Earthquake!

We missed the North Carolina earthquake! I didn’t find neighbor Joyce’s text until we got home from church. She felt her house shake around 8 am, and that’s when we were getting our breakfast ready. My brother Bob felt it in Winston Salem, too. He wrote that it was 5.6 on the Richter scale, the biggest one in North Carolina since 1916. I’m sorry I missed it. Earthquakes in this area of the country tend to be amusing rather than catastrophic. It’s an event for which you compare stories and laugh about the odd things you observed.

The earthquake that amused me the most happened when daughter Lise was away at college in the mid-eighties. It was Saturday morning, a time when John enjoyed sleeping later than usual. I was dozing, not quite ready to get up. The bed began to shake, and I thought, “What is John $pencer up to now???”

Son $ was about seven years old at the time. He was a very active child, though not a destructive one. I realized there was an unearthly hum, low-pitched and barely audible. I nudged John and asked him if he thought we’d just had an earthquake. He grunted. Not getting any other response, I got up and went downstairs to find a radio. If something unusual were happening, I wanted human confirmation of it. The radio was set to a New York station, and in just a few minutes, the announcer said they were getting reports about an earthquake. Aha! I was right! Soon they had details. The epicenter was near Bronxville, 25 miles north of New York City. Lise’s college was in Bronxville! In those days before cell phones, you waited to hear from anyone who might have been in danger. Since $ and daughter Kate were still asleep, I went back to bed. A day or so later we found out Lise and most of those around her had slept through the earthquake. I was left with a tiny, niggling sense of guilt for having blamed my son for an earthquake.

The Egg and the Angel

When returning from our morning walk, we chatted with Shawn and Bob as they sat on their front porch. They laughed as they pointed out an angel among their plants.

When questioned, Logan (10) said he had nothing to do with it. If Logan was not the prankster, who was? Could it have been neighbor Holly, who comes over frequently? I find it hard to believe that she would raid her own refrigerator before going next door. Would neighbors Dawn or Jeff have put the egg there? Using the Holly-logic, I doubt it. That seems to leave chicken Ariel. I have published a photo of Ariel attending Bible study on that porch, so we know she wanders at will during the day. It’s not chickenly possible for her to lay the egg there. Just perhaps, Ariel laid an egg on one of the neighbor’s property, and the nameless, blameless neighbor placed it near the home where it belonged.

Does anyone else have a theory about how the angel came to hold the egg?

Logan at the Pond

Neighbor Logan (10) stayed with us for a few hours, and I know he was pleased that, for once, David was not working. While grandson David and I finished our late breakfast, John did something with Logan having to do with a puzzle of the US. They may have reviewed capitols, but whatever they did, it was mildly educational.

We brain-stormed about what to do next, and Logan said, “Let’s go to my pond and look for frogs.”

That’s certainly the kind of activity everyone would approve. We were outside in the fresh air, interacting with nature, and having fun together. John stayed home to trim shrubs in the garden as David and I walked down the steep hill with Logan. I loved watching Logan search for frogs with a stick to stir the grass and a cup to catch them. It’s too bad the frogs had other ideas and made themselves scarce. Logan had remarkable patience, which was fine with me, since I found a small boulder to sit on.

I waved at neighbor Jeff when he rode his mower within view, and David and I watched iridescent blue dragonflies dart about. Logan gave up on frogging. He called out, “Look! I found a praying mantis!”

He was holding the creature very gently and let it loose to climb up his arm.

I was scrambling to get these shots and did not pick up on the fact that he was very uncomfortable when the mantis got to his neck. David came to the rescue! As I focused on the creature on Logan’s hair, David scooped up the cup meant for frogs and held it for the praying mantis to walk into. Can you see David’s hand with the cup on the left side of the photo?

They set the mantis free, and Logan ran up the steep hill as David hung back to make sure I was safe on the uneven ground. I felt privileged to have been in a boy’s world for a little while.

Leftovers in the Neighborhood

Neighbors Shawn and Holly had a fun idea for a street party on Sunday. Early in the afternoon they suggested we bring leftovers to share, and the response was a resounding YES! We converged at the appointed time and began laying out our dishes on a long folding table on Shawn’s lawn. As soon as most of the food was there, a dark cloud moved overhead, accompanied by thunder and raindrops. You should have seen us scramble! I picked up a heavy glass pitcher and two trays that might have slid off, and the fellows lifted the table onto the porch.

Before even thinking of filling our plates, we admired the rainbow in our yards. I’m sure Holly was aiming at her house where half the bow was. I wanted to catch the other end in our yard. That’s when I realized that trees continued to grow after we moved here six years ago. Our ugly tan house was barely visible. It takes a little imagination to see the rainbow in the middle of the picture.

Rainbow in the center. Trucks are in almost every photo from the South.

We settled down to eat, and everyone looked at the camera at my request. What a cooperative bunch! Only Logan and I were missing. Left to right were Jeff, David, Bob, Joyce, Dawn, Holly, Shawn, and John. This is the whole cast of characters who often appear in my posts, residents of the five houses at this end of the short street.

When an adult left the area, Logan sat down to eat. This should have been a video, because Logan was swinging his leg as he ate and the cat wandered by. That was action eating. Logan was very helpful in fetching things, cleaning up, walking Joyce home in the dark, and carrying our chairs back to our porch. He’s always a bright star in the ‘hood.

Logan’s Exuberance

Neighbor Shawn had her hip replaced, and she was back home less than 24 hours after the surgery. I was stunned and thrilled that it was so very quick. Logan (10) stayed with us while Bob picked her up. We didn’t know exactly when things were happening, so we walked to the creek. That’s where we were when Bob called from Sorrell’s (service station on the highway). He brought Logan to us at the fire station, and the fun began. As we started up the steep hill, Logan ran ahead, skipping and twisting in the air. I asked for a repeat to share with everyone.

Logan began to jump the ditch, and the ditch petered out before Logan did.

He had a ball of glow-in-the-dark slime in his hand, and he repeatedly threw it high in the air and caught it. His luck ran out near the top of the steep hill, and the slime landed a short way down a ravine. He could see it and knew he could get it, but it was in a brier patch! Thorny wild rose bushes snagged his clothes and scratched his arms and legs. I tried to suggest ways for John to help him, but he retrieved the ball all by himself. I was impressed that when he lost the ball, he took responsibility for the accident, planned a way to get it back, and did it alone. What a boy! I will also add that this spot scares me. I walk in the middle of the road there, because the slant of the pavement and my trifocals make me feel like I could roll into the deep ravine and never be able to climb out. Logan is responsible, resourceful, and BRAVE!

After breakfast Logan launched himself on the exercise bike. I recorded it about the third time he did it, very impressed that he got on from the rear.

Logan’s energy never flagged. I think if I were his mother, I’d need two naps a day and three on Sunday.

I prefer to write about upbeat, happy things, but we all know life has somber moments. While Bob was getting Shawn from the hospital, they got the news that his brother died in Florida. He had battled cancer for some time, and today was the day he was called to his eternal home in heaven. For those of you who pray, would you please pray for peace and strength for this loving Christian family? Thank you.

An Honorable Retirement

The gardening gloves were about two years old and still enthusiastic about working. In fact, they resisted retirement. They were permanently curved, ready to pull weeds at a moment’s notice. They chose to be among plants for their retirement photograph. We would have made a much better team if I had been more than a reluctant gardener.

The gloves did have another life and a different persona. I put them on the handles of the loppers for two reasons. I could always find them quickly, and they would dry between uses. I left them as inanimate objects, but they visually jumped at niece Julie when we went on the porch to eat dinner. Somehow the gloves leered at her and took a threatening stance. I had not seen that side of them, but Julie described it realistically. I’m glad the gloves have left the house for good and will not know I wrote about them. To be threatened by the wicked wisteria AND menacing gloves would be too much.

The replacement pair were made by the same company, and so far, they have behaved beautifully. I will continue to store them on the handles, trusting they will not misbehave.

Have you ever owned threatening garden equipment?

Logan Walks with Us

John and I were walking about an hour later than usual, because we ate breakfast with grandson David before he went to work. As we neared the stop sign, we waved at a passing car that we hadn’t recognized. We heard running footsteps, and there was neighbor Logan (10)! He and his parents were returning home, so he joined us to go to the creek. His sharp eyes see lots of things we miss. Today he pointed out a heart-shaped puddle in the road and nicely agreed to pose with it.

At the creek, he took a different way down to the water. He stepped on a wet rock, but he didn’t get his feet wet.

We observed white morning glory vines, and we found buds on a different vine that I think will open with purple blooms. Going up the steep hill, Logan found at least two four-leaf clovers. Smokey was standing in his driveway and responded to Logan’s running toward him. After the dog got lots of loving, he came down to us for a tummy rub. Having Logan with us added another dimension to our walk.

Chicken in a Bible Study

Four neighbors gathered for a Bible study, sitting outside six feet apart, following COVID-19 restrictions. Nobody batted an eyelash as cat Jasmine wandered through. However, when chicken Ariel hopped in our midst, we all but cackled. It was fun to have one of God’s creatures join us briefly.

My toes are not visible. I was wearing sneakers.

I looked in a concordance to see if cats or chickens were mentioned in the Bible. They weren’t; only a rooster had one reference.

Logan’s Plastic Face

Neighbor Holly shared some squash and a cucumber from her garden, sending Logan over with a heavy bag of veggies to let me choose what I wanted. I thought that a novel way of sharing in these viral times. While he was on my porch, he asked if he could come over to visit, and of course, I was thrilled. He got his parents’ permission and was soon chatting while I finished my lunch.

We have hardly seen Logan since the pandemic began. I was impressed with his conversational skill, showing that he had been maturing all the while. Being ten years old, he also communicates silently with his face. I was tickled at his contortions and asked if I could take a few pictures. Bless his heart, he has always been very cooperative.

My favorite shows him touching his nose with his tongue. He said only a low percentage of people can do it. If anyone reading this can touch your tongue that way, I’d love to know it. You are special!

Can I Help You?

It would be nice to have a warning when fast food customers are going to be rude or demanding, acting like “Friday People”. Grandson David would never be goofy to a customer, but he fantasized about his approach if he knew a Friday Person were coming to the counter. He morphed into a goofball in front of my eyes, changing his stance and widening his eyes before leaning in close to ask if he could help me. My laugh was immediate, and I ask for repeat performances regularly. We decided we needed to record it. Happy Friday!!