Friday, March 27, 2020

Journal of the Plague Year 3-26-2020


What to do?  What to do? So far, we stay busy.  Walks, cooking, cleaning, decluttering, TV watching, reading, blog writing—it occupies the time. Usually I don’t click on inspirational messages, but I find that I do it more in the current crisis.  I guess we instinctively know what we need. Or we should know.  Some of our political leaders are acting as if they don’t have a clue.  

I don’t have many skills that transfer to the current situation and can make one feel useful. I don’t knit or sew.  I can cook, but making goodies for neighbors seems to be inappropriate, even if I leave the offerings on the steps. I can call, write or email friends.  Even cleaning out the closets is an investment in hope—I hope I will be able to donate the excess when the plague recedes. Right now, there is no way to dispose of castoffs. And it doesn’t take a lot of skill. Rather, it takes decisiveness. Before you can donate, you must decide.

We have created a dumping room to house items to be donated or repaired in the future. Right now it contains some decent clothing, chairs to be re-caned, toys that my great nephews don’t want (they already have many Legos and Brio train sets), a never-used twin mattress (but no box spring), and some pictures that need framing. There are some nice wood interior shutters. Come and get ‘em!

In veterinary news, Mitzi the cat seems to be weathering the crisis well. Unfortunately, she can’t jump any more—she digs her claws into the top of the chair, the mattress, or my leg and pulls herself up. Most of my furniture and clothing has little tufts of fabric where she dug her claws in. She seems to enjoy having people in the house all day.  There are fewer of the “Where are my people?” cries. She gives a little chirp of victory when she finds someone and can dig her claws into a leg to get into a human lap.

May your friends, both animal and human, chirp with pleasure whenever they hear from you.

2 comments:

LeslieM said...

I'd like to do more - way more - decluttering, but the garage is full and so is the outside storage bin that will someday house garden supplies. I pulled out 2 bags of books - after getting rid of a bunch before we moved. I'm feeling ruthless! Now I'm debating ordering a container for storing things until we can get them moved along.

Your writer said...

We have lots of containers leftover from the last decluttering frenzy, 10 years ago. Books are hard--the second hand/rare book market has really changed. We have plastic tubs full of expensive stuffed animals gifted by indulgent parents and loving grandparents. I weeded out the ripped, the torn, and the smelly. Still dozens.