevitably hit all our neighborhoods soon.
In case you’re looking for some friendly advice, I suggest always keeping the house stocked as though you might not be able to leave for a few days – not because of this virus but because things happen. Your car breaks down, you get a nasty stomach bug, there’s a snowstorm- any number of things could keep you at home at any time.
That means it’s always a good idea to have soap for hand washing and food for the whole family including the four legged kids.
And one last thing, fellow adventurers. Stay safe but don’t live in terror. Practice good hygiene and protect your personal space in public. If you’re sick, don’t go places where you might spread germs like work, public events or school. And if you know someone with a weakened immune system, offer to run their errands so they don’t have to be exposed to the germs of the masses.
But please, don’t stop living for fear of illness. Go live your life and do your thing within reason. This too shall pass.
Details are important to me. Things that have interesting shapes and colors are pleasing to the eye and often provoke thought or allow the imagination to run wild.
Here are some details from the 1950s exhibit last week.
Look at those colors! The shapes! The Atomic style is just a lot of fun!
Given how much advertising I see on a daily basis, it’s surprising this increase isn’t more substantial. Although this was from eight years ago so it certainly is drastically more today.
From the front end of a 1957 Chevy Bellaire.
Check out that unusual rusty color. And the headlights! Oh my!
I’ve never quite understood the purpose of a mirror on a cigarette machine but it’s a great place for yours truly to get a selfie. Really- is it so you can see how cool you look with your pack of smokes? Maybe it’s so you can see who is coming up behind you, especially important for spies and for anyone trying to keep tabs on a potential mate in a crowd!
And finally, I never walk past a radio without taking a picture. This one sits atop the fridge in the Lustron kitchen.
What details do you enjoy? Or maybe you’re a big picture kind of person? Tell me!
Scout’s birthday gift has provided him with hours of entertainment. I need to wash my windows but I’ve been able to grab a few snapshots of some of his birdies, as we call them. Here are a few from yesterday at dinner time.
Ohio has endured a long, dark, cold, windy and overall nasty winter. There’s been almost no snow to pretty things up but we do have a nice coating of mud on everything in sight.
It has been bleak.
And the few rays of sunshine seem to never fall on weekends so this has not been a good outdoors season.
So imagine the thrill yesterday when it wasn’t raining and I had free time to hike! It was a cold morning – about 28 degrees – so I layered up like Randy on A Christmas Story and logged about six miles.
There were few others out in the state park that early so I had the place mostly to myself. Well, it was me and the deer!
This place is typically overrun with tourists which makes it even more special when you realize you have the whole place to yourself.
Take thirteen seconds and just breathe. Enjoy the gushing water and the beauty of Ohio’s Hocking Hills.
Happy Sunday!