Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Cold weather and gray skies returned to the ridge as well as Ray. We picked him up at the airport this morning.
Gas is edging near four dollars a gallon—an increase of a little over fifty cents in less than a month as Putin’s war rages on. Over 1.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country and more are running for the border. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express have ceased purchases on all cards in Russia. The US has stopped buying oil from Russia. Frightening nuclear attack rumors abound among news correspondents. Famines and food shortages are coming. Past Covid-19 scares pale in comparison to the fears blasted in daily media.
Monday, March 14, 2022
Spring weather arrived with high temperatures around sixty and sunshine. March winds made jackets necessary, but I hope this weather sticks around.
Daylight savings began yesterday so we’re an hour ahead. I never know what time it is without checking a clock because the days have always seemed shorter to me here. Matt says it’s because we’re farther from the equator and our house sits in a valley.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that there’s a tiger sanctuary about a mile away from us. The big cats must be enjoying the weather. We’ve heard them roaring a few times in the evenings while we were outside working.
I fueled up for $3.79/gallon today and bought groceries. We bought extra flour, pasta, and cooking oil because Ray watched a program about future shortages of these items.
Putin is still at war with Ukraine. He continues bombing civilians in structures like schools and hospitals. Russian war protesters are jailed. Several American-owned businesses have suspended services and/or shut down in Russia. McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Apple are a few.
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Warm weather and ticks are here. Every day Matt’s been out working he’s found two on himself. Two were attached and I found one alive in the washing machine 24 hours after doing laundry. Ticks can live several hours underwater. Matt refuses to wear his carpenter work jeans because he thinks ticks hide in the many pockets.
Back in Texas, there have been wildfires and tornadoes. Texas Governor Greg Abbot issued disaster declarations in eleven counties. One friend said she was packing to evacuate due to fires one day and locked in the storm closet the next.
Ukraine is still under attack. They’re digging survivors out of the rubble and burying their dead in parks. It’s horrible.
And a new Corona variant is on the rise.
Diseases, wars, weather, parasites. I feel like I’m one earthquake away from a nervous breakdown. I got very little sleep last night because I was so anxious. We’ve been binge-watching the Monk TV series and when I didn’t feel like something was crawling on me, the show’s theme song was running through my head: “You better pay attention or this world we love so much just might kill you. It’s a jungle out there…”
Saturday, March 26, 2022
The vet’s been recommending a dental cleaning for Queso the Chihuahua for some time. I’ve neglected to do it because I don’t want to spend $500 on my own teeth not to mention the dogs. Well, this week he started yelping and running off when he eats, so I took him in and he’s on pain meds until they can remove his bad tooth.
We saw the Hughes Brother’s Show this week. With a cast large enough for a Broadway production, this show provides entertainment from the whole family. Singing, dancing, and humor that doesn’t disappoint, and there’s a tasty meal included. We viewed the music show, but there’s also a country show.
This weekend’s been sunny, but a little cool. I checked out the outlet mall yesterday. It’s a racket with savings at every store by purchasing three or more of the same items. My favorite find was the Simply Southern store with a large selection of $6 t-shirts when you buy four or more.
War’s still happening in Ukraine, Covid’s still infecting, and my guys are going to come in any minute wondering what’s for supper. I wish I knew!