Month: August 2020

Isolation Diary: I attach a photo of the harvest from my garden this morning: zucchini, beans, tomatoes, and nectarines. This evening while making apple berry pie for Duncan’s birthday on Saturday as I flipped through the channels on my kitchen TV, I happened across a film of a stage production of Noel Coward’s ‘Present Laughter” starring Kevin Kline. One of my very favorite actors. And the whole thing an absolute delight. For me. What a study in people trying to maintain composure and simply losing it. And the pie smells fabulous! (Duncan requested fruit pie instead of cake.) Jessie and I are both bringing pie to the party because….you never know…

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Anna M.
So jealous. I get a bit of harvest and then Raccoons and squirrels and birds consider it their own buffet.

DeAnne M.
Gorgeous

Alisa T.
yummy!!!

Noel B.
Oh. Wow. That looks good for chicken soup.

Henry H.
KK won his third Tony for it!

Susan J.
I stumbled upon the same show! We were kinda watching it together? But I didn’t stay with it for long. Itchy remote finger.

Susan J.
Beautiful bounty, btw.

Leslie D.
Ruth Silveira I watched it on PBS, too, and loved it, of course. Kevin Kline is THE most talented, attractive, delightful actor … in everything he’s been in. Remember “A Fish Called Wanda?” He was a scream!

Paul B.
Beautiful.

Laura E.F.
Yum..!

Brenda V.
I’ll be over in 15…

I am concerned about possible evictions. And foreclosures. What can people, families, do? No need to answer. I am just worried.

Isolation Diary: Today was an at home alone day. In this circumstance of diminished social interaction I find that I experience a sense of isolation, sort of a disorientation, after in person encounters with my family (of which there are many), or friends (of which there are very few), or Zoom meetings. All of which are unfailingly pleasant and even highly enjoyable. And I think this must be caused by the constraint of staying safe. Not having the choice to go to a movie or a museum. Or meet someone new!!! Have a conversation with a stranger. You know…..I would like to be in a situation where I could say, “Have a good day.” to a person after a short encounter. And what about all the people I know that I want to know better? Where are you? Not in my back yard. Not in my kitchen. Not in my sewing room. Not at Jessie’s house. Not at Maggie’s house. Out there. Out there. All that said I wasn’t exactly idle today. Granted I did take an afternoon nap because I had slept very badly. Two garden sessions…morning and early evening. Continued study for the next D and D campaign for which I will be the DM. I am considering some story adjustments and obstacle encounters. Exercised and practiced tai chi. Made first batch of fig sauce from harvest from my tree. Even sewed a bit. I have many resources and many interests but still……oh, my gosh……I miss you all.

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Jeremy A.
Miss you Ruth.

Claudette W.
Hi Ruth. I feel the same way. I miss new adventures, on which I thrive. Yet I’m grateful for being and staying safe.
Much love.

Natasha P.
Sending a hug via airspace until we can have a real one

Peter E.
I miss you too.

Anna M.
Stay safe and healthy!

Joyce H.
I miss you too Ruth!

Sandy R.
Sending hugs!

Shelley W.
OMG – I can’t wait to tell Yogi that you’re DMing!!!

Holly B.
We miss you too, Ruth!!!! Love your isolation diary.

Laura E.F.
Miss you, too!

Karen I.L.

Isolation Diary: I had occasion today to search through my stuff for electrical tape, which I eventually found. This search caused me to empty out three 7″ x 10″ baskets of tools and stuff. Good to remember what I have. Two very short screwdrivers, plumbers tape, large tin snips, various files, two planes, two measuring tapes, a folding ruler, a flimsy sort of jigsaw?, an enormous screwdriver, a set of hex wrenches, other wrenches, two staple guns, a glue gun, a drill attachment that I don’t see a use for, a chalk line thingy, scrapers, a folding pruning saw, a sanding block, a Schwinn Tube Repair Kit (how old is that?), and a bunch of other stuff. Various pliers and wrenches. Tools. I respect tools. So good to have the right tool for the job. I need to inventory my inner tools. And make use of them.

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Leon R.
Prepared.

Natalie R.
That’s a good meditation

Jen D.
It’s like you found treasure looking for something else!

Holly B.
The fact that you inventoried everything you found, is what is amazing. I would throw everything that is in one drawer into another…………..

Ruth Silveira
I have one screwdriver that is 15 inches long and one that is 3 1/4 inches. And I have a set of teeny tiny screw drivers. If anyone needs to reach a flat screw that is almost out of reach, give me a shout.

Isolation Diary: Recall, I have identified as an actress all my college life and professional life. Today, playing D and D, reaching a crisis point, a major encounter with a foe, my character, a human fighter with no magical abilities, having been in a lightless mine for at least 3 maybe 4 days, who knows anymore?, is depressed from lack of light and ability to see, is increasingly distressed at not finding a fellow adventurer with whom she is rather infatuated, finally confronts her foe who has been sending minions after this small troupe of adventurers with intent to kill, and she finds that this foe has killed one of her former team mates whom she sees slumped against a wall and she, without thought, fires an arrow at him, the foe, the Black Spider. Which injures but does not kill him and causes him to kill his hostage whom she does not know but who is the brother of one of her current team mates. I, Ruth, not Cor, my character, am so distressed at my recklessness that I end up on Jessie’s couch covering myself with a quilt. Cor is also distraught but has to soldier on. Maybe the take-away here is ‘get this girl back on the stage!’

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French S.
What I wouldn’t give to be sitting across fro you in a gingerly tea scene.

Richard L.
I literally understood nothing in the post, but noticed and was gratified by your proper use of “whom.” Twice!

Ruth Silveira
3 times!

Tegan A.C.
It really gets under your skin, doesn’t it…? Are you playing the Phandalin module?

Ruth Silveira
Yes, it does! What a great game for the Covid Year! And, yes, we are playing the popular starter game which is based in Phandalin. My first experience with the game. We are near the end and already planning for the next campaign, “The Dragon of Icespire Peak”, which is also based in Phandalin”. I will be the DM this time. (!) New characters are even now being created. Are you playing?

Tegan A.C.
DMing?! Ruth, I’m so proud of you!!! I’m always so thrilled when someone starts to play and really takes to it. It is a tremendous game.
My game is on haitus. I started with the Phandalin module and my current game group about 2 years ago (?) which landed us in the Underdark so we’re currently playing through Out of the Abyss (it’s a beast of a campaign).
I was finding that over Zoom I was getting very tired very quickly. In person is just where it’s at for me. I adjusted all right to remote play, and it gave me the opportunity to use fun camera angles and pipe music and ambience directly to my players. But the additional challenge of having to narrate game mechanics remotely undermined my energy levels. So, I’m taking a break. We’ll pick it back up in a bit, after I’ve completely redesigned my working life around the pandemic and have some bandwidth.
Looking forward to your updates! May you roll Nat20s when you really need them. xo Tegs

Ruth Silveira
As I am playing with my family safe pod, we get to play in person most of the time. When the eleven year old (my grandson, one of the better players) goes back to school, we will probably be playing remotely again. Because of a toddler in the family, our sessions are rarely longer than 2 hours. So you are DMing! With effects! Very cool.

Tegan A.C.
Yup, I’ve been DMing for a long time. I found I was a better DM than a player, actually. DMing basically happened because I wanted to play more often and regularly, so it was a “If you run the game, they will come…” situation.

Jeff G.
I dunno, I feel like this is going somewhere.

Laura E.F.
Fight on Ruth!

Isolation Diary: And not unhappy to be isolated today as I was low energy for most of the day; did not exercise, rested a lot. This often happens when a high pressure system begins to move in to my area. Generally takes me a couple of days to adjust. I did manage to perform certain responsibilities; trash out, garden watered. I did not, even though there was ample time, make progress on getting cracked windows replaced or finding an editor for the children’s story I have written. Everything just seemed to require effort. Didn’t want to make an effort today. Wanted to lie down. So I did.

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Susan J.
Gotta listen to the rhythm of your body. I’m just learning that myself.

Isolation Diary: Okay, now I am alarmed. About the election. I am standing here in shock at the submission of Republicans to Trumpism. We are seeing a blatant subversion of our democratic system. And apparently nothing can be done about it. No stopping it. Can we pinpoint the weaknesses in our system? How do we prevent this from happening again? Can we? It is not fun having these thoughts squirreling around in my mind all day when I have little to distract myself. Few distractions because when the high pressure moves in, I sort of collapse for a couple of days. Until my body adjusts. Adjustments, we must always make adjustments. But…to this idiot? Never.

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Jeff W.
A total overhaul is in order.

Ruth Silveira
Couldn’t agree more.

Christie M.
When it comes to “we can’t let this happen again,” we won’t get another chance. We absolutely can’t let him win in November. Because if he successfully steals this election, our democracy is done. The last 4 years were just a warmup. See what’s going on in Belarus. That’s his model.

Sabrina A.
And then we must get rid of corporate dark money in politics, Citizens United must be repealed, Glass-Steagalll reinstated, as well as the voters rights act, we need to close all the loopholes Trump found like appointing acting heads of departments where Congressional approval is supposed to be in place, and we have to get rid of the department of homeland security all the 9/11 workaround laws and ICE. Then we can start to rebuild. IMO. You are such a lovely soul Ruth!

Ruth Silveira
Good and important point about the ‘acting’ heads of departments. I suggest that after the ‘acting’ has been the ‘head’ for a certain amount of time, say 3 months, with no nominee presented for approval, both houses of congress hold approval hearings for the ‘acting’, treating this person as a nominee. I know only the Senate does that now. Maybe there is better suggestion as to how to even out partisanship. I started to continue spiraling out this idea but decided to wait for the proper moment.

Sabrina A.
That’s a great suggestion.

Holly B.
He said: The P.O. is a joke. The Post Office has always been an absolute necessity, especially for those of us who get medication through the mail. Or ordering anything from on-line shopping. What T. is doing is illegal. Scared little gangster. Next he’ll blow up the P. O. calling it a weapon of Mass Destruction. How our language has been perverted to fit the whims of D.T. Just how far do you think he will go????

Ruth Silveira
Montana stood up to him and Lejoy. And the PO has stopped removing curbside mailboxes. My neighborhood mail box was removed years ago. The reason I think was safety of the mail. Story is that sticky stuff was being put on the chute and mail would stick to it and then would be collected. 

Karen I.L.
Trump will do everything he can – check out Michael Cohen’s new book (or the foreword). Trump is ruthless – IF WE LET HIM. He may have big bucks hugging him like a life jacket, but we have the numbers. Keep on yelling, resisting, fighting back.

Paul B.
I’m alarmed too. What can I say that hasn’t been said?

Laurie S.
Like you Ruth I go around all day in a kind of deep dread and disbelief at not only the boldest move against democracy I’ve ever seen, but the collusion of the Republican Senate in the face of this outrageous crime being done right out in the open! I mean, their supporters like mail-in voting too – I don’t get it. LET US – buy buy buy stamps to strengthen the post office financially and directly – and also commit to help drive people (who can’t drive themselves) to the elections office to drop off their vote.

Ruth Silveira
Laurie, that is a good idea. Driving people to drop off their ballots. I could put out on Nextdoor that I am available to do that. I can’t deliver their ballot, right? But I can deliver a person who can deliver a ballot.

Laurie S.
I’m pretty sure we can’t deliver for them, because of fraud possibilities, but I’m not sure. I mean, it is sealed. Hmmm. I’ll try to find out from the elections offices.

Paul B.
I cannot understand why we are not pushing for online voting.

Ruth Silveira
Wouldn’t online voting be easier to subvert? So many great hackers these days.

Henrietta C.
Best option by far is to get your absentee ballot, fill it out and take it directly to the drop box–as EARLY as your state allows.

I left the above thread in because it shows the stress that the political situation added to that of the pandemic and the struggles to remain healthy and solvent. 2020 was a very tough year. 2021 is also extremely stressful.

Isolation Diary: Such a hot day. I did get out early–that means before noon–to water my garden and harvest some beans. I am not as alarmed as yesterday about the coming election because the push back from Montana (!) and the offered strategies from people on FB to deal with voting circumstances. Thank you. And, I am partly amused and partly distressed, quite distressed, about a critical D and D confrontation to take place on Saturday. The power of story. Story. Let me tell you who you are. Let me tell myself who I am. Let me tell you who you should be. Let me tell you who They are. Them. Them

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Ruth Silveira
And then there is Us.

Richard L.
Who am us, anyway? — Firesign Theater

Ruth Silveira
Right. That question could take an age to answer.

Isolation Diary: Up late doing the laundry so as not to stress the power grid. Remember when we could go see a movie to cool off? Today, Jessie, Duncan, and I, with Maggie as Dungeon Master finished our campaign. We adventurers defeated the dragon but our human adversary slipped away. (To be dealt with later?) We had all been afraid that we were all going to die but we came up with a plan of attack that actually worked. I may seem to be going on about this but D and D does capture one’s attention once you enter into the game. After a week’s break, we will begin another adventure with me as DM this time so Maggie can play a character. This game has been providing fun and mental stimulus and interaction, not just game related, throughout these Covid months. Almost daily I question what I ‘should’ be doing. New projects? Back burner items? Home repairs? Where does this game fit in? Because it is a partnership with character choices and the rolls of the dice, flexibility is required. And staying flexible is always good.

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Noel B.
I will be the first to admit I was never good at D&D.
It has to do with the sad reality that I am a jerk.
I played once with a group of serious weirdos in the Army of all places.
I started off by insulting the guy assigned as the dungeon master. I did everything out of rebellion. When the other players laughed at me it motivated me to not only mock the concept of make-believe but it only further motivated me to make decisions that were designed to further insult the assigned dungeon master.
It didn’t take long before I died a horrific and painful death.
Now I get it. Yeah, like several decades too late.
I now have a better understanding of the point of the game due to your isolation diary.
Thanks. You have broadened my world perspective.

Natascha C.A.
The boys have got into DnD right before the pandemic started. We’ve had a terrific time playing. I bet you’re going to be a wonderful DM!!

Ruth Silveira
We will see. I investigated a FB group and these people add amazing elements to their stories. Helps me see how wide open it can be.

Mandi M.H.
Table top role playing games are amazing.

Laura E.F.
Don’t know the game but love the questions it pops up!

Isolation Diary: There’s Covid and there is the election. Covid constricts my life, the coming election incites a wide range of feelings. Is hope a feeling? I feel hopeful. I am also in dread. And then there is my delicious little grandson here for a visit. Later in the afternoon I pick up my ordered groceries and find that 7 items were unavailable. Aaarrrgghh!! Flip-flop. Then a Zoom meeting with my tiny Friends of the Library group. FYI, you can order a book from the library and pick it up at certain ‘hub’ branches. I am currently reading a borrowed graphic novel on Hoopla. I am outraged and appalled about the attacks on the postal service but if Trump ever threatened public libraries, I might have to embody Katniss Everdeen.

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Henrietta C.
You go, Katniss.