March 25th, 2020

Hmmmmm what shall I do during this time of Quarantine?  How shall I occupy myself while poor Tim slaves away at his job?  For Tim Monday through Friday during the day hasn't changed much.  He is still at his desk workworkworking away.  He really only is aware of the shut downs on the weekends.  I, however, have no museum job, no library job and my time is my own.  And the question is, how to best spend this time of relative soltitude.

I say relative because at least twice a week Joy still drives down from Sarasota and we hike.  But the other days?  

It occurred to me that perhaps once or twice a week that could be a blogpost topic.  What to do to fill the time during these days of "Social Distancing".  So that is our topic today! 

​One of the things I'm doing is working out at home.  Yeah, you probably don't care (and I don't blame you) but I'm impressed with myself frankly.

Normally I do not have the kind of self-discipline required to do a real workout at home on a regular basis.  Oh now and again, I will knock out some work with bands while watching TV or throw down a couple of planks.  But a REAL workout?  One with reps that I am actually counting?  Not so much.  But this time I am actually doing it!  Wow!

My Pilates instructor, bless her, sent a list of exercises for us to do from home AND a chart to record our progress.  In theory at least, we will connect with her every Friday for a new list and  report what we are doing, ask questions, seek validation and support, whatever we need.  That Is So Awesome!  At least in theory. 

Historically, I would say that I'm going to do it and then not do it. The precedent has been set I promise you.  I have a laundry list of excuses why not (including doing the laundry)  But this time, to my great surprise, I actually am doing it!  At least so far.

So there is one tiny portion of my Quarantine day.  Working out! Yay me!

What else?

Well I rescued a frog this morning.  That took a little bit of time.

When I went out to get the newspaper early this morning, I noticed.........something on the door.  It just didn't look quite right.  So I went and got my glasses (yeah, my close up vision is that bad), knelt down and looked closer.  Sonovagun!  There was a frog trapped between the screen and the mesh kickplate.  What?

Ok I see some backstory is necessary here.  Some previous owner of this house decided to have both a real door and a screen door on the house.  All fine and good.  The real door is mostly wood but with a big glass window. Nice.  The screen door is a full screen with a metal mesh kickplate across the bottom.  The screen door is also not exactly the correct size.  Well it's the right width but the wrong height.  It is probably an inch too short for the door frame.  Dang.  Which means that even on a beautiful gorgeous day, we cannot leave the real door open to allow the breezes through the screen part because lizard, bugs, and apparently also frogs, can fit under it.  Replacing the screen door is actually on our list of things that need to be done.  But it's pretty far down the list.

My guess is the frog hopped under the screen door, thinking maybe it was a cave?  And then when he couldn't get back out tried going up instead, right between the screen and the kickplate and got stuck.  Poor froggie.
​

Ok then.  How do I get him back out?  I tried prying the kickplate and screen far enough apart but I wasn't strong enough.  I'm not wonderwoman or supergirl after all. So next up was remove the kickplate.  It is only attached by a couple of screws but it's an old door and the screws are rusty.  No matter. I have to try!  It is now my mission!  

It took two different Philips screwdrivers to finally loosen one side enough to reach up and gently gently remove the frog.  I cooed supportive and reassuring things to him the entire time.  And eventually he was free! Hurrah!

He just sat, stunned on the patio while I secured the kickplate once again.  I patted him gently a couple of times and then watched as he slowly slowly hopped toward the garden.  One hop and then a rest, another hop and a rest.  I watched to make sure he made it all the way into the safety of the garden.

Sam Humphreys...frog rescuer!

Made my day : )

I've told this story before but when we lived in Colorado, our house two big window wells on the north and south sides of the house.  This allowed for great light in the basement but unfortunately it became a landmine for bunnies.    Crazy young bunnies would hop madly around the yard, careening left and right, zigzagging and zooming and often, hop over the edges of the edging into the window wells.  Every single day one of my jobs was doing window well check.  And every single day, Tim would rescue the bunnies.

I tried, I really did.  But the bunnies didn't trust me.  They did trust Tim.  They would just sit still and allow Tim to pick them up, cradle them gentle, walk all the way back upstairs and be released into the yard and the fields behind the house.  It was a daily chore for him.  He didn't seem to mind.

I believe that he was a hero to the bunnies and that they sang songs and told stories of the giant who rescued them.  But now, maybe the frogs will write Odes to Sam the Frog Rescuer and sing my praises around the old lily pond.  

That's kind of cool.

So there you have it.  Pilates and Frog Rescue. That's two of the ways I'm passing time these days.