The Super Pig

We watched a movie called Okja.

It's an odd fantasy movie about the corrupt and cruel meat industry and features a love story between a young Korean girl and a super big pig by the name of OKJA who is owned by a company who wants to fatten it up and then kill it.  Kind of like a Charlotte's Web thing in a way.

You will probably want to adopt a vegetarian diet after watching this film, which is one of the best things you can do right now.

It's by the award winning director Bong Joon Ho.  You might enjoy it, so see it if you feel like it.

I'm having one of those pandemic mornings where I'm feeling sluggish. I read somewhere online that if you drink between 7 and 12 cups of coffee, mixed with chia seeds, before 10:30 am, you will feel energetic and cheerful for the rest of the day.  I'm on my 8th cuppa joe con chia, so my mood should elevate soon.

The Spillway

We drove out to Lake Lemon today.  Our goal was to hike on the short but good Bob Klawitter Trail. After a pleasant hike, we decided to drive down a road called Spillway Road, as we were looking for a way to approach the lakeshore.  When Spillway Road dead-ended, we came upon the structure pictured here, which we decided must be, in actual fact, known locally by the term "spillway."  See how the water is spilling over the edge there?  And remember how the road was called Spillway Road? Ipso facto.

We've lived here for decades, but everyone we know must have "forgotten" to tell us about this beautiful spillway. We were stymied as we gazed upon it, admiring geese with goslings and a couple of mallard brothers. We sent photos of the spillway to our children who have moved away from this place, their native land.   #1 Son was as shocked as we were, but come to find out, 20 Something used to go to this spillway frequently.  News to us.  I wonder what she was doing out there, to tell you the truth.  We saw some youth huddled in circles near coolers down at the end of the spillway. We also saw some people smoking cigarettes.

The point is, if you have a spillway in your town, spread the word.  There's no need for secrets between friends, family members and fellow citizens. Don't hide your town's treasures.  Share them with those around you.

The Wishing

Last Thanksgiving, we made hand turkeys as we always do. We created a Hand Turkey Armada and on our turkey ships we wrote wishes for the world.  Do you remember?

On my beautiful hand turkey, I wished for more free time for one and all.  During this global pandemic, I think about that wish so often as I mull over what to do with my sheltering time.  I am filling my days with quality activities --- listening to Kronos Quartet, watching TV, writing and collaging in my notebook, slogging, reading, eating fine lunches, talking to Husbandman---but the free time isn't as great as I thought it would be.  I should have wished for virus-less free time, but back in November I had no idea that the coronavirus was heading our way.

Lesson learned. I've got to be careful about what I wish for.  There are so many people with more free time in the world now, but are our lives significantly better? In short, I blew it. From now on, I'm going to wish wishes that are simpler and more specific ---- bodhrans for all third grade teachers, electric tea kettles for women 59 and over,  typewriters for everyone who longs for a typewriter.  There's no way those wishes could go wrong and they could make the world a better place for people all over the globe.

The Marriages

Watching a show called Marriage at First Sight. It's about people who enter arranged marriages.  In this episode, the couples are married and are on their honeymoons. Interactions so far are fairly awkward. I'm hoping the people can stay together for the long haul, but I have some doubts and I'm worried for them. I don't think they're going to make it. I think they should have moved right away into normal life, back to their jobs so they would have lots of distractions and stuff to talk about. One of the gals is a middle school teacher and I am anxious about professional boundaries being crossed when her students watch the show. This show is making me a nervous wreck.  Watch it if you feel like it. 

The Yens

Gossip gets a bad rap.  Now that we're isolated, I find myself missing it. I've complained about the gossip-less nature of pandemic life this week a few times, to a few peeps. No one had even a jot of gossip to share.  Nothing's happening. No one's doing anything. In short, gossip is gone, but not forgotten.

  "We could make stuff up," offered Good Pal Sandra, and I considered doing that.  A good dose of hearsay could add some spark to my lockdown lethargy, but rumormongering is not what I'm going for right now. Plain old garden variety gossip is my yen.  I settled for some celebrity scuttle this morning. Author N and his wife A are having some marital problems and have asked for privacy.  They're quarantining apart.  A has the 4 year old with her, which to my mind is a bit unfair because quarantining with a 4 year old sounds like a hassle.

Another thing I'm missing is the Inside Scoop.  When you work at a school, there are people who always seem to have the Inside Scoop.  I am not one of those people, so I love it when I get a snippet on the down low from a scooper. Here's an example of Inside Scoop that I would be open to hearing from any friend on the inside track at any time, day or night.  "Don't tell anyone, but we're going back to school in fall, but not until after Labor Day and everything's going to be normal." Every day I hope beyond hope to get this scoop via email, text, or actual phone call.

Gossip and scooping aren't all about intrigue and innuendo.  They can bring to our lives belonging and connection, fun and friendship. Throw some gossip  and inside scoop my way if you get the chance.  Let's perk up this pandemic.  We're all in this together.

Three Random Thoughts

On our walk this week, we saw a shrew.  When we first spied it, I asked, "Mole or Vole?" But turns out it was neither.  Shrews are super common, so I'll probably see more shrews soon.

At Lake Griffey I saw a heron fly down and disappear into the rushes. Nancy says herons are good luck and I think she's right.  Today I lucked out and found an important paper I lost a long time ago. 

Today is my brother's birthday.  Glenn was an amazing man.  He died in 1990 when he was 28, from AIDS.  He really was the best little brother.  We scrabbled as children, but became besties as adults. I love him so. If you have a glass of wine tonight, give a little toast to my brother, please.  He was a friend to all.  

The Satisfactoriness

Yesterday was report card day.  Report cards were easier than they've ever been, and yet, I felt myself drawn down into a state of despair as I approached the task, which involved assigning the grade of S to every student for every state standard in every subject area.  It mattered not if a learner completed nary a drop of work or put their heart and soul into each internet assignment.

Okay, so let's now explore my feelings.  I know this S-olution was the best thing to do right now because of this pesky pandemic, and also grades are dumb so who really cares?  Also some kids have great resources and many kids don't.  But there's something about mass assigning S's that shakes up the teacher in me. Can we at least throw out a few S+'s to those kids whose parents forced them to do their absolute best work or who just tried so hard because that's how they roll?

Yesterday when it was time for the S show, I pulled myself from my doldrums and turned on a BBC Sense and Sensibility from 2008.  Problem solved.  I found S and S to be the most wonderful background distraction. My mood elevated as I figured out how to override previous grades with the new score of S while glowering at Miss Lucy Steele and cursing that scoundrel Willoughby.  

Jane Austen, Thank you.  A million times. Time and time again, you and that crazy quill pen of yours have pulled me out of funks and fixes, coming to the rescue when life makes no sense and work tasks rattle my sensibility.

The Staple Gun

I'm trying to figure out a good reason to buy a staple gun. With a staple gun, I could do some interesting projects.

I could attach carpet to my walls for sound proofing.

I could make small collages, laminate them, and then staple them to telephone poles in the neighborhood.

I could also re-upholster some chairs.

A staple gun could really come in handy.

The Living

Over the course of this pandemic, I want to work with Husbandman on his bird identification skills.

Yesterday he called out to me, "Hey! We have baby woodpeckers in the maple tree!  Come check it out!"

I was excited, not going to lie.  I rushed over to the window and stared out, searching for the baby woodpeckers, hoping they would be pileated.  I scanned the maple tree from top to bottom several times.  Finally I asked, "Do you mean those 2 birds?"

He did.

"Those are nuthatches.  Adult nuthatches."

Seriously.  We've been birding, admittedly at an amateur level, for years, so I really see no reason for this kind of mistake.

I'm going to be designing a refresher course for Husbandman.  He's obviously been dialing it in for the past few years.  We'll start with these two photos.

The Birding Bonus App

I'm trying to think of a birding app that could benefit others and encourage bird appreciation. The app would track the points you earn throughout the day for any or all interactions with birds.  You hear a bird chirping.  One point. You see a bird flying overhead.  Two points. You see your state bird, which for me is the cardinal---5 points.  Bird nest?  10 points.  You sight a bird you've never seen before, such as the prothonotary warbler or common yellowthroat.  20 points. Bald eagle. 50 points. Obviously.  Owl of any kind.  100 points.  

There would be other categories as well.  And possibilities for bonus points. At the end of the day, the person with the most points gets their name posted on a list.