VIEW FROM MY WINDOW: A DIFFERENT WAY TO SEE THE WORLD

 

 

In the last few months,  I've been "traveling"

all around the world.

 I've seen Africa and Aruba........

Moscow and Mississippi.......

Canada and Chicago.......

Brazil and Budapest.......

Qatar and Queens.

 

I've even seen Ukraine.

 

Although I haven't acquired any frequent flyer miles,

my virtual travel has given me something of far greater value......

 

APRIL 2020 PHOTO DIARY: LIFE IN QUARANTINE

I'M MISSING:

Seeing family and friends in person.

Anniversary and birthday celebrations.

Browsing the shops.
A busy calendar.

Our Florida condo. 

Campus life (for Junior Goo Shoes). 

Hair color and cuts.

Dining out.

Hugs.
Making travel plans.

Doing errands.  
Pedicures.

Doctors appointments.

And even food shopping. 



I'M LOVING:
More family time.
Taking pictures.
Watching the birds.
Gardening.
Doing puzzles.
Blogging more.
Breathing cleaner air.
Sleeping later.
Baking.
Zooming and FaceTiming.
Watching Mother Nature do her spring thing.

 
 It's just us, ourselves, and the backyard. 



In many ways, life is very different......... 
 

Junior Goo Shoes has been home from college since spring break, and taking his classes online.

We made the best of our 26th anniversary in quarantine by turning the dining room into a "restaurant."  

Parks have been closed to the public (just reopened May 2.)

Food deliveries are left on the front porch.

Restaurants are closed, except for pickup or delivery.

 The neighbors have encouraging signs in their windows.

 There is time for family game night.......

 And lots of time to do puzzles.

Some things in life have remained the same.

 I'm taking pictures, though my subjects are limited.

Sadie still isn't a fan of bath time.

The birds, who are social distancers by nature, stop by for visits.

Nature still soothes the soul.

Spring blooms right on schedule.

It's always Happy Hour somewhere.

 Here's hoping that May brings good news,
and we start to return to some sense of normal.

Be well, stay safe!

Until next time.......

MARCH 2020 PHOTO DIARY: FROM FLORIDA TO COVIDISTANCING

AKA.......AS THE WORLD STOPS

For the first half of March, we were still living out our dream
of spending the winter in Florida.

The world was in living color.

An orange sunset from our terrace.......

A windsurfer in the turquoise ocean......

Teal shimmers in the pool.......

Rosé wines at happy hour.......

A blue-green peacock strutting its stuff.......

White cirrocumulus clouds high in an azure sky.......

       Extra credit: how many hawks can you spot?

Pelicans flying in formation into the wild blue yonder.......

A coral flamingo preening its feathers.......

As Covid-19 started to creep up on us.
  we could feel those hues fading fast.

It was just about mid-March, while Junior Goo Shoes 
was spending spring break with us in Florida,
that we learned there would be no going back to college this semester.
Classes would be completed online.

It was time to go home to New Jersey.

Armed with Clorox wipes, Junior GS flew home as planned.
Mr. GS and I started the three-day drive up I-95 North
several weeks ahead of our original departure date. 

I dreaded the two nights we had to stay in hotels.

I cringed at the thought of using public rest rooms along the way.

We loaded up all of the canned and packaged foods we had bought in Florida 
because we knew we'd need them when we got home.
We packed a cooler and ate every meal except one in the car, or in our hotel room. 

Thoughts of Covid-19 were our constant companions on the road. 

And then.......at last.......we were HOME.

It was as if a light switch was flipped, 
and the world turned to black and white.

Supermarket shelves were empty.

Food shopping required new protocols.

The car's cup holder stored new essentials.

Parking lots were deserted.  

Social distancing was mandated to flatten the curve.

New Jersey went on lock-down, and the world shrank to the area within our property lines. 

How did we get to this terrifying place???
It's unfathomable that this could happen in the United States of America.
I could get into a full-on rant right now, but I'll restrain myself.

It has taken some time for me to find a way to cope with this new normal. 
The days pass by, and I try not to think too far into the future.
It's better to focus on the here and now. 

And, here........and now.......

The forsythias are ablaze in yellow.

Colorful messages are spotted on daily walks. 

Finches are returning to the backyard.

The chimes are ringing in the spring breeze.

The days are getting warm enough for happy hour on the deck.

The cardinal, representing hope, health, rejuvenation, and joy, reminds me that this, too, shall pass.

If there's one thing we can count on, it's that.......

Hope springs eternal.

May your family and friends stay healthy.

Heartfelt thanks to health care workers, first responders, food service providers, 
and everyone on the front lines who are keeping our country running! 

To better days ahead.......

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A GET WELL CARD TO NEW YORK CITY

"And we're going to get through it because we are New York, and because we've dealt with a lot of things, and because we are smart. You have to be smart to make it in New York And we are resourceful and we are showing how resourceful we are. And because we are united, and when you are united, there is nothing you can't do. And because we are New York tough. We are tough. You have to be tough. This place makes you tough. But it makes you tough in a good way. We are going to make it because I love New York, and I love New York because New York loves you."

"New York loves all of you. Black and white and brown and Asian and short and tall and gay and straight. New York loves everyone. That's why I love New York. It always has, it always will. And at the end of the day, my friends, even if it is a long day, and this is a long day, love wins. Always. And it will win again through this virus. Thank you."

- NY Governor Andrew Cuomo
  March 25, 2020

New York City...........I want you back........

I want the noise, the grit, the crowded sidewalks.

I want the neon lights on Broadway, the billboards.

and the skyscrapers.

I want the concrete, the hot dog carts, and the tourists who walk too slowly.

I want the bagels, the Michelin restaurants, and the sea of yellow taxis.

I want you just the way you were.  

The photos below have been taken by me over the years.

I want to stroll the High Line without worrying about social distancing.

 I want to walk through Times Square on a summer night when it's teeming with tourists. 

 I want to saunter through Bryant Park, when it's packed at lunch time.

I want to sit on the steps of the New York Public Library right next to total strangers.  

 I want to sit shoulder to shoulder with 20,000 folks in Madison Square Garden.

I want to wander through Central Park with the masses.

I want to join a gaggle of gawkers gathered on the sidewalk to watch the street performers.

I want to stand with a crowd on a corner, waiting for the "Don't Walk" sign to change.

I want to see hoards of theater-goers walking through Shubert Alley.

I want to sit in a jam-packed restaurant, eating the best corned-beef sandwich in the world.

I want to be squished into a seat in a Broadway theater. 

I want to ride the subway, even if we're packed in like sardines.

I want to be among the throngs of people hanging around the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

I want it to be so busy in Grand Central Station that's it "like being in Grand Central Station." 

Please get well soon, New York City.

The world needs you, healthy and strong. 

🗽💓🗽💓🗽💓🗽💓🗽 

With love,