The Happy Social Isolationist Club

The moan and groan of the crybabies is sickening. They drone on, seemingly endlessly. As if somehow that'll gain sympathy from me. Ha! I give sympathy quite sparingly (as has been evidenced over the years, both online and in actual life away from the internet).

Let's face it, I'm a natural isolator. Even in the deepest depths of my active alcoholism, I preferred boozing it up at home. Usually alone. Once or twice a week, I'd drag myself to a bar. For some reason, they were usually crowded with people! Ugh!

Somewhere in mid-April, I became aware of a peaceful calm within me. I still talk to folks on the phone and am reading, watching movies (Netflix and Amazon Prime) and occasionally dreck filled television.

I also found the Zoom platform (or whatever it's called). An interesting thing and a nice way to see people and talk with them, with the fun feature of being able to exit quickly without hearing them say anything more!

The lack of air traffic, much lower street traffic and several people having fled town, is something I could enjoy for at least a decade. Likely longer.

Apparently, there are many catching up on tasks, I refuse to waste all this glorious time doing stuff I neglected before. (I tend to procrastinate)

For an old salt such as myself, it ain't that big a change. I can't afford to be out from my house very much. I get up, I walk in the park, I argue with the dog (he's very demanding, re snacks), do dishes, maybe mow the grass - Life's a bowl of cherries.

(NOTES FROM YESTERDAY AFTERNOON)
I can always mow a field for mindless activity atop a tractor seat. I have a small John Deere 1050, Its only about 40 Hp with a mower that operates off th PTO (I bought it almost brand new from a golf course where it was just a bit too big. It was a real deal). I took off the belly mowers ang got the pullalong style and outfitted the golf course tires with wheel weights so i dont dig up the fields when I turn (My big tractor will dig a divot wherever i turn). I put on ear buds and listen to an audio book and putted away at cutting a pasture .

It Takes about 2 hours per field, and what I love is the wildlife that pops up here an there. deer have had young an the fawns are somewhat curious an not too skittish. I had two fawns following my tractor a wee bit so they could walk into a field that wasnt knee high.
I think their mom had a job . Bluebirds are back an , like barn swallows, they fly low behind me and wip up any flying insecta that jump off the grass. Barn swallows actually fly in front of the tractor and scold hile they gather bugs. Their strategy is more to anticipate WHICH InSECT will fly up IN FRONT of the loud diesel noise. The swallows seem to always get the bigger insects.

Mrs F packed me a PB and bacon sammich (with a little bit a hot pepper jelly in there) so I was out in the last field where we have some big oak trees on the edges of my farms where it adjoins an Amish farm. We both agreed like a decade ago to leave the border trees be because this area is actually a joined roadway and we have some copsed like hawthorn bushs and two old sweet cherries that act as a fence.(we all just share the cherries like common property and during cherry season you can always catch an AMish kid up one of em grazing like a sloth. Its a nice picnic area and I parked the tractor and had my lunch. It was warm and soo nice and breezy with lilac and sweet grass small.
I sorta thanked the idea we had when we first got married, we really like farm life.

Later in the afternoon, I walked with Bonnie and Clyde (my newish donkies), out to a small glade near my border stream , the glade is full of May apple plants and spring beauties .

I borrowed some pack leather from my neighbor who raises Belgian Horses. I loaded Bonnie and Clyde with some "starter packs" full of a few bricks to see whether they would take to being pack burros. They did pretty good xcept Bonnie would smack her pack agains Clyde like a "See--? my packs bigger than yours". Otherwise they just followed me in a small parade.I gotta say that both Bonnie and Clyde have gotten to be two real beauties, all it took was food and clleaning up and caring for their old abuse wounds and theyve turned into two real SHOW ANIMALS. Theyve also calmed down A LOT and have adopted the whole place as "Theirs" (including me and Mrs F)

Clyde carries my kreel and rod so I did a bit a fishin and I caught a small mouth bass which I threw back (season is closed on bass right now). Bass looked great, we make a crispy fish with a marin type sauce .Im looking forward to June when I can legally take them

All in all , it was a nice afternoon. Wish some of you coulda seen it.

Uhm, do you guys mind standing back? Do you understand the concept of distancing? Sheesh.

I make sure my muls wear masks when they go into public buildings

Oh farmer, that sound like a lovely afternoon.

I love watching swallows. Not any in Tx, but down in Mexico I watch a lot of them at a place called Taboada where there's a huge natural spring pool. I love how from my perspective in the water their colors rapidly change when they swoop in from above to the water level to nab an insect, or skim the water for a drink.

It is, isn't it?

In the case of the park squirrels this morning it's peanuts.

In case anybody missed me, I've been out back clearing up the space around the pine at the property's corner. It is near the fence, so I missed that it has become diseased and has to come down. It is leaning toward the house out there and dangerously close to falling. I have a bonded tree man coming in a few days.

swallow fathers are iridescent, they show up black, blue, purple an mixed. They are neat little guys.I cut another field but it started to rain when I was half done. My luck, itll b three or four days before I can get back in and the part I cut will be grown a few inches and if I cut th remaining itll be longer than the part I cut this AM. Pisses me off.Its like a half a haircut.

Not sure exactly what you are looking for - but these are things I have been doing ... and enjoying.

We have a good amount of land and a pretty setting in our yard - one of the reasons we bought our home.

Bought a fire pit - we allowed one friend to come over as it was outdoors and we could distance. Had a nice fire going - roasted marshmallows with music. It felt like camping, but with just a short walk to bathroom and anything else of comfort.

Made a veggie garden this weekend. Worked alot in the yard.

Reading - love reading.

Yeah rolling outta bed in my PJs while I work. I covered my camera so I can be dressed as I want during meetings. When it is nice outside - I take my meeting ourdoors.

My dogs are very happy - they have their humans 24/7.

Not a trick question honey.



Also though, are there things that you have discovered that you enjoy doing without the madding crowd?

In other words, has this turning inward had positive outcomes, and reevaluate if you want to commence doing, or definately won't start doing, if and when you are able?

Well the thing is I am not isolated - I am stuck with the same people in and out every day.

I think I would do better being isolated. Especially since I do enjoy my own company.

And don't call me honey!

These little birds, not even sure they are a variety of swallow but they dip and dive and move 1000 mph like swallows do.
There are those tricks of the light in their irridescent feathers. It depends on all the angles, the sun, me, them, sun glinting off the water.
It's all very happy.

I do know I'll see a lot of green. A light green that in a snap becomes another color altogether.

Yes M'am.
Ah. I see you have that peculiarly Yankee trait where you think honey, M'am and sweetie are always meant as an insult. Apologies if it offended you. It was totally meant as a indication of affection towards you.

It's true that some people (meaning other women) can't carry off calling someone honey.
However, I always think of this young woman that was no more than 24 when I met her, and she called most everyone honey and it was totally natural.
Kinda like I doubt anyone would get upset if Dolly Parton called them honey.

Just giving you a hard time.

Yep depending on tone honey can be an insult!

Actually I was thinking more the guy condensing way they use honey. (when they mean it that way). --- not the southern women that say it so sweetly.

Some comedian tweeted:

Anne Frank spent 2 years hiding in an attic and we’ve been home for just over a month with Netflix, food delivery & video games and there are people risking viral death by storming state capital buildings & screaming, “Open Fuddruckers!”

Well, bless your heart.