Spike's Nose...

...is like a mushroom! See yesterday's entry. I always thought mushrooms reminded me of something but was never able to come up with what it was until this morning when he was at his usual post, waiting for the vestiges of foamed milk in my latte cup. Decide for yourself here.

It's been another slow day. Weather is no excuse as it's not raining or sub zero temperatures as in so many other parts of the country. I went to Pilates class where we had a substitute. She did a lot of squats which are something I really can't do but I played around with holding onto the bar which allowed me to do some. Mary, the woman next to me was wearing a mask. She said she didn't have Covid, just a cold, but she didn't want to share it which was thoughtful. On the way home there was a story about new California guidelines. We are told that if we test positive, we no longer have to isolate as long as we are symptom free and have gone for 24 hours without a fever. So it would seem that after almost four years, Covid has now achieved the same status as flu. The assumption is that between vaccinations and natural immunity from having had it, we have now achieved herd immunity.

My mushroom dish, by the way, was quite good, a sort of upside down shepherd's pie with mushrooms and cheese instead of meat topping mashed potatoes with cheese.

I dug out a long abandoned knitting project, and am trying to repurpose into something that won't also need to be abandoned. It, or something completely beyond my ken has caused a flare up of arthritis in my thumb (the most common place in the body for it, I'm told) which is presenting me with a bit of a dilemma...do I try to get an appointment with the orthopedic hand specialist, who is in the same office as the knee surgeon,  before I have a knee replacement next month? According to Kathy, the hand surgeon has an assistant who can make custom braces and supports. I have no idea whether this can even be accomplished in a month and am not sure I really want to take it on, but if I don't do it now it will be quite awhile before I will be able to. 

I'm beginning to feel like I'm falling apart....must be the season when we're meant to stay home and prepare for more auspicious weather and active times.

John is pruning the roses, but he's one of those people who can't bring himself to prune things back severely, even though he knows that severe pruning will stimulate healthy new growth. He's even pruned a plant with one long branch sticking out because it has/had a flower on it and he couldn't bring himself to cut it off. I think I'll ask Pedro if he can finish the job.

The Fergus the frog and friends are back in the pond and warming up for their nightly chorus as the sun sinks below the horizon. They are both a harbinger of spring, and a reminder that there are a couple of months to go before there is no risk of frost and they can lay their eggs in the water.