Thursday, March 26, 2020
Quarantine Maundering
7:14 PM
Well, today, I thought I'd just ramble on about random things as they come in my head concerning this current quarantine situation. Quarantine is one of our new vocabulary words that we've all learned how to use in a sentence as of late. It's a word we never used much until now. When I first texted the word, a couple of weeks ago, my predictive texting had no idea what I was about to say. It guessed quaint, quarter, Quaalude, quail, quality, quarry. It never even thought of quarantine. Now, I go anywhere close to the "Q" on the keypad and it's sure I'm wanting to say "quarantine".
Little did any of us realize how important the timing of our last hair appointments would be. Sadly, I was due a cut and color when this all went down and so I can tell you it's not going to be pretty if this lasts much longer. A couple of things about my hair. First, it grows at a rate that impresses kudzu and so, like dog years, 6 weeks for your hair is like 42 weeks for mine. And it's so thick that it not only gets long, but it gets big. Factor in the already grayed roots and the progression to date can be seen below from right to left. Can you imagine the waiting list for your hair stylist when this is all over? And we're all going to look hideous while we stand by for our appointments to roll around. It will be a difficult time. I'm hoping they take the most severe cases first.
Little did any of us realize how important the timing of our last hair appointments would be. Sadly, I was due a cut and color when this all went down and so I can tell you it's not going to be pretty if this lasts much longer. A couple of things about my hair. First, it grows at a rate that impresses kudzu and so, like dog years, 6 weeks for your hair is like 42 weeks for mine. And it's so thick that it not only gets long, but it gets big. Factor in the already grayed roots and the progression to date can be seen below from right to left. Can you imagine the waiting list for your hair stylist when this is all over? And we're all going to look hideous while we stand by for our appointments to roll around. It will be a difficult time. I'm hoping they take the most severe cases first.
Carson has the same problem with his hair getting big, so he'll need to be a priority case, too.
I've noticed a shift around the house, the last couple of days. We seem to be having moments when we're a bit more testy with each other. Being shut up in here with two men, I've noticed they've started to form an alliance. They appear to be trying to shift the balance of power. There's been a lot of affirmation among the menfolk when their opinions match up and are opposite of mine. I'm keeping an eye on the situation and have recruited Ruby to help me counter for the cause of estrogen.....even if we have both been spayed. So, if testiness is occurring in your home, I just want you to know that you are not alone as this is perfectly normal. Anytime people are confined to an enclosed space with other people for an extended period, entertaining different methods of murder in one's mind is bound to occur and should not be a cause for alarm. To help the malicious thoughts pass, go outside, get some fresh air, and think of one good thing about the people with whom you're quarantined. Mine, for example, would be, "At least, Davis and Carson aren't much of a drain on the toilet paper supply." See? Now, you try.
To help work off his astronomical food bill, I got Carson out to work in the yard again yesterday. We worked some topsoil into a bed, planted new plants and added fresh mulch, which Ruby started eating like we'd just put out bridge mix and bar nuts. Like the rest of us, she's really had her ear to the ground and has been taking this quarantine thing seriously as the neighbor informed us she hasn't let herself in their house- not once this week. She's apparently keeping abreast of the current situation and is following the CDC guidelines closely.
I'm currently reading a book about the deaths of our presidents as I thought that would be some light reading for a pandemic. Let's just say we wouldn't want the doctors of the first few presidents guiding us through this health crisis....unless we thought enemas would somehow be helpful. Fun fact- the second, third, and fourth presidents to die, all died on July 4. Jefferson, Adams, and Monroe- Jefferson and Adams dying on the same day. Ten years later, the fifth president to die, Madison, was offered drugs to help him live to see July 4, but he refused them and died on June 28. Just because we're all shut up in the house, doesn't mean we can't brush up on our history and stuff.
I don't know how other parts of the country manage when supplies are low, but in Mississippi your avid hunter/fisher brother calls to offer access to his treasure chest of frozen wild game and fish. Everything from wild pig, deer, turkey, salt water fish, and I probably don't even want to know what else is in there. It would probably give me troubling flashbacks from my childhood when I never knew what kind of dead varmint with which he'd try to chase me. I told him I appreciated the offer, but we had plenty of my preferred domestic meat. If hunger were to set in though, I suppose we could trade some of Davis' garden peas and beans for brother's meat. It's always nice to know there's a country boy or two in the family when the supply chain gets a little wobbly.
I feel like I'm on a really bad survival show where I'm locked in a house with a freezer full of random meats and vegetables and a pantry of cans along with two other people and a dog. Every 3 hours, the two other people have to ask what they're having for their next meal. If you can dash out and capture a can of Lysol or a package of toilet paper for your team without human interaction of any kind, you earn bonus points, which can be traded in for takeout. You advance to the next round if you keep everyone from starving and killing each other. Somehow, I ended up with the freezer that was heavy on ground beef and a teammate who drinks a gallon of milk a day and considers a half box of cereal to be a serving. I'm about ready to tap out.
We're all healthy and well-fed and getting some much needed rest here, so we certainly can't overlook those good things. I hope you and your family are doing well, too. Be safe and stay at home as much as you can. And don't forget to find something to laugh at everyday. It soothes the mind.
We're closer to coming back together than we were yesterday!
Take care.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
A TIme to Embrace and a Time to Refrain From Embracing
10:38 PM
A few weeks ago, we hired an old friend, Tim, to come and give our landscaping a good pruning as that's his profession and area of expertise. Over the course of many years, our shrubbery had gotten a little out of shape and a bit too large. Despite our best efforts to keep it looking good, well, it's just not our area of expertise. It's also front porch season and the bushes were starting to block our view of the lake from our swings and rockers and we certainly couldn't have that.
Tim came out for a consultation and we went outside to talk about what he needed to do. I told him my areas of concern and he told me what he thought needed attention. The camellias had gotten too big and overpowering. The jasmine had taken over and choked out the mondo grass. The tree-form ligustrum had way too much going on. The hollies had lost their way and their natural form. The nandinas were being shut down by the azaleas. The gardenias were leggy and their beauty had all but left. And the Indian hawthorns were in need of new cloaks of healthier foliage. I mean, from a galloping horse, the landscaping looked pretty good, but, let's just say, there were some issues when you looked really closely.
We came up with a time for Tim to come back and do the work and he warned me that it was going to look pretty bad for a while as he'd be doing some severe trimming in some spots and drastic cut backs in others. He assured me it would grow back quickly and the results would be much more pleasing in the end, so I was willing to forge ahead through that awkward period in which the neighbors would surely point and stare.
Davis and I were going to be out of town when Tim came to work, so when we got home and turned up the driveway, it was quite a jolt. It wasn't so much that some of the bushes were cut back practically to the ground, because I expected that. But, everything looked like it had its own place and purpose and identity. It wasn't just one overgrown, unhealthy, competing mass anymore. And the overall picture was clearer. I could see the house better. I could see the front porch again. I could see the bricks under the porch that had been hidden. I could see the lake from the swings and everything looked like it did when it was all new. It had been so long since I'd seen it that way. I was tickled even though it did look like Edward Scissorhands had paid us a visit after an episode of binge drinking.
I tell you that boring horticulture story, because I feel like that's where we are in all of this. This is a pretty drastic pruning back of our lives that we're being asked to do. Goodness knows, I've never experienced anything like this in my lifetime. We're trimming away the physical contact we have with each other and cutting back the places where we overlap and touch. We're each being asked to draw back to our own habitat and our own core. It's not really something any of us want to do, but we could use this time as a reset.
Maybe we all need to be pruned back to the basics. Maybe we can grow back kinder with more tender, supple exteriors. Maybe we can harbor less weeds and thorns that inflict pain. Maybe we'll start to grow in the right direction. Maybe we can take in better nutrients. Maybe we'll help develop stronger root systems for the branches that we support. Maybe we'll start to see the beauty in others and appreciate their place in the big picture. Maybe we'll learn how to depend on our Maker again. Maybe we'll move toward the light and away from the darkness. Maybe we'll be willing to let go of those limbs that protrude and infringe on others. Maybe we can give attention to those parts of us that are hurt and unhealthy. And, after a time, maybe we can come back new and refreshed and stronger. Maybe we'll find more that is admirable and of good report when we reunite. Maybe we'll see that we do need each other. Maybe we'll realize that we are better together.
I have friends who've waited their whole lives for someone to tell them to stay home and keep away from people. I have others who are already climbing the walls and needing a night out. Some people are hoarding. Some are stressing. Some aren't paying the news one bit of attention. Nobody really knows where this is headed or for how long, but I hope we can use our alone time wisely. Even if it's for an unfortunate reason, we may never have another time like this again. A time-out has been called in life. An opportunity to do all of those things we claimed we never had time for. A moment we can slow down and learn and grow from our adversity. Let's all go back to where we were planted and start over from the ground up. Each from her own beginnings. Each along with her Creator. And, after a while, may we come back together more holy and lovely and united than ever before.
"I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...…
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:1-2, 5
Praying for the health and safety of you and your families. Let's do what's asked of us so we can come back together sooner!
Tim came out for a consultation and we went outside to talk about what he needed to do. I told him my areas of concern and he told me what he thought needed attention. The camellias had gotten too big and overpowering. The jasmine had taken over and choked out the mondo grass. The tree-form ligustrum had way too much going on. The hollies had lost their way and their natural form. The nandinas were being shut down by the azaleas. The gardenias were leggy and their beauty had all but left. And the Indian hawthorns were in need of new cloaks of healthier foliage. I mean, from a galloping horse, the landscaping looked pretty good, but, let's just say, there were some issues when you looked really closely.
We came up with a time for Tim to come back and do the work and he warned me that it was going to look pretty bad for a while as he'd be doing some severe trimming in some spots and drastic cut backs in others. He assured me it would grow back quickly and the results would be much more pleasing in the end, so I was willing to forge ahead through that awkward period in which the neighbors would surely point and stare.
Davis and I were going to be out of town when Tim came to work, so when we got home and turned up the driveway, it was quite a jolt. It wasn't so much that some of the bushes were cut back practically to the ground, because I expected that. But, everything looked like it had its own place and purpose and identity. It wasn't just one overgrown, unhealthy, competing mass anymore. And the overall picture was clearer. I could see the house better. I could see the front porch again. I could see the bricks under the porch that had been hidden. I could see the lake from the swings and everything looked like it did when it was all new. It had been so long since I'd seen it that way. I was tickled even though it did look like Edward Scissorhands had paid us a visit after an episode of binge drinking.
I tell you that boring horticulture story, because I feel like that's where we are in all of this. This is a pretty drastic pruning back of our lives that we're being asked to do. Goodness knows, I've never experienced anything like this in my lifetime. We're trimming away the physical contact we have with each other and cutting back the places where we overlap and touch. We're each being asked to draw back to our own habitat and our own core. It's not really something any of us want to do, but we could use this time as a reset.
Maybe we all need to be pruned back to the basics. Maybe we can grow back kinder with more tender, supple exteriors. Maybe we can harbor less weeds and thorns that inflict pain. Maybe we'll start to grow in the right direction. Maybe we can take in better nutrients. Maybe we'll help develop stronger root systems for the branches that we support. Maybe we'll start to see the beauty in others and appreciate their place in the big picture. Maybe we'll learn how to depend on our Maker again. Maybe we'll move toward the light and away from the darkness. Maybe we'll be willing to let go of those limbs that protrude and infringe on others. Maybe we can give attention to those parts of us that are hurt and unhealthy. And, after a time, maybe we can come back new and refreshed and stronger. Maybe we'll find more that is admirable and of good report when we reunite. Maybe we'll see that we do need each other. Maybe we'll realize that we are better together.
I have friends who've waited their whole lives for someone to tell them to stay home and keep away from people. I have others who are already climbing the walls and needing a night out. Some people are hoarding. Some are stressing. Some aren't paying the news one bit of attention. Nobody really knows where this is headed or for how long, but I hope we can use our alone time wisely. Even if it's for an unfortunate reason, we may never have another time like this again. A time-out has been called in life. An opportunity to do all of those things we claimed we never had time for. A moment we can slow down and learn and grow from our adversity. Let's all go back to where we were planted and start over from the ground up. Each from her own beginnings. Each along with her Creator. And, after a while, may we come back together more holy and lovely and united than ever before.
"I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...…
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:1-2, 5
Praying for the health and safety of you and your families. Let's do what's asked of us so we can come back together sooner!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Powered by Blogger.
Popular Posts
-
In December, I shared the story of a miracle God gave our family for Christmas. The one embryo belonging to Blair and John Samuel that spran...
-
I am officially a Punkin! Little Jack was born on Monday night at 6:14 and, in the history of mankind, he is the most beautiful baby born t...
-
Ok, I don't know where I've been, but I'm just now hearing about the USPS destroying millions of dollars in newly printed stamps...
-
We traipsed through the hot sand with our 6 chairs, 3 umbrellas, and cooler of Baptist beverages and found an opening on the crowded beach. ...
-
Well, our big weekend has come and gone. It may take me a week to recover from all of the merriment, so this will be mostly a pictorial post...
-
February continues as the month of anniversaries. This week, Davis and I will celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary. Thirty-three years ago...
-
Otis and I walked in the vet’s office on Monday for his (almost) one year visit. It had been 11 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days since he came to...
-
Well, I thought you’d like to hear about our anniversary trip. I bet you assumed I’d be armed with pictures of the sunlight beaming down on ...
-
Well, I had a wonderful Mother's Day/Birthday Weekend! We spent Saturday afternoon at the lake with my brothers and their families t...
-
When I was about 10 or 11, my mother called me into her bedroom, one afternoon, and shut the door. I remember thinking this must be somethin...
Blog Archive
Labels
Labels
- Ou (1)