Thursday Thoughts ~ it's Black History Month

1.  Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States.  It is a time to remember important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

2.  Galentine's Day is celebrated on February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day.  Around noon on Monday, I plan to go to the Café.  No plans except chatting with gals who are my friends.  Invite your lady friends and come, if you want to join me there.

3.  Zoom in

The meaning of ZOOM is changing, so could I say that I'm zooming into a Zoom Meeting, since we're doing it online?  How fast is zoom?

4.  Zoom out

Colleen wrote:  "When in doubt, zoom out.  Ignore the cult of doom and gloom, and embrace the cause of zoom and boom.  We will laugh at the stupidity of evil and hate, and summon the brilliance of praise and create.  Life is crazily in love with us — wildly and innocently in love with us.  The universe always gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it." — quoting Rob Brezsny

5.  What's it mean?  When you zoom in on something, you take a closer look at it.  You might zoom in on one particularly beautiful sentence in a book you're reading, for example, reading it slowly a few times.

6.  Cat chasing a white dot (this isn't Clawdia)

When the sun shines in our windows in the morning, Clawdia comes and sits looking at me expectantly.  Sometimes I move my wrist so my watch reflects a little round dot of light.  Sometimes I use my iPhone, getting a squarish sort of light.  And sometimes, Clawdia just sits and watches the light show, when both lights start playing and chase each other.

7.  Our new apartment

When construction is completed and we move into our new apartment, our windows will be facing west.  I wonder how having no morning sunshine will affect Clawdia's thinking about the little white dots.

8.  Miss Sheri's Cafeteria

Someone told me Miss Sheri's went out of business.  Is that true?  I used to like to go there to eat, back when I still had a car.  (Update:  confirmed.)

9.  On the other hand

I'm not so sure a cafeteria would work now, since I use a cane.  I don't think I could balance a tray full of food and drink in one hand.

10.  My closest cousin died

I was on the Crown Center bus, going grocery shopping, when I got a text from Andy saying his mother had died on Tuesday evening, January 31st.  Carolyn was a year older than I was, minus a couple of days.  When she'd call to wish me a happy birthday, I'd always say that I had caught up with her.  We were the same age for two days each year.

11.  Remembering with a smile

I remember splashing together in the tub, when we'd visit overnight.  Two little girls, having fun.  And I still have the twin bed we slept in, side by side, when we were that small.

12.  Bulletin board

I've given up the volunteer job of changing the bulletin board on my floor every month, and my neighbor Galina has taken on the job.

13.  Word of the Day

snarf /snärf / verb (informal) = eat or drink quickly or greedily.  Example:  "I woke up hungry and snarfed down my breakfast!"

14.  Unforgettable Senior Moments and Remember

These two books really go together.  What I read at the beginning of the book on senior moments sounds exactly like what I read in Lisa Genova's book:  "The most familiar type of forgetting is absentmindedness, in which information is never properly encoded in one's memory, if it's encoded at all.  Say you've misplaced your keys.  When you laid them down, you weren't giving their location your full attention, you were distracted, or, as scientists say, your attention was 'divided'" (p. iv).  Click either title to read more that I've blogged about that book.

15.  Astounding numbers

This blog had more than 500 "pageviews" in 12 hours last Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.  Those stats are on the sidebar beneath my photo.  Usually there are only about 200-300 in a whole day.  Somebody must have spent a lot of time reading my blog that day.

Here's the bulletin board on my floor for September

My neighbor Galina shared the three pictures on the left, and I found the dog picture on an old calendar.  All that was left was to flip the calendar on the right to September, and voilà!  That calendar was supplied by our neighbor Sharon, who also lives on our floor.  It's a community effort!

Wearing a mask

I lost one of my cloth masks, the purple one at the bottom.  I knew I'd had it earlier in the day.  I called the office.  No one had turned in a cloth mask.  Later, when I went out again, I found the purple mask hanging on the doorknob of an apartment down the hall from me, near the elevator.  I asked my neighbor Galina if she had picked it up and hung it on the door of that unoccupied apartment.  Yes, she had, thinking it was probably mine.

Some of us have worn TWO masks during this pandemic, doubling up with a paper mask under a cloth mask.  Some of us who are elderly and immunocompromised are still wearing masks, even when others have cast them aside.  As this sign shows, earlier in the pandemic the Crown Center required that we wear masks whenever we were outside our apartments.  If we didn't, it was considered a lease violation.

The disheartening news I read recently, though, now says cloth masks are "useless."  Yes, that's the word I read.  They are useless.  The article said we should be wearing N95 masks because droplets from SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) can get through a cloth mask too easily.  Today, I've been reading an AMA article entitled "What doctors wish patients knew about wearing N95 masks."  The article was published yesterday, so it is about as current as I can get.  Here's part of it:

"Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians and other health professionals have continued to stress the everyday necessity and importance of wearing masks to protect against the spread of SARS-CoV-2.  While reusable cloth masks have been recommended until recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other experts acknowledge N95, KN95 or KF94 masks provide the most protection when in public indoor spaces given how transmissible the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is. ... N95 masks filter up to 95% of particles in the air when approved by NIOSH and proper fit can be achieved.  People should be aware, though, that about 60% of KN95 masks in the United States are counterfeit and do not meet NIOSH standards."

I currently have these two kinds of N95 masks — maybe I should call them "particulate respirators," but what a mouthful that would be!  And I have oodles of these blue medical masks, along with quite a few cloth masks.

Word of the Day #1

immunocompromised /ˌi-myə-nō-ˈkäm-prə-ˌmīzd / ˈIH-myoo-noh-ˈKOM-proh-mized / = Having a weakened immune system.  People who are immunocompromised have a reduced ability to fight infections and other diseases.  This may be caused by certain diseases or conditions, such as AIDS, cancer, diabetes, malnutrition, and certain genetic disorders.  It may also be caused by certain medicines or treatments, such as anticancer drugs, radiation therapy, and stem cell or organ transplant.  Also called immunosuppressed.

Word of the Day #2

mouth·ful /ˈmouTHˌfo͝ol / noun = 1. a quantity of food or drink that fills or can be put in the mouth.  Example:  "He swallowed a mouthful of beer."  2. a long or complicated word or phrase that is difficult to say.  "Immunocompromised is almost too much of a mouthful for most of us to say."

By the way, I used that photo at the top of the four cloth masks in an earlier blog post, HERE.  You ask, why am I writing about masks on a book blog?  Because I'm thinking how nice it is that I can sit in my own apartment without a mask (or double mask) and read my books.  Okay, now back to my reading.

Feast of the Found Blue Bag ~ REJOICE

Feast of the Found Blue Bag ~ REJOICE

Luke 15: 8-9 ~ "Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'"

Have you ever hidden something from yourself?  I've done it before, but this one "takes the cake," as the saying goes.  Lauree brought me a gift bag full of goodies, as I wrote on my blog three weeks ago.  I put the cranberry chicken salad in the fridge right away and opened a bottle of mineral water.  I put away the graham crackers for me and the treats for Clawdia, who soon ate her cat food gift.

Then one day, I couldn't find the blue-and-white gift bag.  Thinking "it has to be here," I searched for days.  I hate it when I do things like that.  "It's GOT to be here," I'd think, "but it's NOT."  I couldn't have thrown it away, could I?

Last week, I woke up thinking about the lost bag of goodies, and I had a thought from somewhere (the back of my mind, maybe?).  I got out of bed and went straight to that spot.  Yep, I had hung the gift bag on a handle where I later hung the empty plastic bags from my Instacart order, completely hidden under many brown bags.  It was right there in front of me all the time, but buried.  Now that it is found, I invite you to rejoice with me at what I'll call a Feast of the Found Blue Bag.  All of you readers are my friends and neighbors, right?

Preparing the Feast

Here's the Crown Center crew packing meals for residents last week.  Left to right are Kari, Genevieve, and Judy.  Notice they are all wearing face masks as well as gloves.  Below are the individuals at work.

Judy in the kitchen putting it all together.

Kari in the kitchen cutting up the bread (sounds like lyrics for a song, doesn't it?)

Scott ready to deliver, with the list in his hand.  The delivery person varies, and that was the day Scott brought mine.

More Feasting

Just before noon, as I was taking my blood pressure for a medical study I agreed to do, I got a text message from my buddy Sharon at the other end of my hall:

"Purple people eater blueberry muffin.  I tested it this morning.  Fit for human consumption.  Outside your door."

Sorry, people, but you don't get this at our Feast.  I have devoured it, even the crumbs.  It was so fit for human consumption that every single crumb is now gone.  I didn't even think about taking a picture of it until I was down to the last bite.

While I was typing this, my neighbor Galina knocked on my door and backed away after handing me a small, unopened container of carrot-raisin salad.  I had given her the carrot sticks from one of our recent meal deliveries because it's hard to crunch big pieces of carrot with my dentures.  She thoughtfully gave me shredded carrots which I am able to eat.  Such thoughtfulness among neighbors here at the Crown Center is very common, maybe more than usual during our lockdown.  Like today, Donna got an Instacart delivery and shared her grapes with me, along with some of her fresh bread.

Lest you assume those meals being delivered from the Crown Center are just our normal fare, it isn't.  This is an independent living retirement center.  We have our own kitchens in our apartments.  This is something special they are doing to keep us happy and healthy.  Those who choose to be part of this program during the lockdown get five meals each week, whether we have ever been part of the food program in the dining room or not.  No charge.  We can make a donation later, if we like, but for now they are taking care of a meal for each weekday, if we want them.  Thanks, Crown Center.

Cousins together

My closest cousin is Carolyn, who now lives in California with her son's family.  We had a nice conversation this afternoon by phone, catching up on family news.  She's a year older than I am, but for two days every year we're the same age.  My 80th birthday was Sunday, and she's 81 today.  Happy Birthday, Carolyn!

April foolishness? Not much of that around here

Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night" at MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art)

ACTIVITIES

Google has assembled links to many, many museums all over the world in their Arts and Culture collection.  You could spend days exploring the world.  Even just looking through the list of places could take hours.  Pleasurable hours.  Take a look.  I noticed that the World Chess Hall of Fame here in St. Louis is on the list.  Clarence House in London may be of interest to my Brit-loving friend Joy.  One called Frogs and Friends in Germany may intrigue a child bored by having to stay home all day, every day — and it may be fun for the inner child in each of us.  You can choose to visit museums in the Netherlands, Croatia, Mongolia, Israel, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Italy (yes, it's safe to visit Italy online), Slovakia, Denmark, Brazil, Spain, Japan, Sweden, and (oh, yes) the United States.  And that's just a tiny sampling of what Google has put together.

View from one of my windows in 2014

CONNECTING

Once again, my neighbor Galina and I talked across our hallway when David delivered three meals to each of us.  The 2-page information sheet he also brought gives tips for getting through this time of isolation.  Here are a few, summarized:

• Washers and dryers are now free for us to use, but please take turns being in the laundry rooms in order to practice social distancing.
• Take turns using the elevators, too.  Not all jammed in together.
• Allow only one crucial caregiver to visit, not family or friends or other guests.
• If you have gloves and a mask available, use them when you must go out.
• Even if you're not already part of Crown's meal delivery program, this is a great time to participate.  It isn't exactly "room service," but you can sign up for it and start getting it from now on.
• The pages also had cheery notes from some of the staff working from home:  Theresa ~ "Isn't it weird that you can trust your dog to guard your home, but not your sandwich?"  Megan's 5-year-old ~ "Hi, everybody at mama's work!  I miss the cookies from your cafe.  I hope everyone is safe.  Miss you, love you, bye!"

Jenn and Bonnie

I love the shout-out from Megan's child.  I also chatted with Donna and Jenn on Facebook, two conversations going at the same time, with one person in the same complex with me and one who used to live in St. Louis years ago.  The only time Jenn and I ever met in person was at the end of 2010, when she and her family were returning to St. Louis from Florida and stopped to visit me while they were passing through my town.  It feels like yesterday.

Marie phoned and we chatted for over half an hour.  Susan called while I was on the phone, but didn't leave a message and didn't answer when I returned her call.  Faye Stickney "has a voicemail box that has not been set up yet," so I didn't get through to her.  Even while "sheltering in place," I'm in contact with a lot of people, including Laura, who called me earlier.

I've been chatting on Facebook today with Laurie, who was working on the puzzle I posted yesterday.  Then I got a friend request from Gina and chatted with HER for awhile.  She now has children about the age she was when I last saw her.  More people are home, and we have more time to reach out to folks we haven't seen in awhile.  And while talking to Gina on Facebook, I got an email from Joanne, which said:

"Trying to get in touch.  I hope this reaches you and that you are well!  It has been over 2 years since the last email I received from you, Christmas 2017.  Please forgive me for not keeping in contact.  I retired from the library in May 2018 and have been quite content in retirement.  If you receive this email, I would love to hear from you!"

I called and left voicemail for Joanne and also emailed her.  She called while I was still "talking" on Facebook with Gina.  And now it's almost an hour and a half later, and I'm finally going to post this on the blog.  I enjoyed talking to you, Joanne.  Catching up was fun to do.

Jane Eyre from the National Theatre in London

MORE ACTIVITIES

After Laura and I talked by phone, she sent me information to share with everyone about National Theatre at Home.  The website says, "Enjoy world-class theatre online while we're closed."  Click here for more about the shows being streamed.

• "One Man, Two Guvnors" ~ April 2-9
• "Jane Eyre" ~ April 9-16
• "Treasure Island" ~ April 16-23
• "Twelfth Night" ~ April 23-30

What have you been doing today?  Have you connected or re-connected?

Caring and Sharing

Checking in with friends

Ginnie

I called Ginnie, who was walking in her neighborhood, chatted a bit and said I'd call back later to talk.  When I did, we talked another 45 minutes.  It's been too long since we caught up.

Donna ordered a few things for me in her Instacart order, mostly cat food, but delivery isn't until Saturday.  Crown delivered meals for those of us signed up.  When Judy brought our meals, I spoke to my neighbor Galina, staying inside our apartments across the hall from each other.  Randi, working from home, called to ask if I would write a couple of sentences about our meal deliveries.

On my way out for a walk in the sun, I ran into Erin and her sister, who were going up to see their dad.  I left a voice message for Judy about a package downstairs for her twin sister Sue.  I texted Sharon, offering a Sudoku magazine with 76 puzzles in it.  Nope, so does anyone else do sudoku?  If you live close by, it can be yours.  I'm pretty sure there were others, a normal day ... or at least, a NEW-normal day.  Sheltering in place doesn't have to be boring.

Neighborhood caring

One upbeat comment on Nextdoor was very popular.  "Earlier today my daughter Zoya was feeding the birds over-ripe bananas.  I was going to throw those bananas [away], but she insisted that the birds would love it.  The birds really loved those bananas as they came in [a] bunch and ate it.  FYI, Birds also sent a 'Thank you note' for my daughter."

Another person offered an activity for children:  "Hi, neighborhood — I got an order of frozen food that came with a large block of dry ice.  I remember using dry ice in kid activities when my kids were young.  If anyone’s interested, let me know and I can leave it in its box on my front porch."

"How’s everyone doing?  Does anyone need anything?" — Dozens of people have commented on this one, including one who said, "This thread is simply awesome! — it’s community in action."  And most of those comments garnered many MORE responses in reply.

One woman asked how crowded the grocery stores are, and people jumped in.  I told her, "Try Instacart for deliveries, but know that my friend ordering today was told delivery will be on Saturday.  Don't wait until the last minute."

Exercising mentally and physically

I walked to the grocery store a block away, and lots of people were out on the greenway.  They were jogging, hiking, rollerblading, nodding hello as they passed far apart on the wide sidewalk.  One man was biking with an attached baby trailer flying a red pennant.  A child skipped ahead of her parents as they walked and talked much too slowly for her pent-up energy.  And I snapped this picture of a beautiful day in the neighborhood, with the sun shining, the wind blowing, temperatures reaching 61°F, and a single contrail in the sky (not in this photo).

Here's a do-at-home video for you, guided by my friend, the yoga instructor — Body Scan with Donna Rae Jones.

Sharing book titles

1.  My friend the bookmobile lady — that would be Donna — told me about this book.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, 2019, historical fiction (Kentucky)

In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky, blue-skinned nineteen-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry, has just snuffed out her last courting candle, her last chance for 'respectability' and a marriage bed.

The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.  Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program.  She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give those who have nothing a bookly respite.

2.  One of my friends has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  Today, she recommended a great book that has helped her immensely.  I'm debating whether to get it for my Kindle or wait for my library to re-open to read it.  My mother, who lived with me for 25 years, developed Alzheimer's.  In other words, I've lived with it, dealt with it, am dismayed by what it does to people.

The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline ~ by Dale Bredesen, 2017, cognitive decline

In this paradigm shifting book, Dale Bredesen, MD, offers real hope to anyone looking to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's Disease and cognitive decline.  Revealing that AD is not one condition, as it is currently treated, but three, this book outlines 36 metabolic factors (micronutrients, hormone levels, sleep) that can trigger "downsizing" in the brain.  The protocol shows us how to rebalance these factors using lifestyle modifications like taking B12, eliminating gluten, or improving oral hygiene.

The results are impressive.  Of the first ten patients on the protocol, nine displayed significant improvement within 3-6 months.  Since then the protocol has yielded similar results with hundreds more.  The End of Alzheimer’s brings new hope to patients, caregivers, physicians, and treatment centers with a fascinating look inside the science and a complete step-by-step plan that fundamentally changes how we treat and even think about Alzheimer's Disease.

3.  My friend Joy shared this last book on Facebook because the author has offered it for FREE to homeschoolers and others, months before it's even published:

"Really exciting news folks.  Because families and teachers are struggling to find curriculum during the COVID-19 epidemic. Heyday Books, Emilie Lygren, and I have released the complete PDF of our new book How to Teach Nature Journaling for FREE.  The book will be available for sale in a few months.  Nature journaling can easily be done outside, maintaining social distancing, an ideal science activity for shelter in place.  Share the news.  Stay healthy my friends.  Visit https://johnmuirlaws.com/product/how-to-teach-nature-journaling/ for this and more resources."

How to Teach Nature Journaling ~ by John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren, foreword by Amy Tan, 2020, education

A comprehensive guide to using nature journaling as a tool to engage young people with the outdoors, this teacher-friendly book combines curriculum plans, practical advice, and in-the-field experience so that educators of all stripes can bring journaling to their students or families.  Full-color illustrations and sample journal pages from notable naturalists and novices show how to put each lesson into practice.

31 hands-on field activities to connect art, science, math, and critical thinking, while encouraging students and mentors alike to recognize and record the wonder and beauty in the natural world.