DEAR DIARY: DAY 58

Day 58: My favorite radio station is one of several public venues that affiliate with NPR, 90.9 The Bridge. It offers an all music format that explores all forms and styles. The local DJ’s make up the play list and do live or prerecorded interviews with artists who are in town to help promote their concert schedules. If the music doesn’t suit me I can always play something from my I Tunes library. This morning they read my mind, knew what would please me. 

Kansas City’s big time NPR station is trying to keep us informed with stories and reporting on the virus and with what leadership either is or isn’t doing. In either case, a little bit goes a long way and to spend much time with them is a lose-lose, self inflicted wound. There is no good news other than we woke up this morning. So music that soothes the weary soul is welcome. 

I only make coffee a couple of times a week. Today was one of those days and everything felt a little less stressed. The Bridge was playing story songs, like you get with song writers playing their own stuff in small venues. The name, Margaret Glaspy was new to me but her song put me at ease. “Stay With Me” pretty much fit the pandemic feel. You don’t know what will happen but here in the moment, you do what you can. I listened, then got on You Tube and listened to it again. Feeling good about my discovery; I can download her song for $1.29 and add it to one of my many play lists. At breakfast’s end I was glad that with all of the bad news I had skipped over, I had reason to feel no so bad.

In quarantine I discovered, not a surprise but still noteworthy, how much comfort I take from the birds that frequent my feeders. Just outside the kitchen window I have two peanut feeders, two suet cages and a squirrel-proof sunflower seed feeder. I require food but it ain’t what it once was. What makes food wonderful now is the company you keep in the process. Otherwise it’s just fuel. I find my woodpeckers, titmice, finches and cardinals to be wonderful breakfast companions. 

For several days I’ve been fretting my short supply of bird seed. If I don’t set the table, they don’t come around. Today I called the local supplier; asked if I could transact business without coming inside the store. I made my order over the phone, like online grocery shopping and he filled it. At the loading dock I slid the cheque in a crack between the glass and the window frame while he loaded my bird food into the back of my pick up. No contact, not even close. I’ll leave the stuff in the back of the truck for a few days to be sure any contamination has dissipated. Come the weekend I’ll reload the feeders. I would love to be sharing coffee and a scone with friends at Panera’s. Those days are only a few months past but our coffee klatches are now virtual and online. I don’t think they can be recreated, not for a long time. Our Zoom get-togethers are the best we can do and I’m happy to get that feed back. I haven’t touched another human or held a door open or shared coffee and cookies over a friend’s birthday since February. I’ll just have to make do withy my birds.