Monday Morning This and That

Oh gosh, what a weekend.  Didn't go to the center on Friday, and then decided that I would get my food shopping done so I wouldn't have to go on Saturday when it would probably be busy, so I made out my little list and headed to the Super Fresh.    WHERE HAVE I BEEN?  WHAT MADE ME THINK IT WOULD BE A NORMAL SHOPPING DAY?

It was surreal out there.  One woman almost knocked me down as she raced to get two 24 count bottles of water.  There was so many people and all were acting like madness had taken over their bodies. Many of the shelves were already bare.  I couldn't get any pasta, corn flakes for hubby, my brand of instant oatmeal, paper towels, napkins, bread, etc.  By the time I was in line, I was almost in tears.  The lines were so long and carts were filled to the brim.  I'd planned on heading to Target after my delivery arrived, but those plans were changed.  Delivery didn't come until almost 4, and the driver apologized and said they had over 150 deliveries that day. Oh my!!!  

So Saturday I left at 8:15am to hit Target before the crowds.  I wanted to pick up some over the counter medications that they advise us to have on hand.  My logic was go early because they probably stocked up during the night.  Well, not really. Target was just as bad.  I got my Aleve, cold medication for hubby, his favorite breakfast bars, and the last box of his favorite corn flakes.  But nothing else on my list.  So I bought a couple of magazines and 2 bags of crunch Cheetos.  Stopped at Walgreens on my way to the bus stop.  Thankfully they had Tylenol so I bought one for fever and one for arthritis, nasal spray for me, and pantiliners. 

No church on Sunday.  Canceled.  The world has turned upside down, and we have no choice but to deal with it.  I came to the decision this weekend that I will not be returning to the center for the time being.  I will miss my friends dearly, but I am not going to put myself   It is hard to believe that this is all happening and affecting our routine.  Our lives have been turned upside down.

And now to the decision I made over the weekend.  I am now in isolation.  I made the decision not without tears for I will miss my friends and all the fun we have.  I'm hunkered down now for the long run.  Taking a new course online, reading, de-cluttering, FB games, these are my realities now. 

As for hubby, he is, at this point, continuing to work but being very, very careful.  Keeps the window down, sprays after each passenger, wipes everything down with Lysol, washes hands and uses hand sanitizer frequently.  It's only a matter of time, though, before he joins me in self-isolation.  

Have a good one.

New Subscription Box

It's been awhile since I ordered a new subscription box, and I had been determined to steer clear.  They can be addicting and they can get expensive, but when I saw this one I knew I had to try it.  And I am so glad I did.  Witchy One is only $20 a month and the first one I got for $15.  Definitely a keeper.

  Drawing Down the Moon compact. 

 Eye of Horus necklace.  Horus was a powerful Egyptian sky god in the form of a falcon whose right eye was the sun and the left the moon.  He sacrificed his left eye to bring back his father, Osiris.  For this reason he is associated with regeneration, healing, wholeness and sacrifice.

 I love, love, love these Crescent Moon earrings. Made with Amethyst. 

 Love the little cards they send.

 Agate Crescent Moon.  Hold while meditating or performing a ritual to connect more deeply with your wild roots.  

 A little extra she threw in.

 Flourite crystals.  The shape of these crystals represent the air element.

Saturday Short

I have a couple of friends at the center who live together.  They are both extremely sweet people, always ready to reach out and help; i.e: carry someone's tray when they have difficulty walking, helping  to get their bingo cards, helping those with walkers get settled, sitting next to those who have trouble following the numbers as they are called and keeping watch over their cards.  As I said, they are wonderful people.  She is in relatively good health, I think, but he's got lots and lots of health issues so he is in that danger group.

Here's the thing.  They love going to concerts and clubs that feature music.  Granted, all events over 500 people are now canceled, but he DID go to two large concerts this past week, including one at Madison Square Garden.  She didn't go because the guy who got the tickets, who also attends the center, didn't have enough money on his card to get a third ticket.  

And they are usually heading to neighborhood hangouts three or four times a week where there are crowds, smaller crowds, but crowds nonetheless.  Now, I understand that people have a right to do as they wish, but possibly exposing himself to the virus, then coming home and exposing her, and then she comes to the center and exposes everyone else.  (Just a scenerio)  Ironically, he is not coming to the center anymore because he wants to stay safe.

I said she was in relatively good health, but she has had a cold on and off now for the past two months so that tells me her immune system is off.   She came in Thursday and sat next to me with her nose running like mad and complaining she was getting sick again.  Well, I gradually moved my chair inch by inch further away from her.  I don't even want to catch a common cold.

My question is, as much as I hate to, I've been thinking about talking to the office about this.  Like I said, you can do what you want in your own life, but when you are endangering others, it's another story.  We have people who go there who are close to 100.  They have to be protected.  What would you do?  Would you bring it up to the office what they are doing in their off hours?  Of course, I may not even have to as I am just waiting for the center to close.

Friday Roundup

Friday has arrived and oh what a week it has been.  Busy, busy, busy. And scary, scary, scary.  The virus is only a few blocks from my home now.  Everything is shutting down.  I'll be running about this weekend trying to prepare should we need to isolate ourselves. 

On Monday I went to the center.  Don't attend the Wellness Course anymore since it has become a group therapy session.  Had enough of those on the job.  I didn't retire for this.  I like a group to be fun or a learning experience, not a place to listen to someone's problems. 

Started reading an awesome book, 'The Elephant Chaser's Daughter', the true story of a young Hindu girl who was born into the lowest caste system and was lucky enough to be accepted into the Shanti Bhavan, a school that helps poor Indian children get an education. She completed school and went onto college; psychology was her major  and later graduated with a Master’s degree in Psychological Counseling. 

I was so into this book that  I also started watching the Netflix documentary series, 'Destiny's Daughter' which is based on the author and 3 other children in the school. So awesome. Seeing how they lived makes one feel so blessed with what we have.

On Wednesday we played Yahtzee.  I look forward to that every week.   It's really the highlight of my day, that, and the delicious lunch they served us--sausage and peppers, penne, Cali veggies, pineapple, and orange juice.  I've been trying to drink more juice in me to build up this old immune system.

Thursday morning is the weekly trivia game.  I usually spend the time working on my dot to dot or sticker by number book.  Got two new ones that are great.  

In the afternoon we had our Nutrition class.  Made this fabulous fruit salad...

Red grapes, green grapes, bananas,  strawberries, kiwi, canned mandarins with lemon juice and honey dressing.

Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe.

Just Have to Get Things Off my Chest: Putting my Fear Into Words

I'm really having a hard time of it right now.  I need to stop being so anxious, but it seems my 73rd birthday is already wrought with anxiety.  Of course, it's still a  a couple weeks away, but the way things are going....

Each day more and more are being diagnosed with the coronavirus.  New York has the most cases of any state.  Now it's in Brooklyn.  I've been trying to get hubby to  give up the job for the time being, but he is so darn stubborn.  I can't even get him to take the masks I offered.  I did manage to find him Lysol spray and hand sanitizer, but who knows if he really uses them?  

He has always accepted death, has no fear of it.  When we first started dating he said he wouldn't live past 40.  He's 64 now.  I have fear of losing him.  Lately I just sit and cry. 

And now my son.  He went to the dermatologist for this...

 ...and they did a biopsy.  He has to go back and they want to check out all of his moles.  I'm on pins and needles.  

I try to keep myself occupied.  I try to keep upbeat, but this virus is all the talk at the center.  Everyone is scared.  And it irks me when I see some cracking jokes about it on FB. There is one person passing around that those of us who are preparing for it are a bunch of nuts because it is nothing more than a cold.  People not in the epicenters like we are are not taking this seriously.  They think it's a hoax.  After all, their president said they could go to work if they weren't too sick.  And now I heard on the news that he shook hands with an official who tested positive and is now on quarantine.  Let's see how he reacts to that.

Had another tummy episode yesterday, and it's got me bewildered. As you know, I've been keep track of what I eat and looking at patterns. Well, one seems to be forming aside from the Ben and Jerry's which has me wondering if it was the ice cream at all. The majority of tummy issues start when I eat egg noodles or lasagna noodles. Had an episode with veggie lasagna and 3 with egg noodles. Thought it was the gravy but yesterday we had none and still happened. Now mind you, I've eaten rigatoni, ziti, and linguini with no issues. Hmm!!! Do egg noodles and lasagna noodles have something different in them?  Just wondering why.

 

Monday Morning This and That

Morning all.  Ready for a new week?  I'm ready to begin.  Had a nice weekend.  Picked up a few meats at the supermarket and went home and cooked them up.  Later hubby and I went

I have been meeting my friends at MacDonald's on Sunday for brunch, but decided not to yesterday since we were going out.  Actually, I wanted to go but last week they didn't have the Shamrock Shakes ready so instead I had an Iced Mocha and later on got sick as a dog.  I'm beginning to believe that I really have to watch out for sugar.  Each time I have been sick lately, sugar has been involved.

On Thursday our Nutrition class started again.  The topic for our first lesson was 'Cooking on a Budget' and for hand's on experience we made Nachos.

Made our own nachos out of tortillas. Topped with red, green and orange peppers, chopped tomatoes, black beans, corn, cilantro, and Mexican cheese. Delicious.

Still waiting to have two Christmases--with my daughter and grandchildren and with my goddaughter.  We'd planned my goddaughter's for last week, but she got sick.  She works at Amazon and has Monday and Tuesday off, but Monday's she does something with her daughter so Tuesday is the only day.  

As far as my family, my daughter, who had only purchased a trailer 3 months ago, decided trailer life was not for her so they sold it and moved into a small cabin.  Still waiting for them to settle in so we can finally have Christmas.  Personally, I am sick of it.  Sorry, but I live in a small apartment and these boxes of gifts sitting in my living room are taking up too much space.  And there is no other place to put them.  Next Christmas is going to be different.  Not going to go through this for months again. This is how it's been every year. 

Haven't had Chinese food in ages.  We live a block from Brooklyn's Chinatown, but never order any so yesterday I made my own and it turned out delicious.

Stir fried chicken and veggie terryaki.

Fried rice.

Next up, beef and broccoli.

February Subscription Box

The theme of last month's Inked Goddess Box was 'Ground and Ascend', raising your vibration level through spiritual practice.  The box contained items to help one achieve a divine connection. 

As usual it was a fantastic box filled with goodies.

All this was inside the box.

Ascension Meditation Mist.  A full sized bottle.  A blend of honeysuckle, Cedarwood, Helichrysum, and Vetiver to ground your energy.  Smells awesome. 

Mulaadhara Incense.  Helps you to center and ground before meditation.  I wish I could use it, but I fear the fire alarm going off.  They installed new electric models on our ceilings when they rewired the apartment, and with 12 foot ceilings forget about it.  I can't beat it with a broom like I did the old one.

Labyrinth Card.

 Hematite Labyrinth Engraved Palm Stone. 

Ground and Ascend Eclectic Witch Card Expansion.  Four cards to explain grounding, ascension, earthing, and Hematite.

Divine Directions Inspirational Card Dec.  Use cards to tap into messages from your spiritual sources.

Example of the cards.

Clarity Votive.  A blend of Rosemary, Patchouli, Oakmoss, and Sandalwood to help clear your mind for spiritual connections and to receive messages.

March's theme is Herbal Magic.  I already got the box, and it is fantastic.  But that will be for another time.