It's becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy the quarantine. At first, it was kind of like a giant vacation for the nation, but now it
has lost that appeal. It has left small towns and villages to look like ghost towns, their centers void of any kind of human activity. It makes it people grumpy, sad, lonely, scared and confused and makes it difficult to find joy.
The Voice, that lives in my head, pipes up, "You got a roof over your head?" I answer yes. "Well, there's that."
"You got clothes to wear?" Yes. "Well, there's that."
"What about your health? Other than you have tried to eat your way out of boredom, you're pretty healthy?" I sigh another yes.
"Well, there's that."
"So, since you are pretty healthy, from all that food, could it be considered a blessing that you had food to eat in the first place?" I can hear a bit of snarkiness coming from the Voice, but again, I answer in the affirmative, knowing what is coming....."Well, there's that!"
"You have a car?" The Voice knows very well the answer to this question and before I can answer, it quips, "More than one?" I just nod. "Well, there's that!"
I got up to leave the room, even though I knew it was in vain. The Voice, hot on my tail and pecking me on the shoulder starts again, "Hey, you got family? People who love you and care about you? Those same people, they come visit you, right?" I whisper a silent yes. "Well, there's that!"
I'm walking faster now, heading for the back door. "Just one more?" The Voice sneers into my ear. "Go for it.", I reply. "You got people who pray for you?"
My hand on the door knob, I stop dead in my tracks. I hear the soft swishing of the robe the Voice has worn for the last 60 days, fall silent behind me. I think about the question. The Voice always likes to turn the knife blade, but only to make a point. Yes, I have many people who pray for me. They have probably held me up in petition when I could not utter a word myself. I have seen the power and miracles that have materialized in my life because of the kindness and love of others. A tear runs down the side of my face as once again, I nod a silent yes and brace myself for what is coming. "Well. There's. That."
I step outside and breathe in the fresh morning air. I look at my surroundings and I realize how very blessed I am. It hits me like a sledge hammer, as it always does, especially when I've been having a pity party. I walk down the driveway. I know the Voice is following me, bathrobe swirling in the light breeze, but once the Voice gets outdoors, it becomes enthralled with all that the Earth has to offer. It will leave me be, for awhile and well, there's that.
Monday, May 18, 2020
Monday, May 11, 2020
To Never Lose Sight
The kitchen was galley style, long and narrow. The cabinets, stove and refrigerator where on one side of the long rectangle, the kitchen table on the opposite side. The table was galley style too. Long and narrow. Plus, it was attached to the wall with large ornate wrought iron brackets on each end, thus, it had no legs. Children see things in their own world. It was on my first couple of solo visits to friends that I realized no one else had a table attached to the wall.
Mother was a collector of many interests. One of those interests was birds. On the wall, above that galley style table, were many birds. Some were pictures of birds, but most of them were actual three dimensional small sculptures or bas-relief plaques, where the bird seemed to emerge from the background. Meals were always a treat when there was a blue jay perched precariously on a limb, above ones plate. In her later years, her love of birds never wavered and she could fill many hours watching her feathered friends on the feeders outside her patio door.
Although the bird wall was constant material for jokes, it had more than just a decorative meaning. It was actually a learning tool. After many bowls of cereal and egg sandwiches, I learned the names of all the species on the wall. Little did I know that those lessons would stay with me all through my life.
Mother endured our teasing about her bird love and was on the receiving end of many an eye roll. Thinking about that, the Voice, that lives in my head, snickers and whispers in my ear, "What goes around, comes around." The Voice, as usual, is right.
I now hold the title, amongst my family members, as the bird lady. There are five feeders right outside of the back patio doors and they are a constant flutter of activity. A small woodland is the backdrop for this scene and it provides for many birds I had only seen in my trusty bird book. The trusty bird book is always within arms reach and its pages show the wear of many searches.
There is rarely a time, when the grandchildren stop by that I do not have the opportunity to share a new bird find with them, or whip out the book to show them a picture. They are tolerant of me, even though I have perceived the occasional eye roll.
One of the most recent new bird sightings has been the Baltimore Oriole. The picture in the book does not do it justice. The color of orange is so vivid, it almost looks unreal or other worldly. After rigging a small plastic container to the feeder pole, filling it with grape jelly, this beauty of the forest is a regular. It is not unusual to find ten, or more different species all at once and I marvel at, not only their stunning colors, but their unique designs.
The other day, my youngest grandson, nearly a teenager, sat at the table, looking out the patio doors. He was telling me a story when all of a sudden his eyes grew big and he said "Oh wow!" The Baltimore Oriole, in all its orange glory, had landed on top of the feeder. The look on his face was priceless as he beheld a piece of the kingdom he had never seen. He agreed that we would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful shade of orange.
These times we live in are strange and have many people fearful of what that future holds. Perhaps if we took the time to not lose sight of what is really important, we would see a much different picture. Perhaps finding joy and some inner peace from the simplest of things can ease our minds of current events, if only for a while. Faith is what we make it and sometimes it is only a faint thin line. That is a good time to remember when Jesus said that God takes care of all of his creations. He even knows when a bird falls.
Mother was a collector of many interests. One of those interests was birds. On the wall, above that galley style table, were many birds. Some were pictures of birds, but most of them were actual three dimensional small sculptures or bas-relief plaques, where the bird seemed to emerge from the background. Meals were always a treat when there was a blue jay perched precariously on a limb, above ones plate. In her later years, her love of birds never wavered and she could fill many hours watching her feathered friends on the feeders outside her patio door.
Although the bird wall was constant material for jokes, it had more than just a decorative meaning. It was actually a learning tool. After many bowls of cereal and egg sandwiches, I learned the names of all the species on the wall. Little did I know that those lessons would stay with me all through my life.
Mother endured our teasing about her bird love and was on the receiving end of many an eye roll. Thinking about that, the Voice, that lives in my head, snickers and whispers in my ear, "What goes around, comes around." The Voice, as usual, is right.
I now hold the title, amongst my family members, as the bird lady. There are five feeders right outside of the back patio doors and they are a constant flutter of activity. A small woodland is the backdrop for this scene and it provides for many birds I had only seen in my trusty bird book. The trusty bird book is always within arms reach and its pages show the wear of many searches.
There is rarely a time, when the grandchildren stop by that I do not have the opportunity to share a new bird find with them, or whip out the book to show them a picture. They are tolerant of me, even though I have perceived the occasional eye roll.
One of the most recent new bird sightings has been the Baltimore Oriole. The picture in the book does not do it justice. The color of orange is so vivid, it almost looks unreal or other worldly. After rigging a small plastic container to the feeder pole, filling it with grape jelly, this beauty of the forest is a regular. It is not unusual to find ten, or more different species all at once and I marvel at, not only their stunning colors, but their unique designs.
The other day, my youngest grandson, nearly a teenager, sat at the table, looking out the patio doors. He was telling me a story when all of a sudden his eyes grew big and he said "Oh wow!" The Baltimore Oriole, in all its orange glory, had landed on top of the feeder. The look on his face was priceless as he beheld a piece of the kingdom he had never seen. He agreed that we would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful shade of orange.
These times we live in are strange and have many people fearful of what that future holds. Perhaps if we took the time to not lose sight of what is really important, we would see a much different picture. Perhaps finding joy and some inner peace from the simplest of things can ease our minds of current events, if only for a while. Faith is what we make it and sometimes it is only a faint thin line. That is a good time to remember when Jesus said that God takes care of all of his creations. He even knows when a bird falls.
Monday, May 4, 2020
From The Desk of The Dog: A Day In My Life
Hello everyone! It's Runtly, the ever so entertaining Jack Russell Terrier, JRT, for short! Since I just love people, I want to help them! Mom says everyone is tired of being cooped up and maybe it would be a good idea for me to share what a day is like for me, to help cheer them up.
Humans don't understand that a day in the life of a dog, is like the best day ever. Every morning we get to do it over again! I do like to change my routine up every now and then, just to make it more fun!
Each morning, I get up and ask politely to go outside. Living in the country versus the city is WAY better, in my most humble opinion. Mom says there is nothing humble, or polite, about me and to get back to the story. Anyways, I go outside and the very first thing I do is check for mice. See, I have become a great mouser! One day I found one in the bench on the front porch and I caught him! So, from now on, that is my first course of business, checking that bench. Then, I move on to the front steps and do the most wonderful thing......I sniff the air. It's amazing what a snoot full of fresh morning air can tell a dog about his kingdom. Then I bark. Sometimes I just bark bark and other times, depending on the information from the sniff report, I barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark, until the entire forest is awake. It's fun helping out my fellow creatures.
Usually by this time, my giant German Shepard buddy, Max, knows I'm up and he comes to great me. We have a few sniffs, size each other up, wag tails and go about our other business. We also make sure we try to out perform each other when it comes to marking our territory. This sometimes mean I might end up getting wet. But, all in good fun.
Then, I go back into the house, get a snack and maybe a drink and take a nap. Naps are an essential part of dog's life. Humans need to take more naps. When Mom and Dad are done with breakfast I wait, oh so patiently, to see if they left me any scraps. Believe me, bacon and egg sammich day is way better than cereal day. After breakfast, it's time to chase the birds. Mom feeds the birds. I don't like that because I don't like Mom to feed anybody but me. I must admit though, she has a ton of birds and even a few squirrels and I can make them scatter like stuffing out of a new toy! Then, I bark some more. Then, I takes me another nap.
When Mom lets me, we go for a walk into the woods. Mom stays on the trail, but not me! I run through the brush and go way down the hill to were the water is. I don't get in the water but every once in awhile, there's a turtle along the edge. Guess what I do to him? I bark at him!! It's so exciting. Then when we get back to the house, I find a spot in the sun and take a rest. Resting outside does not count as a nap because there's too much goin' on to be really asleep.
When the weather is nice, I stay outside with Mom and Dad just about all afternoon. Now that I'm becoming an expert mouser, I am also fine tuning my skills as the mole police. There is absolutely nothing better than having your head, shoulder deep, in a mole run! Mom says if I get real good at it, she may hire me out. I'm not sure about that but I gots lots to practice with. Also, now that I am learning to be a country dog, I have learned to ride in the car without being afraid anymore! Not only can I ride in our car, I will get in anybody's car that opens their door for me. I can ride in the neighbors' 4 wheeler and I can even ride on the mower with Mom, while she pulls a noisy trailer down the gravel road. I sit in the mower seat and Mom gets to sit on what's left. I be a pretty good dog.
When evening time comes and the sky gets dark, I like to go out just one more time. There is something across the road, in the thick brush that needs to be barked at. This activity usually gets me in trouble. Mom says there could be things in that brush that would like to eat me. I'd like to see them try! Then, after I eat my supper, which is about the only time I really eat.....there's too much going on during the day to waste time eatin', so I just eat at nightime, I get ready for bed. If I rolled in something delightful during the day, I hafta have a bath I get between Mom and Dad, get under my blankie, stick all four legs into the air and I be so thankful for my wonderful day. Sometimes I even be smilin' in my sleep cause I know I get to do it all again the next day.....and if the next day brings rain, it's still all good because that just makes the naps last longer! Woof!
Humans don't understand that a day in the life of a dog, is like the best day ever. Every morning we get to do it over again! I do like to change my routine up every now and then, just to make it more fun!
Each morning, I get up and ask politely to go outside. Living in the country versus the city is WAY better, in my most humble opinion. Mom says there is nothing humble, or polite, about me and to get back to the story. Anyways, I go outside and the very first thing I do is check for mice. See, I have become a great mouser! One day I found one in the bench on the front porch and I caught him! So, from now on, that is my first course of business, checking that bench. Then, I move on to the front steps and do the most wonderful thing......I sniff the air. It's amazing what a snoot full of fresh morning air can tell a dog about his kingdom. Then I bark. Sometimes I just bark bark and other times, depending on the information from the sniff report, I barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark, until the entire forest is awake. It's fun helping out my fellow creatures.
Usually by this time, my giant German Shepard buddy, Max, knows I'm up and he comes to great me. We have a few sniffs, size each other up, wag tails and go about our other business. We also make sure we try to out perform each other when it comes to marking our territory. This sometimes mean I might end up getting wet. But, all in good fun.
Then, I go back into the house, get a snack and maybe a drink and take a nap. Naps are an essential part of dog's life. Humans need to take more naps. When Mom and Dad are done with breakfast I wait, oh so patiently, to see if they left me any scraps. Believe me, bacon and egg sammich day is way better than cereal day. After breakfast, it's time to chase the birds. Mom feeds the birds. I don't like that because I don't like Mom to feed anybody but me. I must admit though, she has a ton of birds and even a few squirrels and I can make them scatter like stuffing out of a new toy! Then, I bark some more. Then, I takes me another nap.
When Mom lets me, we go for a walk into the woods. Mom stays on the trail, but not me! I run through the brush and go way down the hill to were the water is. I don't get in the water but every once in awhile, there's a turtle along the edge. Guess what I do to him? I bark at him!! It's so exciting. Then when we get back to the house, I find a spot in the sun and take a rest. Resting outside does not count as a nap because there's too much goin' on to be really asleep.
When evening time comes and the sky gets dark, I like to go out just one more time. There is something across the road, in the thick brush that needs to be barked at. This activity usually gets me in trouble. Mom says there could be things in that brush that would like to eat me. I'd like to see them try! Then, after I eat my supper, which is about the only time I really eat.....there's too much going on during the day to waste time eatin', so I just eat at nightime, I get ready for bed. If I rolled in something delightful during the day, I hafta have a bath I get between Mom and Dad, get under my blankie, stick all four legs into the air and I be so thankful for my wonderful day. Sometimes I even be smilin' in my sleep cause I know I get to do it all again the next day.....and if the next day brings rain, it's still all good because that just makes the naps last longer! Woof!
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