Warthogs warfare in the garden.
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Today’s photos are from May 14, 2015. Please click here for more details.
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| Finally, we got a good shot of this pair of cows, most likely a mom and baby, after waiting patiently. |
Never have any of us been so trapped into a routine as we are during the lockdown in most of our lives. I can’t recall ever checking the time as often as I do now.
For me:
Is it time for another walk?
Is it time for another meal?
Is it time to prepare the post?
Is it time to stream a few shows?
Is it the day to hand wash my clothes in the shower?
Is it time for another cup of coffee/tea?
Is it time to do research online as to when borders and international flights will reopen?
Is it the day to pay the credit card bills?
For Tom: (After 42 ½ years of checking the time while working on the railroad, he doesn’t pay much attention to the time):
Is it time to take my vitamin B6, which has prevented me from getting more kidney stones?
Is it time to order dinner?
Is it time to wash my clothes?
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| The island we encountered during the drive to Clifden. |
Tom is less time-concentric than I am. We all have our specific routines, even before Covid-19. But, I’ve always been the type of person to become entrenched in what I should have, could have, would have done next. Benefit, now it seems more apparent when the days drag on.
Fortunately, there is a favorite time of the day, usually around 7:00 pm or shortly after that when our dinner arrives. Although we eat the same foods each meal, I’m hungry and looking forward to the food (less so for breakfast which I could take or leave) by that time.
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| From African wildlife to barnyard animals, we’ve found a degree of contentment, especially when they are as cute as these two cows, huddled together to stay warm on a chilly morning. |
Lately, the decaf coffee with the powdered cream (yeah, I know, it’s not so healthy, but it’s what’s available right now) has turned into a delightful few minutes; the preparation and the sipping on the hot cup of goodness bring me a few minutes of pure joy.
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| Sheep are marked with paint as described here: “Farmers “paint” their sheep for identification. Frequently, you’ll notice large pastures blanketed in green grass and dotted with sheep. Typically, these pastures are enclosed by stone walls or wire fences and are shared by multiple farmers. When it comes time to claim ownership of the animals roaming around hundreds of acres, a customized painted sheep is easy to identify. Also, during the mating season, the male ram will be fitted with a bag of dye around its neck and chest. When mating, the ram mounts the ewe, and a bit of dye is deposited on the ewe’s upper back. This way, the farmer knows which ewes have been impregnated and moves them on to another field away from the ram.” |
After dinner, we settled onto the bed to stream two episodes of the “show of the moment,” all of which we binge-watch.” Variety under these circumstances isn’t necessary. We just finished season eight of Game of Thrones and all episodes of Tiger King and Succession.
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| We’ve seen these three burros. “The only real difference between a donkey and a burro is their domestication status. A donkey is domesticated. A donkey is wild. Other than that, there is no difference — burro is just the Spanish word for donkey. There is no physical or genetic difference between a mule or a donkey otherwise.” |
Now we’re watching Australia’s Jack Irish in the late afternoon and then the last season of Poldark in the evening. During dinner, we just finished season eight of Doc Martin and began working on season two of Australia’s The Heart Guy, both of which don’t require much concentration and are delightfully simple, ideal for watching while dining.
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| Cows are curious. They often stopped grazing to check out who was driving by. |
Yep, this is our lives right now, folks. Bland is always alert as to what’s happening throughout the world during these difficult times of Covid-19. We’ve found a few good news channels on Indian TV that we have on in the early morning. After breakfast, Tom listens to his favorite radio show, Garage Logic from Minnesota.
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| The Clifden town square. |
As I prepare today’s post, NatGeo Wild is on the TV with the sound turned down. Usually, Garage Logic is on in the background for a few hours while I do the post, listening simultaneously. AIt provides us both with a bit of wildlife fix while we’re in lockdown.
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| St. Joseph Catholic Church is located in downtown Clifden where we shopped for groceries. |
It sounds like a lot of mental stimulation during these otherwise dull days and nights, but it works for us, keeping our minds engaged. Neither of us has been interested in reading fiction books right now. It doesn’t seem easy to get out of our heads enough to get wrapped up in a novel.
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| Plants for sale at a local garden store. The owner came out to greet us. The Irish are very friendly. |
I almost feel as if I need to stay alert, pay attention to what we’ll do next, allay boredom or negative thoughts from setting in, doing exactly what, and when it appeals to us the most.
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| The strips of shops made it easy to get around the downtown area. |
How are you coping with staying level-headed during times of Covid-19? We’d love to hear from you! Please comment at the bottom of our page, and indeed we will reply within 24 hours.
Stay safe.
Photo from one year ago today, May 15, 2019:
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| A ram painted red for identification purposes with curved horns. For more on the year-ago post, please click here. |
I loved the painted sheep!!! Especially the purple 🤣
Lisa, remember seeing them all over the roads in Ireland when you came to visit us. What a happy memory from only one year ago. Can't wait to see you somewhere in the future wherever we may be. We love staying in close touch with you. Love to Barry and hug yourself for me!
Love,
Jess & Tom
Loved the photos of the painted sheep which reminded us of our road trip in Ireland too. Just interested in your comment about taking B6 for kidney stones. How much is Tom taking and is there somewhere I can read about that as a help for kidney stones?
Sue
New Zealand
Dear Sue, Tom had three kidney surgeries in three years. When I asked the urologist what could possibly help, he suggested Vitamin B6, 50 mg, 3 times a day. We wondered why he didn't mention this after the first surgery. Anyway, Tom's been taking it for years and has yet to have another kidney stone. It's harmless at this dose and certainly worth a try.
Take care and stay safe during these challenging times.
Warmest regards,
Jess & Tom