Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Can’t Post to Instagram from Pinterest

Updating to the newest Apple IOS operating system has caused several problems on two iPads. One of them belonged to my mom who passed away last month. Ever since then, neither one works in spite of every trick. The last suggestion was to bring it in for the technicians to figure out. That won’t be happening for awhile. On the devices that do work, I can no longer post items from my Pinterest boards to Instagram. It first started on my iPhone when the IOS system was upgraded. Then the same thing happened on my iPad Pro yesterday. It’s not essential, but annoying. As with every one else, but on a much lower scale, my digital art business no longer exists. Luckily I don’t rely on it for steady income, but I can only imagine if I did - like so many other businesses folks out there struggling right now. So rather than cause myself getting a headache any more I found a workaround. My Pixels/Fine Art America website has an Instagram link. So I use that instead to connect to Instagram. It looks nice and still serves the purpose. We are so fortunate that our lifestyle hasn’t changed so much because we are retired. We spend our days at home and pick up the mail at midnight to avoid contact with any of the condo residents. So during the day I spend time maintaining my websites and writing this blog. The hardest thing now is to come up with some interesting topics since I’m not taking photos either - we aren’t going anywhere. At least this digital work keeps me busy and we are content. Just hoping everything turns a corner soon. 
















Monday, March 30, 2020

WhatsApp, Skype, or FaceTime

Yesterday was a boom for phone calls and messages. We heard some sad news via text that someone (my age) that we knew in the Midwest passed away from leukemia. Then our daughter in law called to check in with us to see if our provisions were holding and to talk about life in general. It was followed by a short chat with the grandson - his prom was supposed to have taken place the night before. We missed a call from our friends in England - so we called them back via FaceTime. They are dealing with not having access to medical care that is not an emergency. Then we called our friends in France on FaceTime, but in the middle of the conversation we switched over to WhatsApp. We have used Skype with them before, but now they prefer WhatsApp. No one can leave the house in England and France without permission, and they are fined if directions aren’t followed. On Instagram we hear from family in Sweden, Denmark and Iran. While we can’t see how they look, hearing that they are all ok is a comfort - although our niece from Sweden called last week. So far everyone sounds ok, and when we can see them, look okay too. What makes this hibernation easier to take is the technology that allows us to still connect. And in the end, hearing from and reaching out to others is really all that matters - regardless of the circumstances. 








Saturday, March 28, 2020

Celebrating a Birthday

We don’t usually make a big deal about birthdays. My husband prefers to treat each day like it is special. I agree, but sometimes you just want to celebrate a bit more. We moved in to our new condo in northern Virginia almost one year ago from Capitol Hill. So this past week was the first time my husband had a birthday on our new home. But due to the circumstances we live in today, plus being in the over 65 “at risk” age group, we haven’t left the house in about three weeks. So we didn’t go out to lunch, or dinner, or anything else. Luckily for us, being retired  hasn’t changed our lives quite so much. And for that we are very thankful. And being health care career people, we are so grateful to our colleagues and friends working every day - including our son on the front lines. So to add a bit of levity I found a couple of happy birthday recordings and played them for my husband. After dinner I loaded his favorite cookies on a plate and added a candle. It was a good a day as any other. And we are just plain thankful for what we have. 






Friday, March 27, 2020

Orchids at the US Botanic Garden

On March 4 we took a ride in to DC to visit the US Botanic Garden, then went to lunch in Alexandria. How things have changed since then. We have stayed in the house for over two weeks now - as we are in the “at risk” age group. It’s been hard to think of blogs to write because we aren’t going anywhere and I’m not taking any photos. So I need to resort to past excursions to think about, with a bit of a different perspective. The last entry about the orchid show focused on the main lobby of the botanical garden. This time, the up close and personal photos of the orchids in the main lobby are highlighted today. This display was probably one of the most beautiful in size, scope, and types of plants. Luckily the gardens are sharing the exhibit on line and Instagram and beyond. It’s really worth a look. 






















Thursday, March 26, 2020

Woner Hair Clipper Kit

When I was a freshman at Florida State University all those years ago, I lived in a dorm right next to the dorm my brother lived in. Hence, I met several of his classmates and dorm mates. I’m not sure how it started, but I ended up cutting many a head of hair - with scissors. I am by no means a barber or hairdresser - it just happened. Now my husband is frightened that  he won’t be able to get his haircut. He gets really antsy when it’s time for a haircut - almost possessed. So we decided to get a haircut clipper and kit. I had no idea what to look for, but ended up selecting a middle of the road set made by Woner. It arrived this week and looks like a substantial kit. Neither my husband nor I know anything about hair trimmers. I saw him reading the instructions this morning - something he never does. I checked out a couple of you tube videos about giving haircuts. I am dreading the day I will probably need to use this equipment. 


















Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Mrs. T’s or Golden Pierogies?

I mentioned to my husband a few weeks back that we should stock up on Mrs. T’s pierogies knowing what what was about to come - especially since the spinach and feta selection is sometimes difficult to find. We got a couple of boxes, but now things have changed a lot in just two weeks. Rather than go to the grocery store we decided to try two apps - one for Peapod - for the Giant grocery store, and one for Instacart - for Harris Teeter and several other stores we may eventually need. Both approaches worked really well considering the alternatives. Obviously paper products, hand sanitizers, hand soaps, and toilet paper are still out of stock. We at least got some paper towels today with the Peapod delivery. In order to get most of what you want it’s good to have the second choice replacement checked off on the order. In this case, rather than Mrs. T’s pierogi we ended up with potato and cheese Golden pierogi. It gave us an opportunity to try a new brand and they were good. My husband always adds onions and other items to it anyway. So, we have had the chance to try grocery apps, and different brands than we are used to. It hardly matters anymore - we are all very flexible. 






Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Discover the World of Orchids

A few weeks back we took a ride to see the US Botanic Gardens. It had been a while since we last visited Capitol Hill since we moved to northern Virginia last year. We used to walk by the gardens almost every day on our morning walk. Since it was almost spring, we wanted to see what was in bloom in the surrounding gardens and also check out the wonderful world of orchids. It is the 25th annual orchid exhibit and the gardens are celebrating a 200th anniversary. In the main entryway and exhibit hall was a worldwide tribute to the collection and transportation of orchids. The hall is typically outfitted with beautiful seasonal presentations and this was one of the best. It’s such a relaxing place to see the beauty of nature - especially when the sun is shining. We have never had much luck with orchids at home in spite of our best efforts. It was well worth the trip and we have never been disappointed. 






















Monday, March 23, 2020

Hot Dogs and Out of Date Condiments

We haven’t had hot dogs for awhile so we got some a while back. My dad loved hot dogs, and I do too. My husband? Not so much. It was always an easy way for my dad to make a quick lunch and he lived to be 95, so they didn’t do him much harm. But hot dogs alone aren’t so great. You need to embellish them with condiments. So when I went to retrieve the ketchup, mustard and relish - everything was long past the “best if consumed by” date. The only thing that wasn’t outdated was the jar of handmade concoction of onions and pepper that our grandson gave us for Christmas. He is quite the cook at 16 years old. Regardless of the dates we used the stuff anyway. My husband never has ketshup, mustard or relish, but he loves the onions and peppers. That was one Christmas gift that has lasted a while now. And it makes every sandwich and hot dog so much tastier.