As far as I can remember I have not been directly affected by any such disaster as this corona virus thing. I was born in the 50s and missed the polio epidemic. But Lord, this corona thing feels like science fiction come to life. And it is. All of us are affected whether we catch the virus or not. I’m sure by now you have heard how bad it is, so you don’t need me to re-hash it. You know it’s a serious deal. The tv says in a couple of weeks, we in the U.S. are going to be having the same experience Italy is having right now. That’s scary.
My husband and I have decided to shelter in place. It’s necessary because we are considered old (!!) and we both have underlying illnesses. So far we are ok with it. We live in the country and are used to being somewhat isolated from crowds and so forth. We already have a freezer full and our own perpetual hoard of toilet paper, something which stems from a childhood memory of my mother screeching through the bathroom door: “Nancy bring me a paper towel!” She did it on a regular basis when there was nothing left on the roll. Why she didn’t stock enough tp (she wouldn’t write ‘toilet paper’ on a list, only the initials tp like it was a dirty word.) to last, I’ll never know. Because of her, I’m a tp hoarder. And I will always keep a good hoard on hand. Although I had my own kids who could fetch a paper towel, Kleenex or whatever, I made sure my off-spring would never have to go get something for me to wipe my bum with. These days, the media has gone crazy with people buying tons of toilet paper. I fail to see what that has to do with the corona virus, only that it’s good to keep supplies in stock.
Personally, I’m taking the advice flooding social media about what to do when you are quarantined. Oh yeah girl, I’ve got plans!
First, to blog. It’s been hard finding the time and/or envie to sit down and write. I haven’t blogged for so long, it feels good to be doing it now.
I also plan to clean out my closet. Oh, and my office too.
I’m going to get serious about digging into my “Learn How To Play Piano – Adult (read dummy) Version. Who knew it would be so hard??
Of course, now I have time to paint, sew, quilt, create, write a book.
And don’t forget my spring-time passion. Gardening. Look away if you are easily bored by old ladies’ garden pictures! You are about to be inundated. And it’s not that I think my gardens are better than anybody else’s, trust me they are not, it’s just that I am so amazed that this beauty is on my property. I can’t believe how these plants spring up in the spring time and spread their glory all around. It’s more than a visual wonder. To me, it’s spiritual. What have I done to deserve such beauty as that which I am surrounded by? I’ve done nothing to deserve it. But God, in his infinite mercy, has opened my eyes to the beauty around me, beauty He created, beauty He freely offers. What love! What joy! In the midst of this currant epidemic of virus and fear, His beauty is still there. His love is still there. I can’t and won’t question Him concerning the spread of it all but it’s hard not to. All I know is that He didn’t promise to keep us from troubles, only that He promised to walk with us through them. If you are one who thinks He is a mean God because of that, well, that’s your problem. Good luck figuring that out. I choose to trust Him.
And in the meantime, I’m going to dig my heels, and my hands, into the dirt. I’m going to keep pulling over-wintered plants out of the greenhouse, repot as needed, dig holes, plant, breath deeply, and enjoy. I will go to battle with red-bugs, weeds, mosquitos, and viral fear.
Enjoy your life, people, in any way that you can, quarantine or no quarantine. You can’t do a lot about this corona virus thing, but you do have control somewhat over how to react over it. Oh that reminds me of a comment made to me by a friend. She asked me if I made my bed every day and the answer is yes. She couldn’t believe it, probably because I do not profess to be any kind of a housekeeper. But I told her that I make my bed every day because I have very little control of what goes on around me and making my bed is a normal thing to do. There is another reason though. I like the way it makes me feel about myself. It gives me a sense of well being. There could be 7 grandkids running around this house, screaming, pulling each other’s ears, and flushing socks down the toilet, but I can walk into my bedroom and see a lovely made bed and I become calm. True, that serenity might also be due to the crucifix on my wall next to the bed reminding me of the love of my precious Lord. Wow, if I didn’t have Him, how would I deal with everything else?
Use your head, and let’s be safe.
The following is a little project I did with two of my baby grands – it’s a fairy garden. We had so much fun making this. The kids pressed found ‘treasures’ into the concrete walk-ways, etc., such as marbles, stones, sea glass, glass gems. Their imaginations went wild. It was a great day.
This is the lake house with an alligator in the pond.
This is the zoo.
The church.
And the playground.
I’m off of facebook for a while so if you have any comments, please leave them here on the blog page. I love it when you do that!
Ladies and Gentlemen, pray for an end to the corona pandemic. Be kind and considerate. Be loving. Help someone. And as always, please pray for peace.
Nan Tubre Writes . . . 