Little Niggles ~ No Flowers

Hi everyone! Another Friday of isolation here [my week 6] and there where you are too. I can't fix the big stuff --or really even the little stuff. But that won't stop me from voicing my niggling complaints.

nig·gle

Learn to pronounce

verb

cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety.

1. "a suspicion niggled at the back of her mind"

   Similar:

   irritate
   

   annoy
   

   worry
   

   trouble
   

   bother
   

   provoke
   

   exasperate
   

   upset
   

   gall
   

   irk
   

   rankle with

   rile
   

   get up someone's nose

   hack off

   get
   

   get to
   

   bug
   

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noun

1. a trifling complaint, dispute, or criticism.

   Similar:

   minor criticism

   quibble
   

   trivial objection

   trivial complaint

   adverse comment

   moan
   

   grumble
   

   grouse
   

   cavil
   

   twine
   

   gripe
   

   beef
   

   grouch
   

   nitpicking
   

   pettifogging
   

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First of all, though the stores have random fresh produce, there have been no cut or potted flowers to buy since early March. Why is that?, I wondered sadly. Probably...the cut flowers I like are flown in from far away, Europe, UK, Ireland, South America. Flights from those places are banned now [though where is our arugula and avocados sourced?].

No pots of tulips for Easter,

no cut hyacinths to fill the house with the scent of Spring.

The fields of flowers such as these iconic scenes in Holland must be unharvested, left to bloom and wither in place.




Planes in my sky are a rarity now, a sky once filled with dozens of planes and helicopters, too. Mo saw one low flying plane yesterday and got quite excited.

Above, my flower photos over the years, to brighten our day.
....

And then---lockdown: Stay at home! "I have nothing to wear!". It's cold here and very windy. Heavy clothes in layers are needed. I am out of winter weight  at-home garments now. Two pairs of sweat pants, washed to thin rags; two old cashmere turtlenecks, hopelessly out at elbows and shrunken from too many home washings. I'm wearing what was a beautiful new sweater last Fall, my 2019 sweater, a pale grey cashmere tweed. Its elbows have massive holes, the neck has sagged drastically and has been amateurishly re-tightened.I'm so sad. I was so pleased with how this looked last November, with dark wash jeans and my charcoal wool Allbird sneakers, plaid scarf wound around my neck, pale silver thin puffer jacket on top.

My ugly New Balance walking shoes have holes too. All worn out from overuse; being home and wearing soft utility clothes is the new normal. I ordered new fleece cargo pants finally. They are so big, you all could fit in them with me. I cinch them in and hope for the best, instead of waiting to exchange; they are soft, have pockets, but are too loose to be warm. Yesterday I ordered a season's end blue turtleneck from  L L Bean. I hope it comes soon.

Mo needs grooming but the groomer isn't answering texts. I'm worried.

I'm finding a few things I need on Amazon, but---Lite Salt for 12.oo?, 100 Ziplock baggies for 45.oo? And in the stores one's reusable grocery bags are now banned because of the virus. NY state banned plastic bags March 1st, just as the virus went crazy. They are awful and clog our waterways but they're sterile and clean. Poor timing. Now we are back to large paper bags that we must pay for. Recycling is cancelled, for paper and plastic. I have no answers, but I always had the notion that reusable bags  are germ factories---things like good lightbulbs and plastic bags were invented for a reason.

I am making masks, but when I wear one I can't breathe or see. Part claustrophobia, part foggy glasses. Bad. Elastic for the ears is about a dollar a yard, should be, like ten cents a yard. It doesn't come anyway when ordered, so I suppose it is no issue.

Gone to the Beach masks, made with Goody hair elastics:

And I have learned a [possibly useless] lesson in shopping and gratification postponed. Buy it when you see it; get stuff done now, don't postpone especially for frugality or budget. I put off having the big Coxcombe Quilt's patterns copied at Staples, thinking, Oh plenty of time, don't need til summer. Now I am stuck and a bit flummoxed, how to redraw such large pieces?

I thought I'd get back to Home Goods for the blue pouffe seat and the seaglass beads. Nope, closed. I didn't get new deck cushions and little tables, who buys that stuff in February or March?

I will say Target is a blessing. I ordered my deck cushions and my Triscuits online. They may come..someday soon? here




Trivial, yes, but important. If I worry about the small stuff, I can't also worry about the HUGE stuff  [''are we all gonna die, mom?'']  {"Yes."]

So tell me, what the most annoying little thing that bothers you about lockdown? Not the fear, or desperate loneliness, or lack of hugs, or the pervasive nightmares everyone is mentioning. No, little niggles...like  no milk for your tea, or my No Triscuits jonesing? It's okay, let's share.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach........................