Going Out, Rona Version

Inspirational song: The Rose (Bette Midler)

Going out has a whole new meaning these days. This morning, as I stalled over my second cup of coffee, I asked the Mr, if we are stuck at home not doing much for weeks, what say we work on finishing up the big stuff in the back yard? We need to complete the garden bed move (swapping the raised beds and fence back to the south side, where it was when we moved in) and lay the flagstone patio on the north (once we have dug out all possible sources of weeds and placed an impenetrable barrier under sand substrate.) It's a lot of physical labor, which is not my strong suit these days, but it needs to be done and we can't claim to have many better things to do this month.

We started easy, by moving a peony from the back to the front yard. Well, easy for me. I wasn't the one working the shovel and doing the bending. While he dug out chunks of grass to expand the flower beds we have been building up front, I grabbed clippers and started deeply pruning my roses. I'd heard that every few years you ought to be brutal to them, cutting them way down. I intended to take them down to hip level. But the ones near where I park seem not to have done well over the winter. I didn't find a whole lot of green inside the canes. They were somewhat crunchy and brittle. I hope they improve as spring approaches. The ones on the south side of the garage fared better from two years of benign neglect, and I didn't prune them quite as much.

I imagined all day that it would be okay for one last run to the liquor store, for a bottle of amaretto. It mixes so well with stuff like Dr Pepper, and I thought it would be good while we pass the time playing games with the neighbor. I eventually talked myself out of going, because I have no business being out for weeks. Not really. I have plenty in the liquor cabinet and wine fridge to last me for weeks, or even months. I'm not that heavy of a drinker. And I'm starting to get a little afraid of playing games with friends. I literally balked at the idea of board games tonight, because I didn't want to be passing objects like tokens, cards, or dice around the table. Instead, we sat on the couch, not touching, and watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was more my speed. If things get scarier, I won't even do that much. I am prepared to isolate even further. I'm not messing around here.