respublica

I finally used a face mask

Over the weekend, many grocery stores tightened up their rules for shopping and one of them was strongly advising customers to use a face mask. Even the employees were wearing them. I have never had one and dreaded this.

On Friday Gayle Zollmann, our landscape director gave me a face mask her mother sewed for me. What a cool surprise. It was made of material covered with vegetables! Perfect! I wore it this morning to the Schnucks old people hour from 6-7 and for the first time since all the quarantine/lock-down things went into effect, a number of other shoppers told me how much they loved the mask. Even better, the young man who had to guard the entrance to make sure only one person at a time went in, told me he loved the mask. He asked if I gardened and I said, I sure do. We had a nice, relaxed conversation.

This is unusual these days. Most of the time the stores are quiet as people want to get in and get out and not talk to strangers or friends. It's a silent process these days. The mask gave me hope.  When I got home I hung it outside so the sun could sanitize it and it's my front door decoration today.

You have to admit this is really good looking and cheerful. And to top it all off, I got everything on my list to last at least a week. They even had toilet paper and paper towels. I only needed a couple of paper towels, didn't feel the need to buy TP just because it was there.

Today's animal at the door

Dog and chick

Finally a doctor who believes in hope

Every hour of the day news people are showing us the latest numbers of people with the Coronavirus. How many have it and how many of died of it. I've become frustrated with this obsession with numbers which only show the worst. I badger Dale with the same comments when these graphs show up. "Why don't they include how many have recovered as well"? He just sits there.

So the next day or next hour I say this again.

Finally I saw a report on a doctor who wants the same information given out as I do.

Don't forget the recoveries': St. Louis doctor reminds us to remember the positive outcomes from COVID-19

He sees hope and wants us to see it too. Thank you Doctor Nitin Anand.  We need hope to get through this.

A lesson in keeping your chips fresh

Don't try and tell me you haven't stocked up on chips of some kind during this virus quarantine. The chip aisle is always crowded. So here come the experts with lessons on something we never thought we needed to know. How to fold the chip bags to keep things fresh. There are any number of short videos teaching this. If you don't like videos this link uses words to describe the technique.

I don't have the patience for this kind of thing.

We are discovering during this isolated time that there are loads of people out there who know things and do things that never would have occurred to us.

More things to learn and adapt to

Ok, now is the time we are encouraged to wear masks when we must go out in public. Well, maybe we are close to having the masks required, not just advised. I have been dreading this day because of how terrified I've been when encountering multiple people in masks doing grocery shopping. I get the reason, but I always fear those people actually have an illness. It's a terrifying sight to be among those covered with masks, gloves and even hoods.

But if we must wear a mask we'll probably have to rig up one on our own, they're as hard to find as toilet paper. And, wouldn't you just know, fashion people would be offering their own version of masks to wear in public. Here is one example.

Seriously, this is too much. The ego and need to be styling even during this time is more than silly.

Quite honestly I have become just scared to death at the thought of having to go to the grocery store, the news makes it sound like the virus is everywhere and on everyone. To make matters worse, Dr. Birx, the federal doctor who is part of every day's Covid briefing, told us yesterday to stay out of grocery stores. I mean, seriously, those places are about the only essential business we absolutely will need now and then. Unless you are one of those people who have long shopped at Sam's Club or Costco and bought in bulk. You probably have two freezers, two refrigerators and basement shelves filled with food and paper products. Most of us don't do this.

We, on the other hand, will have to get some things this week and I physically and emotionally dread this.

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

Palm Sunday, lamb at our door.

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!"

I did it

All the news today is how more and more public entities and stores are wanting us to wear masks when we are out. Masks are hard to find and I found there is no end to internet advice on how to make your own. I mean, these people are crafters! I am not. But after seeing this video on how to make a mask from a bandana and two rubber bands, I was sure I could do it.

Problem right off the back is that we have no bandanas. We have no bandanas today. Sing along.

But while doing laundry I noticed a stack of cotton napkins we use maybe twice a year. I rewashed two and then ironed them. They're about the same size as most bandanas. I followed along as the cheerful woman explained the process using her own bandana and I was able to do it. Here is the result. One thing I noticed in this picture is I haven't combed my hair today and that it needs cutting. But, well...

Two things. A bandana would be much easier to wear, the napkin seemed thin until I got it altogether, it's just a bit too thick. Next time I have the nerve to go out I'll see if I can find a bandana. Also, rubber bands which go around the ears get uncomfortable fast.

And one more thing

We know we have to wash our hands constantly. We've heard this over and over, we even see videos of the best way to do this. 20 seconds at least and really was hands vigorously. The main advice each day is, wash your hands and don't touch your face. I often wonder if that means we shouldn't wash our faces.

Now in the last 24 hours or so even more hand washing advice has been popping up all over. It seems all that hand washing dries out the skin and dry skin has small cracks which make it even easier for the germ to get in. So, it's important to keep the clean hands moisturized. The fatty compound in moisturizer blocks those germs from getting in.

Here I go. Not only am I constantly washing my hands 100 times a day even when I never leave the house, I am now following with moisturizer.

Don't forget to wipe down that computer keyboard, mouse, phone etc.

And here we stay

The rules are getting tighter and tighter these days. I'm past the point where I can watch the news without feeling it's all hopeless. We're getting tighter on our rules for people coming onto the seminary campus as well. More of our signs have been placed to let local people know what they can and cannot do while using our campus for outdoor walks and bike rides.

As for our daily life, I can hardly bear the thought of going to get groceries, the news makes this seem like I'll be walking into a germ infested, threatening place.

In any event, it's best to keep the news off for most of the day. We are keeping on keeping on. I clean things around here a dozen times a day as well as puttering in the gardens. Dale has been working in the yard and in his isolated office doing seminary work. Last night was just tv, Dale has put on a baseball retrospective on MLB every night this week. Past games re-played. You can just imagine how exciting this is.  Mainly we sit up for awhile and find ourselves going to bed earlier and earlier just to forget about all this.

Here he was last night looking at pictures people put up on Facebook. I will say I, and probably many others, are thankful for such a thing as Facebook. It keeps us in touch, makes us laugh, and gives us information (good of bad).

 

 

One walk around

I took a quick walk around the seminary campus yesterday, no one else was in sight, except for a couple of guys fixing part of the tower roof and they were way up high.

And this tree! In other years I'd always take a picture of Ferdie underneath this.

And we have 5 ducks! Normally we see two each spring.

And finally I went over to where several of our students dug out the ground in the shape of a cross behind the dorm which faces Demun. They did this two years ago and I wanted to see if the daffodils they planted in this cross came up. It appears as though the flowers did bloom, but I was too late as most have already fallen off.

This is a lesson to me. I've been obsessed with this virus quarantine and forgot about the cross. In more ways than one and I need to get back to the cross. The First Cross.

Every day the same

Do you have to stop and think as to what day of the week it is? I do. It's Thursday. Just like Wednesday and will be Friday. I saw this the other day and thought it was pretty funny and also true.

TODAY I..

ATE 11 TIMES...

TOOK 5 NAPS...

 

AND ITS' STILL TODAY.....

Grocery shopping is no fun anymore

I had to make a trip to Schnucks this morning during the 60 and over age group time slot. 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. We needed to get food for the next week, probably won't last the entire week and I'll have to do this all over again. Frankly, this was the most difficult time I've had in the grocery store since the quarantine rules went into effect. The store had quite a few of us older people, but there were many stockers in many aisles which made it hard to move smoothly through the store.

What began to get on my nerves was the way the shoppers looked. The whole place looked like something out of the Night of the Living Dead. Old people with masks and gloves and head gear. Everyone seemed, if not annoyed they weren't alone in the store, then just bedraggled and worried. No smiles. And, too many of the shoppers had to come with a spouse which really made it hard to get to anything. Too many standing in aisles discussing each item.

Schnucks had some toilet paper today and paper towels. I only needed the paper towels because I use them constantly these days wiping down everything with isopropyl alcohol all day long. What they didn't have was any Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Not one flavor at all. They weren't on sale so I have no idea what happened with them. I have a few spoonfuls of their Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream every night before bed. If I have the nerve to go out again, I may try to find it at Walgreens.

The produce was out of bell peppers, but had most everything else. I've been getting frozen vegetables lately, it just seems safer knowing other people haven't been handling the fresh stuff. I did get bananas and a couple yellow onions, though. I should have gotten chips, but that aisle was filled with shoppers and stockers. Maybe Walgreens.

I'm pinning my hopes on Walgreens. Who would have thought.

I also ordered some wine and scotch from Total Wine and More. They deliver.

 

Chick or Duck?

We have a baby duck or baby chick at the door today, it's hard for me to tell which one it is. But she's cute and cuddly.

They're GRRRRR Rate

Today our animals at the front door are tigers. Have to mix it up a bit.

Good idea

One of our pastors suggested that on Palm Sunday (this coming Sunday) we all put palm branches on our front door or front windows in order for us to be connected while apart. Any branch will do if no palm branches are available.

A gift from God

During those moments when we aren't obsessed with hand washing and germs and awful news reports, we stand and look at the beauty of the spring we're having. It's all around us, better each day. We're thankful in the midst of all this worry and, yes, fear.

Behind our back yard is a neighbor's most gorgeous cherry tree giving us a perfect backdrop.

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with blooms along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

A.E. Housman

It's come to this

On Monday I posted about the multitude of neighborhood people who were all over the seminary campus over the weekend. We were frustrated by the cavalier attitude by many as they sat on picnic tables and basically touched everything, hand rails, chairs, benches, playground equipment. Multiple people throughout the day did these things without thinking about what could be on those hard surfaces. And, too many local neighborhood kids running around without parents.

This situation began to reoccur on Monday, the weather was nice and people do need to get out of their house for a while. But it seems local people were of the idea that we are a free zone. This is not fair to our own people, especially students and their families, maintenance workers, and the construction crew working here. All are being very careful to obey the quarantine regulations.

So it had to stop, sadly. We've loved being welcoming over the years, but not being taken advantage of by sloppy behavior. Yesterday morning all the benches and tables were taken off the main campus and stored. The student families playground was padlocked. Barriers were put up to stop people from going into certain areas on campus. And, big sandwich signs were made and placed at all entry points to the campus.

Click picture to see better.

It's hard for us to have to do this, but the times make this necessary.

Pond yuck

Yesterday, the second or third Monday of our home bound life, I got to work on getting our waterfall/fish pond cleaned up and ready for the season. It will be another day of work because it is truly a mess of string algea and sludge. The waterfall and pumps are turned off in late fall so things can stagnate. We put oxygenators into the bottom with the fish so they have a way to survive.

It was time, however, to get the big filter running again, the water turned ugly around the poor fish. So Kirt came down with the filter pieces and got it running. Meanwhile, I spent time with a strong hoe digging out the string algea which had taken over. Kirt helped with this as well. I bet we pulled at least 40 pounds of this string algea out of the bottom and I got almost that much out of the top. We'd never seen this before and it must have had something to do with the winter weather we had, not hugely cold and very little snow.

Here is some of the algae and the sludge which had to come out today.

Actually algae is really good in gardens, it is loaded with good things like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. We will get this to our gardens. Here is a look at the sludge we need to pull out today. It too will go on garden beds.

Dale spent some time in the afternoon bringing out bird baths and working up part of his flower beds.

It's Mickey at the door day

So far I haven't run out of stuffed animals to watch out the front door. Today Mickey joins the dog.

Dog at the door week 3

These two took a well earned nap yesterday while the little sheep took over door duty.

Now the Ferdie dog is back