Sharing

I wonder how many times I've admonished my gramerlings and  my students to share.  Now sharing can get you in big trouble.  Still, there is sharing I love- uplifting things on social media, new ideas and recipes from friends in my inbox, offers of help, hand sewn with love face masks, a special treat  and of course flowers.
Gardner E shared a couple of these

lenten roses (hellebores ) with me and now they've taken over the woods and brighten so many little corners.  I love how long they hold their bloom, especially since they start so early.

Lenten Roses

In this season of lent,
I seek you out,
with your flopsy, mopsy blooms.

I bend low in the chill wind
and raise your drowsy head,
admiring perfect pink and burgundy petals.

How dear of you,
to come so soon,
before spring is fully flung.

How magical to  watch you continue,
when spring spins into summer,
And the trees  above leaf out full and plump.

Still you stay,
as your leaves grow broad and strong,
My longest lasting lenten bloom.

Oh my word, Handy Man just walked by while I was typing this and he said, "I love those flowers.  They come in all this cold s*@t."  Yes, there is that too. Somehow it didn't seem in keeping with my pitiful poetry attempt to include it, so I had to add it here. Crack up.

Speaking of Lent.  I grew well into adulthood before I thought much about Lent or Advent, mostly because they were not celebrated by the faith I was raised in.  I began to learn more when I worked in a Christian bookstore.  Then I came to teach at a Catholic School.  I loved everything about Advent and incorporated into my own seasonal activities.  Since my students were asked to give up something for the 40 days of Lent, I thought I should do the same, you know set a good example.  I don't know what all I've fasted from during my tenure, but  I still think it is a good idea. Well, for some reason I no longer recall, I decided to give up spending money.  Oh my.  That was miserable. I hated it.  I loved it.  Yeah, I know.
Anyway I've continued that practice.  I don't know if you would call me a little, big spender, or a big, little spender.   We buy used cars, drive them a long time.  We live in a tumbledown farm house, don't eat out much, go to movies much, and I'm a coupon bearing, clearance stalking queen.  I get a ton of my books from the library and no one but us cleans house or cuts grass.  Still, when it comes to my grandkids and students I spend a ton of money. Not only that, I am very entertained by tracking down bargains. Tuesday Morning and the clearance aisles and a coupon at JoAnn's and the other craft stores are my happy place.  And books, wow.  So I love that I have to stop and think every time I spend money for six weeks. It pinches every time I see a deal I have to pass up.   In case you are wondering, this does not include food, basic house stuff like paper towels (which no longer seem so basic do they).  If you are starting to question if this little train has a caboose, well yes it does. I've already said that being home endlessly, with no wee folk hanging out is NOT my happy place. So, in this strangest of all lenten seasons, guess what I would have been doing?  Right-O. I did not manage to get to the library before they slammed the door on my other happy place.  Amazon would be at my house every day, were it not for this lenten fast.  That has made me do what a disciplined person does, look at what I have and use that. Ceece is making masks, so I went through stuff leftover from one project and another to give her.   I found some old Highlight books the gramerlings will like. I've taken stock of any Easter stuff I  already have and wondering what I can do with it.  It takes me a minute to get through Lord of the Rings, though there is a bit of underlying panic about that coming to an end.  Handy Man and  I watched all the movies to the point where I am in the book over the weekend. I enjoy reading my Bible and I have a few other books I'm happy to read again, along with my Mary Oliver books.  And, joining with so many, Handy Man will likely be laid off again before week's end.  So, good deal on the not spending.

Smiles for Miles

Oddities

I am getting a lot less junk mail these days, both in the real mailbox and my e-mail.  Thankfully, the only people looking at my blog are in the states.  No weird sites or countries.

Speaking of odd, like a warm blanket, when I'm troubled I read Lord of the Rings.  I don't know why.  Well, I like the idea of people who love dirt and trees as much as I do, of the Right winning the fight, of all those curly haired Hobbits, and plain folk who rise to the occasion.  I don't know, but I surely can escape there for time.

As I said before, I am not a good solitary person.  Nothing is as engaging to me as a good conversation.
So, I get out and walk about and  am ever finding interesting things.  I was strolling and singing a song to Jesus about Him and my heart and hearts started popping out everywhere.

Ah, trees.  If you don't know me well, don't be alarmed by my ramblings.  This strangeness isn't brought on by this vile germ, but is just me through and through. Though I usually  try to hide my crazy, I'm not currently in the mood to do so.

This tree and her faces was of particular interest to me this gloomy Sunday.

I see you there, bent and worn,

What came that so pressed into you,

To change your shape and make you bow?

Still I see, you pressed on,

Moving to the light- changed,

strong, sturdy, able to reach high and

bloom.

Junk Food

If you have nothing else to do ( what a joke, I could clean until next year and never finish) in such times, your mind might run to things you can do to make yourself healthier. My rational mind is buying the bigger package of blueberries, downing extra C, throwing chia seeds on whatever holds still, swigging water.  Alas, I have an irrational self that's keeping pace and is ever eyeballing that bag of chips and wanting a lunchmeat sandwich on white bread with mayo. Comfort food is not called that for no reason. When we were kids, believe it or not, lunchmeat sandwiches were a treat.  With seven kids, Mom could stretch one chicken a lot further than a package of lunchmeat. Wait, lunchmeat didn't come in a package, you had however much you wanted cut.
 My saving grace, I really do love celery.  I bought two packages to keep myself entertained with something crunchy.
I am the Queen Bee of chasing every thought down a rabbit hole.  I wonder and ponder at how awful this is and all the conundrums spinning around me.  Like the admonishment not to hoard, but just do your regular shopping, so I go out to do that today and there are a million people there. So how does that even work, don't hoard, but keep your distance.
Then there are things I'm loving, like seeing music entertainers entertaining us is in their sweats and messy hair in the kitchen with nothing but their beautiful voices.
All those wonderful grocery people putting up their biggest smile and stretching their patience as far as it will go.
As mind wandering goes, I imagine what good could come from such times.  Even while thinking that I am reminded that none of that would much matter to me if this costs me another person I love.
Still, since this menace is upon us, I love seeing people show their best selves. Encouraging one another, saying things that should have been said a long time ago, maybe even crazy things like having voice to voice conversations. What?
I feel like I am going to have to completely reinvent myself here without a classroom.  That has so long been my passion, I don't know where to look for another one.  I can send packet after packet of work and I will, but nothing I can send will ever substitute for the one on one teaching I do day after day when a child doesn't get a concept and I show them for literally the 40th time. You might say I'm being dramatic. I promise you  I am not.  While I continue to push through the curriculum, I continuously review and keep at with a little one who, for whatever reason, struggles with moving information to their long term memory.  Then, there is the one, or two or five, who have an amazing muscle memory, who I refuse to leave sit and have to teach them deeper material one on one and keep them going.  I also want there to be joy, so keeping a revolving list of go-to activities that they love like coloring, sewing, creating, signing.  It is my multi-ring circus every day.  I'm going to be so bold as to say there is no packet or online anything that can replace me.
It never turns off because as soon as I come home I'm hatching a plan for the gramerlings and a camp I'll do in summer.
Okay, let's have some more smiles.

Elderberry

While in the past I have firmly believed elderberry to be my friend, it apparently is not in the case of this new evil beastie.  Doctor friends who use it as well say it can do more harm than good in this case.  Somehow it feels better to feel like you are doing something positive for yourself, but guess I wasn't.  So far, Vitamin D, C and Magnesium are still good choices- especially from natural sources. So if there is sun today, I will be in it and I'll make some homemade lemon/orangeade.

Let's smile awhile!

Ever a First

So today is my first official day of having nothing going on.  I got all the medicine mess attended to yesterday, only four trips to three different pharmacies, but we're good now for 90 days.  I dropped off and picked up Uncle Jimi for Physical Therapy, which I know he needs, but I wish he wasn't doing. After six weeks of visiting in a hospital setting, it was sure good to see him in his ovie alls, and walking with just his walking stick.  I was scheduled for a Dialysis pick-up, but Jake is working from home today, so I don't need to go.
I've never been a productive person when there is no other person involved.  I assume I will work as long as I can.  I don't like pod casts, I prefer to read. I don't like TV at all.  I hate to clean, especially by myself.  Kaye would always come over back in the day and boss me around while I cleaned my own house to her specifications. It was great.  I have three hundred and forty seven things I could do and don't want to do any of them.
I will bake some bread to make some home door knob deliveries.  I have cards and stamps, so will send some notes, I will make some good chicken soup.  What you going to do today?

Do you know who these spring beauties are?

I listened to, "His eye is on the sparrow" this morning. Thank you Johna, that is great tune to have rolling around in my crazy brain.

Oh, Corona

My mind flies in crazy circles, or flinging tentacles or ways I can't describe.  I think of all the could have beens, which are soon crowded out by all the could be's and still try to focus on the right here, right now. It is a challenge.
Fear is such a huge factor.  I do not enjoy being fearful. I don't know how to not be fearful.
For me, cutting me off from my classroom and my people is just painful.  I know people who love their own company and aren't in the least bothered by such things. I was only in that crowd once, when I had that revolting food poisoning issue. Then, there was not a single thing that interested me. I did not cook, text, talk on the phone, or even read, if you can believe that.  So. Weird.
I haven't read much about what you can do besides distancing, but no matter, I will only be able to distance so far when my brother needs to be toted here and there and we have to have medicine and after switching Handy Man to my insurance I must go to negotiate with various sources about what to do about this $1400 med my insurance doesn't cover. Then there are medical people dear to me who need childcare. My brain is a whirring dervish.
So, believing in being proactive, I looked around.  I know there are science people who don't believe in natural paths.  I know I teach in a small room with a bazillion germs floating about.  When I started   using X-Clear spray and taking elderberry at a flu symptom and Pine extract, zinc and extra C at a cold symptom, my number of illnesses was greatly relieved.
So I poked around to see if somewhere there were things to do in addition to distancing and handwashing and found this site.
https://fullscript.com/blog/covid-19
All of us have to pray, and be as wise as we can.  When I try something new, I do it one thing at a time in case I do have some sort of weird reaction.   I also look at different places to see what reactions have been reported.  My theory is, if it doesn't hurt and it might help my immune system, I am taking it.
Even in my prayers I question why I should get a break someone else is not getting.  Then I go back to Word, "You have not because you ask not."  So I'm going ask, for myself, for my people, for your people and for the world.
And because no one can be uncheered by a baby goat, who am I kidding, a baby anything, here ya go.
And may God bless us every one!

 Then a little painting.

Change of Birthday Plans

UPDATE-They are tightening up rules at rehab in light of the current corona virus situation.  Uncle Jimi is supposed to get out on Sunday, so we're moving his birthday celebration to my house on Sunday evening at 5.