I have been up a while now. Had breakfast (by myself), spent some time in prayer. Prayed for some of you as I felt led. (i.e. You have mentioned something previously that is going on in your life. Nothing going on in mine. Absolutely nothing!)
As I said before. She didn’t contribute anything to the happenings around here lately. Strange that I miss her so much.
As I said on yesterday’s blog. “I still reach over to grab during the night. But nobody’s there.” . Just a reflex.
She never said anything, but I think she liked it when I reached over to grab her besom and snuggled She always moved a bit to help..
I think there is a song with a line in it: “Half of me is gone.”
Chas, half of you is gone. It is a shock though it was expected. Mourn and yet celebrate. She is safe. Your work serving her is done, but not your work serving Him.
Take a walk today. Even if it is just to the end of the yard and back. Any sunshine out your way? A touch of vitamin D would do you good. The sunshine vitamin.
Who has been caring for your yard while you have been busy caring for TSWITW? Have you had the chance to become acquainted with your yard yet?
I just put little girl back to bed. She sleeps with mommy so when mommy gets up to go to work, mommy brings her to me. We sit for a while. Sometimes she is awake, often she is not. Today was a not day, though she was restless. She is sick, probably just a cold but who knows? Mommy takes her out all weekend. Friday they did bingo at the VFW, the library, visited friends, out to eat. Saturday, they binge watched movies. Sunday, church and dinner and whatever. Now she is back in bed sleeping. Soon, when the sun brings some light, I will go out and feed the goats and sheep if she is still sleeping. If not, I will assign them to one of the other children. They are both sick as well but a bit of outside time will help them feel better. They did not go to church or karate or the library or bingo or dinner.
Yesterday was weird.
I went back to church first time yesterday.
I went to SS for the first time in a year yesterday.
I expected that I had missed a year at SS.
Turns out, my staying with Elvera in her sickness almost exactly occurred during the lock-down because of the virus. i.e. I haven’t missed anything because nothing was happening. The only thing different was that nothing was happening at SS. I attended the first SS meeting in a year. There was one mixed class. The halls were dark.
Seems weird. Coming back to Ss after a year absent and finding that nothing happened during that year.
Thankful for this morning chat here. I feel like I am dog paddling through life these days. It was a pretty weekend but I did not feel much like getting out. I made one little trip in the car, about a mile and a half, and realized that was all I had been out the previous week. This pandemic seems to bring out the hyper vigilant in some and the hyper defiant in others depending on their natural bent.
I find it mildly depressing to see people so afraid. I wear my mask and sanitize, but other than that I don’t think about the pandemic until I’m out and around and I see others or feel their absence. I’m more concerned about what’s coming next. We’ve set a very bad precedent in our handling of this virus.
Debra, I see people who are afraid too. But remember that some people aren’t being afraid but careful because of their individual circumstances. In other words, some people have to think about the virus, since they are vulnerable in ways that would make it likely the virus would kill or injure them, or they are caregivers of or family members of people in that position.
The casualness with which we treated the flu was a bad “precedent” in the other direction. I’ve always been amazed by the number of people who go to church, to school, or to work with the flu.
Covid-19 is new, and its effects seem almost random. A friend of mine has a young, healthy doctor in her region (in his early 30s, I think she said) who had such a bad experience with the virus he is now needing to have a double lung transplant. He’s the exception not the rule, but then, I suspect that most people who got polio didn’t end up with worst-case scenarios, either. It’s wise to be cautious, though fear is never good.
Chas, I would add my voice to those urging you to get exercise. It will make a difference in the quality of life, both physically and emotionally. Also, find a reason to laugh every day—even small reasons will do. Dad lives with us and he is 95. Husband is constantly telling him that “being 95 is no excuse”. He then goes on to suggest ridiculous activities such as tilling the garden, running a marathon, painting the house… So Chas, being 90 is no excuse. :–)
Also, it is wise to consider our own vulnerability and morality. “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Pandemics, like other fatal disasters, both natural and man-made, serve, as Christ told his disciples as reminders that “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” The I’m-not-scared mantra of those who were against public health measures always struck me as very juvenile, like teens thinking they are invincible. It isn’t being scared to acknowledge one’s mortality, to submit to the fact that a microscopic virus has the power to crush out our fragile lives. Throughout all this, I do not see it as governments seizing power and citizens fighting for their right or giving them up. I see humans, great and small, rich and poor, failing about, desperately trying to avoid facing the fact that none of them are in control and that they are at the mercy of and under the control of a Creator who works all things according to the good pleasure of his will. In the Bible, every plague brought about was brought about by God, as a consequence and a warning. Yet it is a lesson even the church right now seems desperate to ignore, and instead maunders on about their rights. It reminds me of how Jonah was far more concerned about the death of the gourd than about the salvation of the people of Nineveh.
mumsee, my youngest daughter once complained to me I never built a snowman with her. I was surprised, but I am not the most outdoorsy person, so took her word for it. My oldest two were close in age and did so much together. Also, I would assume they showed her how to build a snowman. Anyway, I told her we would go right out and build one then. She didn’t even last for the snowman to be finished; going back inside to get warm. I think I had a grandchild to finish it with me. She could never say, however, that I never built one with her. 😉
When the government makes rules more onerous for churches than they do for businesses or schools, then they are out of line and people do need to speak up. At the same time, churches have an obligation to take the physical safety of the flock in mind, as well as the spiritual. There are times to not worry about physical safety for Christians and times that it is foolhardy to do something. I do not think it is always clear for us what is best, just as with lots of other decisions in life.
We have a natural tendency to want to feel superior and/or to rationalize our own decisions. A little humility and grace go a long way.
Cheryl, there is a great deal of truth in what you say. The vulnerable should definitely be assisted in protecting themselves. And people can be very careless sometimes. Before the pandemic I knew people who would come to work showing signs of strep. I always tried to keep a distance, but thought it was very inconsiderate of them to come to work (or go out at all) in that condition.
I don’t begrudge the masks for myself and reasonable sanitizing is always a good idea. I guess what bothers me is the ease with which the local populations can be manipulated. Businesses are forced to shut down indefinitely. Many livelihoods are gone. The fallout from fear-based responses will reverberate for years—perhaps decades.
It’s probably not as bad in my area as it is in others. Our governor has not been overbearing and riots were not permitted. Although some businesses are closed, there have been a few new startups. We also appear to be a destination for ‘refugees’ from other states. I’ve never seen so many license plates from California and New York—and some from Oregon and Washington state as well.
I try to keep pretty isolated so as to not be sick and cause difficulty for my family. I want to be well if they who are out and about with people daily (general public) need me to care for them. I know I have said that before, but it is a reminder to me about why I do this.
CBD update: One package has departed from Cicero, Illinois and is in transit. That would be the second order. The first order, received in Jersey City on Feb 23 and then sent on its way to “in transit” arrived in Jersey City on Feb 28 and is once again “in transit”. Remarkable how well the system works. Still targeted to be here tomorrow. Two days before the one in Illinois.
I isolate and carry a mask (the three times I have been to church in the past year) but only because that is truly my lifestyle. Kind of like the verse in First Thess, to live quietly and mind my own affairs. Many folk come and go here so I am not terribly isolated but probably more so than a lot of folk. I also try to keep my blood pressure and obesity issues under control, not out of fear of death. I am ready. But out of respect for my current job assignment from God. I need to be able to function, as Janice reports.
But there are other views of course. Like:
I don’t wear a seat belt in case I drive into the river and need to escape quickly.
I don’t stay home because ain’t nobody gonna tell me what to do.
I won’t wear a mask ditto.
I am not scared of this virus, God will take me when He is ready so I go where I want without a mask.
Jesus didn’t wear a seatbelt so neither do I.
Wearing a seatbelt is lack of faith.
Monday always seems to come around again, doesn’t it?
I know the sun is coming up every morning when I hear Phoebe, the retriever barking on the south of me and Maverick, the Lab, barking on the north as both are let out. My dogs, in the middle, are let out at dawn, too, but they don’t bark in the mornings.
Just fed the bottomless-pit of a cat. This will go on all morning long, about every 15-20 minutes of so for at least a couple hours.
The pandemic, it was something so entirely new (for us, living in this time and place) that I tend to think folks, including the government in general, were doing the best they could while flying blind, or nearly so. The virus was no small thing, though it wasn’t quite as deadly as it appeared early on, thankfully. But still, deadly enough. Its unknown qualities made it incredibly hard to know what was wise vs what maybe was overkill; but better to err on being more cautious.
While incredibly frustrating and discouraging, we also are prone to grumbling and murmuring as a people (and I did my fair share). I didn’t see this as an attempt by government to control people for some ulterior motive; and its missteps for churches, for example, were reined in by the courts and then largely dropped. But, alas, churches also had to struggle with what was wise and I think we all saw those dilemmas close up in our own congregations. We had people early on saying it was “nothing!” and we should all go about our normal business; others who chose to pull back and be more circumspect, watching the developments and what was being learned as the situation dragged on.
Thanks be to God, we have several effective vaccines that were developed and tested relatively early-on — giving us valid hope that the corner will be turned soon, at the very least within this year.
I would think much has been learned throughout this process; if it comes our way again (we can certainly pray it doesn’t!) much moe will be understood about what works and what doesn’t.
We can’t control what other people choose to do with regard to masks or other social distancing protocols. Nor would be want those kinds of crackdowns that other nations, such as China, are able to execute over their people.
But overall, I have to say we managed to get through much of this fairly well. I think most people were cooperative — not scared, but respectful of something we had little if any control over — and tried to do what they could to lessen the damage using tools that were the best we had at the moment.
I keep thinking of the Blitz–how long did it take the British to recover, psychologically, from those years of war?
I’ve thought of it often during the last four years as my community has veered from one calamity to the next. Where does the equilibrium come from to go forward–particularly if you have no Jesus?
And yet horror upon horror HAS been the lot of humankind since the beginning. Reading through Joshua now, and a few thousand killed here, a few thousand killed there, and soon the Philistines are on the rise again.
This isn’t new, but the bubble the North American continent has experienced the last–100 years?–of danger far from us, has finally confronted us. We don’t like it.
The ONLY answer to any of this is the peace that passes understanding.
Since many people see Jesus as restrictive rather than freeing, of course, they’re (we’re) putting up fusses.
OTOH, speaking from out here, government overreach has been profound, ridiculous, and the evidence of governing people who have no hope for the future and only a vision of despair.
I’m very weary today and reluctant to confront the 50ish emails wanting my attention, along with preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.
I was so exhausted after my Zoomagedon Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, that I stepped out on Saturday and did nothing.
Sunday is my usual day off and I took a walk in the afternoon sunshine, learned about pruning crepe myrtles from a neighbor, and returned home to work on ours.
Several people came by to chat and I ended the day with one (out of four) crepe myrtles half pruned, but filled with life-breathing conversation.
My Saturday reading gig was canceled owing to prop planes flying over the house! He couldn’t block out those sounds–and we rarely hear them on the normal Tuesday/Thursday reading sessions.
That means I read four hours tomorrow and Thursday to finish up. The longest I’ve read so far is 2.5 hours. I start to become loopy after a bit, so I’m uneasy.
Anyway, it’s my prayer day. Lots of sobering items to pray about, lots to do, and I’m still weary.
Roscuro, I have thought the same thing about this pandemic being an incentive and reminder to ‘teach us to number our days’. Many people have re-prioritized their lives. I can see it in my own neighborhood: we stand out in the yard and talk (at a distance), start gardens, and walk on our road much more than we did before. Those have been the local positives in this global drama.
However, I strongly disagree with your assessment of the government’s response. Perhaps it’s not the same in Canada, but the US has definitely experienced a governmental power grab. At the outset there were attempts made to be transparent, positive, and pro-active. But there was such a visceral hatred of our President (Trump) that those attempts were quickly politicized. The widespread gnashing of teeth over practically every attempt to educate the public and ameliorate the negative effects of the virus has, I believe, greatly undermined public trust in the accuracy and truthfulness of the CDC and our public health officials.
As for me, it has long been in my mind that God uses plagues as instruments of judgement or correction. There are still ministers of the gospel that are well aware of this and are still making use of this time to preach the word, truth, and repentance. Although I disagree with him on some theological issues, one such faithful minister is John MacArthur.
michelle: “This isn’t new, but the bubble the North American continent has experienced the last–100 years?–of danger far from us, has finally confronted us. We don’t like it. The ONLY answer to any of this is the peace that passes understanding.”
Amen, and I think that’s a big part of it, in a nutshell — we are clearly not accustomed to these crises landing on our (usually protected) doorsteps. Crises that we can’t control nor immediately end, despite our culturally advanced status.
In this pandemic (curiously? oddly?) the “liberal” (political) tendency was to lock down when in doubt, sometimes to a fault (whether that was with ulterior motives or not, I don’t think we are in a position to firmly know or judge).
But sometimes the conservative tendency (also somewhat curiously) was to throw caution to the wind and throw off and loudly reject all supposed restraint.
We’ve maybe learned a lot about ourselves in this period? Or not … lol
I went into the bedroom at around 9 p.m. last night and saw … feathers.
I also saw the cat lying on the bed. Surrounded by … wispy little feathers.
Well, you can guess the rest of the story.
So I spent a couple hours last night washing up all the bedding.
The cat mostly just eats and naps now. But I guess cats will still be cats.
______________________
No staff call today, (management busy on phone conferences dealing with the unionization push) and I have my one-year pandemic port story to start working on, it’s due Thursday so I need to get on that.
The gardeners are due today also.
Oh, and the big news — we “may” get some rain on Wednesday!
I must confess that I have gone to both work and school while sick. I would put on a mask and fill my pockets with cough drops and off I went. With no fever, i couldn’t see the point of staying home as long as i kept my face covered. Incidentally, i am sure that I was contagious with covid on the last run I worked prior to being tested. I am diligent to keep my mask on the entire shift while at work and out in public. None of my coworkers caught it from me. I am not one who chafes at having to wear a mask to protect others.
Sunshine here. I got to enjoy the nearly full moon this morning on the chore walk. The sun was not up but it was giving lots of light. A beautiful day, the birds are singing (the cats are ignoring them), the snow is shining, icicles are dripping….
I wish you could send me your rain, too, Chas. We’re under half of what should be our normal rainfall for the season so far (and that season is coming to an end). Parched.
We’ve been among the very fortunate in being able to do our jobs from home (something that will probably continue, some of us already were doing that for most of the time anyway in the year prior as our newsrooms vanished and our workspaces became so isolated and cramped in new office towers).
I feel for those who lost their jobs, had to somehow juggle home schooling, whether they were cut out for that or not (not every parent is and providing for that while trying to stay employed outside the home was a real balancing act); and the many small businesses, especially family-owned restaurants, that have just been choking, barely staying alive (as their employees also all got laid off).
I do think it’s time for some of our political and medical leaders to throw in perhaps a dose of optimism and kudos, but I guess they’re afraid we’ll take that and run with it. But hearing the beat-down messages over and over again — especially now when there’s valid reason to hope we’re going to get through this sooner rather than later — just isn’t mentally or emotionally helpful.
Debra, I stay out of US politics as much as possible, but I will say this, the UK, most countries in Europe, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada all enacted similar lockdowns and precautions. Unless one believes all world governments are inherently repressive and Satanic (as opposed to the Godly source of all governments given in Romans 13), then perhaps there was a good reason. Well, there was, because there was historical precedent for thinking it would help mitigate the spread, slowing it enough to at least allow health systems to keep up. The health systems, just barely in all too many cases, did keep up, managing not to into utter chaos. If they had, then there was a great risk that there would have been much, much more economic damage done, because this is what happens when people cannot get medical care and go half mad trying to save themselves and their loved ones: https://insightcrime.org/news/criminal-groups-exploit-oxygen-canister-shortage-mexico/
They are thinking of raising the Federal minimum wage to $15.00/hr. forgot what it is now, but a person can’t live on it.
When I got my first job in 1955, the minimum wage was $0.50/hr. A person can’t live on that. So?
They raised it to $o.70 but soon a person can’t live on that either. It was $0.80 when I started working full time. A person can’t live on that.
There’s a lesson here that everyone will ignore.
A person can’t live on minimum wage. Prices always raise ahead of it.
The “minimum wage” concept does nothing but cause inflation.
Never are we told to stand by and let evil happen but rather we are to encourage to good works. And in the case of the United States of America, that includes encouraging those in governance, especially our brothers and sisters who are following God’s guidance in their lives to enter politics.
Chas, that is something my daughter in law’s dad mentioned. He is Mexican by parentage, but born in Idaho. He is a tile layer and one of his complaints about the illegals coming in for jobs was that they would work for so much less than was required to pay him that he missed out on good jobs people could pay under the table for.
Why, thank you, Janice and mumsee! Such a friendly neighborhood, just like family.
No, Janice, I am happy to report I have no cow which is mu…..sic to my ears.
rkessler65 @1:14. :–) I did as well in my younger years at school— without masking. I’ve gotten more cautious in my latter years. I would have been happy if my pre-pandemic infectious co-workers had worn a mask or allowed others to distance a bit. That was not the case. Now we are all forced into that etiquette whether we like it or not. That’s not a complaint. It’s also a chance to discover unexpected and interesting things. For example, I’m discovering how freeing it is to npt worry about make-up. I practically wear none most of the time. After the pandemic I am considering wearing a mask permanently, just to avoid the trouble. ;–)
Debra
We had company-wide fuloughs but those mostly hit our features and sports writing staffs (for obvious reasons). One of those guys did say he wound up getting more money through unemployment than his paycheck equaled, probably in large part due to added unemployment benefits to account for some covid relief (and to our relatively low pay scale).
On the news-side, it’s been quite busy all year with the added covid reporting day-in and day-out.
I wonder if the lipstick companies are hurting? I now skip makeup unless I’m really “going” somewhere (on assignment or getting together with the cousins — store runs don’t rate), but even then it’s mostly eyes (and last time I tried to put just a touch of mascara on, my eyes stung so I just wiped it off — I’m wondering if I need to re-adjust to that — or buy a gentler formula.
Lots happening today. Got my usual weekly COVID test.
Then, I came home and watched the livestreamed graveside service for my aunt.
Then I went back out and got the first dose of the vaccine (Pfizer) – I just got the appointment over the weekend while I was working.
Then I came back and helped my mother listen to the memorial service which was agreed on FB. She was very thankful to be able to hear it – it was being filmed on a phone and the volume wasn’t great, so she had to use my earphones and was the only one who could watch it, but it can be viewed again.
I lost my job due to covid when I was not allowed to return here for six months. I am now back at work and how I spent my covid time, getting healthier and losing weight, made the difference. Time to head for school, or at least breakfast.
My pine tree isn’t looking so good yet. I have a feeling the treatment may not help and it’ll have to come out. But I’d like to replace it with another pine tree, maybe plant a live Christmas tree like the former owners did?
Our church is planning to resume indoor in-person worship this coming Sunday. That will be exactly 52 weeks after the last indoor worship, March 8, 2020. I do not plan to go, however, until I am vaccinated.
We had outdoor services last summer and fall until it got too cold. I only went once.
I had to run into town today – errands. I dislike it very much when I cannot find something at one store and need to go into another store to find it. Since having to mask up every stinkin’ time to enter it just gets wearisome. I am one of those who would rather not mask and just keep my distance from others but I “obey” and mask up…but I immediately rip it off as I exit the store.
I thought I purchased green chilies for the meal I am preparing for small group tomorrow evening. I went to the pantry and I realized I purchased 8 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies!! Now I will need to run into town tomorrow to get just green chilies for the enchiladas. And I thought I had Cumin in the spice cabinet…nope…I feel so unorganized! I’m going to blame it on the mask…lack of oxygen!! 😷
mumsee, I don’t know, and I’d probably call back the tree dr. first for some more assessment and recommendations for replacement. Taking it out is going to be expensive, esp since we’d have to deal with the trunk and roots. My gardeners would be more reasonable than the landscape company though, I’m pretty sure — and I think they’re experienced enough to know how to do the job. Don’t want it falling onto the house! — then there will be the hauling away process as well, of course. Ugh. They’d do that but it definitely adds to the overall cost.
Probably a typo or a device changed ‘Love to all’ to ‘Lions to all.’ It was at the end of one of Kim’s posts. It has been fun to use as an insider expression.
Thanks, Kare. I am so happy to be back in this beautiful place and with the children. Praying you will soon, too. Teachers and aides are the only ones wearing masks in the classroom here. If I am six feet away from students I can take it off. We don’t need it outside. And students don’t need to wear masks. A couple of them do, one is the son of a doctor, who of course is more exposed.
Wandering Views 
Good morning Wanderers.
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Good Morning. I am about t leave the house to go conquer what is my world. Have a good day everyone
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Good morning, again. What is this? Today??
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I have been up a while now. Had breakfast (by myself), spent some time in prayer. Prayed for some of you as I felt led. (i.e. You have mentioned something previously that is going on in your life. Nothing going on in mine. Absolutely nothing!)
As I said before. She didn’t contribute anything to the happenings around here lately. Strange that I miss her so much.
As I said on yesterday’s blog. “I still reach over to grab during the night. But nobody’s there.” . Just a reflex.
She never said anything, but I think she liked it when I reached over to grab her besom and snuggled She always moved a bit to help..
I think there is a song with a line in it: “Half of me is gone.”
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Chas, half of you is gone. It is a shock though it was expected. Mourn and yet celebrate. She is safe. Your work serving her is done, but not your work serving Him.
Take a walk today. Even if it is just to the end of the yard and back. Any sunshine out your way? A touch of vitamin D would do you good. The sunshine vitamin.
Who has been caring for your yard while you have been busy caring for TSWITW? Have you had the chance to become acquainted with your yard yet?
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I just put little girl back to bed. She sleeps with mommy so when mommy gets up to go to work, mommy brings her to me. We sit for a while. Sometimes she is awake, often she is not. Today was a not day, though she was restless. She is sick, probably just a cold but who knows? Mommy takes her out all weekend. Friday they did bingo at the VFW, the library, visited friends, out to eat. Saturday, they binge watched movies. Sunday, church and dinner and whatever. Now she is back in bed sleeping. Soon, when the sun brings some light, I will go out and feed the goats and sheep if she is still sleeping. If not, I will assign them to one of the other children. They are both sick as well but a bit of outside time will help them feel better. They did not go to church or karate or the library or bingo or dinner.
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Mumsee, Granddaughter’s son keeps my yard for me in season. I pay him well, but it’s in the family, so I don’t mind.
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Yesterday was weird.
I went back to church first time yesterday.
I went to SS for the first time in a year yesterday.
I expected that I had missed a year at SS.
Turns out, my staying with Elvera in her sickness almost exactly occurred during the lock-down because of the virus. i.e. I haven’t missed anything because nothing was happening. The only thing different was that nothing was happening at SS. I attended the first SS meeting in a year. There was one mixed class. The halls were dark.
Seems weird. Coming back to Ss after a year absent and finding that nothing happened during that year.
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Thankful for this morning chat here. I feel like I am dog paddling through life these days. It was a pretty weekend but I did not feel much like getting out. I made one little trip in the car, about a mile and a half, and realized that was all I had been out the previous week. This pandemic seems to bring out the hyper vigilant in some and the hyper defiant in others depending on their natural bent.
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Chas, like the world stood still, so you could take care of her? God cares.
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I find it mildly depressing to see people so afraid. I wear my mask and sanitize, but other than that I don’t think about the pandemic until I’m out and around and I see others or feel their absence. I’m more concerned about what’s coming next. We’ve set a very bad precedent in our handling of this virus.
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However, I was glad to hear that business is roaring for Kim! Way to go, girl!
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Debra, I see people who are afraid too. But remember that some people aren’t being afraid but careful because of their individual circumstances. In other words, some people have to think about the virus, since they are vulnerable in ways that would make it likely the virus would kill or injure them, or they are caregivers of or family members of people in that position.
The casualness with which we treated the flu was a bad “precedent” in the other direction. I’ve always been amazed by the number of people who go to church, to school, or to work with the flu.
Covid-19 is new, and its effects seem almost random. A friend of mine has a young, healthy doctor in her region (in his early 30s, I think she said) who had such a bad experience with the virus he is now needing to have a double lung transplant. He’s the exception not the rule, but then, I suspect that most people who got polio didn’t end up with worst-case scenarios, either. It’s wise to be cautious, though fear is never good.
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Chas, I would add my voice to those urging you to get exercise. It will make a difference in the quality of life, both physically and emotionally. Also, find a reason to laugh every day—even small reasons will do. Dad lives with us and he is 95. Husband is constantly telling him that “being 95 is no excuse”. He then goes on to suggest ridiculous activities such as tilling the garden, running a marathon, painting the house… So Chas, being 90 is no excuse. :–)
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Also, it is wise to consider our own vulnerability and morality. “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Pandemics, like other fatal disasters, both natural and man-made, serve, as Christ told his disciples as reminders that “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” The I’m-not-scared mantra of those who were against public health measures always struck me as very juvenile, like teens thinking they are invincible. It isn’t being scared to acknowledge one’s mortality, to submit to the fact that a microscopic virus has the power to crush out our fragile lives. Throughout all this, I do not see it as governments seizing power and citizens fighting for their right or giving them up. I see humans, great and small, rich and poor, failing about, desperately trying to avoid facing the fact that none of them are in control and that they are at the mercy of and under the control of a Creator who works all things according to the good pleasure of his will. In the Bible, every plague brought about was brought about by God, as a consequence and a warning. Yet it is a lesson even the church right now seems desperate to ignore, and instead maunders on about their rights. It reminds me of how Jonah was far more concerned about the death of the gourd than about the salvation of the people of Nineveh.
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Thanks Debra
I will try to find something to laugh about.
Haven’t seen it yet.
But I am thankful for all of you on this blog.
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mumsee, my youngest daughter once complained to me I never built a snowman with her. I was surprised, but I am not the most outdoorsy person, so took her word for it. My oldest two were close in age and did so much together. Also, I would assume they showed her how to build a snowman. Anyway, I told her we would go right out and build one then. She didn’t even last for the snowman to be finished; going back inside to get warm. I think I had a grandchild to finish it with me. She could never say, however, that I never built one with her. 😉
When the government makes rules more onerous for churches than they do for businesses or schools, then they are out of line and people do need to speak up. At the same time, churches have an obligation to take the physical safety of the flock in mind, as well as the spiritual. There are times to not worry about physical safety for Christians and times that it is foolhardy to do something. I do not think it is always clear for us what is best, just as with lots of other decisions in life.
We have a natural tendency to want to feel superior and/or to rationalize our own decisions. A little humility and grace go a long way.
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Cheryl, there is a great deal of truth in what you say. The vulnerable should definitely be assisted in protecting themselves. And people can be very careless sometimes. Before the pandemic I knew people who would come to work showing signs of strep. I always tried to keep a distance, but thought it was very inconsiderate of them to come to work (or go out at all) in that condition.
I don’t begrudge the masks for myself and reasonable sanitizing is always a good idea. I guess what bothers me is the ease with which the local populations can be manipulated. Businesses are forced to shut down indefinitely. Many livelihoods are gone. The fallout from fear-based responses will reverberate for years—perhaps decades.
It’s probably not as bad in my area as it is in others. Our governor has not been overbearing and riots were not permitted. Although some businesses are closed, there have been a few new startups. We also appear to be a destination for ‘refugees’ from other states. I’ve never seen so many license plates from California and New York—and some from Oregon and Washington state as well.
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Gov. Noem did well.
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I try to keep pretty isolated so as to not be sick and cause difficulty for my family. I want to be well if they who are out and about with people daily (general public) need me to care for them. I know I have said that before, but it is a reminder to me about why I do this.
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CBD update: One package has departed from Cicero, Illinois and is in transit. That would be the second order. The first order, received in Jersey City on Feb 23 and then sent on its way to “in transit” arrived in Jersey City on Feb 28 and is once again “in transit”. Remarkable how well the system works. Still targeted to be here tomorrow. Two days before the one in Illinois.
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I isolate and carry a mask (the three times I have been to church in the past year) but only because that is truly my lifestyle. Kind of like the verse in First Thess, to live quietly and mind my own affairs. Many folk come and go here so I am not terribly isolated but probably more so than a lot of folk. I also try to keep my blood pressure and obesity issues under control, not out of fear of death. I am ready. But out of respect for my current job assignment from God. I need to be able to function, as Janice reports.
But there are other views of course. Like:
I don’t wear a seat belt in case I drive into the river and need to escape quickly.
I don’t stay home because ain’t nobody gonna tell me what to do.
I won’t wear a mask ditto.
I am not scared of this virus, God will take me when He is ready so I go where I want without a mask.
Jesus didn’t wear a seatbelt so neither do I.
Wearing a seatbelt is lack of faith.
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Monday always seems to come around again, doesn’t it?
I know the sun is coming up every morning when I hear Phoebe, the retriever barking on the south of me and Maverick, the Lab, barking on the north as both are let out. My dogs, in the middle, are let out at dawn, too, but they don’t bark in the mornings.
Just fed the bottomless-pit of a cat. This will go on all morning long, about every 15-20 minutes of so for at least a couple hours.
The pandemic, it was something so entirely new (for us, living in this time and place) that I tend to think folks, including the government in general, were doing the best they could while flying blind, or nearly so. The virus was no small thing, though it wasn’t quite as deadly as it appeared early on, thankfully. But still, deadly enough. Its unknown qualities made it incredibly hard to know what was wise vs what maybe was overkill; but better to err on being more cautious.
While incredibly frustrating and discouraging, we also are prone to grumbling and murmuring as a people (and I did my fair share). I didn’t see this as an attempt by government to control people for some ulterior motive; and its missteps for churches, for example, were reined in by the courts and then largely dropped. But, alas, churches also had to struggle with what was wise and I think we all saw those dilemmas close up in our own congregations. We had people early on saying it was “nothing!” and we should all go about our normal business; others who chose to pull back and be more circumspect, watching the developments and what was being learned as the situation dragged on.
Thanks be to God, we have several effective vaccines that were developed and tested relatively early-on — giving us valid hope that the corner will be turned soon, at the very least within this year.
I would think much has been learned throughout this process; if it comes our way again (we can certainly pray it doesn’t!) much moe will be understood about what works and what doesn’t.
We can’t control what other people choose to do with regard to masks or other social distancing protocols. Nor would be want those kinds of crackdowns that other nations, such as China, are able to execute over their people.
But overall, I have to say we managed to get through much of this fairly well. I think most people were cooperative — not scared, but respectful of something we had little if any control over — and tried to do what they could to lessen the damage using tools that were the best we had at the moment.
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And look how good we’ve become at tracking all those online orders, it’s almost a new pastime.
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I keep thinking of the Blitz–how long did it take the British to recover, psychologically, from those years of war?
I’ve thought of it often during the last four years as my community has veered from one calamity to the next. Where does the equilibrium come from to go forward–particularly if you have no Jesus?
And yet horror upon horror HAS been the lot of humankind since the beginning. Reading through Joshua now, and a few thousand killed here, a few thousand killed there, and soon the Philistines are on the rise again.
This isn’t new, but the bubble the North American continent has experienced the last–100 years?–of danger far from us, has finally confronted us. We don’t like it.
The ONLY answer to any of this is the peace that passes understanding.
Since many people see Jesus as restrictive rather than freeing, of course, they’re (we’re) putting up fusses.
OTOH, speaking from out here, government overreach has been profound, ridiculous, and the evidence of governing people who have no hope for the future and only a vision of despair.
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I’m very weary today and reluctant to confront the 50ish emails wanting my attention, along with preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.
I was so exhausted after my Zoomagedon Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, that I stepped out on Saturday and did nothing.
Sunday is my usual day off and I took a walk in the afternoon sunshine, learned about pruning crepe myrtles from a neighbor, and returned home to work on ours.
Several people came by to chat and I ended the day with one (out of four) crepe myrtles half pruned, but filled with life-breathing conversation.
My Saturday reading gig was canceled owing to prop planes flying over the house! He couldn’t block out those sounds–and we rarely hear them on the normal Tuesday/Thursday reading sessions.
That means I read four hours tomorrow and Thursday to finish up. The longest I’ve read so far is 2.5 hours. I start to become loopy after a bit, so I’m uneasy.
Anyway, it’s my prayer day. Lots of sobering items to pray about, lots to do, and I’m still weary.
Ciao for now!
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Roscuro, I have thought the same thing about this pandemic being an incentive and reminder to ‘teach us to number our days’. Many people have re-prioritized their lives. I can see it in my own neighborhood: we stand out in the yard and talk (at a distance), start gardens, and walk on our road much more than we did before. Those have been the local positives in this global drama.
However, I strongly disagree with your assessment of the government’s response. Perhaps it’s not the same in Canada, but the US has definitely experienced a governmental power grab. At the outset there were attempts made to be transparent, positive, and pro-active. But there was such a visceral hatred of our President (Trump) that those attempts were quickly politicized. The widespread gnashing of teeth over practically every attempt to educate the public and ameliorate the negative effects of the virus has, I believe, greatly undermined public trust in the accuracy and truthfulness of the CDC and our public health officials.
As for me, it has long been in my mind that God uses plagues as instruments of judgement or correction. There are still ministers of the gospel that are well aware of this and are still making use of this time to preach the word, truth, and repentance. Although I disagree with him on some theological issues, one such faithful minister is John MacArthur.
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michelle: “This isn’t new, but the bubble the North American continent has experienced the last–100 years?–of danger far from us, has finally confronted us. We don’t like it. The ONLY answer to any of this is the peace that passes understanding.”
Amen, and I think that’s a big part of it, in a nutshell — we are clearly not accustomed to these crises landing on our (usually protected) doorsteps. Crises that we can’t control nor immediately end, despite our culturally advanced status.
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In this pandemic (curiously? oddly?) the “liberal” (political) tendency was to lock down when in doubt, sometimes to a fault (whether that was with ulterior motives or not, I don’t think we are in a position to firmly know or judge).
But sometimes the conservative tendency (also somewhat curiously) was to throw caution to the wind and throw off and loudly reject all supposed restraint.
We’ve maybe learned a lot about ourselves in this period? Or not … lol
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Thanks for the note, Mumsee. I will pray for your request. But it is difficult to recall on a constant basis, the requests I can’t identify.
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Cheryl, don’t read this.
I went into the bedroom at around 9 p.m. last night and saw … feathers.
I also saw the cat lying on the bed. Surrounded by … wispy little feathers.
Well, you can guess the rest of the story.
So I spent a couple hours last night washing up all the bedding.
The cat mostly just eats and naps now. But I guess cats will still be cats.
______________________
No staff call today, (management busy on phone conferences dealing with the unionization push) and I have my one-year pandemic port story to start working on, it’s due Thursday so I need to get on that.
The gardeners are due today also.
Oh, and the big news — we “may” get some rain on Wednesday!
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Donna. We are having rain now. I wish I could give it to you.
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I must confess that I have gone to both work and school while sick. I would put on a mask and fill my pockets with cough drops and off I went. With no fever, i couldn’t see the point of staying home as long as i kept my face covered. Incidentally, i am sure that I was contagious with covid on the last run I worked prior to being tested. I am diligent to keep my mask on the entire shift while at work and out in public. None of my coworkers caught it from me. I am not one who chafes at having to wear a mask to protect others.
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Sunshine here. I got to enjoy the nearly full moon this morning on the chore walk. The sun was not up but it was giving lots of light. A beautiful day, the birds are singing (the cats are ignoring them), the snow is shining, icicles are dripping….
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Mu?
I wish you could send me your rain, too, Chas. We’re under half of what should be our normal rainfall for the season so far (and that season is coming to an end). Parched.
We’ve been among the very fortunate in being able to do our jobs from home (something that will probably continue, some of us already were doing that for most of the time anyway in the year prior as our newsrooms vanished and our workspaces became so isolated and cramped in new office towers).
I feel for those who lost their jobs, had to somehow juggle home schooling, whether they were cut out for that or not (not every parent is and providing for that while trying to stay employed outside the home was a real balancing act); and the many small businesses, especially family-owned restaurants, that have just been choking, barely staying alive (as their employees also all got laid off).
I do think it’s time for some of our political and medical leaders to throw in perhaps a dose of optimism and kudos, but I guess they’re afraid we’ll take that and run with it. But hearing the beat-down messages over and over again — especially now when there’s valid reason to hope we’re going to get through this sooner rather than later — just isn’t mentally or emotionally helpful.
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… not to mention all the kids who have been out of a classroom setting for so long
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Debra, I stay out of US politics as much as possible, but I will say this, the UK, most countries in Europe, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada all enacted similar lockdowns and precautions. Unless one believes all world governments are inherently repressive and Satanic (as opposed to the Godly source of all governments given in Romans 13), then perhaps there was a good reason. Well, there was, because there was historical precedent for thinking it would help mitigate the spread, slowing it enough to at least allow health systems to keep up. The health systems, just barely in all too many cases, did keep up, managing not to into utter chaos. If they had, then there was a great risk that there would have been much, much more economic damage done, because this is what happens when people cannot get medical care and go half mad trying to save themselves and their loved ones: https://insightcrime.org/news/criminal-groups-exploit-oxygen-canister-shortage-mexico/
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Welcome to our site, Mu! Good to meet you. If you have any questions, no really, about anything, even Winchester, ask DJ.
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They are thinking of raising the Federal minimum wage to $15.00/hr. forgot what it is now, but a person can’t live on it.
When I got my first job in 1955, the minimum wage was $0.50/hr. A person can’t live on that. So?
They raised it to $o.70 but soon a person can’t live on that either. It was $0.80 when I started working full time. A person can’t live on that.
There’s a lesson here that everyone will ignore.
A person can’t live on minimum wage. Prices always raise ahead of it.
The “minimum wage” concept does nothing but cause inflation.
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Never are we told to stand by and let evil happen but rather we are to encourage to good works. And in the case of the United States of America, that includes encouraging those in governance, especially our brothers and sisters who are following God’s guidance in their lives to enter politics.
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It also encourages illegal immigration by people willing to work below that wage to cross the border. It is illegal anyhow. But who cares.??
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Chas, that is something my daughter in law’s dad mentioned. He is Mexican by parentage, but born in Idaho. He is a tile layer and one of his complaints about the illegals coming in for jobs was that they would work for so much less than was required to pay him that he missed out on good jobs people could pay under the table for.
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Yes, a hearty welcome to my. Are you the owner of a cow?
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My=Mu
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Why, thank you, Janice and mumsee! Such a friendly neighborhood, just like family.
No, Janice, I am happy to report I have no cow which is mu…..sic to my ears.
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The gardeners are here.
NOW my dogs are barking 🙂
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rkessler65 @1:14. :–) I did as well in my younger years at school— without masking. I’ve gotten more cautious in my latter years. I would have been happy if my pre-pandemic infectious co-workers had worn a mask or allowed others to distance a bit. That was not the case. Now we are all forced into that etiquette whether we like it or not. That’s not a complaint. It’s also a chance to discover unexpected and interesting things. For example, I’m discovering how freeing it is to npt worry about make-up. I practically wear none most of the time. After the pandemic I am considering wearing a mask permanently, just to avoid the trouble. ;–)
Debra
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Am I the only one on this blog that was laid off due to Covid? I’ve been off work since mid-September but I am hoping to be back at work in May.
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Ouch, kare. Praying you’re back at work soon.
We had company-wide fuloughs but those mostly hit our features and sports writing staffs (for obvious reasons). One of those guys did say he wound up getting more money through unemployment than his paycheck equaled, probably in large part due to added unemployment benefits to account for some covid relief (and to our relatively low pay scale).
On the news-side, it’s been quite busy all year with the added covid reporting day-in and day-out.
Very strange times all the way around.
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Debra, haha — right?
I wonder if the lipstick companies are hurting? I now skip makeup unless I’m really “going” somewhere (on assignment or getting together with the cousins — store runs don’t rate), but even then it’s mostly eyes (and last time I tried to put just a touch of mascara on, my eyes stung so I just wiped it off — I’m wondering if I need to re-adjust to that — or buy a gentler formula.
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Lots happening today. Got my usual weekly COVID test.
Then, I came home and watched the livestreamed graveside service for my aunt.
Then I went back out and got the first dose of the vaccine (Pfizer) – I just got the appointment over the weekend while I was working.
Then I came back and helped my mother listen to the memorial service which was agreed on FB. She was very thankful to be able to hear it – it was being filmed on a phone and the volume wasn’t great, so she had to use my earphones and was the only one who could watch it, but it can be viewed again.
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I lost my job due to covid when I was not allowed to return here for six months. I am now back at work and how I spent my covid time, getting healthier and losing weight, made the difference. Time to head for school, or at least breakfast.
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Cool header photo.
My pine tree isn’t looking so good yet. I have a feeling the treatment may not help and it’ll have to come out. But I’d like to replace it with another pine tree, maybe plant a live Christmas tree like the former owners did?
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Will you need to clean up the soil?
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Our church is planning to resume indoor in-person worship this coming Sunday. That will be exactly 52 weeks after the last indoor worship, March 8, 2020. I do not plan to go, however, until I am vaccinated.
We had outdoor services last summer and fall until it got too cold. I only went once.
Lions to all!
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I had to run into town today – errands. I dislike it very much when I cannot find something at one store and need to go into another store to find it. Since having to mask up every stinkin’ time to enter it just gets wearisome. I am one of those who would rather not mask and just keep my distance from others but I “obey” and mask up…but I immediately rip it off as I exit the store.
I thought I purchased green chilies for the meal I am preparing for small group tomorrow evening. I went to the pantry and I realized I purchased 8 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies!! Now I will need to run into town tomorrow to get just green chilies for the enchiladas. And I thought I had Cumin in the spice cabinet…nope…I feel so unorganized! I’m going to blame it on the mask…lack of oxygen!! 😷
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mumsee, I don’t know, and I’d probably call back the tree dr. first for some more assessment and recommendations for replacement. Taking it out is going to be expensive, esp since we’d have to deal with the trunk and roots. My gardeners would be more reasonable than the landscape company though, I’m pretty sure — and I think they’re experienced enough to know how to do the job. Don’t want it falling onto the house! — then there will be the hauling away process as well, of course. Ugh. They’d do that but it definitely adds to the overall cost.
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But the soil is a good question
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Yes, Jo, you did too. But I’m so glad you’re back at work in the place you love. Praying it will soon be me 🙂
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Michelle DO NOT commit Crepe Murder
https://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/stop-dont-chop-crepe-myrtles
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My gardener today unearthed two “fetch” kickballs that has long been buried somewhere in the backyard.
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*had
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I knew Kim would say that!
The neighbor and I discussed crepe murder— which I could do knowledgeably to impress him.
All thanks to the blog. 🙂
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I like to eat crepes, not murder them. 😉
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Yeah, I thought they were food, not a tree!
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Sixty-seven!
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Chas, I’m so sorry about Elvera’s passing. I’m praying for you.
————
One question: “Lions to all”?
Perhaps a reference to the Detroit Lions from the Michigan representative at the blog?
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Probably a typo or a device changed ‘Love to all’ to ‘Lions to all.’ It was at the end of one of Kim’s posts. It has been fun to use as an insider expression.
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Thanks, Kare. I am so happy to be back in this beautiful place and with the children. Praying you will soon, too. Teachers and aides are the only ones wearing masks in the classroom here. If I am six feet away from students I can take it off. We don’t need it outside. And students don’t need to wear masks. A couple of them do, one is the son of a doctor, who of course is more exposed.
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