Tornadoes

Multiple tornadoes touched down in the St. Louis area on Friday evening.  The loud, squawking alert over my iPhone "alarmed" Clawdia and nearly gave me a heart attack as I scrambled to turn it off.  I grabbed the cat leash and two bottles of water from my fridge and went into the bathroom to be away from windows.  Clawdia usually follows me when I go to the bathroom ... so when she joined me there, I closed the door.  That scared her, and she clawed at the bottom of the door, probably hoping she could pull it open as she does our folding closet door.

A tornado had been spotted crossing the St. Louis area, including my county.  Soon, my phone alarm sounded a second time, making me think it must be on top of us.  The photo above (that I found online) shows an Amazon warehouse that was damaged in Edwardsville, Illinois, which is a mere 24 miles east of St. Louis.  Click this link to watch a video.

Just before the alarm sounded, I had been on the phone with my friend Rosie, asking her if it was okay for me to post about our dinner at Bristol Seafood Grill; she had said, "Of course!"  We hung up because she was about to go out the door to come home from visiting her sister.  It was literally minutes later when the alarm sounded on my phone.  I hit "publish" so I wouldn't lose my blog post and headed for the kitchen to grab those water bottles.  It was posted at 8:40 p.m.

Waiting in the bathroom with my cat, I was worried about Rosie ... wondering whether she knew about the tornado warning, whether she was driving right into it, whether she would be okay.  But I didn't want to call while she was driving, especially if she was dealing with a tornado.

It felt like hours later (it wasn't) when the warning expired, and I called Rosie.  Believe it or not, she was — get this — "about to go out the door to come home from visiting her sister."  (Didn't I just write that?)  Yes, she had also gotten the phone warning and had stayed put.

I took our elevator down to the lobby a little later and met her as she got home and walked into our building.  Another neighbor — who lives on her floor — was also watching anxiously for Rosie and pacing in the lobby.  The neighbor and I both hugged her.  I hope Rosie was feeling the love and concern.  I read later that it was 11:30 p.m. before the all-clear was sent out.

Maple Plank Roasted Salmon

Rosie took me to dinner at Bristol Seafood Grill on Wednesday.  I ordered Maple Plank Roasted Salmon with bourbon glaze, herb roasted potato and asparagus hash (see the illustration).  Rosie and I also shared carrot cake with pecan praline filling, sweet cream cheese, with toasted coconut and crème anglaise for dessert (and she got a second one to take to a friend).

Rosie had the Pretzel Crusted Trout, which came with roasted yukon potatoes, french green beans, frisée, warm bacon, and mustard vinaigrette.  (These are not my photos; I found them online.)

Rosie was born in Italy and moved to the United States when she was eleven.  I like how eclectic the Crown Center is.  We hear both Russian and Chinese being spoken here every day, not just English.

Getting out again

Hurray, hurray!

Furniture is being moved back into the lobby of my building.  Maybe we're beginning to see the rainbow at the end of this miserable pandemic year — actually, it's been more than a year, as shown by this photo I took of the lobby on April 2, 2020.  Taped squares have been removed from in front of the elevator showing where to stand to be six feet from others waiting.

Philosophizing

This quote I found on Colleen's Loose Leaf Notes blog today made me stop and think.  I've emphasized the four categories of people, which I'll note could be women as well as men, no matter how Mencken and Keillor labeled them:

"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn’t there.  A theologian is the man who finds it.  A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.  An author is a man who, in the absence of toilet tissue, is forced to use his own manuscript and regrets that he wrote on such stiff paper." — H.L. Mencken and Garrison Keillor

Visiting with neighbors

The Crown Center recently put our outside tables in grassy areas with two chairs each, so we can visit with each other again, I presume.  I sat down with Rosie just outside the main entrance to our building on a warm day, and we caught up a bit on what we've been doing.  Earlier that day, I visited with Emma, one of the two grad students who lived here before the pandemic.  She came with her mother Jane, who was visiting from Ohio.

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.