A Parlour for a Plague

The city is weirdly quiet.
I spend a lot of time in self isolation by choice, so this whole virus disaster hasn't had much direct impact..so far.
I prefer to grocery shop online for most stuff, which is helpful as the services I use, indicate if they are out of something and one service has the message posted that they are limiting customers to five of any item. That should keep them from running out of things.

My usual method of being and planning involves about a 2 month supply of non-perishables. So again, I am not currently in danger of running out.

The Broadway productions are shut down, as are some museums, the programs at Lincoln Center, the New York Public Library...
...sporting events, several houses of worship. Restaurant capacity is being limited, gatherings of more than 500 are not allowed...

Reading an older item, a police novel from Mackinlay Kantor, Signal Thirty-Two. Kantor was authorized by then NYC Police Commissioner to go along with police officers as part of his research/story development.

Oh, it's on my Kindle.

After a a decidedly warmish winter with very little snowfall, spring is shoving in. A couple of trees in the enclosed yards are starting to show their first colors as the buds grow and become blossoms.

So, life continues.

We are moving into a similar phase.

I’m still keeping social dates in quiet places, but I’m at risk too.

I’m in a place with lots of beaches and open air space with few people so exercise etc is fine.

Lots and lots and lots to read and look at! And lots to do at home.

I live in a community that is very community minded so we are starting to figure out how to support each other.

I don’t know where you live Sturgis?

It been a no winter-vry arly spring for our area. Lancaster County seed stores arent fully stocked on early season plants and seeds.
The coronavirus panic has set in so that people's attention seems to focus son their bowel habits and ALL the stores are out of paper products. I drove over to GAp-in-Hills , where a Weiss Supermarket is opn arly. I wanted to buy a corned brisket . I found that the store could have been used for a Stephen King or Cormatt McCarthy post apocalypse movie where people not only steal food but wreck up the aisles with products they dont use like pickles and pepperdews.

This is "mud Sale" season and the Amish mud sales dont seem to be giving any notice to the apocalypse , they are still auctioning off horses and mules, pies and smoked meats.
SOme of my friends down in Chester County have self quarantined for some reason. The flu hasnt even reached them yet .

Peas, onion, msculen, and new Grape plants are in. Ive just built a really nat greenhouse that tucks in behind the kennels . Looks like I wont need it at all.

Ive been doing some Plein Aire oil paintings up near Peak's Ridge and Dry Wells Road and I have to get them done before the leaves break .Right now its a study of a season (We call it mud season) In this time of year the sap begins to run and tree branches are mostly a deep red and willows and poplars turn a yellow that blends nicely with the sky.

Amish are out there breaking ground already so They will be planting two corn crops and , if the rains are neither too much nor too little, they should have an abundant field corn year.The later season crop is ut at a time when both the cob and the stalk are loaded with sugars and with a good mix with alfalfa, will crate a silage that cows , horses and swine love and benfit from.

Were gonna try to hook up Bonnie an Clyde to a kids wagon to see whether they are trainable to 4 wheely sulkies.

Stay well.

Sounds good! We had a toilet paper panic here, to the annoyance and derision of those who weren’t panicking! Seems it’s spread to other countries

Made for some great jokes and memes.

I happened to have a huge box of the stuff by coincidence. We tend to buy especially environmentally sound stuff that also funds a charity and people buy whole cartons of it to share. When I needed some, I expected to share but it happened that everyone else was well stocked. Normally, I’m liable to run out.

We have a farm here and I’m going to start using those products

Sebastian has to have brutally expensive special food and that gets delivered automatically every couple of months.

We have some warm weather coming next week, so I’m hoping to get some good swimming in before the cold sets in.

One of our politicians who was recently in the White House has the virus, and may have infected the Trump administration!!!

What varieties are you growing?

Farmer, would you ever be able to share some photos of your place and your paintings?

I live in an area that has in recent years become a hub for new growth - business, subdivisions, toll roads - making us in essence part of Houston. Ten or more years ago it was forecast that a million people would move here. I don't know the statistics but we are in the midst of a building fever that convinces me the guess might be too modest. We have communities of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indians, and others who are not among those on the government's deport list. The ones among them I have dealt with are okay people. Which in today's scenario, with that international flavor added, increases the probability we will be hit with
the virus. But I don't see cause to change my lifestyle much, since I mostly stay at home anyway.

We put in black Muscats (10 plants) and about 5 or 6 Chardonnays
We have about 25 acres that are not growing any stock and I had a wine maker who wanted to develop a contract for grapes (Hes the one with the Chardonnay ). The Muscats seem to be an all purpose black thing that looks lik itll grow well here like it dos in Virginia. We will see. I have no idea how much work is involved and I have my lawyer working on the wording is we do reach a deal for the wine guys to develop a lease.

I want his next news conference to have a bunch of newsies in the audience start throwing rolls of paper towels at him.

I miss living in the country.

I will try to send up some photos of drawings and a few works .Id rather not the farm. Reason is that its really easy because Ive already told the board where I live and one can easily do a photo facsim serch on Google Earth and get information.
One of my old partners had his location detail on line and he lost his privacy to the extent that they had to actually MOVE.

Similar to Sturgis, I have practically not been affected at all.

In normal circumstances, you couln't pay me to go somewhere with large numbers of people milling aimlessly about. I get no joy or satisfaction, and experienced frustration and general disappointment when in the past I would be talked into going anywhere where it seemed the purpose was essentially bumping into other people, standing in lines and generally being bomarded with unnecessary noise and confusion.

I'm a one on one type of gal, maxing out when I have to divide my attention amongst more than 2 others besides me.

I worked for a few hours doing Uber Eats yesterday. The roads were quite, and for that I was grateful.
I figured that all the people who are usually driving badly on the roads were making a high performace of some sort in there homes, panicking in their own homes, counting their roles of hoarded toilet paper.

Beyond the fact people have fallen ill, or will, and sadly a percentage have died, I equate much of this to the same panic that befell so many over Y2K. Excepting of course there is a level of true danger of infection.

However, I feel if I keep my hands away from my face while out in the world, wash my hand while out whenever I have the opportunity, and thoroughly wash them when I get home (which I always do anyway), I'll be fine.

Because of other events, I haven't had the chance to take care of certain aspects of my life for the last 3 months, so now I'm going to the pool, and will not drink the pool water or lick anyones face.

I shall return to report later.

When I was growing a lot of grapes, I had Baco Noir, Buffalo, Valiant, Steuben, Schuyler, Marechal Foch, De Chaunac, Delaware, and Glenora, all French-American hybrids and the viniferas Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Riesling. The raccoons ended up with the bulk of the harvest and I eventually gave up. But I still have one monster Baco Noir.

BTW, I apologize for all my grammar errors above.
I'm not right in the head at the moment.

Only grammar nazis would care on a thread like such as this here one am.

Oops. Forgot that. NYC.
A bit downtown and to the west of Roberta, I'm located in Greenwich Village.

Wow, what did you do with all the grapes? make wine?. i got the Muscat to eat and dry (they are a small seed varietal). The other ones the wine guy wants to see how theyd do before negotiating further. . The ground in that field area is a mildly acid channery loam, so its not too clay rich.. I take a few cuts of high NH orchard grass. I really dont need the area and I know several folks who use sheep to graze between the grape vines or hops. So Ill still have pasture and the land is all in Ag preserve so Ive already been paid for each acre.

You know me, Im a stickler fer propper spelling .

Isnt we awl?
Added news...

Bars are apparently packed to overflow.

Makes sense, the WHO and CDC say alcohol is what gets hand sanitizer working. These people figure it must work from the inside too.