An update of a poll we did in late March and then again in May. As always, answer as many or as few as you like, or just talk about something else.
1. Rate the virus-related restrictions in your area from 1 to 5, with 1 being complete freedom of movement and 5 being complete lock down.*
2. If your area is back to normal (or opening up), are you continuing to restrict your own movements / exposure? What number would you assign to your own freedom of movement?
3. Are there any fragrances (or related items) you bought, or didn't buy, just because of the pandemic? How else has the pandemic changed your fragrance shopping?
4. How has the pandemic changed your fragrance habits and usage?
5. What's blooming in your local area at the moment?
6. Now that we're months into the pandemic, with potentially months yet to go, tell us about your best coping strategies! Or, feel free to share something — anything! — wonderful with us. (And of course, if you're struggling, do feel free to share that too. We've all been there.)
* You can interpret this however you like, but I will repeat a comment I left on the March poll: "To me a 3 is you can still go out to exercise; a 4 is you can go out to store but can’t wander about without an excuse like store or meds or something, and they don’t even want you taking a walk; a 5 is complete lock down & can’t even go to store." So 1 would be no restrictions at all, and a 2 would be some restrictions (have to wear a mask? some types of establishments still closed? limiting number of people in a store, etc).
Note: top image is DP2M7317 Closed Squash Blossom from the Dacha Garden [cropped] by carlfbagge at flickr; some rights reserved.
1 & 2: I think technically, the Portland area is about a 3, but I have to live as a 4, as I am immunocompromised and qualify as “high risk” in about 4 different ways. Of course, with dangerous wildfire smoke outside, everyone is sticking pretty close to home right now. Looks like we won’t see any sunshine for a few more days at least.
3. When I started coming back here, my purchasing has gone way up. I don’t mind; I like having the distraction! I have added heavily scented shower jels and lotions to the things I buy, which wasn’t a big focus prepandemic. Right now, I want all the “fun” I can get!
4. Not much change in my usage. I was never very “considerate” with my fragrances before. There were a few scents that were too distracting (for 12 year old brains to ignore) to bother with at work, but honestly, I can’t manage the distraction very easily either right now. I’m always tired, or so it seems.
5. We’re at the end of the summer blooms–aging hydrangea blooms, cone flowers, anemones.
6. I bought a squat rack last week, and it should arrive next month. Last weekend, my lifts were at or better than my pre-pandemic strength levels, so I’m thrilled that it means my MacGyvered home workouts preserved a lot of my strength. Given both of these things, I’ve decided to set my sights on a big strength goal for the next year–I want to deadlift 300 pounds. Just thinking about it is giving new enthusiasm to my lifting again. I was getting so bored using bands and my one set of 20lb dumbbells! Now, I’m having fun again!
Just want to say WOW to your weight training goal. My own training — really basic beginner-level fitness stuff — has been on hiatus since mid-June, but I am so ready to go back to the gym (when it is safe). I hope the squat rack comes sooner than estimated and that you meet your goals!
Thanks, skalolazka! I know what you mean about missing the gym. Only this last month or so, I started working out with my trainer once a week, and I do the rest of my workouts at home. My trainer schedules the gym so that it’s private and I don’t have to share space with other folks, so it feels pretty safe. I wouldn’t go back to my regular gym even if they opened anytime soon. I miss it, but it’s not worth the risk right now! Hence, the squat rack. My lovely husband has been willing to help me set it up in “his” garage. Kind of him to share space with me. ?
Excellent goal! And you can absolutely deadlift 300lbs! I can’t wait to hear about your journey. 😀
Thank you, SmokeyToes! It’s a big goal for me, for sure, and I appreciate the encouragement!
I know you can do it – make sure you tell us when you deadlift 300 pounds so we can celebrate with you!
Maybe I’ll be brave enough to film it.
300lbs?! Wowza! Now that is intense and impressive.
Ha! Well, that’s the goal. And I still don’t look remotely like Arnold Schwartzenegger as Conan the Barbarian!
that’s a lot of pounds! I sometimes workout with cans of soda as weight … 🙂
I bet you’re stronger than you think!
Most impressive goal.??♂️
“When I started coming back here, my purchasing has gone way up.” ?
Not my fault. Totally on you all!
Holy cow, joining everyone else in admiring your weight training goals!
go you! I’m so happy for you and your goal and your garage set up. 😀
Amazed and awed by your new fitness goal! GO YOU!
Hello weekend!
Summer came back to Poland for a while and we’re expecting even 30*C for a day or two in the middle of next week.
I’m in Les Brumes from Ormaie – such a warm and comforting citrus. I will get a bottle someday.
To answer the questions.
1. I’d say Poland in general is at 1, people are almost forgetting that covid existed. They forget about face masks or wear them incorrectly. When queueing in the shop barely anyone behind me stands 2 meters away…
2. Yes, trying to keep my own rules and they’re perhaps at 2 or 3. I wear mask everywhere it’s needed, I buy bread only once a week and freeze it for later. And I don’t visit shopping malls or galleries unless it’s necessary.
3. Not really, but since I limit my shopping visits I stop by Sephora much less so I’m behind on the new releases. Also Esxence and Pitti got cancelled so this year I have much less samples to smell and write about.
4. That part didn’t change at all.
5. To be honest I have no idea…
Enjoy the weekend everyone and good luck with the swapmeet!
Forgot to mention that yesterday I received samples of all 4 new Amouage fragrances that are launching next week.
My clear favorite is Enclave, very deep and aromatic mint note with cardamom and other good things. Ashore was a total scrubber because of jasmine…
Lucasai, how are Poland’s numbers — are cases going up or down?
We are going up and down, last couple of days seeing a rise. It was 594 cases yesterday.
I’m in SSS Cocoa Sandalwood today in a vain effort to stave off the heaviness that a week without sunshine is pulling down onto me. My area is at a 2-3 COVIDwise, but who would treat it as anything less than a 4, given the smoke in the air? I’ve been more cautious with my fragrance wearing during the pandemic, since I’m in close quarters with my perfume-averse fiancé :-/ At the moment, despite the lack of sunshine, my backyard is full of colorful annuals, bunches of roses, and squash/pepper/tomato blossoms. Those bright orange squash blossoms give me hope. They think sunshine and growth are still possible.
Feeling you with the lack of sunshine! We’re turning all the lights on in the house, trying to make it feel more cheerful and normal. . .
Same! We got a little bit of sun filtering in through the smoke yesterday, but it’s back to gloom today.
I can’t imagine….hugs to you Koyel!
Thank you, Robin <3
Truly hope the sun shines on you soon, Koyel! Yesterday in my area was gray all day with that odd orange sunlight barely making a difference. Ugh. I keep checking the air quality report to see if I dare exercise. 😉
Thanks, tiffanie, and the same to you. I started another Chloe challenge, so all my exercise is indoors, but my heart and brain could really do with a walk outside and a visit to our community garden 🙁 I bet no one is visiting the poor, neglected garden at all.
1) South Carolina is maybe a 1.5? Pretty close to normal.
2) I’m still restricting my movement and interactions, so I’m living at a 3 or so.
3) I bought at least three bottles at the beginning of the pandemic, then started a yearlong no buy at the beginning of July. Not really thinking about fragrance shopping at all any more, which is a nice change.
4) I reapply more often, because I’m always at home.
5) I have no idea what’s blooming. But our pecan trees are dropping all of their leaves. Yay, raking.
6) I’m struggling with getting ready to move on Thursday, feeling like I’m a terrible teacher in the virtual setting and general world heaviness. But I’ve been enjoying scented candles a lot lately – the light is so beautiful. There’s just something about a candle flame.
My scent today is What Would Love Do? I chose it simply because the name made me smile. Biggest hugs to everyone having heavy times right now.
Good luck with the move sistine! It seems like an unusual number of people are moving lately.
Good luck w/ your move. Remote teaching is very tough and I have lots of admiration and gratitude for all the teachers doing it.♥️
What Would Love Do? Such a perfect perfume name.
Best wishes on your move! and please know there are lots of teachers who feel that heaviness and frustration too.
1. We are between a 2 and a 3. (Most things are open, people have to wear masks inside businesses. Restaurants are at partial capacity and will move up to 50% later this month. Gyms are open. Schools vary by district.)
2. Same as in May…I have been between a 3 and a 4 through most of the pandemic. I have made 2 short trips to visit my mom, and have eaten outside in a restaurant once (we will start eating out more now that it isn’t as hot, but soon enough it will be too cold). I have not been in a grocery store, a box store, a gym, a library…etc. I have been in a few small local stores and I go to the farmers market most weeks, and I make copious use of delivery and curbside delivery.
3. Nope!
4. Nope again!
4. Sweet autumn clematis, all over my yard. It has spread so vigorously this year that I need to figure out if it is harming any of the trees and shrubs.
6. My coping strategy seems to be mostly just keeping busy with interior painting and redecorating and other small household projects. In May I had just finished painting my kitchen. Now I’m done with my pantry, a hallway, the den, the living room, and I’m working on the dining room. When I’m done I will move upstairs and do bedrooms. I still need to exercise and meditate more, but I am doing both.
I planted a clematis this year, and it is so sad and spindly! I hope the winter helps it settle in and take proper root! I love them.
I don’t know what kind it is, but most of them aren’t invasive like sweet autumn clematis, I don’t think? I’m not that knowledgeable, it just hasn’t happened to me. I have planted two other varieties, 1 died after a few years, 1 is still alive years later but only marginally bigger (it ended up being more shaded than I’d planned and I should probably move it).
The sweet autumn reseeds…I have bits of it all over my yard, huge clumps hanging from bushes & trees, quite far away from the original planting. It does look (and smell) lovely but I don’t want it to kill anything else.
Anyway, fingers crossed for yours!
I love the scent of autumn clematis but it does take over. I had a clump that pulled down part of a small fence.
Oh my!
Some clematises are more vigorous growers than others. Some reach the size needed to work their way up a mailbox pole, and some get much, much bigger.
Yeah, I’m admittedly pretty ignorant about clematis and all their variants. I’m pretty sure this one said it was a big viney thing on the label, but who knows?! I know better than to take the label as gospel!
It’s good that our perfume habits don’t change that easily, no?
Yes!
I did a repair for a water-damaged and in-need-of-paint bathroom cabinet, a repair that has languished for, er, a while. Maybe I would have gone out in pre-COVID times instead of buckling down and getting it done??
Good for you! I promise you I would never have done this much painting in one year if it were not for Covid.
But I also figure that if we are still mostly stuck at home this coming winter, it will be a much nicer home 🙂
We’ve had an outbreak of sweet autumn clematis here too! It really is pretty, when not much else is flowering. Right now I have a nice blend of pink and white, with Japanese anemones, the clematis, hardy begonias, and some lingering blooms of pink and white crape myrtles. Some light purple cleomes are still blooming, and a few coneflowers. My monarda hasn’t bloomed, though the plants are there; not sure what’s going on with that. I’m starting to get another flush of roses, which is nice. My veg garden has turned into a tomato jungle full of marauding chipmunks, who regularly beat me to the tomatoes. So frustrating!
I would say my city is at about a 3, but I myself operate at about a level 4. I’m an introvert anyway, and I find I am very productive working from home. It helps that my husband is too, and we are able to have lunch or a midday walk together, which I love. I mostly avoid stores but I’ve become a regular at the nearby farmers’ market.
We are planning some long overdue repairs/renovation of our 100 year-old house, which is a bit stressful just because it’s hard to identify reliable sub-contractors who 1) understand old houses; and 2) don’t charge outrageous fees or proffer outrageous contracts. We think we now have a good painter, carpenter, electrician, plasterer — the big gap is a plumber who can deal with old plumbing and old fixtures without destroying original tile. Wish us luck!
Fragrance-wise, I didn’t buy anything new for a few months, but then I went on a bit of a binge for my September birthday. Those should hold me for a long while! I plan to put some aside for Christmas. I’m wearing more and “louder” fragrances than usual during the day, since I’m not going to surprise or offend anyone. Since I use our sunroom as my home office, I keep a few samples or a bottle next to me and can spritz as I like during the day and change scents. One of my purchases was my first bottle of Bal a Versailles EDC, vintage, and I’m having fun with that.
We are over run with tomatoes, I would not mind sharing with a few chipmunks at this point 😉
Your garden sounds lovely!
Very good luck with your repairs — sounds like our houses are about the same age. We are finding it very hard to get people to come out this year, they’re all so busy. Finally got the tree people and roofers to do what needed doing here, and knock on wood, we might have exterior painting done next month.
I would totally come get extra tomatoes. 😀 You could leave them six feet away from you, and I’d creep over and pick them up at that distance. The rabbits did for ours. We have a volunteer winter squash, and that looks like the only vegetable we’ll have grown ourselves this past year.
Oh, enjoy the vintage BAV! It’s stellar! A friend is taking his excess garden veggies and fermenting, pickling, and canning them.
Ah, THAT’S what those little white flowers are!
Squirrels steal all our tomatoes, so we’ve had to cover them with netting, and pick them just when they start blushing to ripen off the vine :-/
Oh how interesting. We have problems with rabbits and groundhogs, but our many squirrels don’t seem interested.
Oh really? Now I feel so thankful that we don’t have rabbits or groundhogs! (I can keep thinking they are cute. Squirrels have gone from adorable to Evil Bearers of Death in the past year for me.)
I had (evil) squirrels digging around in my chives earlier this year. I don’t know if they were planting their own seeds, or just messing around. Fortunately, the chives seem to have survived.
1. Rate the virus-related restrictions in your area from 1 to 5, with 1 being complete freedom of movement and 5 being complete lock down.*
I guess between 2 and 3? That’s how I’m treating it, anyway.
2. If your area is back to normal (or opening up), are you continuing to restrict your own movements / exposure? What number would you assign to your own freedom of movement?
I’m careful about wearing a mask, as we’re still supposed to do inside a store or other public building. We pick up takeout food, but aren’t stopping to eat it in the area, even at an outside table. We still go home to eat. Aside from Goodwill and the library, I haven’t really been to places that were closed totally during the pandemic and are open now. Any frivolous in-person shopping I try to do is limited to what frivolous things are at Walmart. (Sad, I know.)
3. Are there any fragrances (or related items) you bought, or didn’t buy, just because of the pandemic? How else has the pandemic changed your fragrance shopping?
I haven’t bought perfumes. I’ve experimented with various kinds of liquid soaps depending on what’s available.
4. How has the pandemic changed your fragrance habits and usage?
Usage went down considerably.
5. What’s blooming in your local area at the moment?
At home: ‘Stella d’Oro’ daylily, ‘Teasing Georgia’ English rose, plants of Rose-of-Sharon that have volunteered here from some neighbor’s yard. Mistflower (a.k.a. “wild ageratum” — not related to actual ageratum) and goldenrod are starting. I’m expecting to see the colchicum and hardy cyclamen bloom soon. Tender plants: Poet’s jasmine, ‘Maid of Orleans’ jasmine, a heliotrope, the ‘Red-flowered rose’ scented geranium, the lantana, and other things I’m not thinking of at the moment…
6. Now that we’re months into the pandemic, with potentially months yet to go, tell us about your best coping strategies! Or, feel free to share something — anything! — wonderful with us. (And of course, if you’re struggling, do feel free to share that too. We’ve all been there.)
That “Your Surge Capacity is Depleted” article was useful to me. I’ve been telling myself that my level of stress and anxiety was the same level as that of many other people.
Taking quiet days to read as hiatuses here and there between days of grocery shopping and big box shopping helps me mentally. Shopping online — mainly for books and e-books — is relaxing for me, but I know I can’t get too carried away with that. I’ve done a lot of online shopping for plants this spring and summer. Going out to work with my garden plants, weather permitting, relaxes me a lot. Watching puppy videos and sea otter videos is relaxing to me. 🙂
Sea otters!!! Sigh.
I saw (on Twitter, maybe?) the Monterey Bay Aquarium listed as a place that was shut due to the pandemic, but that had live cams of animals. I find the “moon jelly” jellyfish relaxing to watch, too.
Moon jellies are wonderful, too!
My former partner had an amazing full sleave tattoo with jellies swimming up their arm, inspired by one of those aquarium moon jelly displays. It was truly beautiful!
Wow, that sounds like it was some work of art!
Sea otters! ??
nice emoji! Otters are fun creatures to watch. I get the feeling that they’re smart and creative animals, plus being cute.
Thanks for article reference; I hadn’t run across that, and I’m reading it now. Very helpful.
Someone here posted it. I hope I thanked them, because it’s helped me to get more of an attitude of doing what I need to do and am up to doing, but not trying to really push beyond what I’m capable of. And I’ve been trying to take more quiet days for myself. I usually feel more energized the next day or two after I’ve had a nice quiet day to relax.
https://elemental.medium.com/your-surge-capacity-is-depleted-it-s-why-you-feel-awful-de285d542f4c
Thank you, Old Herbaceous! The information and suggestions in the article have really helped me.
neyronrose, I figured you would have the best list of what’s blooming ?
Thanks. 🙂 There are others here who are much better gardeners than I am. I just focus on talking about the plants that have survived for a few months despite benign neglect from me and being seen as possible snacks by hungry herbivores. 🙂
I have “Teasing Georgia” in my garden too — what a gorgeous rose it is! We haven’t had our fall flush of blooms on it yet, but its “siblings” in big pots, like “Lady of Shalott”, are blooming again. I have the wild ageratum starting to bloom too, though my daylilies seem to be mostly done.
‘Teasing Georgia’ had its big flush of spring blooms — late May for us — and after that finished, it’s had a few flowers at a time blooming this summer. I hadn’t realized that my mother liked yellow roses so much until she commented about it a couple of years ago. I knew we all liked ‘Tropicana’ (a.k.a. ‘Superstar’/TANORstar), partly for its fragrance. ‘Tropicana’ is a startling and different kind of color, though. Hybrid Teas haven’t done well for us here, unfortunately.
‘Mme. Isaac Pereire’ is another repeat-blooming rose we have, and that’s come up with a summer flower every little while this year. That’s one I love for the fragrance. I had its paler pink sport ‘Mme. Ernst Calvat’ in a pot by the back door for a few years, and liked that a lot. The roses I put into pots here die off after a couple or few years, though. The ones planted in the ground do better.
Another surprisingly tough rose for us has been ‘Sharifa Asma.’ I pretty much expected the Griffith Buck rose ‘Aunt Honey’ to be tough, but I didn’t expect the flowers to be so pretty. Both of those had a lot of their leaves eaten this year, but they’re coming back.
Scent last night/this morning: Serge Lutens La Myrrhe. A couple of weeks too late for the “Zest and Smolder” project, but I did like the idea. Last night I mostly got incense smoke, but at other times I had gotten more of the floral aspects of it. I’ve mentioned before that my sense of smell comes and goes depending on how dried out my nose is, and how congested I am from allergies.
This afternoon: tried a little spritz of Berdoues Scorza Di Sicilia. I found it a quite pleasant citrus.
I watch live cams of sea otters, hummingbirds, bird feeders, and anything at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Very relaxing! 😀
Yes! Watching those kinds of things makes me feel much better emotionally than watching the news. I haven’t watched the Cornell University Ornithology Lab cams that much these past few months, but I’ve enjoyed watching them in previous years. I enjoy watching hummingbirds, too — so tiny yet so aggressive. lol. And very beautiful. I haven’t seen any in real life this year. Various plants in the yard attract tiger swallowtail butterflies, and fritillary butterflies, and skippers. And I still hear lots of chirping when I walk certain places in the back yard, and a scolding sort of mewing from the catbirds. A good number of birds live in the yard, but I don’t see them much in the summer, with the trees and shrubs leafed out.
I was looking forward to seeing your list of what’s blooming by you! My development doesn’t have much of anything in the way of autumn bloomers.
A gardening friend who has since moved to a senior living facility had gorgeous Japanese anemones that bloomed around this time. They come in white and pale pink.
I got to the Chanticleer garden once in early October. Their colchicum, planted in huge masses, was going by, but they still had spectacular displays of dahlias and zinnias and such. I think it was the dahlias that included a number of sorts with “dinner plate” size flowers. And they had hardy begonia, which I still want to find a source for.
Around the Brandywine River Museum/Brandywine Conservatory area, there will likely be asters blooming now, the purple and the dark pink. I find the purple ones quite cheerful. 🙂 They should also have many other fall-blooming native plants.
Pots of chrysanthemums are very popular around this time. Mom’s allergic, so we don’t try and grow those, but Mom does have to dodge around the displays of chrysanthemums by the entrances to grocery stores.
One year I tried to grow fall-blooming crocus. I think the saffron crocus is quite pretty. I didn’t try to collect the stamens to dry for saffron, though. 🙂 It was too close in appearance (and location!) for me to tell for sure what was Crocus speciocus and what was saffon. Another was Crocus ochroleucum. Let’s just assume I’m mangling the spelling of the Latin names. 😛
1. It’s complicated, CA just recently released a color coded Covid-19 state chart detailing where numbers are higher, hoping (I think) to simplify things. I’m more confused, so there’s that! 😀 I’d rate it a 3 but because of my being immune-compromised, I’m acting as though it’s a 4.
2. I am continuing to restrict my movements. I would assign a 4 to my own freedom of movement.
3. I purchased three bottles. Jessica McClintock for $16, Shalimar Souffle Intense for $35, and Rem Eau de Parfum by Reminiscence for $37. Slightly above my total purchases for last year but much lower than previous years.
4. I continue to wear perfume every day. I seem to be wearing more comfort scents.
5. Nothing much that I’m aware of.
6. Now that we’re months into the pandemic, with potentially months yet to go, tell us about your best coping strategies! Or, feel free to share something — anything! — wonderful with us. (And of course, if you’re struggling, do feel free to share that too. We’ve all been there…)
Oops. To answer #6. I’m doubling down on eating healthy. It’s tough not to get out and walk, but I’ve got a nice collection of Youtube Fitness Videos to watch, resistance bands, hand weights, and a couple of Yoga DVDs that I enjoy. I’m reading quite a bit to avoid watching the news – it’s all too much for me to take in.
We had a round of layoffs at work, 131 folks lost their jobs. Mine is safe, for now but who knows what’s next? So I’m focusing on my classes, and the work that’s right in front of me.
Looks like I’ll be doing workout videos this week, too! No way I’m taking my daily walks with all this smoke in the air. I have literal tapes–Leslie Sansone, Susan Powter, other random things I bought in the 90’s, I think. Didn’t even occur to me to try youtube!
For Youtube videos, I love Jessica Smith TV (her Frenchie dog is cute!) and Blogilates.
For more intensive and detailed coaching The Fit Mother Project and Redefining Strength are excellent. They include advanced coaching with detailed queues.
And I want to recommend some other wonderful fitness folks that I’ve found on Youtube:
In addition to Adriene’s yoga, Five Parks Yoga and SarahBeth yoga have been keeping me sane.
For fitness workouts – weights, body weight only, abs and HIIT, I really enjoy FitnessBlender, PopSugar, Rebecca Louise and most of all, HASFit.
Great recommendation, I’d forgotten about FitnessBlender and PopSugar. I’ll look up the yoga videos also. 🙂
Susan Powter! Whoa,!that takes me back!
I don’t miss only eating 6 g of fat at each meal, but I always liked her energy and compassion.
Souffle Intense purchase twins! I was very pleased with it, and it will slow me from a blind buy of the new Philtre.
I know, the new Philtre sounded so intriguing! I had to talk myself down off a ledge.
That, and my hubby was clear about divorce papers forthcoming…. 😀
1.)We went to level 2 lockdown at the beginning of September.Most of the economic sector is open,they unbanned the sale of tobacco(yeah,I know Robin,lol)and alcohol(I don’t drink at all so did not bother me).
It is a criminal offence and you can be served with a fine under the Disaster Management act if you do not wear a mask in any public space.Social distancing is mandatory at two metres between people.Restaurants/cinemas are open,limited to 50 people max.Sport events/concerts/clubbing and international leisure travel remains closed for now.But we are hearing rumors level 1 is near.We were at level 5 for April/May,and level 4 most of Winter,which really had a positive impact in containing a rapid spike.Plus warmer weather might slow down infection rate even more.
2.)My own movement is at Level 4.Apart from essential shopping and work,and a stroll on the estate sometimes,I don’t leave the house.I am looking at new homes through virtual tours,and when I have made a top 5,only then will I go and see them in person.I also never leave without a mask,sanitizer,and I have not worn jewelry since the start of this.Nobody has visited my home since March level 5,also.
3.)I have not bought any fragrances this year.Not even a fragrant showergel or candle.I’ve used what I have.
4.)I have worn much less perfumes,it seemed kinda pointless sometimes,and other times I oversprayed with abandon to try and get me out of the funk.I am currently somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.
5.)Blooms!Blooms everywhere!It is the start of Spring over here,all the fruit trees on the estate,clivias in bright orange and red…my tuberoses are starting to emerge from their winter sleep,I hope I have flowers this year.Also,I got a weed plant(legal now in my country),just for the hell of it.Haha!
6.)It is no secret to my NST buddies that I have had super-highs and SUPER-lows these past few months.Music has kept me sane,plus the fact that as a Nurse I could continue work in a somewhat “new-normal” way.Other than that,I have been house hunting,which kept me fairly occupied.I actually lead a very quiet life,and I prefer it that way.
Happy Weekend guys and girls!
XO
Have a good weekend
I envy your quiet live as mine is always colorful and loud with my two little ones
Sometimes I envy that lifestyle as well,but we make the best of our choices!
I’ve been thinking about you!Is your moving underway yet?
XO
Yes, we are mostly unpacked. I think I was so stressed my back was hurting and I didn’t sleep well ?
The littles ones are very happy and enjoy having a real bedroom to share.
If you saw the amount of clothes I donated you would of ?!!! I had to do a closet cleaning.. if you lived closer I would of given you my Walter Baker jacket. It would look really sexy on you.
OMG!Haha!That would have been awesome!But I hope your fabulous destash found good homes!
I’m glad the kids are happy,and I hope you are as well!
When is the housewarming,I need to book a flight.Haha.?✌?
It all went to the goodwill, and some I will send to my sister in law, like a cool Missoni cardigan.
Wonderful,and I immediately thought of Taylor Swift’s Cardigan song.Lol.Have never been a fan untill this last album.Whoever shops at that goodwill will look like a million bucks.?
?
🙂
Haha.Both noted.??
Good morning, all. I’m in smoky Seattle. Went salmon fishing yesterday (yes, also in the smoke and the water was a bit rough, but it was long-planned birthday present for our sons). We did catch 4 Coho and had one for dinner. It was incredible. Long story short, I didn’t wear fragrance yesterday, so I am participating in the CP in DSHPerfumes Lumiere lotion today!
1. Rate virus restrictions in my area:
I think we’re between a 2 and a 3.
2. Do I restrict my movements/exposure?
I guess I’m between a 2 and a 3 as well. I go to the grocery store more often – masked, of course and try for less popular times – and have sat outside at microbreweries where I felt they were careful about separation of tables and sanitizing. But I’m overall very careful.
3. Pandemic fragrance shopping
I’ve definitely made more purchases than usual, but I don’t feel it’s way out of control.
4. How has the pandemic changed your fragrance habits and usage?
Perfume usage is about the same. Definitely more online “window” shopping. Perfume is one of my happy places.
5. What’s blooming in your local area at the moment?
Some gorgeous little ground covers and my roses are still at it.
6. Coping strategies
Coping: Walking, walking and more walking. Plus indoor exercise. Plus keeping in touch with others. Plus my church’s women’s group. Plus NST < really.
I was stressed but doing okay early on. Now that we've added fires and smoke, I feel fairly anxious and worried about everyone in the west. But soldiering on.
What a great birthday present, so glad you had a succesfull catch! Did they love it?
Yes, thanks, we all did!
Nice you had the chance to go fishing! And great catch! How did you prepare them?
Grilled the salmon I caught last night (ahem, it was the largest one! *pats self on back*) and we’ll likely sous vide another (youngest son) and smoke the rest (oldest son) . It’s all in the freezer now – no smoking at the moment!
Virtual high five for family fishing trips! I know that was tasting *right*
Can’t get salmon any fresher than that, I’ll bet it tastes fabulous!
Sending rain to the west ?
Finally moved in and settled. It only took two days of work (The technician coming one day and then the next day) but we finally have internet. I don’t know why (a company I will not mention) can’t get their act together.
Shalimar body cream and I also smell like soap from the shower ?
Asked and answered!Lol!I’m glad you are settled!How is the Shalimar lotion’s texture?I tried a version once,but it felt slightly sticky,but also very thin consistency.
We should email asap.
XO
The Shalimar I guess is a bit thin, but the smell stays forever! Deva can weigh in..
You can email me anytime ?
?
Do you want to share you r email , I don’t have it
Oh lol,yes of course!
johanob at vodamail dot co dot za.Looking forward to a great catchup!Send pics!
Happy Sunday!
??
Yay, so glad you are in and getting settled!
And you don’t need to mention the company because none of them can get their act together ?
Yay – so glad to hear you are moved in! I knew that you were moving but missed the original post – I hope it was a move that you wanted to make. And good job with your closet-clearing.
Thank you for the ?, ltsg – I’m looking forward to it more than usual this year.
1. We are in 2 here in New York. Most places are open, but the capacity is still restricted. Private schools are open already and public school will open in 7 days.
2. I am still in 4. I go outside to run the necessary errands and take walks. No extra activities for me like dining outside or meeting friends, etc yet. My old, sick mother lives with me, so I have to be extra careful with my movements.
3. Since the last poll when I had bought several bottles, I have only gotten a 10ml decant of HG Vivacious. It was not a purchase related to the pandemic. I was going to get it either way.
4. Since I have been working from home, I have had the opportunity to wear different scents during the day. I have finished lots of samples and several decants and full bottles. I have been spraying lavishly. I would have never been able to do that if I had been working in the office.
5. There is a gorgeous jasmine tree in my neighbor’s backyard that is in full bloom now. The smell is intoxicating. I don’t remember that tree in bloom this time of the year, but it is there wafting all its scent.
I have also seen few dahlias and hydrangeas. Rose bushes have small buds again. It will take a couple of weeks for them to be in full bloom.
6. The best strategy for me has been limiting the amount of news I read or watch. I am very busy with work, so that and the health issues of my mom and my doggy have my mind occupied most of the time. I have days that I feel down, but I know I can’t afford to dwell in anxiety or depression for too long. My perfume hobby has been of great help during these difficult times.
We are on the same levels,basically.
I hope your Mom and Yei is okay!I still owe you a proper email as well,but some days even brushing my teeth is a tedious chore…
I promise to do the email asap!
Hope you have an awesome weekend,M!??
Thank you, J! I hope you also have a great weekend! ??
I hope your pup is doing better today. 🙂
Thank you, ST! I hope he gets better soon!
1 – We’re relatively open, so I would call it a 2. Schools here are on a blended remote plan, shopping is generally easy to access, but many stores close earlier in the evening than previously. Restaurants have some tables open, but not all. Gyms have reopened with limited numbers of clients and available equipment. The library is open, but requires an appointment.
2 – To some extent, I’m functioning rather like before, but in a mask. My kids are grown, although I have one home right now who graduated in May. (It’s not a friendly job market out there, but we’re trying.) I’m grocery shopping a couple of times a week, and we’ve been eating some carry-out. Pleasure shopping doesn’t happen much, and I try to avoid weekend crowds. We’ve only eaten at a restaurant twice, and that was when we could take advantage of outdoor seating. I haven’t returned to the gym or the library, but I get out for walks and try to exercise here at home.
3 – I haven’t bought any bottles for quite a long time, but I was already in that mode. Now, this isn’t to say I’m not walking around trying to justify purchasing about 3 things! Chanel Paris-Venise is one, even though I generally shy away from sweet. I may be looking for comfort with that one. Others: anything orange-centric has been a recent theme, but my themes shift rapidly.
4 – I’ve not been using as much fragrance as I usually would, but that’s for multiple reasons. One in particular is that we’re having some house issues, and I don’t want to associate my perfumes with a rather trying episode.
5 – Blooming flowers: red Knockout Rose, Rose of Sharon, sweet autumn clematis (which smells great this year), a small lantana, the end of black eyed susans, and an odd little bunny tail-looking annual whose name I don’t recall. I believe the hosta have finished blooming.
6- Reducing my news consumption has been great.
I feel for recent college grads who are ready to launch and then have to face the pandemic 🙁
SotD = Le Lion
with many thanks to hajusuuri (Our kind and generous Lady of the Perfumed Packages) for the spectacularly quick split!
I really like wearing Le Lion. It smells so familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. Yes, there’s the Shalimar-adjacent aura, but there is also something that makes me think of Vol de Nuit maybe? Not so much the notes but the feeling of a beautifully put together creation that purrs along with grace and ease.
1. I think my soCal area is a 2, most things are open, some things are not.
2. I’m at a 3. I do necessary errands, go to the grocery store a few times a month, and exercise outside daily (except not now due to the poor air quality), but I deliberately avoid unnecessary trips to public places.
3. I bought bottles of spray hand sanitizers from Sigil Scent and Sarah Horowitz Parfums, gotta support small indy businesses! Almost nothing else to report, trying to enjoy what I’ve already accumulated.
4. I wear less scent and apply less often. This is the opposite of what I thought I would do while working from home. It’s mostly because my house is small, and my family notices the little bit of perfume I wear, and we’re all together a LOT.
5. Daylilies and nasturtiums are blooming now. They both have a delicately sweet greenish scent.
6. “The cure for anything is salt water — sweat, tears, or the sea.” — Isak Dinesen.
I try to work up a sweat with exercise every day. Usually choose two, three, or four from this list: walking, weights, jump rope, biking, hiking, Chloe Ting, and Yoga with Adriene.
Sometimes I sit down on my couch and have a little cry. It helps.
And I visit the beach often to walk or swim or both, usually on a weekday to avoid crowds.
Take good care, fragrance friends! You are important to me. 🙂
*socially distanced hug from Portland *
That quote from Isak Dinesen is perfect.
Yes it is.
socially distant warm hugs right back at ya! 😀
Love this whole post and esp the quote, Tiffanie! And yes, hajusuuri is super kind and generous (and so many others here, as well)!
thanks, springpansy! 😀 we are so fortunate to have this space to share.
I’m jealous of your swimming! When we lived in San Diego, we’d go either snorkeling or boogie boarding most weekends and for swims after work, too. Those were the days! (except the commute and traffic).
ha! yes the traffic can be a chore, though these days the roadways are much easier to navigate with so many people working from home. 🙂
Take care of yourself Tiffanie! I need my Hermes buddy to be healthy.
same to you, sistine! we’re fragrance friends forever 😀
Yes it is.
🙂
Be safe, and be well tiffanie!
thanks, Jalapeno! take care 🙂
1. virus-related restrictions:2
2. 4, mainly due to my avoiding planes and trains. as my partner and I live in a different country from both of our families, I feel quite a restricted in that sense. on a daily basis It’s more like a 2.
3. After a pretty strict hiatus, when I bought a few. I’ll confess to our lady Donatella when the time comes. I miss going to the shops to smell existing or old fragrances.
4. I spritz more and sometimes refresh or change up during the day. Things I never did in the office…
5. No idea what is blooming, but lots of fruit ripening: plums and apples ?
6. Looking ahead to xmas – this will be the first time in recent memory I won’t spend Christmas with either my own or my husbands family. I think we won’t be able to travel where we need to go. So that is strange and a bit sad. However – at least that’s an excuse to buy and decorate our own xmas tree for the first time ever??
So many plum, pears and apples where I am! I have been picking and putting up in the freezer for later on this winter.
Where are you picking, Ede? Neighborhood trees or going out to farms or elsewhere? There’s a pear tree down the road, and I’ve tried knocking on the neighbor’s door to ask if they have more than they want, but they didn’t answer. 🙁
I have been picking at neighborhood trees- plums, apples, figs, pears- all within 6 blocks of my house. People have been very nice and tell me to pick away like I own the place. Same with cherries earlier this summer.
Maybe I’ll be brave and knock again some time! (Of course, now they’re a rare delicacy–smoked pears!)
Wow – lucky you ☺️ It’s great to have that fresh fruit, but then one does get somewhat tired of it after the first burst. When I was a kid we had a mango tree, and the first few mangoes were bliss! But then on after a week of mangoes there were just too many and my mom also froze loads. Then when the season was over it was a joy to have a mango pudding.
Ha!
My family is originally from Central America, and the flushes of fresh fruit are NO JOKE. Anytime I would go visit, the mangoes were ALWAYS on my radar; a tree ripened mango is utterly and complete bliss; you taste why Varuna chose a mango tree to rest. Same with he various avocados, sapotes, guanabanas and so on. So much of he fruit is preserved in sugar as jam or frozen. Any sugar craving I would have visiting my family would vanish with all of those wonderful sun ripened fruit.
Now, up here, I eat a piece or two of fruit a day for either dessert or a snack or I will bake into goods, so I really lucky to have all of this available to me.
1) I would say that Portland is at a 3 right now. There are those in other metro areas in Oregon who carried as a 1, with resulting infection cases and deaths to show for it. Now with the wildfires, everyone has pre existing conditions.
2) I have carried on between 3&4 for so long. Yes, I am your sweary hip hop girl but I also have degrees in biochemistry/philosophy and certificates in systems science. Given what I know and have been trained in, I am gonna carry on with Skype happy hours and mailing letters and gifts the old fashioned way.
4) I had no idea, or really did keep track of, how much commuting to work cost me in terms of money, energy and time. Working from home freed up a lot of money and time to do projects and appreciate what I have. So I have been wearing those fragrances and scented products that I would put aside. I also felt more to spring for those items for everyday wfh. Why not wear 1000 after lifting weights and changing into wfh muumuu? Why not wear Cap Neroli after installing braids? Use that Tauer Soap!
3) I bought 1000 and Joy because they are discontinued, re- upped on Cap Neroli because I love it, The Organic Pharmacy Dry Vanilla Oil because it smells lovely and gives the skin a beautiful glow. I want to test the Le Lion- just got my package from fairy godmother H and want to try in better air conditions.
( I also bought new clothing for Wfh and because somehow I am back to 6ish, almost 4 in jeans. )
5) Here in Portland the last of the late summer blooms – daisies, queen anne lace, anemone and such- are just about done. My herbs garden had since flowered and set seed. My tomatoes are still blossoming and will continue to set fruit , but the squash are tired.
6) coping strategies for me have been to read, practice my calligraphy, tinker in the garden, lift weights, do Pilates, contribute to bail funds, Skype phone calls, and improving my technical skills. Or stare out a window, and think. And imagine.
Thank you for supporting bail for folks!
How are you feeling with the smoke? I had to go out briefly today and run an errand (pick up pain meds for the geriatric kitty), and I’ve sounded like a smoker the last hour–all husky like a 1940’s dame in a movie.
I am sounding like you! I did a couple of things but have been close to home today. I think I may make some chicken broth as the highlight of my day.
What a wonderful list! And thank you for supporting bail for people!
1000 and Joy are discontinued? Ugh. 😯
1) it’s all about helping each other!
2) Yes, Patou fragrances are now discontinued so if you like these classic dames snatch them up!
I’m with you on the #4 why nots – why not wear diamond earrings with no makeup, why not waft clouds of sophisticated perfume with yoga pants.
YES!
Now you have inspired me to put n my diamond earrings when shopping at the supermarket with my mask and muumuu!
Covid: We went from having no cases in the country to about 100 now. Everyone arriving in the country has to spend 14 days in a govt. run isolation facility (quarantine hotels)…even film stars. About a month ago someone in the community tested positive ( source unknown) and that contact group has grown to about 70 people . This meant that Auckland ( pop. 1.7 million) went into lockdown, with no travel while the rest of the country went to level 2 ( social,distancing, restrictions on gatherings, masks on public transport etc.). After a month the cluster seems to be contained with one or two new cases a day.
Personally: i work from home and am not very social. I can go to the library so I am happy.
Privately: i think my mother’s death and Alex’s cancer scare have suddenly whacked me. This has got worse recently but I just let it in, and talk to my grief, and it is fine.
Wonderful: life. Being still. Watching the birds building their nests. Hearing bird calls from returning species and knowing it means spring. The night sky. Walks in the cemetery, learning as much as I can about the people buried there which gives me a sense of history, and community. Spending time alone. Writing. Albatrosses. My husnabd and son. Wine. Reading. NST?
Nature: The tarata ( pittosporum, lemonwood) is in flower, like the scent of mimosa but with a bit of lemon. The green paddocks across the valley, leaves on the trees. Magnolias, cherry blossom, rhododendrons, daffodils, freesias.
Perfume: Saffran Troublant. From the sample bag.Absolutely love it.
I don’t know why there is a ? After NST. I pressed the wrong key. It should be NST!!!!!!
I love walking through cemeteries! There’s a very old one just down the road from our house, and I walk through it often and wonder at the folks who’ve been laid to rest there.
I have learnt so much more about the history of my city and country from delving into the lives of the buried than any other way. It has that feel of social history and personal history often lacking in books. i love the way you start with one human and by following their biography you get a pathway into city, regional, national, international events and cultural change. And it is entirely random.
I haven’t been especially organized in my curiosity, however they do run a very excellent tour of the cemetary on Halloween called the “Tour of the Untimely Departed.” Local actors dress up as folks who are buried there, and as you walk by, they tell the story of their lives and deaths. It’s fantastic!
Islands seem to be doing well during this pandemic. The figures in my country are not good at all, unfortunately.
Good to hear that you are just letting the sad feelings happen.
We are moving towards autumn here and have had some glorious September weather; crisp mornings and lots of sunshine.
Glad you’re finding some treasures! I love Safran Troublant, I have a FB that I bought back in 2015.
Saffran Troublant gets a lot of love here at NST.
1) were at 3-light4. Restaurants 50% or less, hair salon has pretty dramatic changes, my gym/pool is still closed.
2) I’m personally at the same or higher. Mask always, no more just strolling a store for entertainment, but I’ve added socially distant cocktails outside with the neighbors and my best friend.
3)I bought a couple of candles as I’m home more so I burn more, but not much else. New ankle boots!
4) I wear something everyday but I’ve now been willing to go stronger once in awhile as no one else will mind. I just switched up my spring/summer stash for fall/winter. I made the seasonal closet switch too so I’m all set for colder weather.
5) Daylilies, some hosta still have flowers and although my hyacinth bean is done flowering it has its dramatic pods forming. Rose hips are getting red. Sedum will bloom this week or next.
6) I read. Take a daily walk and stay off social media. My house has never been so clean and organized. I like to bake. I’m a self entertaining girl but I do miss seeing my friends in person.
Ha, I was just thinking maybe I would buy new ankle boots even though I am not going much of anywhere this fall.
I love hyacinth bean, & have not had any in years. They look so nice on a fence. I should get some seeds now for next year.
Broke out the PG Cuir d’Iris at bedtime last night, and today I’m in Tam Dao – not sure if our weather really has changed or if the smoke layer is blocking out the warmth of the sun, but it has been a bit chilly here all of a sudden. Our venerable vacuum cleaner, which has been shedding non-essential parts of itself for years, finally broke in a more final way yesterday. Mr. G agreed it was time for a replacement … so I get to go play with a new toy this afternoon. Hashtag vacuumingfool. 🙂
I think we ridiculously have 4 or 5 vacuums right now (and a house full of hardwoods and laminate). Could probably spare one, if you want an old freebie. Admittedly, not as fun as a NEW one.
Thank you, but too late – I dragged him down to Stark’s yesterday afternoon. Spent a bit more than either of us expected to, but we did that on the last one too and it kept going for 15+ years, so I have high expectations for this new one as well. Switched from an upright to a canister, so I’m getting used to a whole new world of vacuuming.
LOL! Yes, that can be an adjustment. Our best vacuum is a canister-style beast from the 80’s, I think. Dad bought it refurbished and then passed it along to me when he tore up his carpet. Scary amount of suction, but a pain going up/down stairs!
We’re at Level 2 where I live in New Zealand, with a few more restrictions in Auckland, where there has been a small outbreak. Our Level 2 fits very nicely with Robyn’s definitions. We’re living very much our normal quiet lives – my beloved and I aren’t the party animals we once were 🙂
I’ve bought a few FBs that I might otherwise not have bought. I was saving for an overseas trip next year (perfume shopping in Paris!), but I’ve got at least another year to save for that.
My new lockdown perfume habit while I was working from home was to wear three different perfumes every day, and keep a note. Now that I’m back in the office, I’m not changing perfume so often, but I’m still keeping the notes.
Blooming locally – it’s spring here, so blossom trees, magnolia, daffodils, kowhai! Beautiful.
Something wonderful – a lovely trip to see my mother last weekend, and a chance to catch up with Kanuka. She described yesterday the bag of samples I passed on from Scentspirit – that was exactly the reaction I had when Scentspirit’s sister-in-law handed the bag to me!
Now off to do the Sunday morning housework, with lingering traces of last night’s Fêtes Persanes from MDCI. Last week’s CP helped me appreciate how many perfumes I have with cardamom – and inspired me to look for cardmom cake recipes 🙂
So glad you got to visit your mom and Kanuka, Gaynor, and jealous of your spring flowers!
1. We are probably at a 3. We can go shopping at stores but they don’t really want any lingering in the aisles. I’ve noticed an uptick in mask-wearing which is good. My fun for the week is going to the neighbourhood pharmacy where we can also get a few groceries, like eggs and dairy stuff. The pub we used to frequent for lunch is open; we sat outside ‘on our own island’ so to speak. No one around us at least. This was over a month ago! Schools in my area have opened, which kinda surprised me.
2. Still restricting movement although we did visit family in the last few weeks and also went to the beach; we managed to get a great spot on the pier so we weren’t sitting close to anyone that we didn’t know. Kids were being respectful jumping in and out of the water and it was nice seeing people out and trying to have a bit of fun.
3. I got 2 bottles of Vitabath green moisturizer that was at one of our neighbourhood pharmacies. I also purchased a few shower gels for fun (there goes that no-buy).
4. Since working from home, I have been using way more since I am in a no-perfume zone in the office. I would spray myself silly a few times a day. I am trying to enjoy what I have right now. I can ‘window shop’ online and add to cart, but then not actually purchase anything.
5. Everything is pretty much done in the garden for me; my lavatera is still flowering quite profusely; the bees are still enjoying it. Apples and peaches are in abundance now and grapes should be ready soon. I tried just growing plants from seed this year since there were no trips to the garden centre. I was surprised how successful most things were. I will definitely do that again next year!
6. I’ve been watching alot of Netflix series to keep things light – watched all of Schitt’s Creek. Also started watching shows that I never thought I would – guys fixing up muscle cars – like Fast ‘N Loud, Misfit Garage. It keeps things entertaining and takes your mind off the obvious.
I like your definition of “window shopping” online. I do that too, put things in my cart to think about. But I’ve noticed an annoying uptick in reminder emails or texts asking me if I’ve forgotten to purchase?
Or clicking through a site once (I’ll use Rent the Runway as an example) and I then got DAILY emails from them! Good grief I was just looking at what you offered, I have NO events and no intention of renting a designer cocktail dress! Stop bothering me.
Or maybe I should rent that teal green Vera Wang, it would look spectacular as I took out the garbage.
LOL! I’ve been thinking about “showing up” to my Friday live classes in a dress each week, just to have an excuse to wear them again. The girls would probably appreciate it.
Well I hope that they had the sense to accessorize the dress with a tiara for those weekly garbage duties, then it’s a “maybe”!
I’m sure you WOULD look spectacular. Your neighbours might wonder a bit though.
I also watched all of Schitt’s Creek and would easily watch it all over again — hillarious and quite powerful to see these lives change from season to season. I cannot wait for the last season to be available.
I watched it earlier this year and then watched the last season online. Great fun, really happy Jessica kept saying how good it was.
I’ve been watching a couple of things on the Motortrend Channel that my cable company has for mindless fun. One is the British version of “Top Gear”, and the other is a series called “Roadkill”. That one is about a couple of guys who go into junkyards and see if they can fix a car enough so it can run on its own power. They’ve also had a few rather weird custom builds from their junkyard finds. My brother got me into watching that.
1. 2.5; masks being worn everywhere, temps being taken before any building gathers and looks like NYC is moving to indoor dining at 25% capacity.
2. I don’t believe we’ll do the indoor dining. The outdoor dining has it’s own dangers given that seating is not only on the sidewalk but in the street which is nerve wracking. There’s a lot of thought that goes into sitting outdoors and we’re finding that the restaurants on corners where they can sit you not on the avenue but on the cross street is the best option. Also prefer restaurants not under scaffolding which seems to be everywhere in NYC!
3. I would say my purchasing has increased a bit but not a lot. I’ve had more interest these past 3-4 months in sampling again and have headed to eBay for this.
4. WFH has meant I need to ease up on orientals and stronger scents as I’m home with my husband all day whose nose is highly sensitive. I will say he’s been very good and for the most past I’ve gotten away with more than I had expected 🙂
5. Not much, sadly. Things are actually starting to wilt and die as the summer comes to a close and fall is near. However(!) my neighbor brought back from her upstate home the most amazing dahlias and I’ve enjoyed these pink beauties immensely.
6. What is helpful for my wellbeing is long walks in the park every day. I usually make my way over to the path along the Hudson River and allow my senses to enjoy what I see, smell, hear, etc. I also have regular afternoon tea time with toast, butter & jam (especially love the tomato jam same neighbor from above gave me). Being intentional about keeping much of my life simple and free from complicated stuff and leaning into the ‘the big slow down’ as I like to call it.
SOTD: just a little bit of Cuir d’Ange
I’m the same with you on not dining in nor do I feel comfortable dining outdoors!
We are mostly open but some dine in restaurants are still carry out. Most grocery stores have reduced hours. Even the prepared foods, delis and bakeries in grocery stores are closing at least 3 or4 hours before the rest of the store does.
A lot of other places are doing advanced reservations, and some of them you need to do a week in advance. But we haven’t really been going anywhere.
Finally on vacation and finishing up a candle. I think in another hour, it will be finished. Wore Lyric this morning and trying to decide on which to wear next. Hedonist, vintage BaV, Epic. Just too many choices. We are expecting storms tonight and tomorrow.
Hope you are enjoying your vacation Dawn!
1. I think we’re at a 2.5. Lots of people out and about, from my perspective.
2. I am continuing to restrict my own movements. I’d say I’m at a 3.5 to 4. I want to reduce as much as I can my exposure to the other folks zipping around town. The more I learn about the virus, the more seriously I take the risks to my health, and the health of those around me.
3. I’ve been buying too much of everything during the pandemic. I’m clearly logged into my computer wwaaaaayyy too much, and I’ve used the life restrictions as a rationalization for online purchases.
4. I don’t think my perfume wearing has changed all that much. I have done a couple of bargain basement buying sprees, to cheer myself up when I’ve had a particularly trying day.
5. Have no idea if anything is blooming, and think it’s unlikely that much is, given my desert environment. And, frankly, for the past several weeks, everything’s been covered in smoke, so that’s been an added restrictive factor to noticing the arrival of anything floral.
6. I’m reading more print books. I’ve decided that I love the public library system even more than I did before (and I’ve been a lifelong fan). Curbside pickup, baby.
I too am so grateful for the public library. I do e-books but what a savings since so many books I end up having no interest in after a few chapters.
My library’s hours are not friendly to people who work a regular shift ??♀️. Normally it’s open on Saturdays all year and on Sundays except during the summer; now it has shorter hours and not open at all on weekends!
My little town’s library hours have also been drastically cut over the past several years, sadly. If it were up to me, librarians would be viewed as heroes and their work would be supremely well funded.
Library curbside pickup is wonderful!
1. We’re probably at 2. Too loose for what’s reasonable really. All stores require masks but restaurants seem to be pretty lax.
2. I’m about a 3 I guess. I do some grocery shopping and have gone clothes shopping a few times. I met a friend in my “bubble” to go jewelry shopping this afternoon at a small boutique that had a sale. It was so much fun! I bought a very beautiful jade Buddha pendant set in gold.
3. I can hardly remember buying any new bottles since March. I’ve bought some decants and gone in on splits or testers. I bought small travel bottles of one Zoologist and one St. Clair Scents.
4. No difference.
5. It’s so hot now… I have portulaca and red begonias. I see yellow lantana, purple sage flowers, and a lot of hibiscuses. Saw one gorgeous frangipani and almost drove off the road staring at it. My porch potted pepper plant has four peppers now! I’m so thrilled! I have kept four nice-sized poinsettias alive on my porch for the first time ever after Christmas. Usually they get burned up and die. They’ve really grown. I’ll be interested to see whether they turn red this December.
6. Lots of late night binge series watching. Favorites are Babylon Berlin, A Place to Call Home, and now Young Wallender. My main activity has been cooking and posting pictures on Facebook and Instagram. I try to do meals that are healthy, pretty, easy, tasty, and not meat heavy. Tonight I’m doing a lentil okra stew.
SOTD is Fils de Dieu, left over from the CP. I posted late last night. Yesterday I wore Chinatown. It was my mother’s birthday and I was so happy we got to share a fun time at an outdoor visit. First time in six months! It was so nice despite the no touching rules.
Yay for fun times outdoors with mom!
And please keep your eyes on the road! Actually, I can totally relate to this when I’m out for walks/jobs. I get captivated by something in nature and bam, I’m into a tree or fence or whatever. Not good.
Lentil okra stew sound wonderful, but we have been indulging in oven-fried okra this season. I did not have a garden this year, but okra is so easy to grow. I love it every way: even boiled and sappy, though of course that is a 1960’s elementary school cafeteria memory.
Happy Birthday to your mom! I’m so glad you were able to visit.
Belated Happy Birthday to your Mom! How nice that you were able to have a visit in person.
Glad that you were able to keep poinsettias alive! The last few years I’ve overwintered geraniums in my garage with success. I’m going to try my Heuchera in the garage this year.
Belated birthday wishes to your mom! Also, we were scent twins yesterday (Saturday)!
1. Southern Indiana town; we are about 2 or 1.75. BUT we are a college town and there have been problems with…yes, you guessed it….student parties. Restaurants were opened by June, with reduced seating, and the city authorities recently installed removable traffic pylons to allow weekend open air tables and foot traffic on the streets around the main entertainment area. It is rare to see anyone without a mask. Overall, life seem close to normal except for social distancing awareness and the wearing of masks. The U gave all students a logo mask, and I see virtually all the young, student-aged wearing them, even walking around in more open areas.
2. My freedom of movement is and has been all along a 1, but that’s because I am a homebody and mostly do outdoor activities (not movies and concerts for example). I wear a mask when inside, as required by local ordinance, but if I am outside and 6 or more feet away from anyone, I take it off. I go out to eat with DH, and we of course don’t have to mask once seated. I keep hand sanitizer and wipes with me. I only do phone and porch visits with friends. No in-person religious services yet, but I am air travelling to a wedding next week. Statiscally, I am high risk on two counts, but I am not risk-averse by nature. I want to protect others, but I have not felt very much worry about myself. DH agrees.
3. LOL – my part-time furlough was very dangerous. FragNet sent me some of the bigger coupons, and I tossed several Guerlains and some oddities in my cart. I am ready to recommend the super-cheap Eau de Royal Secret to patchouli lovers, BTW, if anyone is shopping FN today…. 🙂 Oh, and Ebay loves me more than ever. But I did find some vintage goodies on the cheap, and I finally got Arpege and 4711.
4. Our office has only urgent in person client meetings, and I worked in the lobby, rooms away from any co-worker or conference room, so I ‘fumed up on several days. Azuree anyone? Did I wear Youth Dew?
5. Marigolds and zinnias: so many beautiful zinnias! I have a nice patch of tuberous begonia that the deer have temporarily forgotten about. Oh, and Queen Anne’s Lace along the roads – I just love it.
6. For my part, I am still hopeful that COVID will run it course sooner rather than later. I hope those who want or need to shelter to a high degree will continue to reach out to and to find understanding from employers and support from friends and neighbors. I have seen a lot of that in my corner of the world. I think everyone can find something “essential” to do that supports people on the “front line!”
Some of those online coupons can be very dangerous!
It is so good that your dh agrees with you. More than once I have wondered what would happen if my dh did not feel about the same as I do re: covid…it must be a real source of strife for some couples.
We live in FL. Right now we have a tropical storm passing and it had been raining super hard all day. Water is up to the knees!!
My Floridian MIL used to call those storms “frog-chokers.”
1. I would say it was almost a 5 in April but now it’s more like a 1.5… the groceries stores took away the arrows off the shopping aisles floors, and some offices are opening up. Well I will say it is a 2. because we still aren’t allowed a crown in a waiting room at SOME doctors… Plus everybody has to wear a mask. 2. I wear my mask when I leave the house, wash my hands a lot etc… 3. Both my mom and I have been shopping online MORE and we both blame it on the pandemic stress:) I bought my MOST beloved fragrance from 14 years ago… Nomad Tea followed by an Aqua Allegorias Teazzurra which arrived to me today (yay!!) And in a tropical storm weather the poor mailman handed me the package… So far I like it a lot. My Nomad Tea will ALWAYS be my number one forever (along with Sticky Cake) because the first time I smelled it 14 years ago I had like an immediate shock of electricity run through my body.. I couldn’t even believe it!! I was breathless… Speachless.. because of it’s beauty!! I smelled EXACTLY the cup of tea that I personally drink!! Strong, dry aroma of mint tea (yes, not a tea and mint but a real MintTea) with a sugar cube. This is all I smelled. Then as I wore it as perfume…ahhhhh I was in bliss. My realistic tea wore perfectly GORGEOUS on my body as perfume. We can enjoy looking at a beautiful rose in real life or we can admire a gourgeous painting of that rose… CdG has painted the most beautiful portrait of my most favorite thing in the world.. MY cup of tea… Teazzurra has nicely surprised me though. If Nomad Tea will always be my number 1 not just from tea but all perfumes ever (along with Sticky Cake that is) and it’s irreplaceable for me… Then Teazzurra will get a 2nd place for now as a tea fragrance… (Yes everything else other than Nomad Tea could possibly be replaceable:)) Teazzurra itself (trying not to compare it to my NT) smells of good tea, a bit dry and strong (how I like it) with a beautiful bergamot but it is much of a drier bergamot Accord than they use in Early Grey tea (I love Earl Grey tea too). Later it turns more perfumey Wich is nice because it softens it a little bit. So I have been buying perfumes… My mom has been buying diamond rings!! (We are not rich – far from it:)) one for herself and a child’s one which will be a gift to my daughter and her granddaughter. 4. Since the pandemic stress had me buy perfumes, I also am enjoying my perfumes a lot. I actually buy perfumes more for me to smell on me than other people:) but it’s nice to get a compliment of smelling great once in a while!! 5. My lime tree is blooming and all that rain will be good for our plants!! 6. Prayers to my Higher Power to keep our family safe and healthy is what I have been doing since the pandemic hit…
So glad the unsniffed Teazzurra worked out for you! I don’t always have good luck buying unsniffed, although that doesn’t stop me from doing it 🙂
SOTD = Ormond Jayne Vanille Iris
I have a travel spray and gave it one last go. It is now happily on its way to someone whom I know will appreciate it.
I did a caturday post instead.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFDp5RthlZ_/?igshid=1s0arf4i8794a
Poll responses:
1. NJ is between 1 and 2. There are capacity restrictions and we are required to wear masks; however, I have not seen this being enforced which could be because 1) there are very few violators in the places I go [I stick to the same places] or 2) we’re generally non-confrontational or 3) I have not been to Walmart this year at all
2. I have not traveled more than ~ 10 miles from my house or stayed away long enough to use a public restroom. I wear a mask when I’m inside a public place but not when I’m out on my walk; I do carry a cloth mask, gloves and hand sanitizer at all times. Overall, I say I’m closer to a 3. Tomorrow will be the first time I’ll be seeing my sisters and BIL together in-person since the Before Times! As to dining out – not yet and not about to anytime soon. Surprisingly, I have done more takeout in March – May and actually have not done so since June. I say it’s because I’ve gotten into a groove of preparing all my meals pretty much just in time. I’m not beyond opening a can of chicken noodle soup that I modify to make it less salty and frying an egg to get enough protein.
3. Still naughty with perfume buying so no change ?
4. Since the Before Times and the start of working from home, I’ve worn at least 8 sprays of whatever I chose as SOTD. I’ve re-upped rarely and I have sometimes worn a second perfume, also rarely.
5. No clue what’s blooming.
6. Coping strategies – Outside of work, I have made it a point to walk outside for exercise 3-4x a week but I don’t beat up myself if I don’t. I have also participated in Zoom calls (or IG Live) perhaps 2x a month for perfume sniffalongs (the sets that come with the sessions are reasonably priced and / or provide an equivalent discount)
West Coast people – be safe and stay safe. So far so good with my family in Lake Oswego, OR but they’re probably a wind shift or two away from moving to a Get Ready status. Parts of the county they’re in (Clackamas) had to evacuate. They live near a National Forest which is not good with the raging ?!
Sending safe wishes to your family!
Thanks, lillyjo!
My best friend here just moved back from Lake Oswego! It looked so beautiful out there. She moved there two years ago to be near family, but wound up missing her friends and activities here, so just came back two weeks ago. Her house is sold now but also was on some sort of watch list. She’s the friend I went shopping with today.
This is so timely for your friend! Lake Oswego is really nice: close enough to Portland to enjoy what a city has to offer but also far enough to have its space and views.
I got all excited to finally registered for an online perfume event (sniffapalooza) and then didn’t realize that not everything’s on West Coast Time… 🙂 had to cancel. Next time!
Ooops! I learned to check time zones when I missed the end time for an auction and lost out on getting an item I was hoping to get.
Your Caturday item could be Bill The Cat’s wildly colored cousin…
I’ve been to both of the malls near me one time for each. Very light traffic in both cases, but some people did not have the slightest clue about social distancing or the proper way to wear a mask.
We are getting less carryout than we did in Before Times, which is odd and not what I would have expected. I think it is because I have all the groceries delivered once a week, so that requires more advance planning (I used to pop in stores several times a week) and then we need to eat what we bought.
We exclusively cooked at home for the first four months of the pandemic, but since my birthday, 1.5 months ago, we’ve been getting delivery once a week. It’s really nice not cooking every single meal (especially since 99% of the meal planning and 80 % of the cooking fell to me :-/ ). Also, I love restaurant food 🙂 and supporting local businesses so that they still exist after the pandemic!
We have gone to quiet, secluded beaches a couple times, and have stayed there for maybe three hours, for a total out-of-house time of ~five hours each time. I held my pee both times. I don’t like using public restrooms in the best of times, and I certainly don’t plan to use them now!
I think we’re at 2-3 here in CA and I’m generally in line with that. I do go shopping, both for essential and non-essential items, but not a ton. Haven’t done much outdoor dining except after Yosemite visits, but have met colleagues for coffee and a drink in the last 3 weeks (outside) and it was so wonderful I planed to make it a regular thing. Then the fires hit, and the air quality is so bad now we cannot get together outside either.
Have had regular backyard get togethers with friends – also on hiatus due to smoke.
But – we bought pointe shoes today for older daughter! It took her hours to sew the elastics and ribbons on, but she persisted!
Yay for persisting!
I put NYC at between 2-3. Mainly because indoor dining is still waiting to go to 25%. I’m at a 2, I guess. I don’t restrict my movements at all (except for next 14 days due to travel restrictions coming back from WI) but I wear a mask. I have ridden the subway only to drop off and pick up Agnes. But I take the bus, go into stores, and eat outside when I wish.
I haven’t changed perfume habits other than I’m a bit more likely to wear something louder since I’m just at home more. Haven’t changed buying habits at all.
I don’t feel like I’ve needEd a strategy to cope. I’m naturally an introvert. The only issue is exercise. Walking a lot is a pain with a mask, especially this past summer. So, I’m looking forward to cooler weather and back on track of being at healthy weight and strength. (I guess the biggest strain is commiserating with my extrovert husband.)
Today is relaxing at home after travel. Shaking my head at Delta Airlines, perfectly happy with service, but don’t know how they think a 34 minute layover in Minneapolis-Saint Paul is workable when the walk between gates is almost 20 minutes. Thank goodness our leg to JFK was slightly delayed. Then we came into a JFK terminal with a 20 minute walk to baggage claim. Thank goodness air train was close and subway came right away. (I refused to spend $$$ on a car ride.)
And we won’t do that to Agnes kitty again. She ate okay while we were gone, but hid the whole time. It took us some work to get her into her carrier to take her home…she wouldn’t come out of her corner. But…she has recovered, back to demanding petting and waking me up numerous times in the night with her meowing requests for pets. She even spent a bit more time laying to me than she usually does. All is forgiven I guess. In fact, as I write, she is on the bed with my husband.
I stopped wearing a mask while walking but I know I will need to do so when I go back to the office (date TBD).
I’m glad Agnes recovered and back to being a love bug in accordance with whims only she understands ?.
I don’t wear a mask if I am taking out trash or recyclables. Those are short and quick trips for me. But I do wash my hands thoroughly afterward!
Glad to hear that your trip home was mostly uneventful and that Agnes kitty is OK.
All I can say is that Crapvid closed my office, but we will now work virtual. The good news is that I can move anywhere I want that has good internet. I did a few zoom interviews last week, and was shocked that the two big corporations intended to bring everyone back to the office. I decided that my current company is more forward thinking, and I should stay and move up the food chain a bit.
Blooming is all our orchids, dozens of them. My personal ones are dendrobiums, they are idiot proof. Also frangipani, ylang ylang, Jasmine, gardenia.
Hard to smell perfumes. Contrary to the hysterical and divisive news people, most in south Florida wear masks. No, we are not all sick and overwhelmed in our hospitals. Like every storm we ride it out and don’t flinch. Even now movies are open. I think only bars have a problem, and it is due to the ones who used the clean air act loophole and it’s come back to bite them. If you kept your food sales less than alcohol, you can allow indoor smoking. The law allowed reopening of places with food sales higher than alcohol. So, catering to a small minority of the population caused them to not be able to reopen at all. Stupid. Sorry but smoking is disgusting indoors.
Buying cheap stuffs only. Bath and beyond, body shop. Crocs! I never have to wear professional clothes anymore. Sort of sad for the nice shoes I bought last year.
You can still wear your nice shoes except no one else will see them except yourself ?.
Curious to know, for the right opportunity, would you go for a job that will eventually require you to go into the office or have you decided to rule out all companies that may eventually require attendance in person?
Shoes – I find myself wondering if foot doctors are dealing with injuries from people going barefoot around the house more … or if those doctors are all sitting around with nothing to do because not wearing shoes is so much better for feet. ?
That was a wonderful article and very helpful. I sent it along to some friends for whom it would be beneficial.
There are so many late summer beauties in bloom that I will sorely miss shortly. My morning glories (heavenly blue – my avatar) are finally blooming from seed in a huge display. Why are they so calming? The tomato are brilliant red and I am an admitted amateur, the meyer lemon trees have fruit and all my clematis is making a 2nd comeback in beautiful hues of purple. The salvia keeps the hummingbirds doing their aerial battle display. They will leave soon and are fattening up. My 8ft cactus is about to bloom as surprise goodbye salute!! Soon all I will have is mums. (They are my least favorite and are viewed as a harbinger of cold weather!)
I am purchasing more fragrances on sale to keep me distracted and am itching to pull the trigger on FB of something luxurious!!
Poll:
We are somewhere in the middle numerically- I think unnecessarily constrained.
We do wear masks when going to the grocery store, we go to restaurants & bars (spatially safe) . We live pretty normally. We have travelled by car long distance twice, stayed in hotels, and flown by plane without incident.
We hug our close friends or family after long absences but we do stay about 3 ft away in that we don’t sit on top of one another when together. Mask free.
Ps sitting the sun having morning coffee is missed a few ‘is’s’ for ‘are’s’! Sorry I can’t squint well enough!?
I think my hummingbird has already left, I have not seen him in weeks. (Some of which it was just so hot I did not sit outside.) But I should plant some morning glory next year!
That’s too bad Robin. I know the males leave earlier than the females (ain’t that just like a man!) and I’d gladly trade you for some autumn clematis!
1. 2
2. I don’t go to stores except for groceries still. I only get takeout from restaurants once in a while when we used to eat out once a week. I miss browsing in stores, going candle shopping and eating out the modest, but I don’t feel safe to do so yet.
3. I’ve gotten into home fragrance more than ever. I’ve been burning candles or melting wax melts daily. I love autumn home fragrance.
4. I am wearing and looking for fragrances to lift my mood and comfort me. Simpler no-perfume perfume type fragrances that feel like they become a part of me.
5. Beautiful, beautiful dahlias.
6. Having an ‘attitude of gratitude’. Being grateful for the food on my plate, the roof over my head, what health I have, for nature, and everything else.
I miss browsing in stores, too! And browsing in the library. Most of all I think I miss going to yoga class.
1. IN is at 2.5 with masks mandated but not strictly enforced. Stores still have limited hours and restaurants are seating at 75%, we don’t go.
2. I’m still at a 4.5. No grocery delivery here but I do grocery pick up at our cleanest stores. More local market food shopping. I have been to a couple estate sales and my favorite local thrift bcs they all require masks and distancing; I’m building up my Poshmark inventory.
3. No change until lately, I’ll tell Donatella 🙂
4. My depression and anxiety took a nosedive through the first part of the pandemic and I couldn’t get interested even in perfume but I’m back to normal usage.
5. Red rose bushes, marigolds, zinnias and the first chrysanthemums.
6. I’ve been sick since mid July with bronchitis that landed me in the ER once and came back every couple weeks then roared back with a vengeance last week, so I’ve been self quarantined for a while. Eating healthy and reading books from my childhood have helped along with keeping up with friends virtually. I suppose it’s safe to visit outside, properly masked and distanced but I’m just not ready yet. On the up side, 93 year old mother is doing great! My being sick so much has forced her to “do” for herself more and she’s loving it 🙂
YUCK to your long-running battle with bronchitis!
So sorry about the bronchitis, that’s rough…but lovely news about your mom!
Sorry about your bronchitis. Hope you feel well soon!
SOTM: Bill Blass Nude
This morning, the air is so thick, I can only see 3 properties in any one direction before they are subsumed in “fog.” I hope at least some of it is real fog and not smoke! It’s eerily still out there. The light is the wrong color. It doesn’t feel like late summer, but more like maybe mid-autumn, heading towards Halloween, maybe?
Looks like I’m stuck indoors again today. I woke up congested, with swelling in my mouth and throat (one of my immune disorders acting up), sounding like smoker when I talk, coughing. It would be a good day to fuss in the kitchen–bake some bread or do some canning. I need a project! But all I can think of is sweets–bake a cake, make some coconut caramels, that sort of thing. Mmm. . . chocolate caramel cake. . . ? Someone please talk me off that train of thought!
I say go for it and freeze it but for a portion you know you’re craving … or eat a chocolate bar.
Yeah, I’ve had success with freezing things to slow down my consumption of them. Funny, though, what I’m REALLY craving is the process of making something like that. Make the fillings, fuss over the details, even tidying up the kitchen afterwards! Geez. Guess I’m really bored!
I asked Mr. Spicebomb if he had an opinion on the matter, and he responded “It would make the house smell better than smoke!” So, I guess that’s a vote in support.
So did you bake anything today? If so, what was it? I do a lot of vicarious baking thru folks here at NST… ??
Ha! I do too.
I went to Target last weekend for the first time since mid-March. It felt pretty good and I enjoyed the trip but it was also stressful as the store for quite busy and some people still don’t understand how masks should be worn.??♀️
In terms of perfume, Vanilla Quest continues and doesn’t seem fazed by the global pandemic.?? I do need to go through the Closet of Shame and sell/give away some items.
I am an introvert so, as some others have said, being home and isolated doesn’t bother me too much. I think it’s much harder for extroverts. 🙁 I walk, read, watch good TV shows and spray perfume to cope. I don’t watch any news and limit consumption overall.
And the Quest keeps me going of course…new vanilla perfumes aren’t just going to accidentally wander their way into my home…now are they…?
LOL…no, they are not!
I’m loving the Eau des Merveilles I chose today. I’m now limited to only the perfumes I kept out of the moving boxes. Biggest thanks to everyone who ever suggested keeping perfume packaging – it made packing my perfumes sooooo much easier and I feel confident that they will all make it through their journey.
The light has definitely changed to fall sunlight. It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon and my dog is basking in a sunbeam on the patio. I’m very thankful for moments like this.
You smell beautiful, and I envy you (and your dog) the sunshine ?
Sunshine twins with you today!
It’s Sunday, and our wedding anniversary – 17 years! Woke up to heavy fog mixing with the smoky air and creating near-zero visibility. Looks like it might be clearing a little now, and it might even rain this week (which would be helpful). SOTM is Caleche.
Yay! Happy Anniversary! No chance for some Creme Brulee French toast to celebrate. ☹️ I hope you find some way to celebrate together!
Gah! I don’t even know if The Original Diner-raunt (was that the name?) has survived the pandemic shutdown. I hope it has. Fun place. Thanks for the anniversary wishes – we’ll figure something out, even if it’s only opening a special bottle of wine.
I’m very sad about all the wonderful restaurants at risk of closing forever in our town. So many wonderful places to eat!
??Salut!
Similar weather/smoke here. Congrats on your wedding anniversary. And you smell gorgeous!
Thank you, for both!
Happy Anniversary SheriG!
Thank you, AngelaB!
Happy Anniversary!
Thanks, Calypso!
Happy anniversary, you smell great 🙂
Happy Anniversary!??
Happy Anniversary! ????☔
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!?
Good afternoon!
1. We’re at a 3, for now. Indoor eating at 25%, outdoor dining, and churches are open. Schools and universities are hybrid/ full time schools.
2. I’d say I am a 3. I’m going to eat lunch outside on Tuesday,
with family I can’t wait to see, I went to Church.
3. Perfume? I’m sure I was just as bad, I just can’t remember. BG is having their event. Maybe today?
4. I’ve upped the amount of sprays and mix and match and refresh. I love the layering. And the fragrance that just blooms in the room I dress.
5. Blooming? My borage and chamomile. I have herbs, I am into, for healing and munching. So, basil is still chugging, rosemary is starting and parsley…
I look with my belly.
6. Coping.
Incredibly anxious in the beginning, to having to watch my news consumption.
My loving furbaby with the world’s longest tongue has kept me solid. I asked for ?, when I was desperate and my healing began.
Wearing Beekman’s Vanilla lotion and Zum Patchouli over it. Need a good spritz of a Patchouli or vanilla!
I hope you all have a great Sunday!
Laughing at “I look with my belly”!
Our basil is still growing but has so much bug damage it’s no longer appealing. Parsley is going great, which is good because I eat a lot of parsley.
1. I’d say that New Jersey is at a 2. Beaches and parks are open. Salons and barbershops are open, albeit with extra precautions, which I appreciate. I think casinos are now open, at reduced capacity. Indoor dining is allowed at 25% capacity, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that. However, I have ordered pizza from my favorite place a couple of times and enjoyed it more than ever.
2. I am now at 3 personally. Still not walking in my neighborhood due to increased people traffic. I should start running laps up and down my stairs instead.
3. Not really. I did find another perfume that sounded too good to pass up, so I pounced on it. Yeah, I’ve got something to confess to Donatella again.
4. Not really. The amount of perfume and scented body products I use has stayed constant.
5. I’m starting to see leaves changing color. But the potted lavender plant on my front steps has one little spike of purple flowers sticking up in defiance of the change in seasons.
6. Something good and/or sanity saver? Still cutting down on news consumption. A good cry or a bout of swearing can be SO cathartic. Kitty snuggles can chase away the blues most of the time.
Last month, I went with my friends to fill out the paperwork for their wedding. NJ is weird in that they require a witness in addition to the bride and groom re: the marriage license. I don’t remember doing that when I got married in Colorado. ?
Forgot to post my SOTD!
SOSunday = ELdO Fat Electrician
SOSaturday = ELdO Fils de Dieu…
You mean a witness to apply for the license? That is weird!
I was a witness as the bride and groom were filling out the paperwork. Then I had a couple of places to sign, too… mostly to affirm that nobody was fibbing. All this was done in front of the city hall employee who was there as well.
Interesting, thanks.
Lazy weekend poll. I’ll play.
1) In my area, about a 1- 1 and a half. Most everything is open, restaurants/gyms/salons etc. are open. As is most everything else. Masks are mandatory with most people complying. Our libraries are only open by appointment though, which is kinda dumb if you ask me. If our bookstores are open, why not libraries. Of course it doesn’t help that our mayor keeps trying to scare people with the news headlines in our paper. People are out and about and will go where they wish (I know, this suspiciously sounds like a rant).
2) My own freedom of movement is prolly a 2 – 2 and a half. I’m back to work now (yay), and I try to devote at least one day a week to staying home all day. I guess I realized I didn’t need to be out every single day, and having a lazy day at home is kinda nice. The rest of the week, I don’t do much and don’t stay out too long. The mall, the bookstore, groceries, there’s some other shops around here that I like to frequent, and it’s usually pretty easy to keep my distance by going out at odd hours. But I’ve always avoided crowds long before this, so I guess I was already a pro at “social distancing” (I use quotes for all those folks walking around in public who don’t care and don’t bother with keeping their distance. They know who they are. And they don’t care). Also, my walks and the occasional day trip (I get restless).
3) Nothing has changed.
4) Now that I am going out more, I use more fragrance. Whereas back in April, practically nada.
5) Black eyed susans. I see those around a lot. Sunflowers. There are berries on the bush by my front porch/stoop. And the other day on one of my walks I watched 3 box turtles playing tag in a little brook, to my great amusement. They were adorable.
6) Coping strategies: avoiding the news as much as possible; I know Robin shared that sentiment with me in an earlier post. Keeping my little cupboard well stocked with my favorite wine and Smirnoff Ice. The internet with all my favorite sites open-windowed so that I don’t have to deal with home page gloom ‘n’ doom. Binge-watching my favorite tv shows on Netflix (thank goodness for Supernatural and Madame Secretary). I also found a new great little show on ‘Flix called Say I Do; “couples overcome obstacles to celebrate their love in surprise dream weddings designed by 3 experts in less than a week (Wiki). Usually it’s the man surprising his lady, but there are a few same-sex couples on that join in the fun. It’s really sweet. My eyes may or may not have been leaky during a few episodes. Struggling? Of course. I struggled before covid, I struggle during covid, and will probably continue to struggle after covid’s (Hopefully) all said and done. That’s nothing new, just a different kind of struggle, a lil more intensified. But I deal.
Soup of the day: I wanted something bold and pretty, so I went with Gabrielle. (bold + pretty = Chanel to me.) Loved it but a little disappointed and surprised that it didn’t last very long.
Goodness I wrote a novella. Thanks for ‘listening’ to my ramblings, y’all!
Lots and lots of black eyed susans and crazy amounts of sunflowers here, too!
Everyone has a cupboard with a little something. ? My cupboard just got a little bigger this year.
😀
GateGirl, I was thinking how much horrid a pandemic like this would have been before the advent of streaming…binge watching has made this much more tolerable!