Extreme excelsior birthday

Hail, excelsior! Such an imposing name for basically wood shavings. This birthday I received several gift boxes with goodies nestled in excelsior (!) Cheeses, chocolates, licorice, caramel corn, gourmet pancake mixes, syrup and spice. Gloriana, Alleluia, and Britannia rules the waves!

One box had faux excelsior made of crinkled and crimped brown kraft paper.  Faux Excelsior sounds like a cross between Pomp and Circumstance and Hail to our current, alas, Chief.

And now that I read about it, the stuffing in my great aunt's rocking chair is excelsior. From the Latin for high, elevated, and lofty, I lift this toast.

© 2013-2020 Nancy L. Ruder

Self-quarantined for bad attitude

The wind picked up while I was on one of my Easter family Skype sessions, but the real chiller blasts hit in the middle of the night. Beer cans kept rolling and rattling around the parking lot. Of course, I had a coughing attack and sore throat, signalling the end. Back to sleep, one of the smoke detectors had a freak-out for no reason.

I was still staring at the cup of blah coffee when the maintenance guy left the note on my door. A person in our apartment community ... quarantined ... proximity... wash hands. Oh, crap. Even though my sinuses were protesting the forty degree temperature drop, I clearly needed to get out in the sun on what was likely to be my last day. AND I hope I cough as LOUD as the couple upstairs tromps in their apartment!

Texas bluebonnets helped some, as did a Coke from Sonic, but my grumpiness was still high as my temp was sub-normal. 

Back home I managed to reread the apartment notice. "...a member of our community has been directed to self-quarantine because they may have come  in close proximity to a person that tested positive for the COVID-19. This is a precautionary measure and does not mean that they have or will develop COVID-19." In other words, keep staying home, wash your hands, and don't freak out. Yes, somebody may get sick, but this is actually better news than my usual imaginings, and the action steps are still the same. Plus, I have plenty of canned low-sodium black beans and Minute Rice.

So I just took a nap.

© 2013-2020 Nancy L. Ruder

Bangs in the Time of Coronavirus

...

There's got to be something besides the part & barrette look and the half-inch-long bangs... I need a motion-activated voice in the bathroom that says, "Step away from the scissors!"


© 2013-2020 Nancy L. Ruder

Weekending From Home #2 Takeaways

Solitude is not the same as loneliness.

"Use your time wisely" is not the same as productivity.

Sitting around the dining table listening to humorous survival stories of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and WWII gave me powerful resource for this moment.

Creativity doesn't require a finished product.

Adaptation and change take a lot of energy, and sleep is a reasonable response.

Bacon is a powerful force for good. No Jedi required.

If I don't protect and take care of myself the people who love me are going to be seriously pissed off.

It's good to have a tire pressure/inflation kit in the trunk of the Buick.

Tastees:

1 lb. ground beef, not browned
1/2 cup water
2 T vinegar
1 t dry mustard
1/4 cup catsup
2 T horseradish sauce
1/4 t chili powder
(1 medium onion, chopped)
Ground black pepper

Worchestershire?

Mix together and cook 1 hour, uncovered. Serve on bun with sliced dill pickles. Inhale steam.

© 2013-2020 Nancy L. Ruder

Who owns the zebra?

Like you, I've been home mostly working, but also watching, aware of even the slightest happening outside my window. When there's so little to see, we really want to see it! I haven't yet reached the desperate need to create a matrix to figure out the relationships of apartment dwellers in my small nook of the big rental complex, but know that day is approaching. In this Time of Curious Social Distancing you might want to answer the classic deduction puzzle linked below.

For now, I just have questions. So many questions:

• Why does Pacing Woman always wear saggy pants and who's she talking to on the phone?
• Where are the parents of the little boy playing in the big puddle? 
• Who orders Grub Hub from Panera, for heavens sake? I mean really, just make yourself a PBJ sandwich!
• If I go to the store to buy toilet paper will I ever get a parking space again? 
• Why does Day-Glo Wizard T-shirt Man eat all those pork rinds from the bicycle seller?
• Is the guy upstairs auditioning for All Star Wrestling with a kangaroo or just clog dancing? 
• What days of the week does Fleece Pajama Pants Man babysit the little girl who pretends she's driving the minivan? 
• How many days can Purple Polo Shirt Man spend topping up the fluids in his car?
• What's wrong with the German shepherd wearing the cone of shame?
• Will the Red-headed Girl's roommate succeed in taking away her car keys while she's "in this condition?" 
• Is Scrubs Gal with the red Ford Fiesta still caring for the elderly on the night shift in a nearby nursing home? I salute her!
• When will High School Drum Major practice his routine on the bank of the flood control canal again?

Short on statements:

• The classic Who Owns the Zebra puzzle is a series of statements. 
• A second test to try is READ EVERYTHING BEFORE DOING ANYTHING  

Nope. Still nobody twirling banners out there, but I keep watching for the return of the drum major.

© 2013-2020 Nancy L. Ruder