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One of the things I am glad not to do is travel to meetings and make sure they don't overlap. I have still had conflicts at times on Zoom. I have the freedom to learn new ways to do meetings. A new one happened yesterday with Google meet. Shopping is a new experience. Someone posted that going out used to mean keys and wallet. Now it means keys, wallet, mask, sanitizer, gloves and maybe a face shield. So many changes! It has meant more time to spend doing yard work and checking on my tomatoes. They have had much more attention than in the past. With being home much more, it means no fear of someone helping themselves to my tomatoes. One summer I went away on a trip. When I left there were 13 tomatoes just beginning to ripen. When I returned there were none! Since then, if I have grown tomatoes, they have been more or less hidden. This year they are more in plain sight, but being home means no one has even bothered them. I do and don't miss makeup. I don't miss dressing up very much, but was ready to wear a dress when I went to outdoor church. I don't miss shopping for clothes and don't miss spending money on clothes. I don't miss “doing nice” with people I don't care about. I am free not to do these things! One of the things I would like to be free from is collecting rent, but I know that when tenants have money, I need to go get it. --Carolyn
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NOTHING! Fix my hair: If I don’t fix it, it depresses me, so I fix it anyway. Dress up: I love dressing up and find it terrible to have nothing to dress up for. Clean the house: I had a really good maid to clean the house, but my doctor husband won’t let her in until the pandemic is over, so I am now in charge of that too. Go shopping: Believe it or not I enjoy shopping, finding the best ingredients at the grocery store or the best deals at store sales. I miss them. I hate having to deal with the car’s check-ups, but I have to do it anyway, only I have to deal with masks and getting out of their way. I am really tired of cooking 3 meals a day, and this makes it necessary. However, I have enjoyed getting back to baking my own bread. So far I’ve made many loaves of whole wheat bread, rye bread, zucchini bread and banana bread, and homemade soups to go with them. But this is more work, not less work, especially with the routine I have to go through to sanitize and bring new groceries into the house. The other thing I cannot do is have my granddaughter every Saturday morning. I haven’t touched her since the end of February. I can’t find anything good about this pandemic, and I’ve tried. And I thank my buddies for supporting me through this. --Cynthia My morning walks of a year ago have turned into slow ambles for my buddy, Capt'Jack. So now I observe the sky. Being partnered to a pilot makes weather and the sky more important than just "is it raining?" So sunrise, noon clouds and sun set all take on new meanings. The apartment complex we live in has lots of space around it so there are not trees to block the view. The Arizona sky is usually clear and sunny, brilliant in blue that would be hard to capture. Palm trees waving in the breeze are beautiful, and when the air is still it's like everything is holding it's breath. Apartment people are not very chatty, and maybe that is mostly because of the Covid19 fear. We see very few people when we are out, and fewer still will exchange a "good morning". Capt'Jack misses getting extra attention from folks and always wants to visit. We are looking forward to being in our new neighborhood, and the opportunity to meet new people & maybe find walking friends. --donna Sometime after the first of this year I started periodically walking a few blocks to the OSU experimental garden. It’s small, but has a wonderful variety of plants and flowers. In the late winter or early spring, most things were still dormant, although there were the lovely winter pansies. Then, as spring arrived, it started to be more colorful with the different shades of green and more flowers, but the fountains were not flowing due to the possibility of cold nights. Now, it is alive with numerous flowers, some common and some more exotic and the colors are beautiful. There are several bubbling fountains and a koi pond with water lilies and a small arched bridge. It’s been exciting seeing it transform and continues to be one of the highlights when I walk in my neighborhood. Today was unusual because I saw a hummingbird and bumblebee having their morning nectar. I’ll forgo the urge to become too philosophical about how the changes coincide with human life, but my visits do give me hope that some time in the future life will not be so bleak and will bloom again. --Jeanette When Ed and I were dating and first married, we walked for miles and miles, talking up a storm. I enjoyed it a lot. It was nice to be outside, taking in the beauty around me, and it was nice to have uninterrupted time to talk. Then he began to have quite a bit of trouble with his feet, so that for many years now going for a walk with him has been rare and brief. I miss it. Backpacking, my favorite type of walking, has also gone by the wayside. His feet hurt and I can’t carry much of a pack. It’s depressing if I think about it. By myself I have tried to start walking regimens from time to time, but it never lasts. It’s odd because I can sit in a beautiful setting for ages and enjoy the beauty and my own thoughts. But walking seems different. I find it boring, and the landscape goes by too slowly. And it’s always hot! A bike is much better for looking at the scenery, it’s cooler, and the constant fear of falling or being knocked over keeps it exciting. I used to walk with my dog and that was pretty fun. She loved it and I enjoyed watching her get excited about every smell and sight. I also talked to her, although she never answered. Now, she’s old like the rest of us, and she can’t really go on walks any longer. She starts off very excited and moving quickly, but within a block she is out of steam. Sometimes I even have to carry her home. I have to admit that walking is not much a part of my life any more. That may have to change if it becomes the only form of exercise I can do, but for now I’m content without it. --Terese |
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January 2022
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