September 15, 2020:  Double Trouble 

                                                                VIRUS AND SMOKE!

2020/09/13: Sweetsie on a walk with dog walker. Today it's too smoky for him to take her.

For the first time since I was a kid in Rochester, NY I have a little garden.  I watered it everyday.  I'd sit on my porch enjoying my flowers and waving to passersby.  It made staying at home during the pandemic more bearable.

But now, it seems like Portland's beautiful summer and fall have abruptly ended.  Last week wind storms started.  It was like a hurricane without the rain.  The huge pine trees bent in half as the wind roared through.  The winds encouraged forest fires.  

Now the air is very still and filled with thick smoke.  Sweetsie and I can't sit on the front porch or go for walks.  Poor Sweetsie keeps bugging me to walk her.  It's actually so bad here that even opening the door to let her outside is difficult.  The smoke and burning smell is so strong.  My flowers are suffering without my attention.

We are lucky here that we just have the smoke and not the fires.

It's dark in the mornings.  My cat, Stella is letting me sleep later.  As I write I'm sitting under my daylight lamp.  Otherwise I'd probably stay up late into the night and sleep until the afternoon.  I want to keep my circadian rhythm normal.

My hobbies keep me motivated to get up and moving every day.  My mother always thought that my sewing was a strange hobby.  But, it certainly is helpful now.

I finally learned how to use my sewing machine's walking foot.  It's easy and really helps with sewing knits.  I'm working on getting a t-shirt to fit me.  I have a small frame and big bust.  Finding a nice fit in ready-to-wear is difficult.  I've already made one using a Pamela Pattern.  It isn't quite right so I've tweaked the pattern and cut out another shirt.  I plan on finishing the shirt today.  I'm using a different knit fabric so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one turns out better.

My timing isn't always very good (eg. using the crosswalk when a bus is being driven by an inept, irresponsible driver).  However, when it turned out that I had to get my heat pump moved because of my home remodel, I decided to have a Halo unit installed.  https://www.rgf.com/products/air/reme-halo/

I was thinking that it would be a good thing to have because of the pandemic.  It cleans the air with ultraviolet light killing viruses, bacteria and filtering the air from dust, smoke, etc.  So I'm a lucky one in Portland now.  My house doesn't smell smoky!

September 10, 2020: My house remodel, Part 2

 Guess I got out of the habit of blogging.  3 years of not being able to express myself in writing has changed me.  I think about what I'd like to say but that's as far as it goes.  I'm going to attempt to do better.  It's healthy - makes me feel connected and chases negative thoughts away.

My House Remodeling Part 2

BEFORE: The front of my house:

AFTER:

I have enjoyed my new front porch so much!  Sweetsie loves sitting out there with me. 

I even planted a little garden in front of the porch.  Fuschia are in containers on the porch rails.

I had my front door painted in dark pink last year.  This year I decided that the garage door should match.

People who walk by compliment me on my pretty house!

The driveway used to be full of broken concrete.  I had a new larger driveway poured.  An addition of a basketball hoop over the garage gives Kenny his own practice court.