Black Swan Days Begin

Lower Manhattan, Looking North

I've had a lot of trouble finding a title for this post. But I saw a post from a friend on Facebook about a black swan. A black swan is an "unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected and has potentially serious consequences. They are extremely rare and have a severe impact." My deepest prayer is that Covid19 is as many have characterized it,  a "bad flu," but looking at data from Italy I am more concerned that it is a black swan. 

Buttercupland is not about to become a medical blog and I will make every effort to continue to write about positive and upbeat topics. But I most likely will be spending much more time at home and staying away from gatherings of large groups. The latter is on recommendation of my internist who I saw on Monday. There may be a lot more photographs taken in walking distance of my apartment, photographs taken in years past and lots of long delayed book reviews. 

I thought about what I will be doing in the hours I would normally be scheduling activities all over New York City. I will be blogging more, reading more and yes, working on the infinite decluttering. I will also be walking as much as possible as a way to keep fit and to burn off nervous energy. My building has a beautiful -- and little used -- roof deck and I plan to enjoy it more than usual this spring. 

Saturday my friend, Jane, and I spent the afternoon walking, taking pictures and then walking a lot more. My total for the day was over six miles. It was crisp, but sunny and we had a wonderful walk in Lower Manhattan. We stopped for lunch at Pier A, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1886 as the headquarters for the New York Harbor Police and Department of Docks and renovated several years ago. 

 An extraordinary view from Pier A. Alas it was too cold to sit outside for lunch. 

 The Oyster House is modeled after the classic fish house of New York City. It wasn't crowded

 for Saturday lunch, but during the week it's much more difficult to find a coveted seat at the bar. 

My day today was very average, but I enjoyed every minute spent outdoors and seeing friends at Weight Watchers. First stop of the day was Weight Watchers, my first day of physical therapy, a visit to the library to return an overdue book and a quick stop at the grocery. I'm pleased to report that there was more than adequate stock of both toilet paper and paper towels. How was your day, dear friends?

As ever, thanks for visiting. I'll be back tomorrow with thoughts on hand washing, our new global activity, and prayer. Take good care!