Where Have I Been... You Ask?

Well, I’ve been ‘self-isolated’, along with my favorite and treasured husband, and reminding each other that we have no reason to complain about being at home; home isn’t a bad place to be. I can think of a lot worse places. However, we have notes on our calendar that will remind us of ‘notable’ events the past several weeks.

How have we been spending our time here on our patch of the river valley? If you have read my previous blog “My ‘catch-up’ Story, our routine hasn’t changed much! When we are enjoying our breakfast, my husband will ask, “What are your plans for today?”, and I answer, “Oh, about the same as yesterday!” However, we had several events that added some ‘color’ to those days.

Seven years ago we celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary in fine style; we went on a cruise! We’re not much for big parties, and hubby wasn’t interested in one for our anniversary… too many speeches, too many old photos, and no need for gifts. He thought we may have a bit of a problem finding someone who could say nice things about us in a speech!!!!

This year, we were at home and celebrated with having a bowl of rice pudding for dessert. Don’t laugh! We celebrate with thankful hearts every day that we are still here and enjoying our time together. Being that hubby is not a computer person, I did a ‘throw-back’ for him with this picture. He was the owner and driver of that car; it certainly got my attention… and the rest is history.

What else could we do when we don’t leave home, can’t enjoy a meal at our favorite restaurant in the city, or shop for a fancy gift? We have a new bird feeder, thanks to the imagination, creativity and skill of hubby in his favorite shop. He repaired the steel feeder that we have used for several years, but was attacked last summer by a Mama bear. We did get to have a brief visit from her two cubs, but she didn’t seem to appreciate the bird feeder. He also built another feeder that will be attached to our patio wall, so that we can watch the activity from our “favorite perches” in the house. When the blue jays returned this spring, they were very noisy in the shrubs, and it sounded like they were calling to us, “Where’s the grub? We’re hungry!” Maybe not ... but we are always pleased when they return. Now that the feeders are in place, I’m including a couple of pictures of other visitors that we were pleased to watch up close without disturbing them.

We even had a coyote drop by… my husband saw her, but I was too slow and didn’t get a picture. Coyotes are usually very shy so they don’t stick around for long; they prefer to make a lot of noise in the bushes below our home.

P.S. If you have heard that our son needed emergency surgery, he is doing well and recovering nicely. No more grocery shopping for us for a while, and he is now convinced that we are still well and able to do it ourselves. We have been spoiled by him… and we appreciate it very much.