Out and About

34 and frost-covered this morning. The moon last night was full, or nearly so, and riding high in a clear sky. Today promises to warm up, perhaps enough to get some outside work done.

After a day of computer work, I was ready for some fun, so we went to Charleston (WV) to listen to some Irish fiddle music played by a friend. This s the Celtic Calling Festival time in Charleston, with a lot of events all over the city. But since we're an hour away, we usually just manage to get to one of these special events. Here's a bit of Jenny and Jim's music last night:

I was people-watching while listening. Do you people-watch too? It can be fascinating. One thing I was watching for was to see if it is really true how often we touch our faces. The news has been so full of warnings about the corona virus and about not touching your face that I was curious to see if we really do touch our faces a lot.

Based on what I saw last night, I have to say it's true. People rubbed their cheeks, pushed their hair out of their face, scratched their chins, rubbed their eyes. And I found myself with an almost uncontrollable urge to rub my itching nose! So yes, we do touch our faces frequently.

The other thing I noticed was how many people were absorbed in their phones, even while there with their friends and good music being performed in front of them. I sort of understand about the music--many regard even live music as just background to other activities. I don't get the part about being with friends but glued to the little phone screen though. In some cases it was apparent that some young men really wanted to engage with the girls they were with, and looked discouraged when the young women never looked up from their phones.

I watched people passing in the window too--so many single people, looking for a companion, for a good time. It was Saturday night, and that particular routine hasn't changed much, has it. A downtown city street in a lively restaurant and bar district on a Saturday night has a live energy that's undeniable, a sort of hopefulness perhaps lacking the rest of the week.

It was late when we got home, and of course the clocks changed during the wee hours so now I feel behind on my usual morning work. Daylight Savings Time is so disruptive, and the older I get the less I like the change.

So off I go now to try to catch up. And maybe get some time outside too, or for a walk to see what wild greens might be up. It might be time for creasey greens. We shall see!

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