COVID day 80 of "lock down"

Well on some fronts the "lock down" is easing.

As of June 3rd this was the update for Germany from my work.

-News Around the Theater:

-Germany:

•       31 May, German government is reportedly planning a 100 Euro stimulus package to  help with COVID-19

•       2 June, Gottingen city, Saxony, saw an uptick in COVID-19 cases due to private parties  over the weekend

•       1 June, police announce a decline in Corona Regulation violations over Pentecost weekend

•       2 June, Leisure sports and Gyms can resume, with specific regulations – You have to be healthy and have no signs to go to a gym, maintain proper sanitation, and practice social  distancing

•        

-Norway:

•       15 June, Norwegians will be allowed to travel to Denmark for day trips, while  keeping the borders with Sweden and Finland closed

 

-Italy:

•       2 June, the Italian President warned that COVID-19 is still a threat, after top  doctors state the virus no longer exists in Italy

•       3 June, people arriving from the EU, UK, or Schengen zone will no longer be  forced to quarantine for 14 days

 

-Spain:

•       26 May, Spanish government will lift 14 day quarantine requirement for those  entering the country after 1 July

•       3 June, the Spanish Health Minister announces the country has not had a  COVID-19 casualty in two days

This is all fine and good but the Military and/or civilian work force is STILL not released to travel beyond 100 miles of base AND can't have over night stays anywhere just yet...  We're hopeful this change will be seen this week!!!

I'm not even sure I know what to say about any of this anymore in light of the whole George Floyd death, riots and upheaval at home.  I'm telling you there is just no joy in this year.

COVID, Earthquakes in SLC, now riots.  Good heavens what else can this year bring?

I guess I shouldn't ask... I may well find out.

I have thought about commenting multiple times on the Floyd riots.  I have commented a few times and regretted it immediately as there is NOTHING I can say to change what is going on.  I don't condone the police for their treatment, I don't condone the rioters for their violence and destruction.  I get the pain, as much as a white person in the US can get it.  I don't live it, I am white, and I will never get it.  I empathize and it breaks my heart, but honestly I'll never "get it".  That makes me sad that there are some experiences in this world that we as different people from different backgrounds can never get.

I have a lot of empathy for those who are facing difficulties.  I have similar (never to equate to the same) experiences living overseas as an American who struggles with the local language and customs.  I'm looked down on and I get why folks look at me the way they do.  The thoughts that Americans have when there are foreigners in their country – you are HERE learn the language…. But now being almost 55 and struggling with the whole learning curve and brain that point blank does not want to function in English much less German most days I have a lot of empathy for those in the states struggling to learn English – it’s HARD to learn a new language when you’re older.

But I digress.  The point is, there can be empathy and there can be support but there cannot be “knowing” until you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.  So, be kind to one another.  You don’t know what that person has struggled with. 

I want to blame ALL my woes on old age but it’s really a combo of Chemo and old age that is doing my poor wee brain in.  It’s had enough.  It can’t function to figure some things out… it tries… I swear.  I will try to think of the German word and the Italian one will come to my mouth.  I don’t get that disconnect, but hey, it is what it is.

So – life right now?  Sucks in some ways, is good in some ways.  I’m alive.  I’m at exactly 3 years to the day from when I had a horrible bleed that lead to the diagnosis of cancer.

I’m due for scans in July.  I still worry every freaking day that it’s back, that it’s spread and when I get a rattle in my chest when I cough, I worry three times as hard – have any aches and pains I really wonder what the blazes is going on in there… were there signs that I ignored when I had cancer?  Yeah, probably… will I still feel like a hypochondriac every single time I have a pain – you betcha.  I try to reign it in and NOT panic, but most days are searching pain areas and reoccurrence of cancer.  So, yeah.  Fun times.  I wonder if it will ever end – the worry.  I doubt it, but I can hope.

Repotting of the plants

My co worker is leaving to go back to the states so I’m acquiring a number of her indoor plants. Some of which she had readily admitted needed to be repotted so that is what I was doing this fine sunny Sunday morning. We would have gone for a driv ebut the ONE place I could think of that I would want to go is across the Swiss border. :( that’s not happening. Sigh. Damn COVID. So repotting and puttering in the yard it is!

I should have taken before pictures but it’s not critical. All but one looks the exact same just in a bigger pot :)

The Aloe plant is now on a pot twice (or near enough) to his original pot. He was a little unsteady and needed some soil build up around his root ball which he has now. 

The next four... well five really. All the tiny pots. These were in a single pot and needing some room to stretch their roots and their limbs. 

I started with a split of four and one spontaneously split again. We do what the plant tells is to do :). There are now five littles and they shall live on my stairwell window sill after they get a bit of fresh air after their transfer. I have three tiny potted succulents up there now that will probably be repotted as well in time. 

The one in the orange pot is the money tree. She was a bit root bound and needed a LOT more room so she was upgraded as well.

Ok moving on to the red pot. This is a poinsettia. She is now upgraded to a larger pot as well. She was brought back from the dead by R so I have my work cut out for me to NOT kill her!!  We shall see if we can force some Christ blooms out if her as well. Not sure how we can eek 12 hours of sunlight but I may have to get a bulb that will simulate it and give it a try. 

The last one is a pathos. Same deal. Root bound needed room to grow and hey, after buying some 30+ pots last summer I am the gal to make it happen ;)

Sadly these are the largest pots I have on hand and we have one more that needs repotting and splitting. Sooooo next week I’ll go to OBI (Home Depot here) and get some larger pots to split that one out as well. 

This week they settle into their pots after a good watering and then next week we feed them all and start out their new live spread around the house.  I now officially may have too many plants... but I guess this is where I will putter as I’m much less likely to go sit and putter in the back yard :)  although...

This is a pretty little gathering of plants. 

After some sun it was time to bring the newly repotted guys into the house to

Looking at the picture now I realize I need to change the order of these pots for color balance. Oh. Well. We shall get to that later

And in the kitchen the aloe should be really good in this spot, don’t you think?  And a few more succulents as well for balance. 

Annnndddd I need to find a good single stand for this guy. I think he would be great in this corner of the room