If We Were Having Coffee on the 11th of April, 2020

books-n-coffee

Hello and Welcome!  Come on in.  Uhm, lets sit out on the patio.  The snow is finally gone!  It is a little cool, but beautiful.  I’ll run in and grab you a super strong dark roast, a cuppa tea or cocoa.  We can look up into the woods and imagine we are a million miles away from everything despite being in the middle of a village. Were are we?  Some of you may recognize that photo at the top as being from New Hampshire.

(Edit – I just went outside and took this photo and put it here.  I will use it as a coffee share photo in the future :) )

back-yard-early-spring

Where to start the week?  Well, technically it started on Cape Cod.  After staying isolated down there, I drove to NH Sunday morning.  Driving on the empty highways is so weird…. Unfortunately a lot of drivers are ultra-aggressive, more now than before.

Work was tough.  Still a few bugs in the telecommunication system with everyone now telecommuting, but it is better.  There’s a lot going on there, so keeping very busy.  A few things were brought to a conclusion this week, but new ones have taken their place.  Never ending :)

The weather has gone from very nice to awful.  April showers…  I did get out running twice this week and was able to do my normal weight routine.  I walked the dogs every day, even when it was pouring rain.  I played with them when the weather was better, running up and down the big hill out back, going up into the woods. 

I am about done with a large crock-pot of chili.  I just tasted it, and it is great.  I’ll freeze some for later.  There is, of course, still a possibility that some time in the near future I will not be able to leave the house at all…

Anyway, weird times.  It brings out the best in some people and the very worst in others.  Ah well, I really need to stop reading FaceBook, since the worst seems to come out there, from misinformation, to conspiracy theories to hate filled rants….  On the other hand, some of the best also comes out there.

Hey, thinking of that, did you see the family that did a spoof of the Les Mis song “One More Day”?  It is a Facebook video, not Youtube, and super well done.

Anyway, I am going to try to spend as much time outside today as possible, since it is not raining.  It is easy for me to get to non-populated places, so no risks to me or others.

I hope you are having a good week and are taking your isolation well. Thanks for stopping by.  If you have a coffee share, I’ll try to stop in and say “hi”.

The coffee share is hosted over on Eclectic Alli.  The link to join is here.

mask

 

40 thoughts on “If We Were Having Coffee on the 11th of April, 2020

  1. Kathleen Howell

    Love the new coffee share pic! I always liked how you had a particular photo for each of your locations.. :-) THANK YOU to you and all the IT staff out there scrambling to keep us all going! Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks, I like to personalize things a bit with those pictures. And you are welcome – actually, I almost feel bad saying that because I am so thankful to be working! I’ve been involved in extended shutdowns and no how awful it can be (funny, in those shut downs that the people working for me were “essential” and I wasn’t ;) ). I hope you are having a wonderful week :)

      Like

      Reply
  2. Sagittarius Viking

    That mask is just so awesome!! Great idea to have coffee outside. It is a good day for that any day. I think coffee somehow tastes better outside. Speaking of outside, I just got back from a long walk and the wind was howling like crazy, but it was nice to clear my head. Thank you for the coffee, much appreciated.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      It is pouring rain today and the wind is howling…. I still will most likely take the dogs for a walk soon ;) It isn’t rain quite as hard as it was earlier. But, no, I did not have my coffee outside this AM in the rain. I understand, there is nothing in the world better than a long walk outside to clear the mind.

      I hope you and your daughter are doing well. Thanks for stopping by!

      Like

      Reply
  3. Astrid

    I’d love to sit On your patio with you, even though I can’t physically see the woods then or see them in the pic now (I’m blind). I can still sense the atmosphere though.

    I’m sorry the weather has been so awful lately, but so glad you managed to get in some running and other exercise and walk the dogs like usual. The weather here was quite good over the past few days, with temps rising to the lower 20s Celsius (around 70 Fahrenheit) today, but tomorrow it’s supposed to get a lot colder and start freezing at night again.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Love to have you here. The atmosphere on the patio is great and you can hear the birds singing in the trees. Very peaceful and relaxing. One problem for this time of year is that the sun does not reach it, so it is a little cool.

      Yesterday was sunny and about 60F/15C, so nice. Today it is still about the same temperature, but it is raining and windy – sustained winds of over over 30 kph and gusts well over 50 kph! The rest of the week is back to normal for here this time of year – sunny but cool – 50F/10C.

      Hope you have a good week.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
        1. trentpmcd Post author

          Actually, I just looked it up – the average for right now should be closer to 13C. We’ll have a few days at 10, but then it will be back closer to 15 by the end of the week. So same here – most of the week will be slightly cooler than usual.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
  4. Lizl Bennefeld`

    I liked the Les Mis take-off also. They did good. And I like the new coffee share photo that you took this weekend. Very nice!

    I have been well enough to get in one or two three-mile sessions on my exercise bike in the gazebo nearly every day, this week. Enjoying the out-of-doors, myself, and it’s warm enough that the puppies can wander around the yard, looking for rabbits, while I’m on the exercise bike.

    Best wishes for the week at work!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      I have a few back yard photos, but none from this time of year nor any from quite this angle.

      Glad you can stay active on the exercise bike. i think moving helps us keep our mental balance. And nice that the puppies can get out and sniff around while you on the bike.

      have a great week!

      Like

      Reply
  5. dawnkinster

    Oh my, your coffee cup image…I had such a flashback! When I was perhaps 8 or 9 my grandfather and his wife lived in NH. We visited once, and I remember his backyard as having a big mountain going up, it looked so much like what you posted. I had forgotten. I don’t have many memories of that visit, other than climbing up a waterfall cracked in rocks down the street from the house. It was a big white house pushed right up against that mountain. Huh…funny what triggers a memory.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      I guess NH looks like NH… Do you remember where in NH your grandfather lived? There are actually houses up the hill above us. It is funny what triggers memories.

      Like

      Reply
      1. dawnkinster

        Are there mountain called Green (or maybe White)? He was near some small mountain range, we climbed to the top of one mountain, it was totally rocky at the top, and I think there were wild blueberries up there.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. trentpmcd Post author

          The Green Mountains are in VT and the White Mountains in NH. They are actually a pretty big range, as far as the East Coast goes… Yes, I often see wild blueberries on some of the mountains where I hike. As to rocky top mountains, there are a few around – down near where i live, Monadnock is a super popular hiking destination (it was once the second most “climbed” mountain in the world) and has a rocky top. Up north, and in the White’s, there are several, but usually after pretty hefty hikes, like Mt. Washington and those on Franconia Ridge.

          Like

          Reply
  6. Natalie

    Looks like a very nice wooded area you have there. Being outdoors is the best, especially during this pandemic time when movements are more restricted. Have a nice weekend! #weekendcoffeeshare

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      It is a very beautiful area, and very wooded. it is easy to escape to a place where i won’t bump into people, so ideal for this time period. I hope you are having a great weekend :)

      Like

      Reply
  7. Deborah

    Your words about FB apply to Twitter, too, IMO. After reading about a dozen blog posts, I thought, “I’ll just take a quick peep at Twitter.” Six tweets in, it was already very clear to my heart which is a healthier online locale!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Yes, blogs do seem to be a much healthier choice, at least the ones I follow… And I think that is it – I chose the people I follow and read the posts I want, instead of being old “friends” from high school and relatives I know have radically different views than my own. I avoid Twitter as much as possible, but i do keep up with a few friends on FB, so don’t avoid it enough…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. dprastka

    Thank you for the coffee and I love the new outside coffee table view that you’ll start using! Great idea! I too have struggle with FB but found a solution that’s helped! My girlfriend and I decided a year ago or was that 2 years ago? Can’t remember, but we decided to unfollow all the negative, or political or whatever we didn’t want to see people from our feeds. This way we are still friends and they don’t know we unfollow and it was really refreshing to go through my list (which isn’t a huge list of friends). But it REALLY helped a ton!! Now I only see who I want to see, the upbeat positive stuff from fellow friends or family I like to see. Anyways, it made a world of difference without actually unfriending and or saying goodbye to FB. It’s a great way for me to stay connected to my family who are across 5 states or more! 😉
    Anyways, have a wonderful rest of your weekend. 🤠

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      I did that back in 2012 – I didn’t care if someone said something political one way or another, but I unfriended everyone who made racist remarks about Obama. They didn’t like him politically? They stayed. They made a racist remark. They went. Unfortunately one or two of them found their way back, and they are at the top of the pack making hateful comments again… I should have learned.

      FB does have its good side and I do like seeing what real friends who live far away are doing. But…

      I hope the rest of your weekend goes well and that you have a wonderful week ahead :)

      Like

      Reply
      1. dprastka

        Haha, after I wrote and pressed send I thought to myself, he’s probably already done the unfollow thing already… Humans can be very frustrating! Let’s hope our work week goes well this next week for both of us. It’s been fairly stressful, but seems to be settling a bit! 😄

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      My back patio has its own micro-climate. It is typically 10 degrees colder than any place around. I also toss snow onto when I shovel, so during the winter it has several feet of snow covering it, except for the path I make to the grill ;) Because of this, it is typically one of the last places in town to shed its snow, keeping it even longer than the huge parking lot piles. It sucks in late winter and spring, but is great in August when I can sit outside in a place 10 degrees color than the ambient temperature.

      Getting outside is great – I just did a 5 mile run, and so feel a bit invigorated. I’ll walk the dogs again in a few minutes… And then have a big bowl of chili for dinner. Yes, i make the best of life during the lock-down ;)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. Nancy

    Thanks for the coffee. I will say right off that your mask is much cooler than mine. :) Glad you are able to keep up with routines. We are all working via computers here at home, struggling a bit with a sketchy internet connection, taking walks and keeping busy. My husband is honing his bread baking skills much to the delight of the rest of the family and I’ve been creating lots of art. Hope you enjoy your week. Stay well.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      It does seem that self-isolating is bringing out the creative side in a lot of people. It sounds like you are doing well, though I am sure the lock-down is much tighter where you are than up here in NH. As is aid, my routine really hasn’t changed too much, and since I am working and being paid, it is pretty easy on this side :) I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

      Like

      Reply
  10. howikilledbetty

    I love this! I’m sitting here looking out of my windows. We’re up high on the 49th floor and have a great view but I must confess to envy at your having proper outdoor space and dogs. Lovely post and stay well and I don’t blame you for staying off Facebook, it’s a flippin’ nightmare!! Katie ps Loved that video of the song …. brilliant!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      My office is just above where I took the photo, so this is what I see when I look out of the window. I’m sure the 49th floor affords great views, but… And, yeah, the dogs love that hill back there! Have a great weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  11. Paula Light

    Nice pics! Yes, it was rainy here too… glad I have no doggies to walk. I have noticed aggressive people. Way fewer cars on the road, so why the heck is anyone tailgating?! Go around. Geez. But these are scary times and people are in bad moods. I’m glad I deleted my FB. Have a great weekend! 😻

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      I do think a lot of the aggressiveness does have to do with stress. The highway is empty, it is going to take less time anyway, so why make other people’s life miserable? There are times I want to delete FB, but, then, there are times I am glad I didn’t. I try real hard to look at names before I read posts. I guess I should be smart and weed out all of the people who put up those hateful posts….

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  12. Suzanne@PictureRetirement

    Thanks for sharing that beautiful woodsy scene. I don’t get much of that in Florida. Sounds like you are staying busy, getting exercise and taking time to wind down – all good things. FYI, I had a bit of a snafu with my Smile post this week and have delete it. Just wanted you to know since the ping back on your blog won’t lead anywhere.Sorry about that! Enjoy your weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. trentpmcd Post author

      My back yard probably has a bigger vertical rise than exists in Florida ;) It is a very pretty area, even if the winters are awful. I try to stay busy :) I remember trying to follow the link. I was going to get back to it and try again, but must have forgotten. I hope you have a good smile for next week :)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Express Yourself

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s