A little less blue...

Thanks for the many kind words yesterday.  I woke up feeling better about the world this morning and in spite of dreary, cold, wet weather am still feeling good.  I bundled up and went out on the deck this morning with my tea and camera (as one does).  I was treated to a nice assortment of woodpeckers, catbirds, chickadees, blackbirds and jays.  The undisputed King/Queen of the suet feeder is the red-bellied woodpecker (see female in aggressive posture in Extra).  Even the Blue Jays defer to these woodpeckers.  I was able to snap this while the jay waited patiently for the woodpecker to vacate the feeder.  Shot from a distance of about 7 feet and cropped.

Our county Starbucks just reopened for drive-through this week so Hubs and I had a Grand Adventure which included a trip to Tractor Supply for bird seed and a drive thru at Starbucks (Frap for him, chai latte for me).  I got to wear one of my new masks that SIL brought home from work.  I've ordered some very stylish masks but they are taking forever to arrive.  Luckily, I've got a good supply of more drab masks to tide me over.

We have a freeze warning tonight, of all things.  So, Hubs and I will run out and cover our little crab apple tree which is in full bloom at the moment.  I want it to bear fruit this year (for the birds) so don't want the blossoms to get frosted.  Tomorrow will be cold, wet, and windy so it will be a stay-at-home day.  Gee, how novel...staying at home...

NY and NJ continue to slowly improve with new positives, hospitalizations and deaths all on a slow, steady downward trajectory.  That said, I think it will be late May before downstate NY or NJ start reopening in any sort of meaningful way.  Our governors are "following the data" and acting with what I believe is a high level of responsibility.  And those who disagree will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder, unmasked, in protest.  It is their right, although I hope they all stay far, far away from me and those I love.  

I've decided to "snooze" some people I am friends with on FB.  The thing is that I like FB but I have some friends who tend to post things that I find inflammatory and  personally unsettling .  It's better for my mental well-being if I just don't see anything from them right now.  

Planning virtual Quarantinis with my besties this evening via Google Meet - will be good to see everyone.

Be safe.  Wash your hands.  Rejoice in your masks.  Be kind.

xo
Debbi

Covid Stats
Total positives as of today in NJ- 135,454
Total deaths in NJ - 8,952
Total cases in Sussex County - 1015 ---  deaths - 125


Today is Day 65 since NJ's first case of Covid 19 was diagnosed