Day 47

Debbie Downer is in the house today.

Nothing much to do today except think about "stuff'. ...and this came to mind.

Awareness comes in stages. Changes do, too. Some are sudden and some are gradual.  Who we were yesterday is not necessarily who we are today.

Are we older and wiser?  suspicious? cynical?

I don't know if I'm wiser, but I sure am suspicious and cynical of the reasons behind why our country is in the dire situation it's in today.

When did the FBI become its own agency with its own agenda and with its own rules?

When did Justice decide her scales would tilt in favor of the Political Royalty of  Washington D.C.?

When did biased, self-serving  politicians get to decide that voters didn't know how to make decisions for casting votes and attempt to alter the results of an election?

When did The Speaker of the House start to believe that she is more powerful than our President?

When was this plan hatched? Who were the architects?  Who was the designer?

I now know the meaning of "Give them a finger and they'll take the hand."

That phrase is a description of how this country has gradually changed over the years. The changes were so gradual we didn't even notice them.  We were not even aware that they were happening.

This country has made mistakes over the years, but it's been the country that others wanted to come to for opportunities and freedom. And now, those to whom we extended a hand want to turn us into the countries they left. My personal belief is that this is wrong on many levels.

Some in elected offices are willing to make these changes in order to garner support in order to remain in office.  Empty, expensive promises that tax payers are going to have to pay for are tossed about like Monopoly money. We are nothing more to these people than Cash Cows they use to fund their personal wealth

The changes have been gradual, but the good thing is we're now aware.

Now, we just need to do something to fix this mess we're in.

Will we stand up to the challenge or fold like limp noodles?

Day 46

It's been a long time since friends/family have been together. We've pretty much been left to our own devices to pass the time away.

Some of us have begun new hobbies.  Some have started reading more. Then there is the obsession with organizing.  And what about cleaning? You either fall into the camp of having everything dusted, mopped and vacuumed or into the camp that feels since no one is coming over, dust doesn't count.

I won't tell you which group I belong to, but just know if you don't call ahead before you come over, you're not stepping into my home.

Some people enjoy wine and some just enjoy food. Too much of either and you see the results and those results are not always flattering.

The beaches are opening up and that means bathing suit weather.  Catalogs for bathing suits are filling my mailbox. Knowing customers won't be able to go into stores to try on before buying, these catalogs are being helpful in guiding customers with their purchases.

There are bathing suits to lift and shape the chest area.  Some are designed to disguise a  thick waist.  Others to conceal a full belly. And then there are those to cover heavy thighs.

Sadly, as a result of this isolation period, I would now have to buy 4 different suits and layer them before I venture on to the beach.  That's not really practical.

Being that I'm an innovative person, I have now started my own business to meet the needs of other women like myself.

My suits come in 3 sizes, twin, full and queen. Twin comes with 6 large safety pins; Full comes with 10 large safety pins; Queen comes with 14 safety pins.

At this time, my suits are only available in white. Online orders only.... with free shipping.

Simple instructions come with your purchase.

Here is a picture of one of my basic styles, but you can easily design your own.

Day 45

 It was subtle at first.  Then it became blatant.

 I thought it was my imagination.  Then I knew it was fact.

Women in their 70's are disappearing from lead roles in movies.

News anchors are younger, with fixed brows and foreheads...doesn't matter if it's due to Botox or not.  They're blonde, wide eyed, and very young.

Have you noticed that magazines only have make-up tips for women in their 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's? So women in their 70's shouldn't even think about improving their appearance by applying their make-up differently?

Same thing for suggested hairstyles by decades.  After we hit our  60's, I suppose "they" think we're bald.

The one thing we had that was ours, if we chose to expose it, was our silver strands of hair.  We worked hard for this silver.  And now grey hair is trending among the younger generations? They're stealing our thunder.

I mentioned to a younger someone today that when the salons eventually open I thought I'd let my hair grow rather than cut it.  I was thinking it would be nice to pull it back in a low pony tail or bun or a French twist. 

She looked at me and asked, "Do you know how many years it's going to take to get it that long"? I just looked at her and responded with, "Are you saying you don't think I'll be around for that many years"?

Damn.  I'm going to stick around until it grows that long just to prove to her that I can.

Day 44

Did you know that when you send someone a personal message through  FaceBook there is a small icon to the far right of the page that looks like a camera?

I'm not real computer savvy.

 I thought that was a way to send an already saved picture. I learned today that it's a way to take and send a picture of you AS YOU LOOK WHILE SITTING IN FRONT OF YOUR COMPUTER.

Lesson learned......pause and think before you click.

To the person who got the picture I accidentally sent a few minutes ago, I ask you as a friend, please delete it.

 I had just gotten out of the shower and the towel slipped.

Day 43

I'm watching more TV these days than I have in the past and I'm noticing something.  (I'm always noticing something, aren't I?)

Characters under stress seem to pour a drink at home or head to a bar to calm down, relax and just regenerate. And they may even light a cigarette and take a big breath before exhaling.

In my world, that's not real life.

In my world, that person would head to the kitchen, pour a big glass of ice cold milk, reach for glazed doughnuts.....at least 4 and maybe 6.....dunk a doughnut, take a bite, then a swallow of milk and then exhale. Tell me that won't relax you and put you to sleep in a sugar induced coma.

Speaking of eating....and I'm doing that a lot these days....

Restaurants are reopening today,  but if you're being cautious you're still wearing masks.  If you're going out to eat, this is the time to switch to a scarf/bandana instead.  You'll look like a stage coach robber, but you can reach under the bandana and put food to mouth or straw to lips and enjoy a meal. Trust me; this works.  My research has been thorough and diligent.

I'm sure being at home with a companion has led to couples getting impatient with each other.  We're no exception to that. But, my husband has been wonderful.

After a particularly tough day yesterday, he's offered to fix dinner tonight and said he's going out to get fresh veggies, even willing to harvest them. He was even doing online searches to see how to tell the difference between edible mushrooms and poison mushrooms to make sure we're safe.   

Such a sweet man.

Day 42

My mind was programmed to deal with a 30 day self-isolation period.  And here I am, 12 miserable days beyond that....and not a better person for it.

I don't know how we're expected to deal with some of the crazy rules we're told we must follow. And forgive my disrespect, but who are these idiots that are thinking them up?  Do they lie awake, unable to sleep, thinking of ways to keep us from sleeping, too?

I watched a TV segment about rules being implemented in New York and I'm thinking that they just have come up with them by writing them on a chart and having monkeys throw darts at the chart and where the dart hits....VOILA!   A new rule!

If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me fill you in.

Stairs.....no touching of the hand rails.

Elevators.....only one person in there at a time.

Valet parking....not allowed because of the 6' distance rule.

Let me tell you something........

There are a bunch of us that need to use the support of handrails when we're on stairs or escalators.  If you won't let us touch the handrails, then we're heading to the elevator.

Good luck with having people in line waiting for the elevator, standing 6 feet apart in a business or hotel.  That line is going to snake out of the building before you know it.

And valet parking isn't allowed?  In New York?  Where you have a greater chance of finding Hoffa's body than a parking space? 

 I thought valet parking meant that the driver of the car would be EITHER the original driver OR the valet person driving the vehicle to an allotted parking spot.  I never thought it implied "Ride Sharing", did you?

Please, God, keep the monkeys, the darts and the charts out of Florida.....and also any New Yorkers in survival mode trying to escape the madness of Cuomo.

Day 41

We've heard, "Never let a crisis go to waste".

Now I'm telling you, "Never let a quarantine go to waste".  It can be a time for self-improvement and learning.

But gosh, I'm tired of having this time to learn new things. Aren't you?

There are  many things I've learned that I want to share with you. 

Let me share:

Calories do count, even if they are consumed in the dark. ( I'm thinking they even double in the dark.)

Sensitivity  to words spoken by others becomes more acute.

You shouldn't make meatballs if you're wearing DIY glue on nails.

Using a  hair color product that's several years old does not guarantee a true color result. (Dark brown has a tendency to turn purple over time.)  This was verified by a friend.

When you're shorter than other people, they can all look down at you and see your grey roots.

Buy a wig, just in case.

Always have an extra pair of prescription glasses, just in case.

Some people are just naturally mean and nasty.

Most people are kind, generous and funny.

"Humor" is the new "Sexy". Make me laugh and you've won me over.

At some point, you'll actually look forward to those once unwanted solicitor phone calls.

It's not really that crazy to talk back to people you're watching on TV.  Or is it?

If you sleep in your clothes, you become more time efficient in the morning and at night.

Some stores still sell wine coolers.

Crossword puzzles are a good way to increase your vocabulary and learn new words.  Using them is another matter.

MAY  4TH is just 2 days away!    I sure hope people use common sense and don't plunge us back into lockup because of foolish and senseless behaviors that make our numbers go up.