March 2021

 March 2021

Happy 1st Anniversary of the COVID 19 Lockdown

National Women History Month

PA/NJ/NY/CT/RI/DE/MD

1- M- PA

I've been stuck in my apartment for the last few days so I decided to make a break out of here today.  But is was so damn cold and unwarily windy.  I ended up at the movies to watch Land, the story of a grieving woman who escapes to the wilderness in hopes of dying or finding herself, whichever came first.  The movie was medicare and she should have watched the Mountain Men TV series where she could have learned a few survival skills.  She lived in bear country and roamed just slightly away from her home without a gun and a bear got in her house and she hide outside while the bear ate all of her food. And then things got worse for her before they got better.

Afterwards, I went to Bellefonte Brewery (1).  I have been here before and liked the place but I didn't like the vibe as much as I had the last time.  The people were too loud and vulgar and I felt as if I was in the midst of Trump supporters and I have begun to view them with too much suspicion of anger and violence. But my beers were good.

I was just hanging around the SouthWest Airlines ticket deals and found a trip to CO for only $127 but it is in April and KT is working now which annoys me because I am ready to go somewhere.  So I texted her and expressed my annoyance and she retorted by indicating that she may come here for her spring break.

2- TU- PA

It's so damn cold and windy today and I went outside without socks.  And that was a stupid decision. Damn, my feet were cold.

I finally, finally, finally got my hair cut.  I haven't had my hair cut since I found out I had cancer.  I didn't want to risk getting covid and interrupting my treatments.  Now that I have no more treatments (at the moment) and both covid shots, I am feeling more confident to roam around a bit more freely.

I met Kathy Flatley for dinner and it felt great to sit at a restaurant, inside, and eat together. We have both been vaccinated so we felt more comfortable being there.  I can't wait to get back to normal life.

I watched The Octopus Teacher on Netflix. OMG, this was a beautiful movie.  The cinematography was stunning and the story was memorizing. I want to befriend an octopus.

3- W- PA

The first bloom from my garden emerged today. It's 54F and sunny.  It's the beginning of the end of winter.  I am ready for spring.

I went to Brothers Kerhner Brewing Company (2) and loved the beers. Of course, I had a porter and three different IPAs.

In the evening, I watched Hunt for the Wilder People and loved it.  It was so damn funny and quirky, it reminded me of a Wes Anderson movie.  I love these types of movies.

4- TH- PA

Tom Descano was buried today.  There was a private ceremony with just his family.  And I felt left out. I wanted to say goodbye. I will miss him immensely.

Sam called me to tell me that Terry Alcorn died suddenly yesterday. Hope wanted me to know and she wants to reconnect with me.  We were good friends for 15 years and I haven't seen her for almost 30 years now and I have no interest or energy to reconnect.  That friendship has died.

I went to COSTCO and bought yet another collapsible chair.  I've seen this chair advertised on social media and I have been coveting it ever since.  It only weighs 4 pounds and folds in to fit in my hands and I will be able to travel with it and it was cheaper than what I have seen it advertised for so I just had to get.  And so I did. Now, I have six chairs of various form or function in the trunk of my car. That's it.  That is enough.

In other news, QAnon predicted that we were going to have another insurrection today in Washington, DC and Trump was going to be sworn in as president again.  But.... that didn't happen.

Tweet: What time does Trump get sworn in this morning? I don’t want to miss it.

Tweet: So is QAnon died as of today?

5- F- PA

OMG, I had a great, great day.  I had plans to drive to Prime Hook, DE to search one last time for snow geese.  But then I got a text message from Sloane Hosten who said I needed to go to Middlecreek Wildlife Preserve, near Reading.  So, off I went and I knew immediately that this was a place to see the birds because the crowds of people was unbelievable.  It felt like being at a rock concert.  People were everywhere and determined to find the best spot to watch these magnificent birds.  Most of the people parked not he side of the road and walked in to some area.  But I knew about the drivable trail road and I found a huge flock there.  And it was thrilling.  The skies were a gorgeous blue and the sun was shining and the birds flew so high up that they seemed to sparkle like stars.  I was so moved by this moment that I got on my phone and attempted a FaceTime call with Sam.  As I had anticipated, she was as excited as me to see these birds. We had such a good time watching these creatures.  i would have stayed on the call until it got dark if it had not been so damn cold.  My hands were frozen so I eventually had to hang up.

Heading back to Philly, I stopped by the Stoudt's Brewery.  I had been there years ago so I decided to stop in again.  But they seemed to be closed.  I think I read something, awhile back, that they had fallen on hard times. So now, they may only be open on Sundays.  Then I headed to the Union Barrel Brewery and that place is defiantly closed for good.  So I went to the Pour House.  It was opened but it was filled to COVID capacity. After three efforts, I surrendered and went home.

I found another damn series to watch; The Disappearance of Madeline McCann.  She was abducted from her parents' hotel room in Portugal in 2007 and the story made international news for months.

6- SA- PA

It was gloomy and cold and windy so I stayed inside, on my blue chair and watched five more hours of the damn documentary series on the abduction of Madeline McCann. I have now invested 8 hours in to this series.  I do not need to know any more about this case.

I did go out in the mid-afternoon to walk to the pharmacy.  Just that short trip made me winded.  I have got to get up and move.  I will never be able to travel again if I remain this inactive. 

On the way out of my apartment, I smelled something suspicious.  It wasn't quite gas but it wasn't something to be dismissed.  So I reported the incident to the management people.  PECO was called and claimed it was not a natural gas leak but may be connected to someone's car that had some sort of dangerous gas substance in a particular car.  I wanted to run to the parking garage to see the car but decided to stay away just in case it was something more dangerous.

In an effort to continue on my quest to visit a brewery in every state, I  booked a hotel for a two night stay in Rhode Island next week.  I will be near the beach.  Let's hope the weather cooperates.

7- SU- PA

I had dinner with Sharon and Glenn at their house in Philly.  We were celebrating the fact that all three of us have both of our vaccines.  When I came in the door, I realized that I had forgotten my mask.  Sharon told me to forget about it as we were now safer and then she hugged me and wouldn't let go so I pulled away and she still wouldn't let go.  She said it had been a year since we hung each other.  That's hard to believe.  haven't seen kathy in over a year.  I've only seen Jim twice and that was just recently and I have only seen Brian once.  I have a new niece and nephew that I haven't met. 

Deidre is getting her wedding plans together.  She is going to send out a "save the date" card and she is going to tell people that they have to be vaccinated to attend.  When I spoke with her last month she told me that she didn't want to have any undercurrent of covid at the wedding.  I think that is a good approach to this situation.

For the last 4 days, over 2,000,000 people have been vaccinated each day.  Johnson & Johnson just released a single shot vaccine.  That should change this rate dramatically. We may be out of this mess by June if this rate keeps up.

When I got home from Sharon's house, the light in the living room was on.  I never, ever leave a light on.  Now I am obsessed with how this happened.  Was someone in my apartment while I was gone?  If it had been management, which they have done in the past, they lock the door behind them.  I don't lock the door and it was still unlocked when I returned.  I cant believe a neighbor poked his/her head in.  This is going to drive me crazy.

8- M- PA

It is the International Day of the Woman so I felt obligated to bombard my facebook page with lots of graphics to celebrate this moment. My students in Bangladesh have also posted a video where they have taken a pledge to support women.  And my Chinese student and her friends asked their classmates to identify women who inspired them.  Most of these women mentioned their mothers as role models.  So they were then asked to call their mother right on the spot and tell her that she has been an inspiration.  Laydon sent a video of one young woman who cried as she spoke to her mother.

9- TU- PA

I drove up to Middle Creek Wildlife Preserve one last time to see the snow geese.  They were there but they were not flying in such abundance as they did last week. The crowds of people were even greater than last week.

10- W- PA/NJ/NY/RI- Road Trip 2021-#2

It was noon before I finally got organized enough to start my road trip to Rhode Island.  I haven't been here since 1973 so it was fun to come back again today.

I stopped in to the Coddington Brewery (3) for a flight and I felt very bad vibes.  I could hardly wait to get out of there.

11- TH- RI

got my windshield fixed

Newport Brewery (4)

lobster roll

soaked in the hot tub

chatted with Laydon again.  She seems very eager to reconnect.

12- F- RI/CT/NY/NJ/PA

It was a perfect day for a long drive home.  Actually, it was the best weather day of the last three days to sit on the beach kind of day.  I should have checked to see if I could have stayed for one more day.  But I don't think I would have gotten my $79/night rate as I was now intruding on the first weekend of spring. (OK, I just tortured myself and checked the rate and yes, I could have gotten that same damn rate, Oh well!!!) 

So, I started out and planned a route to stop at an army/navy store (one of my favorite things to do) and then at an ice cream place for a coffee ice cream cone and then a brewery in CT and maybe a stop at CampMor in NJ and then back to Philly.  Travel time was going to be a little over 6 hours.  So my ETA for Philly was around 8 PM.

Somehow I missed the Army/Navy store.  The ice cream shop was closed even though the website indicates that it is open for business.  I found another Army/Navy store in Mystic, CT but it was in a high rent area and the shop was too highbrow for my enjoyment.  I found a great brewery, Spruce Creek Brewery (5).  I think I liked it because they have "pour judgment" printed right on their glass wear. Now I want to make tee shirts that claim, "I engage in a lot of pour behaviors" and have a beer tap graphic on the shirt. I know I could make lots of money off the shirt.  Too bad, I have zero motivation to do anything like this.

I decided to scrap the idea of going to CampMor and I was now headed in to Friday night, rush hour NYC traffic. Getting over the George Washington Bridge took an extra hour.  And I was really tired.  Sometimes, I had zone out moments where I had to remind myself that I was driving.  I should have pulled in to a rest stop and taken a quick nap.

I finally got home around 9 PM and went right to bed.  But I woke up two hours later to messages from my Bangladesh people.  One of my students is working on finding the courage to transition to a male.  She is without any family support, cultural support, financial means and courage.  She has a long battle ahead of her.

13- SA- PA

It was a gorgeous, gorgeous spring day so I texted Debbie and suggested that we go out and drink alcohol and she agreed and so we did.  We went to Iron Hill Brewery (6) and Sterling Pig brewery (7) and I had flights but both of the flights did not wow me. I love to sit in a bar in the afternoon and drink beer.

I came home and went back to a new damn mini series that I got sucked in to, The Staircase.  OMG, I thought I only had two episodes to watch but I watched five and I still have more to watch.  It was so draining.  It is yet another example of our justice system gone wrong.

14- SU- PA

I started my day with what will be my final meetings with my Bangladesh students to discuss our damn webinars.  This has been a most aggravating task and I am so relieved to be free of it.  Shannon told me, after the meeting, that I left myself wide open to be sucked back in to their clutches.  I assured her that I was finished with this assignment.

I sat in the lounge, after my zoom call, and three young men approached me and asked if they would be bothering me if they played a round of pool. They were so polite and friendly and I was so happy to chat with them.  I miss hanging in the lounge.

I texted Steve and Phyliss to see if they wanted to go out for a drink or an ice cream cone.  I haven't seen them for awhile and thought we could stroll around town.  But they were tied up with the grandchildren.  So maybe I will catch up with them later in the week.  We have a St Patrick's Day party here on Wednesday.  I am hoping that we get to congregate in the lounge for this event.  It will be nice to see people again.

I finished watching The Staircase and I am becoming more delusional with our justice system. I do not understand how anyone could claim to be on the side of law and order and then purposely deport, lie or make up evidence.  And I can't believe this judge did not do his part to be more impartial to justice.  it appeared to me that he did everything he could to maintain the status quo so that no potential doubt could be thrown at him. Watching this series was maddening.

It's Daylight Saving today and at 7:15 PM, it was still light out and I just love that moment when I feel optimistic about spring.

15- M- PA

I am in a bit of shock.  It appears as if some of my perennials in my garden are returning.  How did they survive? I just cant seem to master the art of container gardening.

I talked to my dentist's billing agent.  My damn insurance paid just $2 for my last cleaning.  I hate insurance companies.

The birds have returned.  I can hear them chirping because the door to my balcony is wide open today.  I love that sound and I will tolerate the cold breeze just so I can hear the birds.

The afternoon slipped by and I did nothing.  I just sat in my chair.  But I did get to speak to KT about a possible plan to get together this summer.  For over an hour, we talked about going to the NJ beaches in June or maybe the Wave in AZ in September. And when we do this, we will go to UT for a brewery stop.  Then she had to quickly hang up. So when she called back, she introduced a trip she may take with her son to England in September so maybe she could go to England and then come here in on the way back and we could go to the beach. But if we go to the beach, maybe we could go to Dewey Beach, DE rather than LBI, NJ.  And all of these ideas sounded great.  Because of their popularity, all of them need some sort of booking now.  But we didn't make any firm commitment.  We just laughed and said we have to give it more thought.  We will do something soon but it probably won't be any of these ideas.

I got off my fat ass and wandered down to the lounge.  I rarely hang here anymore.  But I am going to try and re-establish better habits.  I have to make more effort to socialize and to move.  I have become so sedentary and isolated.

16- TU- PA

I woke up to a mild panic attack.  I was filled with anxiety.  The moment subsided but it wore me out.  I just couldn't get with the program all day.  So for my big outing today, I went to Audi's to buy fruits and vegetables.

17- W- PA

It's St Patrick's Day. This used to be one of my favorite days of the year.  I would love to go out and drink too much and hang at the bars and listen to Irish music and do the Irish jig and eat Irish potatoes and corn beef and cabbage;  Now, I like to sit home and avoid the crowds.

My big task of the day was to get an oil change for my car.  When I looked at the condition of my car, I was so embarrassed that I actually went to the car wash and vacuumed the inside of the vehicle. It looks so much better.

We had our first public gathering at Chestnut Square.  We had beer and snacks.  And it is the first event in ver a year where we gathered together.  It was great to be in this moment again.  Lots of people showed up and I didn't recognize any of them.

18- TH- PA/MD

I met up with Joanne and Trav.  I drove to Perryville to see them.  We advent been together in over two years.  We wanted to go to our favorite place, Jonnie's Sushi, but  it ws closed some we went to Hopkins Farm Brewery (8) and had a fun time together.

Once I got home, I watched a movie: Food Club

Tweet: #BidenProud 100,000,000 vaccinations as of today. Ambitious promise made and met.

19- F- PA

It's 7:15 PM and it is still light outside and I am back from drinking at happy hours and because I am so old, I could use a nap right now.  What's become of me?

I met Sharon and Glenn for happy hours at Ironhill Brewery in WC. It appears as if everyone has given up on an COVID preventions.  The place was packed at the bar.  We had hoped to sit outside, under a heater but it was just a little too cold today.  Next month, at this time, should be perfect.

I got an invitation from Heather to come up to NJ to visit now that I had both of my shots.  It will be great to see the two little boys.  I cant wait to met Peter who will almost be six months old by the time I meet him.

I watched a great documentary movie, Made You Look, which told the story of the greatest art fraud case in the world.  Millions of dollars were stolen and I found myself without any empathy for the victims.  There is something wrong with the values of our society if there are people who are so damn rich that they can afford millions of dollars on a singular  painting.  I didn't feel sorry for them at all.

20- SA- PA

I started the day with a webinar with my Bangladesh students.  This was our third and final webinar on domestic violence.  It went well and it was well received and I am so damn happy to be finished with this dreadful assignment.  They drove me crazy.

I followed up this zoom meeting with another meeting with our Germany friends.  It's nice to get to gather with them and I am sorry we didn't think of this idea sooner.

I followed up this zoom meeting with a zoom funeral in CA for Jaye's son-in-law, Miles. It was hard to watch Leanne suffer from such a distant.

I just checked my balcony garden and it looks as if 10 plants are attempting to live again this gardening season.  I cant wait to see how many actually survive.

It's 5:30 PM and I just contemplated taking a nap but it is too damn sunny.  If looks as if we are in the middle of the afternoon. On this first day of spring, I miss the beautiful, dark, gloomy days of January where I could take a nap without guilt.  I should really get up right now and take a walk.

As of today, there have been 541,000 covid deaths in the USA. But the great news is that more and more people are getting vaccinated.

21- SU- PA

Today ends the #MySistersKeeper Project with my Bangladesh students.  We had a zoom celebration to highlight all that we accomplished.

Afterwards, I drove to the East Branch Brewery (9) to meet up with Deb and Lisa.  I haven't seen them since I was diagnosed with cancer.  I love, love, love sitting in a bar, in the afternoon, with friends and drinking a beer.

On the way home, I stopped by the new brewery in town, Artillery Brewery (10)

Sue Descano called.  She wants me to go to the mountains with her on Thursday.  I think she wants to clean out some of Tom's things and she wants some moral support.

22- M- PA/DE

It was another gorgeous day. I checked on my garden and there are now 16 plants that seem to be emerging from their winter rest. I can't believe it. I thought they had all died over the winter.

I took a drive to Battery Beach in DE. It was a beautiful day but once I got to the beach, I didn't feel like sitting on the beach. So I just drove around and took photos.

On the way home, I stopped at the Bellefonte Brewery in DE.  I've been here before and liked it.  But today, for some reason, I didnt like the vibe.

23- TU- PA

I took a sleep aid so it was exceedingly difficult to get out of bed today.  And I was having crazy ass dreams that were so vidid.  When I woke up for the last time, I was a bit bewildered.

My sun umbrella is open and shielding me from the sun today. What a great moment. I sat out there with my breakfast shake and my cup of coffee.  It was warm and sunny and the birds were chirping and some pain in the ass woman was on her balcony and on her phone and blaring her conversation.  I wanted to tell her to shut up.

We had another mass shooting yesterday. Ten people were gunned down in a grocery store in Boulder, CO.  I think I have been in this store during one of my many visits to CO. Today it was review that he may be muslim.  So there is a whole different focus on the news.

The Uptown Theatre has started to schedule some shows and I signed up for two events to usher.  It made me nervous to sign up.  After a year of laying low, it seemed like too big of a commitment.

24- W- PA

I just couldn't fall asleep so I took a sleep aid around 4 AM and then I just couldn't wake up all day long.  It didn't help that it was a dark, rainy, grey day.  I had to force myself to get up by 4 PM and I still couldn't get out of my groggy fog.  I have got to do something about my sleep problems. I went to bed with ambitious plans for the day.  I was going to get my taxes in order and check on the status of all of my medical bills and insurance claims.  

I watched a few remaining episodes of a crazy ass bank robbery/murder in Erie, PA in 2003.  There are way too many fucked up, dangerous people in this world.  We have to do something about all of the mental health issues in this country.

I spoke to no one today, not even myself.

Today would be Dad's 93 birthday. He died when he was 76.  I wonder what he would be like if he had lived this long.  I wonder what he would have thought of his republican party.

25- TH- PA- Poconos- Road Trip 2021-#3

I drove to the Pocono Mountains with Sue Descano.  She wanted to clear out Tom's things.  It's been over a month since he died and she just wants to complete this dreaded task. 

26- F- PA- Poconos

We cleaned out Tom's things. I left with one of his denim shirts, a pair of socks and a winter coat that I will probably use for my pending trip to Greenland.

We watched the Octopus Teacher.  Even though I watched it just recently, so many aspects of the movie seemed new to me.

27- SA- PA- Poconos

Sue and I went for lunch at the Pocono Brewing Company (11).  The food was delicious; the beers were mediocre. So I won't be coming back here again.

Afterwards, I asked her if we could drive in to Stroudsburg so we could check out Stroudsburg High School.  I can't believe the size of that campus.  It is more than double what it was when I was the principal there 20 years ago.

28- SU- PA

It was rainy this morning which made it easy to leave the mountains.

When we got to back to Springfield, Sue gave me Tom's camera.  I am so excited as it is a better camera than mine and I was just going to purchase a new one soon.

Debbie called me as soon as I got home.  Joe, our neighbor, died suddenly yesterday.  The cops found him this morning in his apartment. No one knows what happened.

29- M- PA

Today was a great day.  I started with a zoom call to a group of WAFW students from China, Bangladesh, and Nepal.  They are going to connect once a month and hold conversations about live. empowering women and giving back.  I think this will be a committed group of young women.

Afterwards, I hurried off to my facial.  I haven't had a facial in over a year and this woman was great.  The moment of happiness started the second I climbed on the table.  There was a heated sheet that just radiated so much warmth.  I felt enveloped by comfort. We moved on to the facial and she dripped oils on my face.  I loved that sensation. While she was waiting for my mud mask to dry, she gave me a mini massage.  OMG, I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven.

Later, I ran over to Produce Junction and bought way too much produce.  Now I am in a neurotic panic over the fact that I will probably have to throw some of this food out because I cant eat all of it before it goes bad.

I also bought flowers for my garden. So today starts my slippery slop of buying too many flowers for my tiny garden.

When I got home, Debbie called me to tell me she had the scope on Joe's death.  He committed suicide.  He slit his wrist.  This news takes me completely by surprise as I would have never thought that Joe was struggling with his mental health. I am so sad.

I can't focus to night.  I tried to watch a movie but I couldn't stay focused.  I hopped from one more to another and never settled on anything.  Nothing grabbed my attention.  I did spend about 1/2 hour watching the movie, The Minimalist.  That's all I needed to get the gist of the message: "Nothing is more responsible than living in the smallest space possible."  This statement struck home.  I have to step it up again and get rid of more things.  I am going to try to get rid of my books this summer.

30- TU- PA

It took me awhile to get with the program today.  I had trouble getting up and moving.  But when I finally got going, I attacked the task of preparing to get my fucking taxes done.  I worked all afternoon in the lounge and then again, late in the evening.  But i am finally and completely prepared and that is a load off my mind.  Doing my taxes causes me great stress.

I spent some of the evening hanging with Jill in the lounge.  She is devastated about Joe.

31- W- PA

I dropped my tax material off at the accountant's office and that was a relief.  I hate doing my taxes.  I hate it. I have to go back to his office on April 5th to finalize everything and I just don't fell like dealing with this issue anymore this year.

To treat myself, I drove to North Wales and went to the McAllister Brewery (12). I purchase a groupon two days ago so I cashed in on this great deal. I loved the place.  The beers were delicious.  I even had a sour IPA which I liked.  I thought of Joe the whole time.  He liked sour beers.

Sue called me to tell me of the newest Springfield news.  Dan Tracy is going to be the new high school principal.  I'm excited about this news as I think Dan will be a good choice.  I hired Dan in 2006 and had hoped that he would follow me in this position.  He is a good guy.

I watched a dreadful movie, The Seven Chinese Brothers.  It was boring and silly and I can't figure out the meaning of the title. It was a waste of time.

Highlights of the Month

I visited 12 breweries: a new PR.

I took a road trip to RI and CT

I took a road trip to the Poconos.

My garden is starting to bloom.

I put my winter coats away for the season.

It is light outside at 7:15 PM.

The snow geese were magical this year.