Christmas 2021

 Just a few pictures from Christmas this year.  

Before I went to NJ, I got tested for Covid, since I had been exposed to a few people that later tested positive.  It took 4 hours, but my test came out negative. 

Back to Ohio

I decided to get out of the city and get some country air, so I am visiting my sister and her family in Ohio.  All my other goals for this year are out the window, but being active during a pandemic is one I can actually do.  So my first day here, we went for a nature walk.
Someone needed to be prepared.

He found this tree, which looked perfect for climbing.  But he got to a certain point and said, "this is about as high as I can go."

So she said "Hold my beer" and jumped up there, too.

They actually got to about the same place.

Then we had two monkeys in the tree.

Time for a Haircut

After 3 months, it was finally time to get a haircut.  My hairdresser must have been excited to get back to work because she called me on a Sunday night to tell me they were opening in a week, and then she called me again on Tuesday and left a message to tell me the same thing.  I went in on Thursday and they had moved the chairs to be further apart and everyone had masks on.  But truth be told, they were as busy as they ever were before the pandemic, which is to say, not very.

Before

After

more springtime pics

The cherry blossoms are out

Tulip season!

On Saturday, my friend and I went to get some treats outside of our neighborhood.  First was Dominique Ansel.  They still let people in the bakery, but everyone has to wear a mask and stand 6 feet apart in line.   This is a pretty small space, so there usually is a long line and a line outside to get in, but not now. 

We wanted to try this new treat they came up with. 

We also went to get some pizza.  This place was a little more cautious.  The only way to get a pizza was to order online, then when it was done, they called us and we had to go to the window and show the email on the phone through the window.  Then they slipped the box under the window that came down like a garage door and was up about 2 feet.  We sat in my friend's car and ate pizza and ice cream.  That's pretty much the most excitement I've had in weeks. 

some other city sites

Last weekend, I took a walk past the park and to another area of town.  I am quite isolated since I am not taking the subway anywhere.  Luckily I have most everything I need within a few blocks.  Here are some fun signs I saw on the way.

"We will get through this together" posted at the police station.

"we are still here for you, New York" painted with the trademark NYC deli/truck coffee cups on the window of a restaurant

This sign was posted on a fruit/vegetable stand.  I was going to donate some money to them to cover some people that might be in need, but I only had $20 on me and I didn't know if I might need it for something else.  I will go back another time. 

Random rubber gloves are thrown all over the ground.  It is actually quite gross. 

city walks

I have been staying home, except for one trip to the grocery store once a week.  The first week, I stocked up which ended up being good because I got sick and couldn't really leave the apartment for 7 days.  But I have been trying to take a walk most days.  On nice days, the park can get a little crowded, but most people are just walking or running and not hanging out in groups.  I try to go in the middle of the day when people are still home and stick to less crowded paths. 

Quarantine

I broke out a couple of puzzles over the past couple of weeks while quarantining.  The first one was a puzzle of all the national parks that I bought in Moab one time I was visiting. 

Next one was this Campbell's soup can.  I don't know why but I thought it would be easy, but it was actually really hard because there were so many pieces that were plain red and white.  Normally, it's easiest to start with the edges, but that actually was one of the hardest parts of it, so I started with the top and then then moved to the words. 

I started on the weekend, and then finished by Tuesday, watching Governor Cuomo's press conferences. 

Since the news has been overwhelming lately, I thought I'd post this cute picture to cheer you all up.  Here is my niece at a jiu-jitsu competition. I did her hair.