Social Distancing, the Real Deal

And now our world has changed.  One virus has put us in our place and it's up to us to figure out what to do about it.  Now our family reunions are two dimensional, Friends Weekend is a guy standing on the steps alone at Friends Hall, and part of work is making a sign to include in a video for the kids at school.
We're learning how to adapt, work at home in isolation and "visiting" people on our computer screens.  How many times I've gotten lost in thought and then am snapped back to the current reality by something as innocuous as a street without any cars parked on it or a latex glove on the sidewalk.  

Social Distancing, the Real Deal

With so much time at home, and needing to keep on the down-low while Gail works in the same space, I've been puzzling.  The one with the clocks I started before the pandemic hit when I figured I could do puzzles on Bean's table now that he can't get up on (or off) it.  When I finished the clocks I procured a 3000-piece puzzle that kept me occupied for a month or so.  Getting another 3000-piece delivered tomorrow.

Social Distancing, the Real Deal

I'm sure there are others who are as delighted as I am to wake up to a snow-covered world in the middle of April, but I didn't happen to meet any of them on my walk in Six Mile Creek April 16.  How can you not be stunned any time of year by the beauty of such conditions?
I've been trying to get out of the house around 6 am every day for a few hours.  Some days it's closer to 7 than 6, but as it gets light earlier it gets easier to get out.  The walks have been all over the place, I'm still finding myself in places I've never been around town, and once even did a round trip to Taughannock Falls in Trumansburg.

With all the snow, and even more rain, some of the trails are in rough shape.  This is compounded by the number of people getting out there to escape being confined for so many hours a day.

Social Distancing, the Real Deal

Masks are now part of our everyday life.  For Frank it hasn't changed a bit in his shop, Tom now looks like every description of a bank robber, "He was wearing a mask and carrying a gun."  Glenn swears he wasn't in England when he took a selfie.  Amy said she needed hers to stay warm on a snowy ride in Buffalo, Sue got a protective shield after a month of making home visits for her job, and I still haven't quite gotten mine right.  In time...

What could lead Brian from NJ's Covid-19 hot spot to Tops in Westfield?  The opportunity to help his mom return home from a stint in rehab after surgery in February.  Judy suffered a fall soon after getting home and went to a facility in Dunkirk where visitors aren't allowed so Brian returned to NJ. 
Sadly, Judy passed away today.  She will be remembered fondly as such a welcoming and generous person, and anyone who was familiar with Kingan Pharmacy knows that Judy and Steve were as responsible for its success as Don and Bill were.  They are all missed, perhaps they have a pitcher of Manhattans to finish off as I type.

Social Distancing, the Real Deal

Gail and I have even gotten into mask production.  She signed up to sew medical-grade, single-use masks at Cornell one day a week.  After the second time she realized if I went along to help she could increase her output exponentially.  Doesn't look like it in the top picture, but I assure you it's true.  She has also made some cloth masks for our around-town use.  The variety of sewing machines at Cornell is pretty amazing-whatever it takes, even if it's nothing fancy.

Social Distancing, the Real Deal

Sue has contracted and since recovered from Covid-19 without being hospitalized, but she did have to spend a few weeks in the guestroom in the basement.  She was so out of practice what to do once released from the confines, on her first day out she fell asleep in the sun and got half a sunburn.  Pat is keeping any kids out of the yard.

Social Distancing, The Real Deal

50 years of Earth Day, 50 years of picking up trash.  I decided it was a good day to clean the ditches along Burns Road since the city's reservoir is directly downstream.  Much Styrofoam and a fair amount of battery acid won't be in our drinking water this summer.  Unlike the first Earth Day in 1970, John wasn't with me as he was on Bliss Street when our neighbor, Gary, took this photo.

On other days I've transferred quite a bit of garbage from streets in Collegetown to the porches and yards of student rentals; retrieved the contents of three recycling bins that tipped over at Hospicare in one of the many wind storms we've had this spring, and cleaned up a truckload of junk, including an empty piggy bank that symbolized so much, from a campsite in Six Mile Creek that was abandoned by a young, homeless woman last fall.  The piggy bank is the yellow object on top, I kept it, anyone short of tarps can go help themselves.

This is my second time at this spot in the last six months.  When the water was low last fall I got all the trash thrown off the bridge and from the luxury apartment house on the corner of Hudson and Aurora.  Over the winter more than necessary got thrown down there again, and this spring a Lime Bike.  The company pulled up stakes and laid off their one employee in town and Bike Walk Tompkins didn't offer any indication that they would get the bike out before a flood took it and its battery downstream.  I was up for a challenge so using the rope I got at that very spot last fall, put a hook on the end and was able to haul up the bike.  An occupant of the house above came out and told me the landlord didn't want anyone on the property, it's questionable whether I was on it or not, but I told her to let him know he could clean it up next time to be assured I won't trespass. Interestingly, there was a suitcase full of clothes last fall too.

I don't mind being called a dirty do-gooder.

Social Distancing, The Real Deal

No question we are fortunate to live in a great place if you're not able to get away.  Here are some of the fine sights I've taken in on my walks.  The top is a route that has led to an idea of walking upstream from the lake and crossing all the bridges over Fall Creek (except Rt. 13) up to Varna, and then coming back downstream doing the same with the bridges over Cascadilla Creek.  Maybe a birthday present to myself.  Always wonderful to see the lake and many waterfalls around town, and how many years do we get to really notice the day-to-day changes of things like forsythia and willows?

Social Distancing Warm-up

  Way back in March, before life went off the rails, I took a trip to the Adirondacks for some camping in the snow.  It was supposed to be a trip to Pharaoh Lake with the boys, but one of them had to cancel the night before and the other is a jerk who didn't want to spend the weekend alone with me. 
  I chose not to go to Pharaoh as it's pretty far and there wasn't much snow there at the time.  I considered taking all of Thursday off work to go to the high peaks, but that meant more driving so I opted for a shorter drive to the snowier region near Old Forge to Middle Settlement Lake in the Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness.
  It was warm when I got there, almost 50, but there was plenty of snow and it was firm enough that I could walk on the trail without snowshoes.  I had no trouble getting to the lean-to before dark and prepared for a storm expected to blow in over night.  It arrived in the morning, strong winds, heavy rain mixed with snow.  I worried about being able to get back out where I had to cross the inlet if the water level rose too much, but after doing some improvements to the crossing after the rain stopped that wasn't a concern.  It stayed warm-ish Friday and Saturday and the wind never let up, but by Sunday morning it had dropped to 20 degrees.
  Had a fine hike Saturday, as long as I stayed on the frozen snowshoe tracks I didn't sink at all. I missed a turn and added a few miles, saw some interesting bugs in the water, tried to get a group photo on the boulder behind the lean-to and just had a nice, rare time of solitude.