Happenings From Here

Two men showed up at my door yesterday in masks and gloves. They looked like surgeons making a house call. They even had implements. They came to fix the window shade that broke in February.

We couldn't get it fixed -- first we were off to California, then when we got back in March everything in the city was on lockdown, then Jim and I were too sick and concerned we might be infectious, and finally now, in late April, we are well enough and they are masked and staffed enough, and they came and took it down to send to the repair shop.

Now the master bedroom 8 foot slider is totally uncovered. It will take ten days* to fix the blind and get it re-installed. Our bedroom will be well lit day and night for a while and I'll be once again changing in the closet.

In other news, my plant order arrived and the little mail order plants look good. Mostly I got replacements for a few things that expired and several new things to experiment with too.

They all looked great despite FedEx two-day delivery turning into four-day delivery -- everything everywhere is in disarray from deliveries to oil prices to the economy to the health of the world's population -- but I have plants and they survived an extra weekend in a box on a truck.

There's more news. I have bright tulips blooming along the garage wall.

And the Koreanspice viburnum is in flower and is very fragrant this year. I completely lost any sense of smell when I was so sick earlier this month, so it's a treat now to pick up the viburnum's perfume.

It's quite strong, actually. Maybe my sense of smell has come back all warped now. I don't remember it smelling so strongly last year.

And a welcome happening here -- the first hummingbird arrived at our feeder on April 20. Right on time, unaffected by lockdowns or disruptions. We were happy to see him (it's the males who show up first, the females arrive a little later.)

(not my photo. I'm not that good or that quick with the camera,
but this is what visits us, black-chinned hummingbirds)

Here's an exciting update: the Cape plumbago that I overwintered in the house all last winter has not only survived, but it is now putting out new green growth. You didn't expect that, did you?

Now that I'm not so ill any more, I'm enjoying being at home. I have gardens to tend, we have plenty of supplies, the neighbors have all been friendlier than ever as we converse through the fence or meet six feet apart at the mailboxes.

One neighbor has been quite antsy -- she's not one to occupy herself well at home -- and she has been going crazy in the kitchen and dropping things off on our porch. Cherry cobbler, soup when we were sick, apricot pie last night. It keeps her busy and it keeps us in treats.

It's not so bad from here. Compared to what others are enduring, we have it easy.


* Update: well, it didn't take 10 days to fix the blind after all. They took it down yesterday and scheduled May 1 for re-install . . . but they came this morning, one day later, and put the repaired blind back up. Voila.