Viral Fighting??

We checked with neighbors to see if they needed anything from the supermarket. No one did, but neighbor Shawn and I were laughing about shopping at Ingles. I said we were going for the thrill of it, as well as getting necessities.

She texted, “We all must be so bored that we go to Ingles for our thrills!! Take it all in for me.”

John and I had walked through a couple of aisles, following the one-way arrows, when the store manager greeted us. We responded by asking how he was doing. He explained that business was rough. He gives a pep talk to his workers every day, because they are on the front line to fight COVID-19.

He said, “You wouldn’t believe the senior store hour on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The people get in fights – blood all over the place!! It’s the first hour of the day EVERY Tuesday and Wednesday!”

We were aghast. I apologized to him for my age group, which did nothing for the situation, but hopefully made him feel a little better. He said a customer accosted him the day before, demanding that everyone in the store wear a mask and gloves. He gently told him that they followed all the state and federal rules, and he had no authority to make workers do any more than that. Workers handling food wear gloves, but they always have. An inspector comes every day to make sure all workers are in compliance.

I said our daughter is a cashier at a supermarket in New Jersey. He responded, “I wish her all the best. I know what my cashiers go through, and it must be awful for her where the virus is so much worse. Keep up the good work.”

As we ended the conversation, I said, “At your meeting tomorrow, tell them a cheering squad was here for them.”

He laughed and said he appreciated it and would tell them.

After we checked out, I took a shot of the front of the store and sent it to Shawn.

“Whoop whoop!!!” she replied, always ready to enter into the spirit of the day.

A bird footnote: Joyce texted, “They are here! The hummers are here!”

The hummingbirds are here a day earlier than I expected, but I went right home and boiled sugar water for them. The first feeder is on my deck. I must remember to bring it in tonight when the temperature goes below freezing.

Easter, Six Feet Apart

We were required to be six feet apart, and that did something amazing. It stretched our Easter into a great three-day celebration.

Neighbors Shawn, Bob and Logan (9) came for dessert on the porch on Saturday. It was surprisingly warm for late afternoon. For the foodies — we had Caribbean Fudge Pie. I thought something dark and sinful would be appropriate to mark Christ’s full day in the tomb. We enjoyed the easy chat that marks our gatherings, something we have really missed for the past several weeks.

Easter Sunday’s weather was uncomfortably cool and windy. We worked out a safe plan for eating at the same table. We held the front door open so that neighbor Joyce wouldn’t need to touch it. She handed us the dessert she had brought, after which we all washed our hands. She sat at one end of the table, and we huddled at the other end. Remember, our hands were all washed at the same time. I placed dishes beside Joyce, and David brought them to us after she helped herself. I used a spatula to put rolls straight from the oven into a bowl, and we used tongs to serve ourselves. If anyone remembers the terribly tasteless rolls last Thanksgiving, I’m happy to say these were much better. I enjoyed hearing about Easter when Joyce was a child growing up in this area. She remembered the church always had an Easter egg hunt, but it had to be in another location. The church property was much too steep to accommodate children and roly-poly eggs. It was a long day for a child. They began with a sunrise service, followed by Sunday School, festive Easter service, and dinner with lots of relatives. When Joyce left, we opened the door so that she wouldn’t need to touch it.

Foodies, we had ham, crust-less quiche, broccoli with Hollandaise sauce, sweet potato casserole, rolls, spiced peach salad, and chocolate cake.

Neighbors Connie and Marla came the day after Easter. The big storm passed through during the night, resulting in tornadoes through much of the South. Our area was spared. Despite severe flood warnings, Jonathan Creek stayed in its banks. We had our dinner on the back porch with plenty of space between families.

This looks like an eating contest. It wasn’t.

We all talked loud enough to be heard, so distance was not a problem. There are only days left until they move. We enjoyed hearing more about their new place and how they feel it is the best place for them. How we will miss them!

This Easter was a strange one because of the COVID-19 virus, one that will be remembered. I’m sure there are many stories of how people shared the day with loved ones.

Were you able to connect with your favorite people?

Two Odd Things

We had crossed the highway on the way to the creek when John said, “Look! A rainbow!”

The sun was shining brightly behind us, and there were no rain clouds in sight. We noted that the air was quite humid. I figured it was a Maundy Thursday miracle. God made something out of nothing, and who were we to make nothing of it? I was pleased that the rainbow had a proper arch to it, unlike the flat one I wrote about not long ago.

After we came up the steep hill, we found our road blocked by an 18-wheeler. It was still inching backwards. We walked well away from it, and as we came up to the cab, the driver hopped out. To his credit, he uttered no expletives, just complained bitterly about the GPS. He had driven all the way to the big bend in the road before realizing there was no way out. Neighbor Mark came from his house and asked where he was headed. He needed to be at Oaks Unlimited on the highway. The men put their heads together and decided the best way to proceed was to back out and continue on the narrow country road until he came to the previous entrance to I-40. It would be making a big loop, but it beat getting stuck in the ditch trying to turn the other way. Mark walked one way and we the other to stop traffic, if needed.

After the truck drove off, I went to Connie’s porch and chatted with her while John and Mark talked on the road. The big rig didn’t come back. We noted that other vehicles came by, so the fellow must have made it out of the area.

Taping Good Friday

Grandson David, John, and I were in church Tuesday to tape the choral parts of the Good Friday service. There were eight singers, an organist, the choir director, the pastor, an audio person, and the videographer. We were extremely careful to follow the state mandate of having no more than ten in a room together. Four members of the choir were in the front of the church, and the other four outside the sanctuary door in the Narthex. I took a photo of the church before we began rehearsing.

The fellows finished putting all the equipment in place, and they tested the balance of the voices. The unrelated singers in front were at least six feet apart. Grouping the rest was easy, since John, David, and I live together and could stand close to each other. When I took this photo, there was still light outside. The planners wanted us to wait until dark to tape the service, a detail I would have missed.

John and David were ready to sing.

I took the last shot when we were about to tape the procession. Going down the aisle was the audio man acting as crucifer, a singer as cantor, and Pastor as himself. The choir director’s back was at the door. I was glad to have the alto in our group in the shot, because it was her birthday. She was laughing and said, “I was excited that I needed to dress up and put on makeup!”

Half way through the taping, most of us swapped places. I opted to stay outside, because I am not a regular member of the choir. It is going to be interesting to see how all the bits will be spliced together. It’s Maundy Thursday now, and David is working. John is at the church taping music for Easter Sunday. I’ll watch the service being streamed tonight by myself, and they will watch after they get home.

Our Table at the Creek

For the third week in a row, we took Sunday’s take-out dinner to Richland Creek and ate at the same picnic table. Our smiles were big, because we had Italian food from one of our favorite restaurants. Grandson David and I shared a meat-loaded calzone, and John had mushroom ravioli in white sauce topped with candied pecans.

Note the travel mug with the WordPress logo.

Airborne seeds were floating everywhere. One landed on John’s shoulder for the duration of the meal. We were sitting near flowering plants that began to stir up John’s allergies. We urged him to go back to the car while we finished eating. David and I checked the labels on the plants – all lilacs. There was Carolina Lilac, Mr. Baker’s Lilac, and common lilac.

We drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at an overlook with a large cascade across the valley. I asked David to pose with it. There was enough water that even I could hear the sound of the water hitting the rocks.

The cascade is almost in the center, coming down below a gap in the mountains.

We drove to the place just above the cascade and got out to see the stream where it began. We were fairly close to this little waterfall. It may have been small, but it was pleasant to trace the course of the water that divided and came back together at the base. The stream flowed under the Blue Ridge Parkway and must be joined by other streams to make the impressive cascade visible above.

Home Church, Week 3

We took our positions before the computer with David at the controls. I think we’re beginning to get the hang of this.

Singing parts is fun for us, so we had a hymnal for the music. David was either more prepared than we were, or he still had a foot under the breakfast table. His gnawed-around-the-edges bagel is above the hymn book.

Just before the service began, we greeted other people in the congregation in the sidebar. I realized the comments were active the whole time. Just think, we could have whispered to each other during the sermon!! On the other hand, Pastor might have been watching it with us. The service had been taped ahead and was streamed at the usual times for early and late services. To our credit, we listened quietly.

I thought you might like to see what we looked like as we went to church. David was the photographer because he has the longest arms.

I laughed when I looked at our feet. We were not as polished as we could have been. Socks and clogs in church! Tsk! Tsk!

Would it matter to you what you wore to watch a taped event?

Talk is not Cheap

Talk is not cheap these days. It’s very precious, especially when you can be with neighbors outside, six feet apart. Neighbor Joyce was the one who thought of porch sitting. I failed to get her photo the first time, but this week I did. Sharing the sun is easy, since everyone seems to love the warmth. They sit in the sun, while I sit in the shadows.

The next day neighbors Shawn, Bob, and Logan arranged themselves in the sun, along with their little white dog Abbie (Abigail Adams). The boxer, Dolly, was out of sight near Logan. Their chicken almost joined us. We heard the chicken making sounds, and Shawn stood up to call her. She’s the last chicken left and craves companionship, though she never came across the road to be with us. We were interested in how the home-schooling was going. The connections were not good at the beginning, but things have evened out now. Shawn and Bob take turns overseeing Logan’s work on the computer.

Neighbor Holly, next door to Shawn, came and stood in the yard so that we could all talk. We waved to her for years, as she was driving to work when we were walking. It was lovely to get to know her. If anyone is looking for a silver lining to the virus restrictions, this is one of them.

Connie came the week before, and this time her daughter Marla was available to come with her. It works out quite nicely to have two visitors who live together. They sit in one clump on the porch, and we are in another, the required distance apart. We enjoyed hearing about their upcoming move. They have just booked a moving company, and they talked about the layout of the house. I saw the photos on line, but I really need to see it in person to get everything straight in my mind. We will see it when the restrictions for contact have been lifted.

Last Mailbox Warming

The temperature was only three degrees warmer than the previous day, but the windbreaker and hat I wore both days were too much. I left them to warm Connie’s and Marla’s mailbox as we walked on to the creek. With warmer weather coming, this was probably the last time I would use their mailbox as a coat rack. They are moving at the end of the month. We’re thankful they will be only 28 miles away (15 miles as the crow flies).

Marla didn’t realize her car was posing for the photo as she pulled out of her driveway. It seemed fitting that she was on the scene for this historic moment. When she stopped to chat with us, Albert added sound effects by barking from the porch. We will miss him, too.

Hat by Karen. It is perched on the post.

Rejuvenated at the Supermarket

The whole world is concentrating on COVID-19, since it has affected everyone in some way. Because it was raining at the time we usually take our 2.5-mile walk, we did our grocery shopping at the tail end of senior-time. Since our state now has rules about staying apart, our store set aside two days for seniors to shop between 7 and 8 in the morning. At 77, I’m probably in the middle of the older category. I was impressed that the atmosphere was pleasant. People moved at their own slow rate, calmly making choices. Most were aware of other shoppers, so that there were few clogs in the aisles. There were no loafers or sneakers there, either. We oldsters have honed our coping skills, helping us to be patient and friendly. We would rather be known as patient in the grocery than the hospital, so we were careful with each other. I can’t say I always feel good about being old, but today I was thrilled to note that I had more speed than most. I was walking upright on my own, not using the cart as a crutch or a walker. Not using a motorized cart, I could reach everything we needed. Both John and I could read the grocery list, no small wonder since I had written it. Shopping was a great experience, because I came out feeling 20 years younger than I did going in. That kind of regression was a heady experience, one worth repeating on a weekly basis.

We hope all of you are coping easily and managing to avoid contamination.

A New Pew

We found a new place to worship at our church. A week ago we watched a video of the service in the dining area using a laptop. This time we saw the service streamed at the usual hour, and we were using a desktop. We could hear it without straining, and even better, we could sing at our usual volume. Whispering to sing is difficult! Grandson David grasps electronics faster than I do, so he was in control. People around us conjecture what life after COVID-19 will be like. I think we’ll have to install recliners in churches instead of pews. Some will have lift seats to help us oldsters stand up at the proper times.

Note John’s white shirt. He dresses for church, even if it’s in a bedroom.

Son John $pencer and Rose found a place to rent for a short term where they can more easily control their environment and lessen the chance of getting the corona virus. Our service was over when they finished packing and said goodbye. I’m always thrilled to have a good likeness of people I love, even if it is taken when they are leaving.

Sunday dinner was at the same venue as last week – Richland Creek near the rec center. In fact, we had the same table and sat in the same places, though Nathaniel was gone. This time we brought food from Haywood 209 Cafe. The wind made it a bit challenging to keep things on the table. We managed to keep it all under control and back in the car, following the camping protocol of “leave no trace”.

We enjoyed a long drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This time there was no heavy fog, and we could see the long views that are so lovely here. We went to Looking Glass Falls, always impressive in every season. David went down to the base, but I’m glad to say the daredevil near the falls in my photo was not David.

Rose sent a picture of $ and Sadie, showing man and dog enjoying their new home after unpacking. The house is on a hillside overlooking a country road and a creek as large as our Jonathan Creek. If I begin to get jealous, I must find my CD of a mountain stream.