Here’s a limpkin searching for breakfast alongside a swift-moving channel this morning:
Mussels for breakfast. #birds pic.twitter.com/G5OrWpcCT6
— Betty Cracker ? (@bettycrackerfl) March 15, 2020
It finds a mussel and makes quick work of it, extracting the edible morsel from the shell with its specialized beak and flipping the breakfast into its mouth. Around here, apple snails are plentiful; that’s the limpkins’ favorite meal and the extraction for which its beak is specialized. But limpkins will settle for mussels too if that’s what’s on the menu.
What are y’all up to today? We’ve been alternating between watching the Marvel movies in chronological order and reading. Hilary Mantel finally finished her Cromwell trilogy, dog bless her, and we’re re-reading the earlier books before we start it.
It’s easy to maintain social distance in the swamp, so we’ve been able to spend a lot of time outdoors, and the weather is perfect for it, at least in the mornings and evenings. We may take a drive to another isolated spot on a long, twisty road through a salt marsh and have a picnic later, just for a change of scenery.
I work at home and my husband’s job can be done without coming within 20 feet of another human being, so our work lives aren’t affected by C-19 yet, though they may be on the demand side later down the road, depending on how bad things get. Nothing to do but keep on keeping on, friends.
We’ve had several recent threads about working and teaching from home. Anyone got any tips on creative ways to help friends and loved ones? Aside from offering to shop or do yard work or whatever for at-risk friends or relatives, what are some good ways to help keep people’s spirits up?
Feel free to discuss that or anything else in this open thread.
MomSense
Trying to convince my oldest to come home. He’s worried that he’s been exposed, but if he has I have. I’ve been working around the corner from a clinic where one of the clinicians tested positive and I’m pretty sure there is overlap with our clients.
Youngest wants him to come home so they can just play music and sing songs. If that happens I’ll try to get some videos and send them to an fp’er. Most of what they do is improvise but it’s really fun. If anyone wants to learn to knit, or do a knitalong we could try that. Lots of good videos online like knittinghelp.com and I could help pick a pattern or we could all make the same thing.
Please, please Jackals take care of yourselves. I don’t want to lose any of you!!!!!
rikyrah
I am at work today. But, it’s ok. I did put my laundry in before I left home. Gotta multi-task :)
Dorothy A. Winsor
Because we are old, we record Colbert and watch it when we can. Last night, we watched the first episode he did without a live audience, which I believe was recorded on Thursday. He wasn’t expecting to go without an audience until Monday. His interview with Sanjiv Gupta was good, but wow, he floundered in the monologue. It looked to me like they just used the rehearsal footage for that, and also that Colbert might have had a little too much whiskey.
It will be interesting to see what the absence of an audience does to tonight’s debate.
WereBear
All the introverts in my circle are “YAY! We are experts!” Readers of the world, unite.
Myself, I have a Scribd subscription. For the price of ONE book I have access to metric tons of them, and I’d going to be working that thing like a plow horse. Also, audiobooks: this is how you get them when they are fresh, and I’m still of two minds on that, though Mr WereBear is a fan.
I also have Kindle Unlimited, which is much more of a mixed bag, but I find enjoyable books there most times I look. Plus, I suspect I’m not the only one with a backlog of great stuff they keep meaning to have time to read.
Timing might be too ironic for some people, but a while back I got The Great Influenza, which is about the 1918 Pandemic. It’s got extraordinary sweep and some fine non-fiction writing.
Spending more time with the cats? Read to them from my book, The Way of Cats :) or any other soothing subject.
Cats love the sound of our voice.
debbie
@MomSense:
Sweater of the Month Club!
JMG
All I can think of is increased communication. My children are geographically separated from us, and now we’re talking near-daily instead of weekly-every 10 days or so.
debbie
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Yeah, I didn’t stay up late enough to see the drunkenness, but his fan club is very unamused. Anyway, they’re just going to go ahead with reruns and outtakes.
cope
Ha ha, good one, “..swift moving channel…”. When I take visitors to the Wekiva River, I always have to point out that unless there is a stick or leaf or some other floating object on the water, one is hard-pressed to see which way the water is flowing.
I made a big batch of chicken vegetable soup yesterday, veggies roasted until el dente and then added to home-made chicken stock with some chicken Italian sausage. Mmmmm…
Mrs. cope bought a new cooking device to make steamed puddings and we tried out a figgy pudding recipe from an heirloom dessert recipe book she also just got. I must say, figgy pudding is the bomb.
I’m digging into Netflix more and more as we settle into cabin mode. So far, I’ve knocked off two episodes of Michael Pollan’s “Cooked” series and another couple of episodes of the “Dirty Money” documentaries. Also, too, ramping up the reading with frequent trips to the library.
Because my wife takes immune suppressant drugs because of her transplant, we are probably being a bit more cautious than need be otherwise but since we are both retired, it’s not a big adjustment.
Stay well, all.
MomSense
@debbie:
You could put a scarf on that naked Buddha!
Aziz, light!
After the last few days of the Great Stocking Up, most Portlanders are ready for the end of civilization as we know it. We are home rewatching “Picard” from the beginning and our usual you-tube selection of backwoodsmen in red checkered shirts building cabins by hand in the Canadian wilderness. Tomorrow I’ll learn if my federal agency has any intention of letting us telework so I can stop going to the office on a crowded commuter train (tip: don’t touch anything.)
Betty Cracker
@MomSense: My kiddo taught herself to knit via YouTube videos and made a cute pair of shoes for a friend’s baby. When I expressed admiration for her having developed such a skill, she gave me a great big ball of yarn and some knitting needles. So I intend to teach myself to knit at some point. :)
germy
Leto
I know that we have fans of opera, and great performances, so here you go (pass this along to other too, please). Go to the link to get the direct access to the shows. Also you opera nerds can argue over better interpretations and conductors like we did a few nights ago with that famous space opera.
Metropolitan Opera to Offer Up ‘Nightly Met Opera Streams’
MomSense
@Betty Cracker:
Awesome! It’s very relaxing but satisfies the puritanical need to never be idle. You could make sweaters for the pups.
Betty Cracker
PSA: If you go on Twitter and see Justice Ginsburg’s name trending, don’t panic — it’s just her birthday.
MattF
Thinking about going to the nearby Italian deli and picking up some more frozen pasta. It’s generally good quality stuff, so the Costco mob probably went elsewhere. On the other hand, not a lot of room in my freezer. There’s a short list of things I want to buy, but I may wait until nearby grocery markets have restocked. Don’t need TP. Don’t understand why people are buying bottled water. Discovered this morning that my car’s battery has died– I basically stopped driving when I retired, so it’s not a huge surprise. Considering cancelling an upcoming non-essential medical appointment. So, various small hurdles.
eclare
The social distancing doesn’t bother me, the constant rain does. I would at least like to be able to go outside and see the sun, but not this week, either.
Binging Curb. Also, Marc Maron has a new Netflix special!
scav
Everyone here is so enjoying the duck (et al) / garden re spite breaks, maybe the idea could be spun off and personalized for non-jackals. It was a serene and expansive dawn yesterday so I sent a photo of it to the nervous aunt, no commentary — just trying to have a communication about something else.
Leto
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I’m a regular Colbert viewer, have been since his The Daily Show tenure, and agree: his Thursday rehearsal just lacked the energy that he receives from a live audience. I still laughed at things but it was definitely a different energy. It’ll be interesting moving forward how this plays out, and how they fill the time. Are they still bringing regular guests on? If not, how long does that model last? Interesting times.
Edit: I see Debbie answered it. It’s what I get for not reading everything!
germy
germy
@Leto: The show has gone on hiatus.
Scout211
Please call or connect online with friends and family in assisted living or skilled nursing facilities. Most are being confined to their rooms with no contact allowed with other residents. And many facilities are not allowing any outside visitors. A phone call, an email or text can really make a difference. I called a friend yesterday who is living in assisted living. She was really appreciative and chatted with me for a long time. It’s hard to be so isolated, alone in their individual rooms.
e julius drivingstorm
What’s going on with Andrew Gillum does not look good. He was reportedly inebriated, vomiting, incoherent and in a hotel room with what looks like crystal meth. Sordid details at the Blaze.
germy
Wag
We came up to the mountains for one last day of skiing before the ski areas were shut down by the pandemic, but alas, we were one day too late, when Vail Resorts shut down all their resorts worldwide, starting today. I guess I’ll go for a hike, and head back to Denver.
germy
@e julius drivingstorm: Are any reputable sites reporting that?
No charges have been filed.
SFAW
@Leto:
Thanks for posting that.
I was kind-of hoping for a performance of Norma with Florence Foster Jenkins in the lead, but instead they give us a lot of Russkies. [Although I am impressed that Hvorostovsky is able to do two different operas four days apart.] Oh, well, I guess I can muddle through.
JPL
@Betty Cracker: I enjoy the pics, and texts from my family. I wasted a lot of time yesterday watching videos of high school students who had their musical performance canceled. You might want to share the sites with them.
#sunshinesong @LauraBenanti
WereBear
@germy: Yup, what’s a few eaten kids compared to summer profits? Let’s all be reasonable now…
germy
@JPL: Laura Benanti does the best Melania parody in the business. She’s brilliant, with great timing and ad-libbing.
SFAW
@germy:
JHC, the leaders of the two (formerly) dominant English-speaking nations are morons. Well, they (i.e., the countries) had sort of a good run for awhile. [If one overlooks the whole subjugation/enslavement thing.]
donnah
@Dorothy A. Winsor: We watch Colbert every night and he had said earlier in the week that they would go without a live audience starting this coming week. So CBS sprang this on him Thursday and I think it caught him unprepared for the format change. I think he was pissed. He was glib and casual throughout the show, and I imagine that’s how his rehearsals usually go, but he was also edgy.
He probably felt like he had lost some of his control and resented being pushed into this no-audience situation before he had time to prepare. And I have a feeling that he drinks his bourbon every night on the show, but it’s in a coffee mug, not a glass.
I wasn’t angry about how he acted, but it did feel really weird.
Leto
For our K-12 teachers:
Exclusive: Zoom CEO Eric Yuan Is Giving K-12 Schools His Videoconferencing Tools For Free
I’ll also post this on the next teaching open thread WaterGirl puts up.
Wag
@WereBear:
I’m looking forward to doing some reading as well. I just ordered Camus’ The Plague.
Betty Cracker
@germy: Not going to give The Blaze a click to compare notes, but the facts of the case as confirmed by major S. FL dailies look pretty bad.
SiubhanDuinne
@SFAW:
Especially considering he’s been dead for two years.
The Traviata with Damrau and Flores is one of the best performances, and most sumptuous productions, I’ve ever seen. And if you’ve never seen La Fille du Régiment — or even if you have — don’t miss it. It’s a sheer delight from overture to curtain calls.
debbie
@germy:
“Movement?” What, is there a drunken rights movement or something?
MomSense
@donnah:
I think a lot of people are grieving. I hope he can stop drinking for awhile so he can find a healthier way to cope. For all of us, the desire for the comfort of coping mechanisms can turn destructive while we are under this kind of prolonged stress. Please check in here or with a trusted person for some reassurance and encouragement to find a healthy response.
Amir Khalid
@germy:
I take it that BoJo never read/watched Jaws to the end. In which, because the shark kept on eating
peoplebeachgoers, they had to go out and kill it.debbie
@germy:
Ah, that’s her name. She cracks me up every time!
bemused
None of our kids and grandkids live close to us and some in far off states so it felt good to talk and facetime with them this weekend and find out how their jobs and kids’ schools have changed. One adult kid’s job still in flux on travel and another one getting conference call from daycare. For the most part, no travel on jobs, some will work from home and schools closed.
We had thoughts of flying to visit two kids and families the furthest away but now it could be quite awhile before that happens.
We know someone who works at a MN hospital in a town of about 14,000. Right after trump said everyone could get tested, a lot of people came to the hospital to get coronavirus tests. They said trump told them they could.
germy
@debbie: I think he meant the movement towards replacing Republican politicians with Democratic ones. More important now than ever.
I wish high-profile folks on our side would behave themselves. Never a good idea to give the choads at Blaze something to snortle about.
debbie
@germy:
No, it’s clearly his movement. Maybe like a complete takeover of Trumpiness?
Betty Cracker
@germy: It’s unfair but true: Democratic politicians, particularly women and people of color, are held to high ethical and personal conduct standards that don’t apply to Republicans. It sucks, but that’s the reality.
JAFD
Felt feverish the beginning of last week. Went to drugstore, got thermometer. Got home, realized that it was almost 70 outside, my windows were still taped shut, and the heat was still on in the building. Was 83 in my apartment. Air conditioner was unsheathed and turned on.
Anyway, been taking temperature daily since, never above 98…
Happy Ides of March, everyone !
bemused
@germy:
Don’t tell the world you are sick and tested positive for the virus? Absolutely the scummiest people on earth. I would not be shocked if trump had the virus with mild symptoms and keeping it secret.
Leto
@bemused: I was checking in on Twitter and seeing the absolute shitshow that is O’Hare airport: people waiting 6 hours at baggage claims, then another 2-4 to try to get through customs, all the while standing shoulder-to-shoulder like sardines packed in a can. No C-19 protocols being observed, no hand sanitizer, masks, or anything. The Gov of Illinois tweeting at Trumpov and Pence, desperate to get their attention, to try to fix this mess.
I don’t take responsibility at all.
Gov Pritzker asking for help.
eclare
@bemused: Same thought regarding Trump, he lies about everything.
OzarkHillbilly
For shut ins especially, stop in for a visit.
Mr. Mack
We’ve been struggling with the decision to cancel our existing reservations or not. We have a successful BnB, we are booked through June. Solid. This morning we received our first cancellation, from a person who said we had a confirmed case here in Greenbrier. (We don’t) But I understand the abundance of caution. Another cancelled this morning because they were just back from a cruise and are in isolation. So far, we’ve decided to keep existing reservations, but we have upped our cleaning/disinfecting regime.
germy
@bemused: I saw a clip of him after a press conference admitting that if he had it “I wouldn’t tell you” (meaning the press)
Spanky
@Wag: I’ve been thinking about The Plague since C-19 first surfaced. Since Trump took power, actually, given that it was an allegory to the Nazi occupation. Read it for AP English back in ’71, and I guess it left an impression.
SFAW
@SiubhanDuinne:
And he’s going to let a little thing like THAT stop him? What a wimp.
Now that you reminded me, I think I remember (“think,” because I have CRS these days) you noting his passing. I also (think I) remember your high praise for him.
Never heard/seen Fille, have only heard parts of Traviata (but not seen it), so thanks very much for your tips/suggestions.
Betty
@Scout211: This is very important. When we were marooned after Hurricane Maria, I kept telling people overseas that the best thing they could do for me was call.
SiubhanDuinne
@SFAW: I have seen every one of the performances they’re airing this week, when they were first shown at Saturday Live in HD transmissions. These are good choices — I mean, personally, I wish they’d run the entire Ring cycle, but that’s not gonna happen. But they have chosen mostly familiar and popular operas, with superstar casts. I am not in the least denigrating or infantilizing these works when I say they’re the operatic equivalent of comfort food. I applaud the Met’s management for recognizing that we all at some level need to return to the nursery in times like these.
bemused
@Leto:
No rational person expected trump’s air travel ban would be anything but a disaster. I just wonder how many people at those airports packed in a sardine can will be infected.
SFAW
@SiubhanDuinne:
I had a recording of the Ring done by/at Bayreuth. There are a number of things I like from Wagner, but I just couldn’t “get into” the Ring as much as I’d hoped. I ended up donating it to my library. Maybe I should try it again.
jc
Binge watching “Chernobyl,” because I wasn’t depressed enough.
hitchhiker
Good question, Betty.
Our Nextdoor chat in Seattle has a bunch of people offering to help college students who are needing to leave their dorms abruptly — things like, storage in a corner of the basement or rides if they want to stay off public transport. There are also some folks using that site to offer to run errands/do tasks for people who can’t safely leave, like older folks.
My sense from the threads is that most of the people who could use that kind of help aren’t on Nextdoor. Maybe check in with a church nearby … the ones I know are chock full of old people, and one of the things (good) churches do pretty well is figure out how to take care of their own.
Mousebumples
I checked on with my parents and grandparents today to make sure they understand the health risks and are staying safe. I also offered to use my Amazon Prime membership if they need anything (I live over an hour away). I’m planning to send more baby pics , more frequently, to help with the isolation.
Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)
A great limpkin video Betty!
mrmoshpotato
Now that’s a beak.
Gotta get some celery, carrots and potatoes. I should do some bicycle maintenance to keep my mind off of the insanity.