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By Mark Zeiger, March 16, 2020

Paging through Facebook has always been a go-to procrastination method on these days when I have a blog deadline looming.

Lately, everything’s coronavirus, of course. Today, as I procrastinate, a lot of Facebook posts show friends social distancing. Since many of these friends are Alaskans, you can imagine, we’re pretty socially distant.

If I’ve managed to make one preference clear on this blog, it’s that I adore isolation. I love my friends and loved ones, but I prefer solitude (see Hermit at Heart).

Indulging in another procrastination strategy, I complained to Michelle about writing for the blog. I hit on the idea of following the crowd in posting photos of my self-isolation, but got too cynical about it.

Then, as often happens, my better half stepped in, and made a very good point.

Social Distancing, Homestead Style: The love of my life is actually in this photo, I swear! (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

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By Mark Zeiger, November 11, 2019

On a recent morning, we listened to Bird Note on our local radio station. The narrator drew an analogy for how hard birds actually work to survive with the phrase “. . . putting their beaks to the grindstone . . .” prompting a look and a grimace between Aly and me. It sounded horrible, much worse, apparently, than the more common phrase, “putting one’s nose to the grindstone.” Really? I’d never thought how awful that phrase was, either.

Awful or not, it’s a phrase well ensconced in our cultural lexicon, and it fits. For better or worse, we are definitely applying our noses to the grindstone around here.

The “second” root cellar (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

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