Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Thankful

This cross was made by a good friend of mine. He is a very good wood worker and I cherish this wooden cross. It is an indicator of how thankful I am for the blessings God has bestowed on me and my precious husband Bill.

We've been quite diligent about staying home but yesterday we had to make a trip to Newnan for a doctor checkup. After parking our car, we walked up to the entrance of the hospital where we then had our temperatures taken and answered questions about any symptoms we might be having that would be suspicious of THE VIRUS. Thankfully, we are well and able to answer positively. We thank the Lord for that.

Masked and gloved, we entered the hospital and made our way to our first appointment, lab work. I say OUR but it actually was Bill's appointment. He was the one who had to get stuck! The news was good when he saw the medical oncologist; all lab results were great! We definitely thank the Lord for that!!!

My Käse was happy about the results I think. He was jumping up and down on the window sill this morning as though he knew the results of our doctor visit yesterday.

To my friend in Germany, I would like to say hello and I look forward to her comments on my blog. It makes writing this much more satisfying to know that you enjoy reading it. I hope everyone feels that way.

My friend and I have been sharing recipes, especially chicken recipes. Southern fried chicken, chicken parmesan, southern specialties.

About this southern thing: as a southern girl, born and raised, I'd like to acquaint you with our unique vernacular, but I think that it deserves it's own POST. Stay tuned for the next POST that I will title "Southern Drawl, Ya'll".

Monday, April 27, 2020

Finding Joy Amidst Chaos

I just returned from picking up our groceries at the local Kroger.  Things were surprisingly calm today unlike last week when there were many more cars waiting than there were parking spaces and people were getting really aggravated.  Instead of waiting patiently to earn one of the designated spaces to have groceries loaded, people would come wheeling in and grab the space before those cars who were already hovering, waiting could make it into the slot.  And so, discord would ensue to the point that someone even threatened to call the police.  At that point, the store manager had to come out and restore order.  Wow! Can you believe our society has reached the stage of fighting over parking spaces for groceries?

My little Käse has been happily greeting me at my window these past mornings, seemingly unaffected by what is happening in our world. It's sad that there are a number of animals that have now become infected with the COVID-19 virus.  The Bronx Zoo has several tigers and lions that are now sick. I've heard of a few domestic cats and dogs who are ill and even one that has died.  Be careful with your animals and try to isolate them as much as possible.  They love us unconditionally and deserve to be protected.

My sweet great grandson is growing so quickly! He's 6 months old now and on the verge of learning so many things, like crawling and walking.
                                   
And he has hair now!!!  I hope he will have hair like his daddy, not his granddaddy. To be fair, Jason had nice hair but he lost it at an early age.  But he adapted well.
 

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Sweet Potatoes



Our sweet baby loves sweet potatoes! Can you tell?  He's learning all kinds of new tastes--even lemon, which he clearly does not like.  I'm very proud that his mom and dad are sheltering him and keeping him safe from this dreadful virus.  I pray that soon I will get to see him and hug and kiss him.

Our state has just been given the green light to begin opening some businesses: hair salons, barber shops, spas for massage therapy and restaurants. I fail to see the logic in beginning with these businesses since it's really not possible to cut or color someone's hair, or give a massage without touching a person. The people who do these jobs may not be able to acquire the PPE equipment they need to protect themselves so they are much more endangered.  How the decision was made to allow this is a complete mystery to me.  What comes to mind is: "The chain is only as strong as the weakest link".  That weak link may be the next person who walks through the door, coughing, and wants a hair cut or a massage.

And on Monday, restaurants will be able to invite customers inside to sit down and be served their meals.  Unless the facility is quite large, how can they maintain social distancing, which they are supposed to do?  And how do the managers decide when to say "no more" allowed inside at this time?  Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me, especially if potential customers have had a few drinks.

I understand the concern for our economy, and that people need to be able to feed their families.  But if they contract this virus, they'll be SICK, maybe hospitalized, and they STILL won't be able to feed their families.

After all these things I have lamented, there is one thing I would beg everyone to remember.  Something we can and should please make part of our routine to protect ourselves from being infected by this virus:





Friday, April 10, 2020

Christopher and Dad



This is probably Christopher's first lesson on cars, especially Mustangs. He seems to be very interested, whatever it is. He and Dad are best buds. His mom says he has been fussy because he is teething. Today is his 6 month birthday!!! He's 6 months old today. Happy birthday my sweet, precious little boy. I'm praying we'll be able to see you and hold you and hug you very soon. Oh, yeah, ya'll too, mom and dad. ;-)

My little Käse hasn't been at the window for a couple of days but the landscapers have been here mowing the grass and cleaning away weeds and stuff outside so I think they have forced him away for now.  I'm sure he'll be back. The noise from the mowers and weed eaters was too much.

The last few days have been so beautiful. The sky's so blue and it's so nice to have sunshine for a change. There's still some rain hanging around but at least we've had some pleasant days to enjoy. Of course, I can write my name in the pollen on the hood of the car...ah-ah-choo...!




Monday, April 6, 2020

Christopher

Since I mentioned the new member of our family recently, I'll tell you some more about him. He is Jason's grandson. His name is Christopher. He was born a little early and weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces. He was a little squirt but he has been working really hard to make up those pounds. I don't get to see him very often because they live about 2 hours away but his mom is really great about sending me photos so that I can keep up with his progress.


This is the cutest baby in the whole world!!  At least, his great grandma and great grandpa think so. He's already a daddy's boy. It warms my heart to see them together.

We are keeping ourselves at home and rarely leave except for an occasional trip to the nearby pharmacy or to pick up groceries. I'm hoping soon this terrible virus will be a thing of the past and Christopher and his mom and dad will be able to visit. I'm so looking forward to that time.

Be safe, stay home, people.

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Käse

I guess it's time to give my little bird an earthly name.  I think Käse is a good one for him and Jason would find it hilarious and absolutely appropriate for him. Käse is the German word for cheese.  Jason loved cheese. As far as he was concerned, everything was better with cheese on it. And so my little bird with Jason's spirit will be called Käse.

I'm trying to find levity to sprinkle through the contents of this blog.  I'm pretty sure we need it right now.  Last night I fell into a bit of a funk, shed a few tears over what's happening to our world.  And then I prayed; I prayed; and I prayed that the Lord would give me strength to deal with this. I prayed for those who are sick, asking Him to heal bodies, minds, and spirits. I prayed again for Him to bolster my faith. I believe He will.

When Jason was growing up, he loved bicycles. Every Christmas, the top item on his list was a new bicycle. He never grew out of that.  He passed that passion to his son and they spent many hours riding, repairing and building bicycles. Quite often they would ride to the lake and jump the bikes off the pier into the water. It was great fun for them. I cherish those memories.

When we lived in Florida, Jason and his friends would gather and ride miles and miles along the beach.  He loved the ocean so much. Then it would begin to get dark outside and I would get a phone call.  Mom, he'd say, please come pick us up. We're too far down the beach to make it back before dark. And off I would go to gather them up and bring them home.

I have many more stories to tell but I will save them for another time.  It's very important to me that he is not forgotten.  I know I never will.

Friday, April 3, 2020

Feather Friends





I posted on my blog all night last night.  Oh, wait. I guess that was in my dreams. Well, as you may have guessed, I'm just beginning this blog journey so I hope you will continue this journey with me.

I awakened this morning to the sound of bird wings flapping against my bedroom window. He's very persistent and doesn't slow his efforts until I speak to him. I tell him good morning; how much I miss him and love him. Then he seems to calm himself and flaps a bit more softly. Our child was always extremely intelligent, very articulate, opinionated, and determined to be heard. 

What could he be trying to tell me today?  My goodness, there has been so much happening. A few months ago, my great grandson was born. My son would now be a grandfather. His pride would be boundless. 

His son finished school, got married and has now given him an heir.  He would have so much to say and be so full of love for this new little family.

Since last fall, his father has fought and won a battle with cancer. He will find great joy in being OPA (great-grandfather) to our sweet little great grandbaby. 

But perhaps the message to me this morning is to focus on the very serious situation our world is dealing with right now: COVID-19. Stay home; wash hands frequently; distance ourselves from others. Think of ways to help and not hinder the efforts of those trying to care for the infected victims of this terrible virus.

An affectionate kiss. A warm hug. These are things we avoid right now but we should find alternate gestures of friendliness, kindness, helpfulness; gestures that will fill the void, the need for human touch.

I went back into the bedroom just now.  My little bird has gone for now. Once he greets me in the morning and makes himself known, I suppose he is confident I am at least contemplating the message he is trying to convey. And so he flies away, for the time being.


Thursday, April 2, 2020

Strength In Numbers

We're waking up to a whole new world these days.  It's something we have never dealt with in our lifetime and are struggling to come to grips with; and many are finding even harder to accept. Political powers from state to state are dealing with their own unique problems as well as the common problems of a pandemic.

Young people who feel ten feet tall and bullet proof are gradually beginning to see the errors in their judgement.  Parties on the beach have become off limits, at least, for now. The loss of loved ones has become convincing evidence of the need to comply with shelter in place rules. The term wildfire easily applies to this disease. It is spreading so incredibly fast, it leaves one speechless.

I wonder, is this what has been required to bring humanity to its knees? It's seems so radical and cruel but yet through our trials and tribulations thus far, the thing that is becoming more and more evident is unity. Every day I see more stories of people reaching out to one another, offering help and encouragement, building on strength and faith.

This is just a tiny bit of what I am observing right now.  The next thing that looms very large for me is the state of the healthcare workers and the first-responders.  Having spent 45 years in the medical field, I have a tremendous amount of empathy for them and what they are experiencing.  As a respiratory therapist, I was constantly on the "front lines", saving lives and regrettably facing the loss of lives. The situation we are facing right now will undoubtedly forever impact our doctors, nurses, therapists; all those who are working so hard to combat this virus.

But through it all, I hold on to my faith. God is here and has not forsaken us. Hold on, people.