Monday, March 18, 2024

52Frames Road Weekly Photo Challenge

The photo challenge this week for 52Frames was “road.” We didn’t know it at the time, but it was one of the last days we would be driving around outside before we both tested positive for Covid on Friday. We had been so careful these last four years and just got another booster vaccine eight days before. Now we are in the twilight zone. Looking back on last week feels like centuries ago. I wanted to see the magnolias that were blooming at the Enid Haupt gardens at the Smithsonian Castle. We found a great parking spot by the Air and Space Museum and started our morning walk there. We headed down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol and noticed an elegant figure in black. We positioned ourselves in the median of the street by the National Gallery of Art and waited for her to cross the street. That was the image we decided to use. I took a lot of photos of the avenue from inside the National Gallery as well. It’s a great view not only from the second floor, but also from the rooftop where the blue chicken sculpture resides. On our way home there were a lot more options for road pics in our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill. Surprisingly the image we liked didn’t get as much attention on instagram as a few of the others. But I always trust my husband’s artistic judgement - even though it may not coincide with the photo challenge literal subject interpretation. I’m not sure when we will be able to get out this week to take photos for the challenge this week. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom a week ahead of schedule. I really don’t want to miss them. 




















Sunday, March 17, 2024

Happy Anniversary?

It hit us out of nowhere. After four years of being very careful and isolating ourselves to an extreme the inevitable happened. Both my husband and I tested positive for Covid - on our anniversary. We just got our booster shots eight days before. We were both feeling a bit under the weather starting Thursday afternoon with post nasal drip. Even the dinner tasted funny. Then the next morning we woke up with sniffles and coughs. What else was there to do but take out two of the Covid tests we have been collecting and never needed to use. Initially my husband tested positive and I was negative. We still had enough energy to go for a morning walk. But as the day went on we started to deteriorate. I took another test in the afternoon and it was positive. We contacted our doctors office to get paxlovid, but of course no one responded. But both of us are on medications that may disqualify us from taking it. Then we both got low grade temps and felt lousy. I was hoping we would have just a slight version, and so far we have even though it’s still very crappy. Luckily we have all sorts of over the counter drugs to help us get comfortable. It’s still worrying because it is the weekend and we are pretty much on our own. These are the times you wish family lived closer. And wouldn’t you know we were planning a weekend trip to central Virginia to visit and this happened. We also need to cancel a few appointments this week. It’s a good reminder that you can’t take your health for granted. So far this year has been awful for a variety of reasons. I hope this is the end of it. 







Friday, March 15, 2024

Water Leak and Travel John

As it so happens after our morning walk were met at the front door of our condo by the building’s mechanic. He said he found a water leak in the parking garage and traced it up to our unit after searching the tier on this side of the building. We have been having issues with water since a pump mechanism was added to the pipes in the HVAC closet in January. Regardless, having a water leak means shutting off the water until the issue can be addressed. We were not happy. We thought when we moved from Capitol Hill we would finally be rid of these headaches. Since we only have one bathroom that can also potentially create a problem. And when we first moved in five years ago I ordered a potty stool and a Travel John solid waste collection kit - just in case we would ever need it. We already have disposable urinals in the car, but luckily have never had to use them. I also kept two disposable urinals in the house just in case. Because we didn’t know how long the situation would last, the potty chair was set up - just in case we couldn’t wait any longer. But I needed to pee, and this gave me an opportunity to see how one of the items works. Since we aren’t campers or outdoorsy types, these things are foreign to us. I have to say the product worked just like it said and can hold up to 800 cc’s that eventually turns solid, and then gets tossed away. It does help to think ahead, but it sure would be nice to have two bathrooms. But then again, that wouldn’t have helped if the water was turned off. Let’s just hope we get a resolution to the pump problem sooner than later. 


















Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Typing Baba

I took several years of French, but you wouldn’t know it. It was to the point that I could read it quite well, but never had the knack for conversation. My husband knew French before he learned English. His best friend lives in France. We haven’t seen them since the pandemic. But when we did, the common language for them was Persian. Even his friend’s French speaking wife knows Persian. So I wasn’t a part of the conversation. She would try to speak some English and I would try to speak some French, but it was really limited. At least now when we email every so often we can use the typing baba option. We can write whatever we want in English and push the translate button to French. Then I can cut and paste the translated French in to the body of the email. And that’s what we did last week and it turned out really well. My husband was trying to tell his friend about a website that is all things Persian. And since neither he nor my husband are savvy at anything internet, I get to do the honors - including creating PDF files on some medical issues that needed to be sent. Anyway, it’s nice to know all of these options exist. It makes things so much easier - even though I can’t understand what was finally translated. 








Monday, March 11, 2024

52Frames Symmetrical Composition Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “symmetrical composition.” So we drove in to town and parked by the US Botanic Garden where I thought there must be something that would meet that requirement. Bartholdi Park offered a couple of garden options, and when we came around the corner of the main conservatory, a pair of rocking chairs, planted pots, and symmetrical lines ended up being the submission. I did edit the image to include two tiny birds to make the scene more complete. The high key version was also nice but my husband preferred the original colors. Inside the botanic garden were pairs of different plants. There were two trucks parked in front of the Capitol, two police officers on their bikes, a reflection of the Capitol in the fountain, and a set of chairs with a table. As we made our way towards the Hirshhorn Museum the pair of trees in front of the facade looked really cool, as did the curves of the round building. Whenever you look hard enough there are always many options out there. You just have to use your imagination. 





























Sunday, March 10, 2024

Decaf Lipton Tea

Every evening after dinner my husband and I have a dessert/snack. I always have a piece of angel food cake and a decaf tea. He always has a variety of cookies, a tiny slice of angel food cake, and a piece of candy. He used to have tea as well but is avoiding anything that affects his current medical condition - and that includes both tea and coffee. We always got Lipton decaf tea and for whatever reason it hasn’t been on the shelves at Giant for a few months. So we asked someone about the reason and they said they aren’t able to get it due to availability. So I’ve tried other decaf brands but they just don’t taste good. Finally I gave up waiting for Giant to get the tea in and ordered it on Amazon. The price was no different and there wasn’t any back order so I’m not sure what the fuss is all about. So last night was the first time I’ve had Lipton decaf tea in quite some time. I like it because it is essentially tasteless, but that’s what I’m used to. Hopefully the tea will eventually get restocked at the local grocery store. It’s just a lot easier to get it there. 









Saturday, March 9, 2024

Maz-Tek Motion Sensor LED Night Light

We always had night lights in the bathroom. And they have certainly changed from the olden days to now. And they come in all shapes and types. Because we are getting older  bumping in to things is not a good idea, I thought having a little light along the path to the bathroom would also make sense. I was most interested in a motion sensor device that would only go on when necessary - not something that would shine all night long. I found the Maz-tek motion sensor night light on Amazon in a pack of two. They arrived the other day and are really quite nice. They can be set to on all of the time, or auto, or off. The brightness of the light can also be adjusted via a slider button. One was placed at the outlet by the foot of the bed, and the other was placed in the outlet in the kitchen. My husband tends to get up very early and needs a bit of light to walk around the living room/kitchen and doesn’t want to wake me up with bright lights. The night lights are very nice and more than anything else we tend to try and stay on the safe side. When you get older it’s even more important.