Self isolation lessons from my cat

Once upon a time, we came home to our pets. We marveled at how they were overjoyed to see us, dying to get outside for a quick walk, were grateful for a breath of fresh air or the chance to greet the neighbors with SUCH enthusiasm.

Then we became our pets. Trapped inside, day in and day out, little faces pressed against the window starring with wonderment at squirrels in the trees, the Amazon delivery vehicle and jumping at the chance to drive to the supermarket while wearing something akin to a muzzle.

Our pets are now teaching us how to find zen in a life of limited outings and few friends.

For me personally, lessons are being learned left and right, from Wrigley the Cat. Here is a chap who delights in chasing bugs, sniffing flowers, watching birds and daring to cross the street to meet a new person. He is a constant source of entertaining antics, a snuggly body when loneliness sets in and a grand (understated) teacher of life's little lessons.

Don't put your hands on others people's food. You'll get in trouble.

Stop to smell the flowers. They won't be here next week.

It's ok to pretend your life is more glam than it is. Imagination is important.

Nothing beats clean sheets!

Don't have PJs of your own? Borrow some. Get comfortable for the long haul.

It's ok to be be vulnerable.

Projects are the key to self isolation. Take frequent naps to stay focused and productive.

Human contact is vital for happiness. Reach out to someone who is also alone.

You don't have to explain all of your behavior in isolation. 

There will never be a better time to catch up on naps missed since 2018!

Cranky days happen. Embrace all of your emotions.

Relearn to play. It's good for mind health.

Even indoors, opportunity knocks. Be ready.

Vit D from sunshine is better than Vit D from milk.

No point in eating pizza if you are just gonna feel guilty about it.

Find new paths to friendship.

Snow days bring their own kind of beauty and challenge. Suck it up.

In self isolation, there are more opportunities for breakfast in bed!

Gardening... to take away the COVID-19 blues

Getting ones hands dirty actually does feel good. Physically satisfying, mentally upbeat kinda good.

I'm running out of photo archiving work just in time for planting season.  I'm guessing we've seen the end of snow and when I embarked on the following projects this week, I ardently hoped not to be met with loss and heartache due to sudden temperature swings again!

Project#1

Planting an orchard and about 27 evergreen trees at my Dyer Rd property.

NOTE: There a many places to buy trees but when you need 40 or so, delivery is a must. On top of that, I am a novice and was looking for a tree farm/nursery that was heavy on the education part of the shopping experience too. I stumbled upon FastGrowingTrees.com in February and have been super impressed with the education, quality of service, ease or ordering and now, delivery too.

Check it out... a FEDEX tree delivery from North Carolina! While the boxes weren't entirely square on arrival, I quickly discovered that the roots/pots were in each end and the middle part of the box was skinny branches and leaves and not really impacted like you'd think after seeing the dents.

Right now my acre of property is just begging for more trees. A sturdy wind-noise-view block starts with planting fast growing trees along the back property line. I chose Green Giant Thuja for their privacy, speed of growth, deer resistance and disease resistance.

The fastest way to dig holes apparently by skid-loader with mini bucket-thing. Thanks, Josh Mitchell!!!

Planting was a 2 day affair. And I had help! It is nothing short of hard work and lets not sugarcoat how it really went:  For weeks I looked forward to the outdoor task, the physical workout, the joy of watching it come together. Then I tortured my muscles, skinned my hands and tweaked my joints to get things planted quickly. I ate Ibuprofen for dinner and still woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a bus.

Long story short... I'm built to sell real estate rather than haul trees and soil, dig clay and rocks. I am so looking forward to getting back to my real (estate) job!

More exciting though, is the beginnings of an orchard.  A dozen or so trees will bear peach, plum, apricot, pear, apple and cherry fruits in just a couple of years, fingers crossed.

I dug these holes myself... 

  

Project #2

A wee raised bed garden at home.  Something to direct love and attention toward as a pandemic rages. And perhaps organic veggies and herbs to add to meals well into 2020 too.

Since Airbnb is canceled until further notice, I turned a guest room into a temporary greenhouse. For the past 1-2 weeks seeds and baby plants have been thriving near sunny windows, behind a locked door. Growing silently in baking dishes and recycled containers as Wrigley tries his darnedest to find a way in.

A baking dish covered in plastic wrap means you almost never have to water it.

Radishes sprouted in just 2 days!

Mark got this strawberry before the cat or the squirrels got wind of it.

Basil... ready to become Caprese salad?

Success! This was as close as Wrigley got to investigating the wee plants.

 

About the raised bed; soon to be renamed The Isolation Farm @ 285 Martin Drive.

I bought this little number on Amazon. It came flat-packed and I followed IKEA-like cartoon directions for assembly. One hour and one screwdriver was all it took. Then 10 bags of high quality garden soil later, it was ready for planting.

It could not have been easier and smells deliciously like cedar!

I'd like to say that I have the patience of a Buddhist monk and diligently "hardened off" the plants by bringing them in and out of the house for several days to acclimatize them. The truth is that one balmy evening, I opened the door, pulled them outside and planted them. The next morning, I checked to see if any had up and died from shock or overnight temps and delightfully (luckily) discovered, they had not. :-) 

The next day, I also planted seeds. Right now the bed contains tomato, zucchini, strawberries and herbs such as dill, oregano, cilantro basil, sage and chives. There are Mesclun lettuce and bush bean seeds planted here and in the "greenhouse" guest room, Swiss chard, radish, parsley, hot peppers and yellow squash are still germinating.

 

I connected a couple of fine sprayers to my my irrigation system already present in the yard so that each morning around 6am the garden is dampened and the plants are ready to face the warm spring sunshine that is Colorado (this week). 

Wrigley the cat, update:

So far, so good. Wriggles has left footprints in the raised garden for sure. But the plants are intact and his penchant for litterbox use over outdoor pooping, is finally paying dividends! 

(Yes, week 7 into the Self Isolation Experiment of 2020 and I can still find things to be grateful for!)

Bread Experimentation @ The Isolation Bakery

5+ weeks into self isolation and I'm  getting a little bored with following the recipe! We all knew it was coming.

Yesterday I went rogue with bread making.  What started out as two plain white boule loaves, ended up a rosemary and olive oil focaccia and a loaf that hid swirls of olive bruschetta!

Sadly for my hips, there was little self control and even less bread left over by nightfall.

Dang it was amazing though. Cheers to a quiet afternoon sipping wine, dipping  warm bread in olive oil, watching "The Hangover"....

Does a Winter Storm make it Easier to Shelter in Place?

Nope.

Sorry. That's just my opinion. But after 2 storms this week and a record breaking 36" of heavy, wet snow I conclude that cabin fever became a bigger, not smaller concern. I was chomping at the bit to get outside and every little thing was starting to get to me... broken tree limbs, lack of bird song, the cat crying it was dinner time at 3 pm because it was darker outside already.

The pictures are interesting though!

Fortunately, this is Colorado. Storm clouds come, they dump, they leave. Just 24 hours after a huge snowfall, our famous mile high sunshine has melted most of a foot of snow, the sky is bright blue and birds are singing again.