Beginning ~ with strange little boxes

Beginning

It was difficult to imagine a time before them, a world in which they hadn't come.  But when they first appeared, in March, nobody had any idea what to do with them, these  strange little boxes that came with the spring.

The Measure ~ by Nikki Erlick, 2022, fiction, 368 pages

When you open your front door today, waiting for you is a small wooden box.  This box holds your fate inside:  the answer to the exact number of years you will live.  From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box.  In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy.  Where did these boxes come from?  What do they mean?  Is there truth to what they promise?

Everyone faces the same shocking choice:  Do they wish to know how long they’ll live?  And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?  If you had the choice, would you want to know how long you had to live?

I learned about this book when I sat down at a table with Mary (a friend), just as she closed this book.  I asked her about it, and she said it was okay, but she was not satisfied with the ending.  When I later looked up the book online, the second comment I found said that this is "an unsatisfying read."  If you've read it, what did YOU think about it?

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

Books, libraries, WindowSwap, and groceries

My books are always calling me!  I am currently reading the book I shared in my Book Beginnings on Friday post a couple of days ago:  A Tuscan Memory by Angela Petch, 2020, fiction (Italy), 272 pages.

We had a visit from David of the University City Library on March 3rd, meeting in our little library at Crown Center.  Here he is talking to me during his visit.  The University City Library sends books every three weeks to seniors all over the community who sign up for the program.  The library folks choose books based on our general interest or our favorite authors.  Some of us reserve books that we choose ourselves, if we know how to use a computer to make our own reservations.  So I've been talking to Dave (or now, his new helper Loretta) every three weeks for several years.  The next time Dave or Loretta calls, I'll say I'm reading from my own shelves for now, as I posted on Monday.

Dave is on the left in the photo above with Risé, Mary, Sandy, and me (with my hand on Sandy's mobile chair).  Since Donna died, Risé and I are the only ones still re-shelving books.  I really do appreciate Risé a lot; she's doing most of the work culling our bookshelves these days so that we can add recent donations.

It's been awhile since I shared the link to WindowSwap.  Each time you click on the link, you see a new window from somewhere in the world.  I just now looked out a window in Turkey, one in Spain, one in India looking onto a courtyard, and another in France with birds flying past a high-rise.  This link has been really great during the two years of the COVID pandemic, part of which was lockdown and not going anywhere at all.  This photo shows a window view in Switzerland.

Our Circle@Crown Café now has Grab & Go grocery goods:  bread, milk, eggs, butter, cheese, sweets, juice, water, and soda.  It's really convenient to "walk" to the store in the other building, right here on the grounds of our senior retirement center, when all we need is one or two of the basics.  I'm frequently in the Café anyway, having lunch with a friend or three, and can grab what I need.  To get a regular load of groceries, I sign up for one of the weekly bus trips to the store.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.

New normal ~ going on a bear hunt

People in my neighborhood have been taking their children on bear hunts.  The idea came from a children's book (below).  I found the author of the book acting and singing his way through the story on YouTube.  What fun!  I have found several different YouTube videos of it, or you can get a copy of the book.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt ~ by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, 1989, children's, 10/10

"We're going on a bear hunt.  We're going to catch a big one.  Will you come too?"  For years, readers have been swishy swashing and splash sploshing through this award-winning favorite, as a brave family romps through sweeping land-scapes.  The version shown here features pop-ups, flaps to lift, tabs to pull, and sound effects.

Now I want you to imagine going on a "bear hunt" where what we are hunting for is all the encouraging things people are posting for how we can use our "stay at home" time.  That's OUR bear hunt for today.  One "bear" I found:  Parkway United Church of Christ posted this poem on their website today.  Thanks, Parkway UCC.

Don’t Quit

by John Greenleaf Whittier

Contributed by Ellie Svenson

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure comes about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

I had to memorize this poem when I was a child in school, so reading it put a smile on my face and put my memories in overdrive.  Here's another "bear" I found on my hunt for encouragement, a book whose title is perfect for our time:

Finding a New Normal: Living Your Best Life with Chronic Illness ~ by Suzan L. Jackson, 2020, health

Based on Sue’s almost 20 years living with chronic illnesses in her own family, writing her blog, writing articles on chronic illness, and leading multiple support groups, she provides support and practical advice you can use.  Whether you are in the early days of living with chronic illness or have been at it for years (or decades), there are always challenges in living a life framed by limitations and restrictions, where isolation is a common issue.

This guide provides inspiration, advice on emotional coping, and guidance on living your best life with chronic illness from someone who’s been there.  Though it seems impossible at first, your life will eventually settle into a new normal, and while that life may be different than the one you had planned, it can still be a vibrant, fulfilling life based on strong relationships, a healthy emotional state, and finding joy in every day.  The emphasis in this book is on LIVING your life, not just enduring it.

We are all "coping with isolation, anxiety, grief, living a separate life, and looking for small joys each day," Sue Jackson wrote on her blog, telling us her book is now out in paperback, as well as in an ebook.  Don't you love it that she emphasizes LIVING, not just enduring?  Some of her chapter titles sound perfect for our "new normal" in the time of coronavirus:

• One Day at a Time
• Finding Joy in Every Day
• A Plan B Day
• The Restorative Power of Nature
• What Makes You Forget?
• Reading Expands Your World
• The Importance of Play
• The Wide World of Online Learning

Thanks, Sue.  We can use these suggestions NOW, to alleviate boredom and frustration when we'd rather be out and about.

Okay, let's keep "bear" hunting.  I have one more inspiration for now.

Rather than sitting around in a funk, we'd be better off doing some exercises.  Donna Rae Jones is working on a way to help us do just that.  I'll let you know when she'll be leading us live in the mindful movements of yoga.  She's sent me a connection so I can practice getting connected tomorrow.  In the meantime, check out her website.

Our new normal is checking on each other:  yesterday and today, I've checked-in by phoning, emailing, texting, and Facebook with Donna, Donna Rae Jones, Dora, Mary, Sandy, Susan, Tiny, Rosie, Gail, some of my family members, and maybe others that don't come to mind right now.  Have you checked on your neighbors?  Your friends?  Your elderly family members?

And last, but not least, the little black "bear" at my house.  Clawdia is doing her daily hibernation thing near me, as you can see in this photo.

Social distancing

The CDC defines social distancing as "remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining distance (approxi-mately 6 feet) from others when possible."  It is less drastic than quarantine or isolation, which are used for people who are suspected to be carrying the virus.  (I found the GIF here.)  Keeping our distance from each other, even when neither of us has symptoms of the coronavirus, is the best way to prevent the spread of this pandemic.

I woke up this morning thinking about "the last man on earth," a book and a movie, if I'm remembering correctly.  I looked it up, and it's a 1982 book by Isaac Asimov and also the title of three movies over the decades (1924, 1964, and 2011).  That's kind of what I'm feeling this morning, as I sit isolated and alone in my apartment with only my cat as company.  And my computer?  Maybe that depressing feeling and anxiety was why my blood pressure was up a bit more than usual this morning.

Asking my five daily questions:

1. What am I grateful for today?

Snow!  Strangely, today's rain had turned to SNOW when I glanced up this morning.  And then the tiny white flakes became BIG snow flakes.  It's too wet to lay.  At least, I think so.  But who expects snow at the beginning of spring when the temps are above freezing all day?

2. Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?

Mary called to check on me this morning and to talk awhile.  Donna and I chatted through Facebook's private messages.  Sharon texted that she'd left something in the box beside my door.  It was a bag of pecans.  Thanks, Sharon!  I tried to call Tiny, who is now living with her daughter and son-in-law nearby.  We still have a lot of hours left in the day, so I may be in contact with several more before bedtime.  Evening update:  Shannon called to check on me, and when I went down to get yesterday's mail, I spoke to Dorothy in the lobby and Darlene on the desk.  I also met Donna in the hall, when Domino's delivered an order for us this evening.

3. What expectations of "normal" am I letting go of today?

Having all the foods available that I'm used to.  Joy says on her blog today that cabbage lasts longer than lettuce, so she shared her recipes with us (click her links).  Her whole post is intersting:  "Self love in the time of Coronavirus."

4. How am I getting outside today?

I'm not, because it's raining.  As of midnight tonight, St. Louis city and county will be under "stay-at-home" orders.  We'll still be able to go out for essentials like food and medicines, but I need to look at the details on the St. Louis County website.

5. How am I moving my body today?

I got out my mini-cycle so I can exercise inside a little better.  Donna used it while sitting in a chair after she had knee replacement surgery, and I used it with my hands on the pedals during therapy after I broke my shoulder, by putting it on a table.

Joy shared a couple of her exercises in her blog post (see #3 above).  Here's one I'll try later: "March in place while tapping the knee with the opposite hand — a cross lateral move that is supposed to help your brain function better."

I can always use the pages I printed out for our exercise group to do my own exercises at home, like these daily dozen for seniors.  And here are a few yoga positions I'm pretty sure I'd be good at.  Let's laugh a little.

Thursday thoughts

Cara, Bonnie, and Barbara

Today we welcomed Cara to the Crown Center staff.  She's our new controller.  I thought someone had misspelled the word "comptroller," but Donna looked it up and found this link about the two words.

At the right, Mary is at the end of the table with Cara, across from me.  In the photo below, Cara was at a nearby table greeting Miriam and other residents.  In the background, you can see Donna and Walter at the other end of my table.  Iva (on the left) was talking to Mary.  Lots of us were in the Café this morning to welcome Cara.

One more thing ... Donna brought her new tee-shirt to show friends.  I encouraged Randi to get in the photo (below), so she is feigning surprise at the shirt.  A sloth hangs upside down with these words:

Click the photos to enlarge them

"I finally found my spirit animal ... SLOTH ... does absolutely nothing and just sleeps."

For more about Donna and sloths, read my blog post from last Friday.  Now she has a sloth keychain, a sloth book, and a sloth shirt.

Celebrate books and reading

I'm always surprised to discover the many "National Day" things we have on our calendars.  Today, for example, is National Read a Book Day.  I know about this one because we have an event scheduled here at the Crown Center to celebrate it.  Yes, we'll meet in the library, where the books are, but how does one celebrate reading?

"Chat about your favorite author or discover new ones," they say.

Should I take the Anna Quindlen memoir I'm reading?  Should I pull a book off my shelves that's a favorite?  Should I take the book I got from the library yesterday (that I haven't even started reading)?  Is this even a show-and-tell event?  I have no idea, but I plan to go after lunch and find out.  Since we will meet in the library, which is tiny, obviously whoever planned it doesn't expect a big crowd.  We shall see.

Update:  See the "Read A Book" banner behind Drenda, Marie, and Mary at the meeting.  The nine of us who came had a great time discussing books, sharing our favorites, and finding out about each other.

Thursday lunch at the Circle@Crown Café

It turned out the special for today was actually "Crab" Artichoke Quiche.  Notice the "crab" is in quotes; that's because crab is not kosher, and the Circle@Crown Café is kosher.  Someone around the two tables shoved together for our large group said pollock is used as fake crab.  By the time I ordered, the Café had run out of the special anyway.  They substituted spinach quiche with salad for me, and I was very happy with it.

Who joined us today for food and fun?  Melvin and Gail were meeting with another group, but they sat and talked with us until their group arrived.  Eating together were Donna, Sheila, Nancy, Susan, Sandy M., and me.  Joining us for shorter periods of visiting were Florence and Mary and Ezra.  At one point, we totally embarrassed Nancy by singing Happy Birthday to her!