Squeals When Our Doors Are Opened

Maybe we are going back to the innocence America used to have.    There used to be custom call May Basket Day.  As the month of April came to an end, people would gather flowers and candies and other goodies and put them in “May baskets” to hang on the doors of friends, neighbors and loved ones.    We just begun our practice a month or so early this year and our intent wasn’t quite the same but the end game is spot on.  I have been delighted to find numerous things on my front porch during this quarantine.  One was a fancy caramel apple in a tall Easter surprise box and then a homemade bird house made for me by a dear friend.  I left medicine for a sick daughter by her door and I think this weekend I’ll do some goody drops at my children’s doors.   They may not be “May baskets” but they are “survival lovelinesses” that truly show us all that America still has it going on.  Photo courtesy of the First Lady Grace Coolidge after receiving a May basket from young children in 1927.

 

 

 

 

I Love Woody

I mopped the toy room today.  It was a quiet and hushed few moments cleaning the floor pondering the fact that the toys are in a “resting” mode.    The battery operated unicorn won’t be needing a recharge and the Flintstone car won’t be rolling around the room.  No cookies are baking in the little kitchen.  It might be quite a while before little grandkids are creatively playing in their domain.   All was silent as I backed out with my steam mop and wound up the cord.  Do you think, because of neglect and loneliness,  that maybe some dialogue will be happening while we sleep?   “You my friend are responsible for delaying my rendevous with star command!  You are a toy!  To infinity . . . and beyond!  I’ve set my laser from stun to kill.”   Hopefully.

Blowing In The Wind

I laid in bed and listened to the wind literally “howl.”  I don’t remember a wind storm being this hard and for this long.  When the gargantuan gusts hit every few minutes the house feels the pressure and I envision the roof blowing off.  That in turn reminds me of The Wizard of Oz and how terrified I was watching that movie.  Is my house going to lift and spin and land somewhere else?  And then I see the witch and she frightens me the most.   So lying in bed, thinking the sky will soon be privy to me laying in bed and seeing that wretched witch’s seething countenance really puts me in a compromising position.  Then Kelcy texted me to say a tree snapped and landed on the cabin – it shook her to a total “wide awake” moment and we spent the next ten minutes talking about our scary childhood memories.   That made everything all better.

Circle Time

I love how things trickle down.  I met Tim Sessions many years ago when he was serving here as a missionary and I was the Relief Society president in the Willow Ward.  We became close friends.  Our boys loved Tim.  Rhea was just a little girl.  Tim went home and later married Lacey.  We kept in touch.  Tim brought Lacey up to Alaska to explore and show her his great love, Alaska.    They stayed with us for a few days and I loved his sweet wife.  Things are trickling down.  The years have moved on and we find ourselves homebound living in this temporary strange new world and Lacey begins preschool lessons on YouTube.  Her soft spoken kind way of teaching attracts my grandchildren.  First it was Maverick and then Paige and Remi.  I see the trickle . . .

 

Mandate 11

I am working on finding  “contentment in the confinement”.    I have given myself this past week and a half to absorb and relax with the new norm but time is up my friend.  The stark realization is this – I cannot sit in a chair and work on a project for two-thirds of the day without feeling sluggish and lazy.  The “new me” with the “new norm” needs to mix things up a little so this is how things are going to be around here for the next month or so.  Every morning I begin with some sort of a working project.  I can organize, clean or paint.  That gets me moving and motivated.  Then I work on something more low key for a few hours, like a computer project or putting together my life story.    I have to go for walks and listen to my podcasts.  I have to go for drives and listen to my podcasts.  Sonic is a welcomed drive and a diversion well needed and satisfying.  I also need social interaction and connections with people so I need to keep texting and talking.  Well that pep talk was good and I’m am pleasingly content.

Lug Nut Issue

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the guy who was driving on three wheels instead of four.  He was right in front of me in an older yellow box-type vehicle, crossing Pittman, changing lanes without a care but mindful of the snowy conditions.  That was when his wheel just left.  It rolled across the road and into the ditch.  This was like a cartoon image to me as I tried to bring it all to my reality in a few short seconds.  Then came the sparks and the three legged “box” settled quickly on the side of the road.   I appreciated the lesson on life he gave me but felt horrible for his dilemma.  A fellow stopped to retrieve his tire – a kind heart, a helping hand, a good soul, quick to aide, a man looking out for his ‘brother’ who without even a second of hesitation was there to help.

Much Needed

It was just me and the world.  I disciplined myself today to get out and go for a walk even though break up has just begun .  Normally it would be me hanging with my over fifty crowd at the complex every morning  to get my exercise but they too are fumbling with where to go and what to do.  I slid across the frozen puddle outside the door and found the driveway to be firmer and crunchier.  Everyone’s doors and dogs were silent and all I heard was the crunch of my feet.  Our loop was silent and void of any distractions.  It was a somber, contemplative time walking so very alone.  I noticed dog prints and  I took in a big breath of clean cool air. It felt good.  This was nice.

The Basics

For how many years have we heard the phrase “back to the basics.”    That has become a reality this past week as we have literally gone back in time.  I wrote letters to my grandchildren that live far away today – I folded up the letter and put it in an envelope with a stamp just like in the olden days.  My grandsons and I played Monopoly the other day and we decided I really needed a better Checkers game.  We go for walks more, read books more, play more and a lot of people are eating home more.  The Daddies are home more and we study “church stuff” more.  We are way more aware of our political leaders and we know who will get our votes in the next election and who won’t.  Notice how many “mores” I used.  That is what makes the basics so awesome – it is that we are doing more of so many things that are . . . well . . .more basic.

Before The World Changed

Before the world changed I lived using my planner.  Now it sits on the bottom shelf on the stand by my chair.  I never kept FOX news running on my kitchen TV.  Before the world changed I visited people, shopped a lot at Target, went to the temple, baked bread for friends and loved a good long hug.  Before the world changed I was gone a lot doing this and that and never even imagined the ramifications of what a virus could do.  Before the world changed I never really “knew” our governor  and never paid much attention to what he had to say, now I do.  I never really thought much about really needing  a thermometer and that our home center church wasn’t just for practice.  It is the real thing.  Did I ever think the church would have a huge chunk of the missionaries serving out in the world come back to the United States?  Never.  Before the world changed I never really thought the world could change as much as it has – now I know it can.

 

The Best Sabbath Days

My studies were about the allegory of the olive tree and the symbols.  My columns in my Book of Mormon are filled with red marks, lines and pencil notes.  I was instructed more on the Restoration through a video.  A daughter shared their Sabbath with friends where meaningful, spiritual moments were had.  A grandson talked about prayer and how it is like a sandwich.  Only a six year old would come up with the top slice is like the opening (Heavenly Father) and the bottom is how we close (Jesus Christ).  All the middle stuff are the things we ask for and are thankful for – those are the fixings inside.  We met as a family, had dinner, a short family council and then we played games.  These are Sabbath days I always want to have.