IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS ~~ RETURN OF THE QUAIL ~~ PARTING SHOT

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS

During this time of quarantine, we are all learning how to appreciate the smallest of things. We have been trying to take a long walk every day during our lockdown, at a socially acceptable distance from others of course. We are grateful for these daily walks. I admit I have missed a day or two, but for the most part we have accomplished our goal. Last week on one of our walks we came upon a sidewalk in front of a house that had been decorated with chalk. It is amazing how seeing something like that can just lift your spirits for a few moments. I don't know who did this, but I am grateful to the artist for sharing their art with us.

We have been diligently working on jigsaw puzzles during this time. It makes the time past extremely fast, and for this we are most grateful. We will say, "Oh, I'm just going to look for one more piece," thinking that it will take only a minute or two. One hour later, when we still haven't found that piece and we look up at the clock, we have to just walk away and give it a rest. Still, it gives you a great sense of accomplishment when you do find that particular piece. Below is the latest puzzle that we have finished, and this one was so much fun! We were reminded of all these great TV shows from the past, but sometimes we were at a loss as to who some of these people were. Although it was a pretty hard puzzle, this one is a keeper for sure.

It seems that jigsaw puzzling has gained a lot of popularity since the lockdown. Lots of people are getting into the act and it is so enjoyable to see their completed puzzles. Although she isn't new to puzzling, Emily sent us a picture of one she is working on right now. It's of Disney World, of course!

One of our walks this past week was taken at the Yakima Arboretum. Although Spring has officially sprung, it is still quite chilly in Yakima. On the day we went to the Arboretum, we got an early start so as to make sure we wouldn't run into a crowd. There was only one other car in the parking lot when we arrived, so no worries about that. I took some pictures with my new phone, just to see how good the camera is on it. It did a good enough job, but is nowhere near as sharp as my Sony camcorder/camera. Here are some of the pictures I took while there.

One of our Canada Geese friends
on the Arboretum pond

We still had to suit up
for our walk

An interesting tree

So many branches, it looks like an
alien tree!

The small pinecones from
the tree above

A type of Magnolia tree

The Magnolia tree's flowers 

Quince flowers

By the time we left about an hour later, the parking lot had several cars. The Arboretum is so big it was easy to keep our distance from others, but we were glad we had gotten there early.


Another little thing that we are grateful for during this time is the way some of our local merchants have stepped up and are offering free delivery of goods to your doorstep. We were both overjoyed to see that our favorite fruit stand, Johnsons Orchards, (website here), was offering this service. One of the things that we love most about living in Yakima is the fact that locally grown fruit is so available and is also very affordable. There is a lot of fruit grown in the Yakima Valley, and we always try to get it when it is in season. In addition, we like to support our local merchants, especially the ones that give back to the community. And so we took Johnsons up on their offer, and Monday morning we received our delivery of apples.

Delicious Fuji apples

Lord knows it is boring enough just sitting around the house, staring at each other day after day. It is pretty much how things go when you are retired, although at least then we can run to the store for a break from the monotony. So to get a break and change of scenery now, we are trying to take our walks at different locations from the usual. Our usual walk is down to Kissel Park and back home, but that park can tend to get crowded (by current standards). Recently we have walked at both nearby cemeteries (Calvary Cemetery and Tahoma Cemetery), up to the nearby shopping center (Rainier Square, an outside shopping center where most everything is closed), around some nearby neighborhood streets, and the aforementioned Arboretum. Then yesterday, we drove up to the Yakima Valley College for our walk. It's hard to believe that we have lived here for almost 13 years now and this is the first time we walked on that campus. There were some good photo opportunities there so here are a few of the shots I got (with my phone once again). We had a nice walk around the empty campus and the small park next door.

RETURN OF THE QUAIL

Yesterday I stood up to go look out the window and remarked to Linda, "I wish the quail would show up." As soon as I looked out the window, I was stunned to see two quail under the feeder, foraging around. I got my wish! Of course, by the time I got my camera and got ready to take their picture, they were moving away. I did manage to get this shot of the male as he waddled across the front yard.

PARTING SHOT

Summer Girl doesn't know what all the fuss is about with this "isolation" and "social distancing." She is a master at both because she practices them every day. To her way of thinking, she is being extremely social during this time by gracing us with her presence on our laps.

That's all for this week, my friends. Join me again next week for more from the Southerner in the Northwest. In the meantime, stay at home and wash your hands (and don't touch your face)!