Scarlet Pimpernel

Some flower photos to brighten spirits a little... And some tulips for you @mappy!

Kinda brings a new meaning when people say, "shit's really flying!", doesn't it?? (or, "that shit won't fly!" or "hitting the fan" or... Well you get the idea!)

Ahhh, Ms. J! You always have some damn fine culinary creations I have to say! That looks very tasty, thank you for sharing even if virtually! That margarita...I have no words (but I do have a sudden...thirst, hahaha!)!! Funny, but the baking aisle has been mostly empty for the past couple of weeks. Can't find yeast, sugar, or flour really. My daughter has been asking me to find yeast (she likes to bake!), but alas, I come home empty handed any time I've checked. She made me my birthday cake this year (chocolate, of course...with a penuche icing...very tasty!).

I'm sorry...I know I really should not laugh...but I admit to finding that a little amusing! (But it is soooo wrong!!!)

LOL! I sort of heard of it growing up but never really knew much about or saw it until recently! It's funny that it is considered a "soap opera", I guess because the episodes were on in the mid afternoon back when it was originally televised. Sort of a horror/cult soap opera, I guess! It's funny to see some of the occasional "errors" that occurred during filming, of course it was really low budget for that kind of thing. You'd occasionally hear some background noise, something dropping on the ground, or see the shadow of a microphone that you weren't supposed to see...heck, I've even seen a fly or other insect appear and one of the actors had to wave it away right there on set and while filming! The over-dramatic music is kinda funny too. Have to say, Barnabas Collins and Quentin Collins were awesome characters (Quentin's snarky character is amusing)!

Ha! Well, I watched the original "Alien" movie a couple of weeks back...great film and still a pretty damned scary idea! It's been years since I last saw it. But now, I've got the complete James Bond series on Bluray that I've started watching in the past week (was given that for my birthday the other week). I'm still amazed at how good the "original" ones were, through the 80s (including Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and yes, even the one with George Lazenby). I know, there's argument over who the best Bond is/was! Oh, and anyone remember the old "Dark Shadows" series from the '60s-70s? Someone gave us the complete set on disk (some 1200 episodes!) a few years ago, and have slowly been working through that when the mood strikes. Fun stuff (if campy!)...and it's easy to binge watch several half-hour episodes in an evening!! Still quite a ways from the end of the series though (and this is over the past 2+ years of occasional viewing)!

Well, I hope the original post I put up didn't sound overly alarmist or anything like that. I was just thinking historically what happened from the 1918 flu, where after the original wave it got bad again the next fall. Obviously this virus isn't the same and conditions/medical science, etc. are different as well. At any rate, I have heard what both of you say that thus far this virus apparently hasn't shown a tendency to mutate very much (if at all, really?). So yeah, that gives hope of a "one and done" vaccine, once there is a vaccine. The other thing here is, I've heard differing things on how long one's immunity lasts, which is another factor...though again, I don't think anyone knows anything definitive on that or if it's even been looked into (probably way too early right now to know for sure).

I'm so sorry to hear about that, WxWatcher007. For what it's worth, I send my deep condolences. Take care of yourself and those close to you! And like you say, despite the occasional political argument in this thread, I'm grateful for this community and the people in it...nice to know that other than bonding over weather, we can also discuss this current situation rationally for the most part. And it does help.

Actually, this is kind of what really worries me beyond this initial wave. I've heard indications that this virus could well be a "seasonal" occurrence. And keep in mind, this really showed up here more near the end of the regular flu season. Come next fall, we'll be dealing with this for the full complement of that season.

It's really hard, I suppose, to not wade too much into the political stuff with this issue. Maybe it's the nature of the beast, I don't know. Generally I try to avoid going into that too much in here (hopefully with some success!). I admit to having very strong views on this subject and politically in general, and all I'll say is that I do not have any confidence or trust in the current Administration for much of anything. To me, governors and other local governments are left trying to do their own thing however they can. While I lean quite left (though not "extreme"), I have to give great credit to Gov. Hogan here in MD as a Republican. Now, some of that may be due to the fact that the Statehouse here is heavily Democratic, so he's more moderate. But regardless, he's done a good job here, not just with this but in general I think. Same for some other Republican governors in other states, even if I disagree with them in general on policy, some have handled this crisis pretty darned well as Hogan has for the most part. As for your feeling a little rough, I hear you...it's hard not to automatically kind of worry. But it is getting into peak allergy season, and I've noticed times I have a stuffy/runny nose, even a bit of a cough or slight headache, most likely due to that. Dry air doesn't help (and it's been a bit dry lately, as well as breezy out).

Storm mode?? You stay well, too (goes for everyone, of course)!!

It's been interesting what's available at what stores, that's for sure. TP and even kleenex has been non-existent or in short supply nearly everywhere I've been. I did score some at a dollar store, strangely enough. I had already stocked up some on kleenex awhile back when TP was all but gone, and there was still a ton of tissue boxes available. The meat area has been hit or miss, at least at the Giants I go to. Pasta is likewise the same. And the baking aisle...they've been generally cleaned out for some time (obviously a lot of people decided to bake a bunch of stuff...and why not?), things like flour/sugar/yeast. I'm glad I spent about 2-3 weeks before the "rush" slowly stocking up on some dried/canned items. Something I found slightly amusing is cleaner...mostly gone, but the only things left are scented ones...I saw a whole bunch of lavender scented Comet of all things (apparently not popular)!! You're probably right, time of day might play a role too. But paper products (like TP) have been nowhere to be seen for nearly 3 weeks now, at least at the main stores.

I would expect nothing less after the improvements this year! Hopefully by then, the new talent won't have to remain 6 feet from you. And...bow ties for the snakes!! Don't forget the bow ties!! Gotta stay...sophisticated! (The top hat helps, too!)

Haha! That is f'ing hilarious!! Do the snakes also serve drinks?? May need to work on their form a bit before December...

Great...many thanks for that correction! That's what I get for reading it all too quickly and having my eyes gloss over the part that restaurants are still allowed. Good to know. My apologies for the misinformation in my earlier comment.

Ha! The one big difference I did see from the order is that now curbside and other pick-up of food from any restaurants is suspended in MD (but not in VA?). Unless I read that incorrectly. That was kind of a shocker, but that may be more temporary, not sure. I believe you can have things delivered...if a place offers that. I had patronized "carry-out" places a couple of times recently just to support them, as I know they're going to really suffer economically.

On a completely different and brighter note...Cherry blossoms with a golden sunset behind them:

I didn't find your comment political. Viruses don't care what one's philosophy is. I was actually worried my long comment below yours sounded too "political" or "charged", but I've about reached my limit so had to vent a little. So I get where you're coming from.

Oy! I don't want to wade into this controversy because I have definite views that are not aligned with yours. And I've got far more than half a brain, thank you very much for the insulting condescension there. But read about 1918. They were no strangers to what we now call "social distancing" or "flattening the curve." Most widely seen image is what St. Louis did vs. Philadelphia at that time, and the difference is stark. And throughout history, quarantines and the like were common practice in the absence of other medicine. As for China, they introduced rather draconian stay-at-home orders. I'm not saying we are headed there, and yes, they haven't gotten "rid" of it, but it did help. The whole idea is to first, keep the emergency facilities from becoming overwhelmed and second, perhaps it will reduce the amount of infection cases at least enough until we can get a vaccine or some other treatment. And we've already got overwhelmed facilities here. You sound like what Boris Johnson in the UK was saying, let everyone get sick and go from there. But even he changed his tune rather dramatically in the past week or so. Fact is if we can keep millions from dying and far more from suffering through bad cases if they do survive, we should do so as a matter of ethics. This whole idea that "it's just the flu" is crazy; it's a virus that nobody has any immunity to, and you may not have permanent immunity after. And it's world-wide. It's also much harsher than the regular seasonal flu or cold. It's not alarmist. And don't even think that even if this settles down through the summer, that it won't come back as we get into the next fall/winter. And by then, we'll have the full complement of the flu season in front of us; not just a couple of months at the end like this year I swear, when I see the complaints, I wonder what those whining about it would have done during WW-II and the Depression, when various laws were put in place to support the war effort or to alleviate the economic disaster...serious sacrifices, etc. Now, there's too much BS about "I don't want the gov'mint taking away my free-dumb during a crisis that they're exaggerating!" OK, sorry to everyone else, I did wade into the controversy, perhaps to my own detriment. But had to vent a little...my apologies!

But he's the Reaper. Can't be a Weenie. Conflict of interest, right?!?! I'm sure he'll get his high-powered Panic Room lawyers on that right away...

You could also release the @Jebman (Kraken??), waving his vaunted shovel around, he'll be sure to keep things plenty cold!!

Yeah. I don't think there's necessarily a *huge* difference from what the orders were before, other than now this gives authority to enforce it if people are blatantly violating. I'd be frustrated if I were him, too. You can still go out for necessities, exercise, that sort of thing. That's mostly all I've done myself the past couple or so weeks. I think they also still have some carry-out at various restaurants...order ahead and pick it up. I've done that a couple of times, too, just to at least still patronize some places to help keep them afloat. Like I said before...yes, this sucks and nobody likes it. But it's what needs to be done if we're to have some chance of curtailing things somewhat.

What are the magic words one needs to say in order to "steal" one of those????

Great day for a bike ride once it started clearing out!!!

You should dust your camera off and get out there, for sure!! Just walk around and see what catches your eye...