Scenes from Self-Quarantine~Part II

The Quarantine Continues: We broke a few rules. Here are my/our offenses.

1:There was no way we were not going to hug my brother and sister in law,  the girls Uncle Dick & Tia Liz, when they stopped by on their way back to Colorado.We agreed to visit in the driveway, six feet apart but when we saw them; well, it didn't quite work out that way. And, of course we had to show Tia Liz how the girls have been redecorating their room now that they have time and some boredom on hand.

2: The girl's good friend Tamsin turned 12. How could we not surprise her with singing, chocolate and cupcakes? We didn't mean to but we scared the bejesus out of her and her dad as they were out front gardening. (Dad Paul thought we looked like zombies upon our approach towards their house!) But we did safe distance. Myself, Anja's mom and Tam's mom were eagle eyed about the 6" distance.

3: We had a safe distance visit with our good friends Angie, Hana, Ed & Roger in their front yard. Roger has been coping with health issues so to get as close as we did was super sweet. We had a fun visit playing Password, followed by a rattlesnake sitting after we left!

4: We celebrated our friend Caleb's 17th birthday with a car caravan led by the fire dept and friends from the community. Caleb is fighting cancer so this was as especially poignant. 

5: Peanut Butter & Jelly asked every week for at least 4 weeks to "Please go for a walk."  This past week it finally happened. They promised to safe distance from each other. The photos below will reveal how that went.

We also continue to walk, in rain or shine. Well, it only rained one day. But it we had fun!

I continue to do some grocery shopping at least 1x a week because my family are really horses.

I also continued supporting some friends who can't leave their house by delivering groceries.

I feel like a crack dealer, as I drop off packages on the back porch and then slink away! 

Havana has been full speed ahead as a new bicycle rider. Almost every day after school she is ready to go out for a spin.

The cats are really, really, really (and I mean really!) happy that we are home!

And that wraps up life in quarantine up to now, the 30th of April,  2020.

Pina Homegrown

Our homegrown pineapple has been harvested! Two plus years and it was time to pick and eat! If you can't tell by the photo above, Don was quite happy with the outcome as were the girls. I had mixed feelings. I would miss our miracle pineapple that took root in Northern California and grew and grew for the past couple of years.

When we finally ate the fruit it was somewhat sweet and somewhat bland, depending on which piece you got. But for having been grown so far from it's native land we'd give it a 5 star on yelp!

And, of course, we took the top and set it in water, in direct sun, with hopes that we may get lucky and grow another pineapple in a few years time.

"Whhhewwwww", Mother Earth

There is a  global pandemic happening right now. There are over one million people who have transitioned. There are over three million people who have this virus. Conspiracy theories abound side by side the science. What is real and what is not? The answer if simple.

Mother Earth & Father Sky are Real. They are Truth. They live on and thrive, no matter what we silly humans do. Now that we are hiding in our homes, I can feel Mama Earth and Father Sky breathing deep, deeper, deeply. The air is clearer. The earth is greener. The flowers are abundant. 

Here are some photos of the sacred valley I call home. In the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area, is a little gem, away from the now silenced frenetic energy. Hills, valleys, trees, open space. Places we love to walk and BE. Sometimes alone, sometimes with the family and sometimes with friends (safe distancing!)  This is where we are fed and nourished.

These days, and all days, Mother Earth and Father Sky are where I love to be the most. This is my church, my temple. 

A-ho!

Doggie Dash

The girls love animals. That is not a well kept secret. We have been running our dog boarding business for over a year and a half.  Yet with a worldwide pandemic currently occurring, their business is on hold. We had two booked sits for April that had to be canceled.

Despite this, Amara decided to make homemade doggie biscuits for our dog friends. Some we have house sat and some we just hang out with.

When the biscuits were done, we sent a text asking if our friends felt comfortable with a safe distance drop off. They were and for the most part that worked out. And the results were some happy dogs!
The girls love animals. That is not a well kept secret. We have been running our dog boarding business for over a year and a half.  Yet with a worldwide pandemic currently occurring, their business is on hold. We had two booked sits for April that had to be canceled.

Despite this, Amara decided to make homemade doggie biscuits for our dog friends. Some we have house sat and some we just hang out with.

When the biscuits were done, we sent a text asking if our friends felt comfortable with a safe distance drop off. They were and for the most part that worked out. And the results were some happy dogs!

Scenes from Self-Quarantine 1

We are currently in most unusual times. We are living in world wide pandemic, named the Coronavirus. It started in Asia late 2019 and rapidly spread to the four corners of Mama Earth. We traveled to Costa Rica at the very beginning of this pandemic, blissfully unaware that liberation of our adventures in the rain forest would be the end of going out into the world for sometime to come. Within a few weeks of our return to California, the entire state sheltered in place and soon thereafter so did most of the USA and the world. This virus, aka covid19, it spreads quickly and it attacks all. Yet despite the severe consequences of this pandemic; over two million cases world wise, over fifty thousand deaths in the USA alone, the world wide economy shuttered, causing economic hardship for millions upon millions around the globe it is not all darkness. For there are countless gifts as well.

For the first time in far too long, Mama Earth is breathing deeply. The skies are bluer than they have been in decades. The waters are clearer and the finned ones are returning to places long abandoned due to all the human interference. The earth is green and the wild flowers are blossoming in abundance. Science is able to record the positive shifts through imaging and humans like us are enjoying this brighter, happier Mama, during our social distance hikes.

The frenetic energy of everyday life, which I spoke of often to family and friends, was pulsing so strongly that it was draining my/our adrenal glands has subsided. The energy in the air feels softer, relaxed. There is now an abundance of time for inner reflection, inner work along with quality time with family and friends. We may be using the internet to do some of that but the shift has allowed for deeper connections. Never have I seen so many spiritual outfits offering classes, healing offerings, music available. And they are often for free or nominal charges. That all people, not just the privileged can access then is a huge change that has been sorely needed. 

In my personal world, it took several weeks after the kids started homeschooling that I was able to join them by working at home. We maintain our structures throughout the day yet being able to share a meal, take a ten minute walk or just check in face to face during a weekday is something I will forever in this life be thankful time. It has been fun to see the girls make themselves up for art projects for school, make Don and I up (to make us look silly) and the cats are thrilled we are home.

The girls have baked and cooked. Amara even make homemade dog biscuits that we delivered to some of our four legged friends. 

Below are the first snapshots of the first weeks of shelter in place. (above was an art project Amara did. She made herself the Queen of Hearts. Havana's project is below.)

Rainbow over our home.

Havana made us up!

Safe distance visiting after delivering groceries.

It was really hard to keep off sugar with these delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies by Havana Ruby.

During all this shelter in place madness, Havana was able to get her new bed; a hand me down from her cousins. The girls have been cleaning and purging as have I. There is a huge pile to donate in the garage.

School art project! 

We had some supplies that our friends wanted to get hold of. When you have what others need and have enough for yourself, it's always good to share!

                                                                                                                                          

Amara's homemade dog biscuits.

Our beloved Bodhi, who is almost 14, has kidney disease. To spend so much more time with him  is something we are not taking for granted. We are very aware this is a precious gift. He has been sneaking out in the yard and basking in the sun almost daily! When not in the sun, he hangs out with me while working or with the girls when they are in school. Bodhi is our four legged child/sibling and we are so happy to have long days with him (and Samson too!)

Despite all these positive things, we are not foolish in understanding the seriousness of these times. Some are touting 'real' reasons for the pandemic and spending time in fear or promoting these theories. I don't care at this point. We have to be safe and smart. Our dear friend Janet helped us to do that with these handmade masks sent to us from New York.

A Minute in San Jose, CR

It was a long drive back to the capitol of Costa Rica. Not that 4 hours is far when there is little traffic and the scenery muy tranquil. It was long because what I thought was a cold was quickly becoming something much more. I slept and tried to read during the drive but a low grade fever kept it hard to focus or rest easy. A short lunch stop at a Pizza Hut, of all places, gave a little boost but I was thankful we were on our way home.

Once we got to the capital and checked in at our hotel I refused to let a fever take away what few hours we had until our morning flight. I swallowed some Tylenol and ordered a Lyft to do some last minute shopping. Havana and Don opted to hang back at the book, while Amara and I ventured out.

Unfortunately, the shopping was a bust but we did manage to find some little things (oddly enough we picked up a pair of sneakers for Havana and a top for Amara). We did get to see some of the historic architecture of downtown. Yet all I wanted to do was go back and do to sleep. I was so out of sorts that I did not even bring my camera!

We left Costa Rica the next morning excited to be heading home but a bit sad too. Our time was way too short, the land and people way so welcoming and warm and with so much more to see, that we knew we would have to return again some day. With Panama next door, who knew, we thought, maybe we'll find ourselves on an extended journey sometime in the future. 

Little did we know as we traveled in the sky back to California that the corona virus was about to blow up and that might have been our last travel adventure for awhile. I ended up being quick sick for about two weeks, the girls too. But during those days of resting in bed, I had happy memories of turquoise waters, deep green jungles and the pur vida energy of Costa Rica to comfort me.