HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL

Monday, June 1, 2020

Tales of the Traveling Tote #23

Tales of the Traveling Tote

Welcome, friends!

Like most, we are masked and in mandatory "stay at home" here.

Obviously there hasn't been any travel.

Our first major disappointment was this!

Round Top Antique Market

Canceled!!!

😢😢😢😢😢

That meant one of my besties who was

scheduled to join me from Cape Cod

had to cancel her visit.

I've been shopping these

bi-annual markets since the 1980s.

Grocery shopping is done online
with curbside pickup.

Then there was this!

Fresh cut flowers are difficult to find.

Fortunately, Mother Nature came to the rescue!

~Red Bud Blooms ~

~ Mountain Laurel ~

~ Bridal Wreath ~

In May, Texas began to reopen, and I began to
venture into the grocery stores on occasion.

Entries are timed to limit the number of shoppers inside
a store, so shoppers line up waiting to enter.

Masks and strict social distancing are required, and store employees are stationed to monitor that rules are observed.

I only venture out for
essential shopping!

Trader Joe's of course
has very clever 6 foot stations.

Our neighborhood streets are active with

children and families out walking or biking.

Sadie doesn't think all this fuss about
social distancing applies to canines.

In reality, Sadie has enjoyed the months of isolation.
She gets multiple walks, likes to stop and smell the flowers,
and always finds a comfy spot for napping.
Now that Austin has begun reopening, curbside drop-off for grooming means Sadie gets time with her favorite groomer, Joelle.

Early on, someone in our neighborhood suggested that
the neighbors set up a Bear Hunt based on the children's book,
I'M GOING ON A BEAR HUNT
by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury.

The idea was that families would place
a teddy bear in one of their front windows.

When families are out on their daily walks,
the children look for bears, as they go on a Bear Hunt.
The idea was immediately embraced as you can see with
my sampling in the collage above. It even expanded to an
Easter Egg Hunt with some families adding eggs in their windows.

When Debbie @ Mountain Breaths convinced me to add
Olivia Owl to my nest, I decided to have a little fun with her too.
Olivia flitted about from one flower filled container to another.
Instead of WHERE'S WALDO, it was WHERE'S OLIVIA?

Families have embraced this isolation time to reconnect.

The slower pace has families enjoying just being together.
No schools are open, so children are finishing the school year online from home with the assistance of their parents.

Birthdays are celebrated with drive by parades or

gathering together for virtual parties on Zoom.

Our local schools organized graduation parades.
Last week high school seniors rode through the neighborhoods in cars and trucks decorated with balloons and flags and banners;
honking horns and the sound of cheers filled the streets.