Dan Antion

The Scent of Change – #1LinerWeds

I love the look of fresh snow on bare trees.

If you participate in Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt, you may go through the week identifying candidates. I collected quite a few this week. There were several at the dentist’s office while I was getting my teeth cleaned. The dentist will be closed beginning tomorrow for 2-3 weeks. There was one during the Facebook exchange with one of the bartenders from the (real) bar that I go to on Saturdays. She is now out of work until further notice. There was the final exchange with my dentist, when he asked me about my next stop. If I had had my teeth cleaned last week, I would had mentioned going for breakfast at my favorite diner. That diner closed Monday at 8:00pm.

You know the story. This week stinks.

On the other hand, this week has been good for my project. Despite having to endure some brisk weather on Monday, I was able to finish repositioning the fence along the largest side of our yard. Unfortunately, in the course of completing that project, I had to move leaves out of the way of my ladder. I had to cut little vines out of the way. I had to prune a few branches that had grown through the fence and were pulling it down. That doesn’t sound like a bad thing. Does it? I guess it depends on who you ask.

Maddie, the Irish Setter who knows the scent of every square inch of this yard, was not impressed.

“This is all wrong. This smells ALL WRONG!”

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

It snowed (a little) overnight. Not much, bt enough to boost our spirits.

This was going to be the theme of my photos, slightly green, until they became white.
The fence fix is complete. This is how it’s supposed to look – slightly over the top.
“It snowed!”
We haven’t had snow in almost 10 weeks.
Sorry, not sorry, I’m including all these snow shots.
I was going to show these trees to show how they are starting to turn green.
The fence looks good with the snow.
I love the look of fresh snow on bare trees.
Snoopy is in there. She showed up about three weeks ago. I hope she brought her shovel.
Snow buds.
“Hey dad, do you have any peanuts? This little mom looks hungry.”
“This is all wrong. This smells ALL WRONG!”
“What happened here? These leaves have moved.”
I think Maddie is ready for baseball. I haven’t had the heart to tell her that opening day has been postponed.

89 comments

  1. Same theme, different city on this side of the border. My anxiety level has been notching upward a little bit each day. While all is still safe and warm in my small circle of the world (for now), I worry about those I know who aren’t.

    Maddie got it right – this is wrong. Very wrong.

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  3. Your post reminds me of a meme that was floating around yesterday – “remember last week, when we were all worried about daylight savings, a full moon AND March 13?” The events that transpired, seemingly overnight (but of course, took much longer than that to happen) make that triple-whammy insignificant to the point of ridiculous.

    Be well, and do like Maddy – Yes, keep your nose to the ground to get the latest news, but then go relax on the couch.

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  4. There’s a lot that doesn’t smell right, Maddie girl! My two kids don’t smell any differences, other than they know spring is coming and those feathery little critters are chirping.

    They’ve cancelled or closed just about everything here. No church, no yoga, no library, no bars, no whatever. My only socialization is at work (for now) and with Natasha and the cats at night. I’m going to grocery shop today, but I’m wondering if I’ll find everything I need.

    This, too, shall pass and we’ll get back to old routines at some point. I only hope this doesn’t last too long for the sake of those not working or separated from loved ones.

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    • Thanks for stopping by, Mary. I’ve been doing some of the shopping. We’ve been able to get what we need, and we’ve treated ourselves to a few extras. I bought a 12-pack of Corona, now that the bar is closed.

      This will pass. It may get worse before getting better, but it will get better.

      Take care. I hope you can stay safe and healthy.

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      • I’m doing my best to stay safe from getting sick with the virus, Dan. Driving into work with less traffic and even the gas stations seemingly less busy, it feels like Christmas Day, when everyone is home wondering what’s for dinner and when they’re going to take a nap.

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        • Traffic around here is very light. There even seem to be fewer people out walking. Maddie is pestering me to take her for a walk. I’d like to wait until it hits 40 degrees. We’ll see who wins.

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    • Thanks Judy. Maddie and I will walk this morning. I still have the shorter section of fence to do, but it felt good to get the big section done. It’s funny how she noticed the difference. I really didn’t make much of a mess.

      Take care.

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  6. Hi Dan – I’m just glad the weather didn’t do that to us down here on the south coast – at least with the lighter days life feels easier. Beautiful trees, plants and bulbs coming – walking around well away from others is a delight. Well done on the fence – Maddie will adjust! Irish setters are made of strong stuff … cheers and just enjoy extra time reading … doing jobs in the garden and house … and take care – cheers Hilary

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    • Thanks Hilary. Maddie has been in adjustment mode since I retired. She liked her routine and she likes things to be the same, but she copes pretty well. There’s always an extra snack if she gets nervous. The snow melted away quickly. I was happy to see it. Take care

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  9. Lets just say I am glad the snow skipped us. Got a good frost the last couple of days. The daffy-yodals are getting real close to blooming. And I am going to have the itch to get back in the garden. So far that has just been a couple of quick walks around the yard. She who must be obeyed has me convinced it is time to clean the basement and put a little temporary order in place until the next project comes along. And it is probably a good idea. Eventually I will finish sorting the seeds. We are supposed to get rain and then a frosty sunny weekend. That may be seed sorting time. One foot in front of the other one step at a time. And by the weekend we will be officially in spring.

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  10. Such a contrast to the weather we are having. Yesterday, I discovered we have bluebirds nesting in the bird house. These are the times that reveal our character, aren’t they. So many people will need help.

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  11. Beautiful snow scenes Dan. Snow was in our forecast m but we never got any. How sweet is Maddie worrying about the mommy squirrel going hungry. You’re a good girl Maddie.

    Fence looks terrific. Murphy would be sniffing around it just like Maddie, upset because some leaves were removed. So they worry about missing leaves while we worry about Covid-19!

    We all have plenty of projects we can do while we’re in isolation. I can tell you this, I now have the cleanest, neatest closets, cabinets and drawers in town!! A place for everything and everything in its place!! Win/win.

    We will get through this….unfortunately not too quickly. The Internet keeps us connected so we know what’s going on with those we care about. And the same way everything has closed up, they will reopen. Hopefully businesses can survive this chaotic time in our history and our famous government is going to come through with financial help for those who are now unsalaried.

    Hope you and the Editor and Faith get through this unscathed, as well as our neighbors worldwide.

    Be well. Be safe.
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    • Thanks Ginger. I’m glad to hear you’re taking this in stride. You can tell Murphy that Maddie has given the yard a deep-sniff and is once again walking along the perimeter with ease. Unfortunately, I have to repeat this process on the fence along the back of the yard.

      Spring is project time around here, anyway. I’m going to try ordering take-out from the bar without the benefit of conversation or Corona (well, I bought some for myself).

      We’re all doing well. I hope you are and can continue to be safe and healthy.

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  12. Well, Dan, I’m sitting in my igloo still surrounded by snow that is at least 4 feet deep. Any time you want some of it, you just let me know and I’ll start sending it through the inter-dimensional portal in the wall behind Maddie’s bed!

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    • Haha – thanks Wendy. I just watched that episode last week. Dogs are better about these things, so I’m sure she’d appreciate a few feet, if you can spare it. It must sound silly to you hearing us be all excited over such a small amount, but it was the first snow we’ve seen since early January.

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  13. I feel you giddiness! We woke up to fresh snow Tuesday morning as well. It was so pretty, but the sun came out and a lot of it on the south and east sides of the valley has melted already.

    I love the trees with the snow!

    The fence looks good. I hope Maddie gets used to the new smells, and Snoopy has a wonderful Spring in her house.

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  14. I actually would have welcomed that snow, Dan, but it looks like we will finish this winter with a whopping six-tenth of an inch. The new two day the highs are forecast to reach 78-80 degrees. Yikes! Like Maddie, I think most of us find comfort in routines and all of us have had our lives disrupted in varying degrees by the current situation. The blogging world has been one of the few parts of my daily life that has been relatively unaffected by the crisis.

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    • Thanks Mike. I get a great deal of comfort from the predictable patter in the blog world. It’s also good to see that my friends are doing well. Stay safe. Enjoy spring,

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  16. I worked some in the backyard yesterday, while my husband kept me company and wrapped guides on his fishing rods. He is hopeful. I keep looking for a bright spot but am not seeing it. Local grocery stores are having special senior hours, but I am going to wait until I REALLY need stuff to venture out–none of this ‘just pick up a few things.’ I want to shop and be done with it. Your fence looks great. Nothing gets by Maddie, does it?! Take care, Dan.

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    • Thanks Lois. Our largest grocery started having senior hours. I’ve been going to the smaller chain my wife likes. If they run out of something we need, I’ll try the larger store, but our needs are pretty simple.

      Maddie has re-sniffed the entire fence line. I have to start on the back fence soon. I’m sure she’ll be just as unhappy with me messing that up.

      Take care,

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  22. I would love to be just working around the house, then reading and drinking tea. Alas, as you know, I’m in full-on packing mode. The only times I’ve been out recently are my multiple trips to the Goodwill donation drop-off which, thankfully, is still open. Otherwise so many good things would have to be trashed. I imagine you have lots you can do around the house and yard. At least the virtual bar is always open!!

    Be well.

    janet

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  28. Yesterday I only linked and stayed off the internet. Had to recover from the day before, where on St Paddy’s day in Sacramento it looked like ghost town. The parking lot of the popular huge Whole Foods store, where one normally has to fight to find a parking place was empty. Inside, not much better. I saw someone cleaning handles! Four stores, and the only thing on the shelf was the last package of paper towel. I took it! My Thurs. door comment is more cheerful!

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  30. The fence looks great. I guess we’ll spend our time-out getting all the limbs out of the yard and finishing that last room. Things around here have slowed down in a good way. Still, I’ll be glad when this mess is over with. I feel for those in the working world and how hard this virus has hit them. I pray they all recover. This is when we discover what we’re made of.

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  31. Definitely a week of change for everyone. People really rise to the occasion with kindness and creativity in times of crisis. Our local restaurant is giving away a free roll of toilet paper with a takeout order. Brilliant! Now I can support the locals, not go crazy shopping for toilet paper, and not have to cook. Sounds like a hat trick to me! The fence looks good, and it’s nice to see a little snow after a few days.

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      • It is a wonderful thing to support local businesses. When I picked up dinner at the restaurant tonight (yes, with the free roll of toilet paper), there were six customers waiting. The owner came out to deliver our food and stopped to thank all of us for supporting her restaurant. That felt good, because giving feels good and is the right thing to do.

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  32. Snow on bare trees IS the cat’s meow! Also, snow in the spring, so pretty — on your buds, my tulips :) We had hellarain and thick fog this week, went well with the mood of the city. While I was reading your SOCS post, I wondered how you’ll handle your lack of Saturday at the bar, in real life.
    PS Stop thankin me for readin you. If you thank me for readin this post, I will absolutely boycott your Like button! :P

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    • Th… sorry, it’s that damn upbringing.

      I did order pizza from the bar. I got to talk to the manager for a few minutes. So quiet in there, it was eerie. It’s hard, knowing the people who normally would be working but who were not 🙁

      We had rain and fog on Friday but the fog was light. Depressing, not interesting.

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