We’re about to get slammed with one of those annoying major midwestern storms, featuring extreme wind (70+), a tornado watch, and kiss your ass goodbye. I decided to watch apocalypse tv from my apartment for some reason, rather than Avdi’s, even though it’s erev Shabbat. I made challah, did the usual routine, helped batten down, and then walked, or rather blew, home. I do hope we all meet again, maybe in Canada, eh!
This post gets more exciting later, but first things first.
It was like 80º yesterday! I planted collards in the veg garden, and some gladiolus in one of the raised beds against the fence. Then down to my lab, where I prepped some seeds for stratification in the frig. I cleaned up the house a little, leaving the kitchen clear for E’s hamantaschen takeover after school.
Avdi and I made up for our postponed monthly date by doing the town. First we tried The Blue Duck in Maplewood, up on the roof overlooking the town at sunset under a full moon. It was very windy but beautiful. The food was excellent “elevated comfort food”, and the craft drinks were inspired.
Next we went to a dance club at The Grove and hung out. DJs played very loud EDM with cool visual effects, but it was early in the evening so chill. Then we cruised the strip and landed at Platypus, a friendly neighborhood bar with equally excellent craft drinks and DJ old school music. Good vibes there. By then I was truly schnockered.
Eventually we had to return to “real life”, but with a good buzz.
Daffodils were starting to bloom yesterday in the warm air! I planted four rows of various lettuces, one of mixed kale, and one of pak choi. Then in my underground lab I started assorted cucumbers. It seems we have a couple of kids that will gladly devour a whole cucumber for a snack, skin and all! This year I’m eliminating labor intensive space-hoggers that are cheaper from the store (at least they were), and prioritizing crops that everyone will actually eat. After that, it’s all flowers! E has already started some of his own, and Y has lots of requests.
Avdi’s been having particularly difficult days trying to work and deal with kids while still recovering. The upside is, he gives me more assignments, which I like. Yesterday’s were: clean up and reorganize the large first aid/medical area downstairs, and make dinner. S was once again fussing about doing his chores, but this time I refused to help him with one he can do by himself. I have enough of my own!
Purim is almost here, so today E will probably make hamantaschen when he gets home. There are two young bakers in the family, so I’m able to pass along the job of making traditional recipes to them. In the case of Y, it’s one sneaky way of helping them to appreciate their Jewish culture and DNA.
Today was another warm day. I walked over by way of the tropical store for a water snail for E’s aquarium. I planted peas in the garden! Later, Y and I held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the spring ’25 garden season. Then they adjourned to their tree to ruminate.
It’s been a full couple of days. On the way to A’s yesterday I stopped at the tropical pet store and picked up E’s ember tetras, plants, and food for his aquarium (and part of his pay for tilling). E and Y and I spent some time just mesmerized by fish. They have names: Barry, Garry, Harry, and Larry (though at least some of them are females)! For me it’s way more fascinating and relaxing to watch the aquarium than streaming stuff.
Y told me they were glad I was back “home”; they miss me when I’m gone. That really says it all.
The kids had worked on dumping piles of leaves on the veg garden, to be tilled in later. Better late than never. Out in the front yard, yellow and purple crocuses were blooming. It was springlike, and getting warmer.
A and S and I went to the science museum (my first time). It’s an excellent museum, with an Imax, constantly changing displays, a makerspace, and lots of educational fun activities for kids. The Dinosaur moves and roars. The Tardis is an actual one that was used on a Doctor Who set. They had all the sonic screwdrivers from the beginning. A large room is devoted to agriculture, soils of each state (notice what NJ’s is called!), and hydroponics. There’s an outdoor area with chickens and large interactive agricultural machinery. We had a lot of fun.
I stayed overnight while Avdi got to go out, by way of urgent care to get a deep knife wound stitched up. Never a dull moment (except for the knife)! I didn’t sleep much. K and I eventually made it to the table, where we talked about electronic “doohickies” like garden instruments he can assemble for testing soil, water, etc. He really is skillful at tech stuff and robotics.
Today E tilled the veg garden, which is now nice and leaf composty. I’ll let it sit and settle, then start to direct-sow. Meanwhile, I planted the lavender vera seeds I had been stratifying in the frig., which started the third flat. Avdi worked on writing his latest book outside, where it was warm and sunny. I hung around, playing with S and so on, until dinner, a gorgeous charcuterie board by E, then got a ride home.
I’m so relieved it’s spring as far as I’m concerned. I’m back in my natural habitat.
Finally! Our first real Shabbat together since the plague was like a reunion with my gkids! I baked challah, made dinner, cleaned up, met S at the bus, hung out with Y for a long time, talked to E and K, and stayed for a very happy erev meal with everyone there. Jess joined us.
Poor Avdi was still feeling sickly and sapped, but pushing through Everyone helped with cleanup, and then I spent time with S until Avdi was able to take me home. I think the forced quarantine brought us all closer together, and the reunion was restorative.
E liked the idea of tilling the veg garden (and being paid well!), so that may be happening this weekend. The temps are back to springlike, and the high winds are drying the mud. I started the job of throwing leaves into the garden to be tilled under along with the winter greens. I feel optimistic about the soil quality this year.
Even the kids are stressed about the current political fiasco, and worried about how it will affect them. Kids are the ones who will suffer most if the criminals-in-chief have their way. It’s a topic that keeps coming up, even though we all want to avoid the anxiety, on top of all the other stressors in their lives. This is a time when kids need their extended family to be there and united to face the coming threats to their survival and wellbeing.
It seems ironic that POC have been enduring this nightmare for hundreds of years, so it’s no surprise, while some white descendants of colonialist racists are just now waking up to the consequences of their toxic systemic ravaging of our society. The black writers I follow are like, Y’all white degenerates brought this on your ignorant selves, but we all have to pay the price. Like typical narcissistic psychopaths, whites try to twist reality around to blame Blacks and informed people, when they’re the ones decimating democracy, and turning our world allies against us. You know when easygoing Canada censures us, it’s getting real.
Maybe when it gets to the point where all our ex-allies declare war on Nazi America (déjà vu all over again!), it will dawn on them, too late. By then, most of us may have been deported or escaped to elsewhere, where we’ll find ourselves fighting on the anti-US side. That would be ironic and sad.
Hopefully it won’t come to that. The mutiny is already rising. I wish I could stick around for the finale!
This is it, folks! The first crocuses have bloomed. It’s official. Next up: hellebores.
But wait, there’s more! Avdi officially tested negative today! Who says there’s no good news?
I did my rounds, including prepping the veg garden to be tilled, hopefully by E. The seedlings down under are doing well.
I even got around to lining up a new vision care provider and a new dentist, covered by my new insurance plan. All things new.
I busted out of my cell yesterday, walked to and from, and did my rounds. I finished seeding the second flat with assorted peppers. Lots of seedlings starting to come up! Did some laundry and house straightening, and then it was so warm out I did some more veg garden cleanup in essentially a t-shirt. It’s almost time to till the garden and plant peas and some cold-weather greens! It won’t be long until the masses of spring bulb flowers are blooming. This is more like it. I felt much better just getting fresh air and exercise.
So of course today and tomorrow’s forecast is reverting back to winter conditions–extreme wind, rain, and snow. I won’t be able to walk there and back, but that’s to be expected around here. In a couple of days it’s going to be warm again! It’s March, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s spring. Plus, Avdi is still testing positive, though feeling better, so it’s just as well we quarantine. I’m just glad he’s recovering and back to work. Soon they won’t be able to get rid of me.
Just to review for the record: so far I’ve started eggplants, globe artichoke, Roman and German chamomile, more asparagus, celery, evening primrose, St. John’s wort, CalWon red bells, ancho/poblano, jalapeño, orange/yellow bells, and cayenne, and soon vera lavender (stratified). My prop experiments are strawberries, lettuce, carrots, celery, scallions, garlic, assorted basils, lemon/lime, avocado, Asian ginger, and other tropicals. At my home prop station I’m growing assorted basils, arugula, lettuce mix, English lavender, parsley, mint, and an assorted tropical jungle. Most of this will rotate over to A’s yard when it’s time.
See, not a word about the catastrophic political crisis. I can compartmentalize. I am the Propagatrix.
Has it been weeks in here? I’m so out of touch.
My son’s covid has hung on for at least a week. He doesn’t advise exposing myself by coming over, so I can’t even help him much. I did “sneak” in and out those few days, avoiding contact with anyone. I haven’t seen my gkids in weeks. I missed the whole fake spring, what with being sick myself, and having nowhere nice to walk to even if I could.
Some days I never make it outside at all, which for me is like being confined in a cage. It’s just the nature of things, how it has to be for now, and won’t last forever. Spring will come, and we’ll live to make up for lost time.
Still, it’s a little surreal, just me and my bizarre dreams (I remember them all), and trying to find constructive things to do besides sleep. And still, I feel very fortunate, compared to most of the world right now. I have a place to hole up, and family safe nearby. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop, as it probably will, such as losing my small SSA income. It’s just a matter of which form it will take. But for now, I never take my good fortune for granted.
Yesterday, just by chance, I found a way to obtain fresh produce and other basics after all. It seems Instacart was offering a huge discount on first-time memberships for one year, which applies to me because last year’s was a gift. Plus they had one of their reduced minimum purchase deals going on, so I was actually able to afford fresh fruit, veggies, and a few other necessities I can’t get from the food pantry deliveries. For me that was a big deal. It means not merely surviving but feeling better. I felt very clever as I gobbled down produce!
Segue alert! Here’s why we need a community-based social system, like more civilized countries, in which there’s a basic social safety net for everyone, and people live more communally, not just struggling solitarily. Humans are not meant to live as self-sufficient singletons. We’re more like wolves, who thrive in an organized pack where everyone has a place and role, and look out for each other.
Whereas our system has somehow devolved to the point where we’ve allowed vicious predators to take power and try to destroy anything civilized about us, and alienate our longtime civilized world allies. No one can thrive or survive in a state like that. No person or nation can exist in a vacuum unto itself. Individuals and nations, just like nature itself, can only work in an interconnected network; take one integral component out, and a downward cascade of consequences affect all of us. It’s happening right before our eyes.
Sorry about the tangent. I may not be too smart or educated, but even I can see that this story is not just about me and my own minor setbacks. It’s about living through a time in our history where things have once again, predictably, gone very wrong, and trying to navigate the regression, which can’t be done alone. It can only succeed with allies in community, all of us in this together, like organized wolves protecting the pack and resisting extinction.
