day 20 of social distancing. school is out until may, but according to the california superintendent of schools, most will not reopen until the 2020-2021 school year. no announcements have been made in my district, but the powers that be are making sure the school marms of their virtual classrooms are well-versed in distance learning of all stripes. we’ve had professional developments all week – webinars, zoom meetings, work-at-your-own pace trainings and whatever else you can imagine. i’ve been texting and emailing parents, ZOOMing with kids, and shoring up our google classroom.
the 5th grade teachers at my school probably have it easier than most, since we’ve been using google classroom for a couple of years now. we don’t have to reinvent the wheel – just add a few spokes. keep the kids in the wagon. make sure no one falls out.
but spokes or no spokes, trail guides missing, signs turned the wrong way, and dangerous rivers up ahead to ford…SPRING BREAK has arrived.
i’m a free agent until april 13. kids: you’re on your own till then.
dashboard: this is where i keep my grocery store pandemic gloves and mask. i try and limit my market runs to once a week. i figure the uv rays will kill whatever lingering germs are clinging to the surface. if you’ve got a scientific reason why my method is flawed keep it to yourself. i am on a mission to unclutter my mind this week.
tour of moss cottage environs anyone?
come along.
let’s start out front. the chinese pistache trees are still leafless. they’ll be bare for the next few weeks.
in the driveway the echium, agave attenuata, aeoniums, lavender, and aloe are competing for the same space. i let them sprawl.
the echium candicans are determined to take over as much of the driveway as possible.
masses of painted lady butterflies compete with the bees for nectar.
check out this giant bee on his tippy toes. if you know what he is please do tell!
look at this one i caught in mid-flight!
the weather is warming. when i’m not busy in my virtual classroom, i’m outside.
doing things.
this is my nighttime perch for watching the moon and venus.
front porch vista.
outdoor rooms, windows, light, air, trees. i need those.
the world grows dim and brighter at the same time. how is that possible?
i don’t know, but it is.
if you’re on the frontlines i applaud you. so far no one in los angeles is banging their pots together or singing from porches at predetermined times as they are in italy & spain & the uk & so many places (!) for their healthcare workers, but our hearts are with them all the same. brave people doing brave work – like my dear sister. who has been given strict instructions that under NO circumstances whatsoever is she to die.
sharing is caring
- laughter has always been good medicine hasn’t it? “It was a limpid dreary day, hung as in a basket from a single dull star. “
2. “For weeks now it has been evening,” – a stark reminder of the times we’re living in
3. happy times for goats in wales.
Love it all Mary Ann. I hope you had a wonderful spring break. The kids here sadly didn’t get one but once they shut the schools there was a scramble about what to do so they basically had two weeks with no work.
thanks for the visit. blessings to you as an artist your special view of the world always makes me lift my vibrations and take a much needed breath of fresh air! K.
Ove your seashell heart Just what I needed to see today!
Blessings!
Hi Mary Ann,
I thought your idea for your mask and gloves was a good one and I will follow suit if I go out again in the next month.
Wow that big bee is amazing!!! and your beautiful heart of shells…how lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed the escaped Kashmiri goats in Wales video too.
I am sure most of us have now added “sister” to our ever increasing but heartfelt roster of good thoughtinesses (centered thought, prayers, meditations, heart practices etc.) It is very difficult to have loved ones who are out in the health care realm right now.
Take care of yourself , happy spring break and thank you once again for your generous photographic bounty.
Hi Mary Ann. Glad you’re keeping safe. Just sending on details of the UK’s National Theatre Live which is on YouTube in case it’s of interest –
https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre
Cheery bye, Jane xx
Sister!!! I have no intention of kicking the bucket anytime soon. Unless of course it’s just my time in which case I will have crystal vanon send you a thimble of ashes to be sprinkled under the California pepper tree over the labyrinth in Arlington gardens. Please and thanks.
Hi Mary Ann. I wanted to leave you a comment a couple of posts backs about your reading recommendation: DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD.
Absolutely “my favorite book of the last decade”. I’ve been both reading it and listening to it on Audible (first time I do an audio book).
I feel like this woman is in my brain and while I may not have the same thoughts as her, my brain does go through the same type of thought pattern where one thought leads to another to another. What a wonderful book. Like no other I have read. I always check out your recommendations and often read them but this one really worked for me
Thank you for the dispatch and for the lovely walk through your beautiful yard. It’s still chilly and a little dreary here in upstate NY, but one day soon the sun should shine. I also love the setup of your desk with everything in its place and the pretty paint-by-number front and center. Cheers and stay well in these scary times!
Thank you for the germ-killing UV tip using your car’s dashboard. I laughed out loud. Reminded me of the days when people used to put food on top of the television to let the radiation kill botulism. BTW, I’ve been using the UV technique each afternoon when I sit in the sun hoping the rays will kill off any nasty particles that might have attached themselves to me while walking around the block.
Well its been awhile since ive had a proper visit at Moss Cottage and so i swung in on my giant wings, minding my social distancing protocol. I was quite pleased with all the visual bloom sharing and observations. Given this covid 19 situation, visiting sweet friends has been sustaining. Im also over here cheering on health care workers. They are all true warriors. So im just gonna linger over the blooms, keep my wings moving and enjoy the view. Ps.the bee in flight and bee on his toes! Wow!
We all hope to see more of your posts during this spring break! It will be lovely to see how you entertain yourself. You probably won’t be traveling and certainly not visiting the Huntington, but how could you not enjoy yourself in your own beautiful garden!
time will tell where i wind up…
Lovely post, lovely pix. Best wishes to you for continued health as we all go through this challenging time.
living history isn’t it?
Mary Ann, what a lovely surprise to wake up to your post on my birthday, April 3. During this time of social distancing it is most wonderful to have a catch up from you. Thanks so much for bring a bit of sunshine into a troublesome time. catherine
happiest of birthdays to you catherine!
hello from the other side, love to see & read your blog. such great fotos, the butterflies and bees & such a lovely place with so many
plants. i am envious as i await my lavender to bloom again. a green thumb i don’t have. take care
it’s in its peak here now, every variety creating a purple haze in the garden. you have something wonderful to look forward to!
ooooohhhhh…. I LOVE your door color!!!!! I live in a community with an HOA and we have a limited color pallet that we are required to use so it’s not a color I can choose. I do have a gate door to by back yard and the inside of the gate can be any color since no one can see it. I just may choose a fun color like yours. I enjoyed your lush garden tour. Enjoy your Spring Break. I’m guessing you had plans to vacation near the seashore which might have changed so please enjoy yourself wherever you are.
thanks and … go for it emie! the door pictured goes into my garage from my patio/courtyard area. it used to be purple.
Glorious, Mary Ann, your garden and your beautiful home. I especially enjoyed the your words about the wagon. Read the whole thing out to Hugh who grinned at me.
thanks dear chrissy. warm greetings to you and hugh
Dear Ms Mam..
For a humourous break, you may like the new @Pepys_Diaries on twitter written by a UK author in the style of dear olde Samuel.
Blessings and may you safely travel through the choppy waters ahead, paddling as you do with skill, art and determination.
utterly fabulous and completely new to me. THANKS for sending! …i like this tweet:
“A most wondrous sound, alike to the thunder of a thousand hooves, fill’d my ears from abroad as the clock struck eight. Mrs Pepys and I joined the throng gathered at casements and doors to give lusty thanks to those who doth protect us from harm. I offer mine thanks to thee, NHS.”
The goats!! Love your pictures. Thanks for posting. Did you catch Ryker who failed service dog school?
https://youtu.be/ND63UPelkIw.
Hats off to health professional!
i just finished watching. HILARIOUS. good boy!