Month: March 2021

March 28, 2021

Five bright things, five dark things and the garden.

The brights

• A glorious spring day yesterday, the promise of another one tomorrow.
• A note from a friend today, a conversation with another friend in a park tomorrow.
• The possibility of travel to Ireland in June.
• Continued delight in learning how to carve.
• A re-reading of two Marcus Borg books.

The darks

• If all prisoners in the United States were brought together, they would be the fifth largest city in the country.
• More than 240,000 students (including a disproportionate number of Black students) have experienced gun violence at school since the 1999 Columbine shooting.
• The colossal traffic jam on the Suez Canal is holding up about $10 billion in trade every day.
• Not sure of all the reasons, but pro sports are becoming less and less interesting in our household.
• I deem outrageous the efforts of certain politicians to limit voting here in this country.

The garden

Friday, March 5t, 2021

More from my early wood carving. (It’s a Covid residence-in-place activity suggested to me by a thoughtful neighbor.)

March 2, 2021 — Gratitude in a time of Covid

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gave to us early and wise counsel.

Two of our children, representing the family, came to our house in March expressing specific guidelines and restrictions, and announcing specific ways our children planned to help us during the pandemic.

A friend made our first masks.

Our neighbors in Irvington rallied to keep in contact with us, brought lovely gifts of food.

Zoom conversations not only made it possible to keep in contact with family and friends, but it also gave us ideas for making possible conversations that I/we didn’t have before — — fifteen high school friends — nine college buddies — seven retired professors — a writers’ group — a long-standing four-couple congregationally related small group — a guest presentation to a Goshen College class

We revied our daily schedule: separate breakfasts, a central meal, evening grazing.

My brother and I kept up a jolly exchange.

Upon contracting a persistent case of plantar faciitis which halted my walking and outdoors photography, a friend one street over introduced me to woodcarving that could be done in the basement on a stool.

* Being members of the 80 and older club, my wife and I received the two vaccinations.
* This extended period of time, almost exclusively at home, has provided ample time for reading (evenings by the fire), crossword puzzles, music via internet and radio, and quiet, reflective time.