ABSILVER's World

My daily conversations with my parents always include two comments.   One, they feel like prisoners in their own home not being able to go anywhere, even though they were mostly housebound after their stint in the hospital except for doctors’ appointments.   Second, the conversation would come around to they have never seen anything like this in their lives.   Even WWII rationing was not as bad as people could at least go out, and as my Dad said there was also a black market for goods if you had the money.   One difference is we have news and information at our fingertips whenever and wherever we want it.  Want to know if the Wuhan infection rates are up or down? Google it.   If you want to know how New York is fairing?   Google it.   Want to understand what the right way to wash your hands is? Google it.   It also means we are getting "news" real and fake from every outlet.   People on Facebook need to be warry of news ...

So, I woke up this morning, wondering why today is different. As I sit here, there is a funk over me today.     These moods, are rare, but they tend to start with feeling  a little down or uncertain of the day ahead.   There are advantages to being 55.   I know these moods are inside my head and I just need to find the right music, a walk in the park, or maybe write in my blog to discover what is the cause and I can usually find a resolution and get back to a happier place and content mind. Nobody really can help me in these moments.   Talking about it won't help because honestly until I know what is pulling me down what can others do to help. Getting inside my head is not easy and subjecting others, even Frank, to what is not a well thought out discovery process is not fair to them or often helpful. I slept well last night, after severe rainstorms and a Tornado warning yesterday.  Our new home is on a hill, and there are Frenc...

It is said by many, that tragedies and challenges matter more as they get closer.   Certainly, nobody with a heart can be taking this Corona virus less than serious, but it is also getting closer to me personally.   A few friends have caught the virus and some in my extended world have passed away.   As we all are, or should be, at home dealing with what is challenging and getting sadder situation every day, I turn to music to help me out. It isn’t necessarily to me out of feeling sad or out of a funk I may be in.   Music helps me search inside my heart and mind to understand what, why and how a time or event is making me sad and many times the lyrics help me turn the corner. There are several songs I go to, and I thought maybe they would cheer up others.   So, put together a list which started out to be a top 10 and, and I started out thinking about a top 10 and ended up at 14. Here it is.. the song titles and a link to a video on YouTube.  ...

So, I sit here, that seems a key part of social isolation.  Sitting at home and thinking and wondering about this day and time as well as what the future will be when we are on the other side of the pandemic crisis.  We will get to the other side it just seems to me it is a matter of time and how well we heed the orders from our various government and healthcare experts. As we all struggle with these times, the best advice I have is to get out of the house and get some exercise.  I do that as often as I can because it is good for my brain, my heart and everyone’s sanity at home.  Honest, it is also an opportunity to give you and those in your household a break and can breathe and remind ourselves that the strain we feel is felt by everyone around us as well. Today I went walking around the trails of Longview, and around puddles of water.  I am honestly enjoying the beauty that comes with the rain we have been having.  The trees are full of le...

So... trying to write each day and will publish occasionally... and add some funny comics along the way.  Keep Smiling! Day 3: Self isolation in East Texas 3 21 2020 First of all, there are no recipes for dealing with a time that has not been seen before.   My parents said they remember the rationing of WWII but at least you could out and socialize, and my Dad mentioned there was a black market for things as well so people who had means could find what they needed.   So, what do you do when the world is under the best recommendation seems to be that people isolate themselves to slow down the progression of this virus as to not overwhelm our healthcare systems until there is a cure and or vaccine. I don't know what others are doing.   We are effectively on day 3 of true isolation.   We had been socializing with immediate family, but since the recent changes in California and Pennsylvania and some news that east Texas is ...

Spinach and Artichoke Dip: Ingredients:  1 cup of mayonnaise. (Hellman’s if possible) 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. 1 can of artichoke hearts not seasoned. 2 TBSP of Olive Oil 1 package of fresh spinach (frozen is good as well). 3 garlic cloves chopped. Salt and Pepper to taste Recipe: Preheat oven 375 degrees Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic, and heat for a 1 minute. Then add fresh spinach and Saute till cooked about 3 - 5 minutes. Take the spinach and put in a colander to cool off. and then put in a dish towel and squeeze out the moisture as much as possible and then chop up. Drain the artichoke hearts and chop into smaller pieces. In a large bowl, stir together the Parmesan cheese and mayonnaise until well blended. Add the artichoke hearts and stir and then the chopped spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste, go easy on the salt as there is salt in the mayonnai...

I sit here at home wondering about the weeks ahead and what to expect for life to become.    As we all hunker down over the Coronavirus, should I learn how to knit?    Should I be stalking grocery stores as we are down to 18 rolls of toilet paper?    Should I stop going out all together?    Should I consider altering our next trip to Savannah?    What will the next few weeks and months be like?   I am not as worried personally about the "virus".    I am hopeful as we live a pretty tight knit family life and are not prone to group socials and so we live in a fairly safe place.    I also realize that there is only so much good worrying will do.    I worked most of the last 15 years remotely, so I am confident that as needed I will be productive. That said, I am worried about us human animals.    We are a social bunch mostly.      Even those of us with introverted tend...