It is supper time, and I haven't yet posted my thoughts for today. The Thinker is reminding me to share some thoughts. Okay. Sue and I planned to have lunch together, but I decided to go down to our Circle@Crown Cafe early to have my breakfast when they opened at 8:00 a.m.
Alice McC. joined me at my table. When Sandy M. showed up, I invited her to sit with us because today's her birthday. Sue arrive a little before 11:00, as she had planned to do, and joined those of us already sitting there.
When I got a call from Sandra H. asking if I'd like to meet her in the Cafe (she lives in the neighborhood near here), I told her I was already in the Cafe, so come join us. She was coming to the Crown Center for a program that met at 1:00, but she had time to eat with us before it started.
So my friends from here and there just came and went all morning, and I ended up being in the Cafe with various people as they met each other and left for their own activities. Do you wonder how long I was in the Cafe? From 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. as those folks chatted and ate together.
When I finally headed home, after walking around the block (going the long way home to get in my steps, in other words), I ran into Dora H. sitting in the lobby and sat down to talk to her awhile. Other friends stopped to speak to us as they passed by us, like Alyssa with her dog Hazel, and Betty B. who sat down to talk.
I think I got in a good day's worth of socializing: Alice, Sandy, Sue, Sandra, Dora, Alyssa, Hazel (yes, dogs count), and Betty. And these don't count the ones we said hello to as they came and went through the lobby.
Yesterday was Sue's birthday, and here are some of us who sang the happy birthday to her in our Circle@Crown Café. Shannon is on the left, Sue is in the middle, and Sandy is on the right. Maybe next year we can include Judy, Sue's twin sister, in the festivities.
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.
Joyful June Calendar says: "June 4 ~ Take a photo of something that brings you joy, and share it." So I took this picture to share today. I want you to enjoy the splash of color of these beautiful flowers outside my building, too.
We gathered to acknowledge our losses. Fifteen of our neighbors died between March 2020 and May 2021, one of whom was my friend Sheila. We met outside, wearing our masks and socially distanced from each other, but we gathered! That's me in the center of the "crowd" photo.
The group of friends was permitted to play Bananagrams again on Saturday evening as they did weekly before the lockdown last year. Donna, Sandy, Miriam, and Gail played on a table outside, since it's warm now.
Floyd scrubbed the patio this week. I hope that means our Circle@Crown Café will open back up before too long. A lot of us miss being able to socialize with friends in the Café.
Deb at Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon, a place for us to link up and share what we have been doing during the week.
This sloth sentiment is dedicated to Donna, Miriam, Gail, Sandy M, and Marie. These friends played Bananagrams together and soon discovered an "ai" is a three-toed sloth. Knowing it's a legitimate word is valuable when playing their game, so they adopted a sloth as their spirit animal. I hope this shirt will encourage my friends to embrace their inner sloth in what's left of 2020, since they can no longer get together every weekend in the Circle@Crown Café.
This design is perfect for this season. There's a Christmas tree on the left for my Christian friends which is also an eight-branched menorah for Hanukkah for my Jewish friends when turned around.
This poster from Cool People Care is like a to-do list of ways we can make the world a better place for all of us. My motto has long been Embrace Kindness and Practice Compassion, both right there in the middle. And I talk to strangers. One of my friends said I can make a new friend during an elevator ride. I can't do that in 2020, though. Since it's impossible to socially distance in an elevator, we have been told to ride our elevators at the Crown Center one person at a time, except for those who are family or have caregivers. We all need to stand up for justice and offer hope to those around us during this life-altering time of COVID-19.
Donna told me it's Black Cat Day. When I looked over the blog, I found that I celebrated Clawdia on October 27, 2018. This is the photo I used two years ago, calling it National Black Cat Day. So is it a "national" day, or not?
I used this drawing by Sandra Boynton to celebrate Black Cat Appreciation Day on August 17, 2018. Could there be a National Black Cat Day and a day without "national" in it called Black Cat Appreciation Day?
To complicate things a bit, I have already celebrated National Black Cat Appreciation Day this year, when Sandy called on August 17th to tell Clawdia she appreciated her. Hmm, there's something fishy going on here, friends, like some kind of ploy by black cats to get extra doses of adoration. Yep, the black cats are up to something with all these special days. I asked Google and learned that today is National Black Cat Day without the word "appreciation" in it. Oh, never mind what it's called.
Where are you, adorable Clawdia? Do you want some treats?
Don't forget to wear your mask. Those of us living at the Crown Center are required to wear our masks whenever we are outside of our own apartments, as you can see by this sign.
Sandy has her mask hung on the lock of her door to the hallway. I had mine NEAR my door, but this makes so much sense that I've followed Sandy's example. Do you always wear a mask when you go out?
Someone in a Facebook group I'm in saw a woman take OFF her mask to cough. Another person asked, "Why would she DO that?" A nurse responded with a very helpful explanation:
"It's an instinctive response. Way back when, when I was in nursing school, they taught us that we would experience this and they even had us practice coughing with a mask on to get used to it. I went to a very thorough nursing school.
"When you cough, it's because your airway is feeling blocked, so you inhale a bit more deeply in preparartion to try to cough out the blockage. Grabbing at the mask that is 'blocking' your airway is an instinct."
And then we have those who insist it's a free country, and they choose NOT to wear a mask. I recently ran across a perfect analogy. Imagine a whole bunch of people during the London Blitz of World War Two saying, "I'll turn on my lights if I feel like it." Yes, people would have died for their stubborn "freedom" to do whatever they like. And the point is — WEAR YOUR MASK TO PROTECT EVERYONE, not just yourself. And please be sure that BOTH your nose and your mouth are covered.
Bookish Puzzle #2
Scoliosis Sufferer at the Fighting Irish School
Pirate Loot / Counter in the Center of a Kitchen
A Story of a Duo of Municipalities
About Little White Rodents and Grown Boys
Ruby-Covered Nametag Indicating Bravery
The Star in Our Solar System Comes Up, Too
Can you figure out the actual names of these famous books? The "titles" have been slightly re-worded, as you can see. Have fun grappling with these. I posted another Bookish Puzzle here.
Bonnie a few years ago in an art class at the Crown Center
How are you coping?
The Crown Center sent out an email last week asking, "How Are You Coping?" It featured four residents, and I was one of them:
"Bonnie Jacobs uses her blog to reflect on what’s happening in the world at large, and in her world at Crown Center and beyond. Her daily posts that often include the antics of her cat Clawdia, provide continuity of community between friends and neighbors during this crisis. And if you’re looking for the name of a good book, Bonnie’s the one to ask. Keep blogging, Bonnie."
Sharon
Sharon, my neighbor at the other end of the hall, who is also Clawdia's good friend, was another. Sharon, being tech savvy, now uses Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, and GChat to study Torah, practice yoga, attend her cancer support group, and keep in touch with her family. Miriam Roth was shown FaceTiming with one of her graddaughters, and I learned that Sandy Moreno got a list of people born in April so she could wish a Happy Birthday to those who would miss having a Birthday Bash. Every month, we have a party with cupcakes and ice cream and a musical group brought in to play for us, so we can party with that month's birthday people. This year, I got a call from Sandy (and others) instead of cake and ice cream and music. Sandy is very thoughtful. So is her daughter, Tricia Falmer, who provided face masks for every person at the Crown Center last week. I have great friends and neighbors, don't I?
Clawdia is coping with the lockdown by finding unique places to sleep, like in the opening of her upside-down box. New boxes are so much fun, if you are a cat. She also likes sitting in an open window, looking down at the birds in the tree tops and watching people walking by on the sidewalks, sometimes social distancing themselves with one on the sidewalk and one out in the street. I have had our windows open more this week, since the pollen count is not nearly as bad as it was when it was driving me crazy a week or so ago.
I got a call Friday morning from Pamela, and we chatted for about an hour and a half. She's one of the Café volunteers, who has now become a Facebook friend. Later, I got a call from Emily, one of two university students living in the Crown Center with us. It's nice to have the young people residing here. Emily, who is finishing up her Master's degree, exercised with a group of us on Friday afternoons before Crown's public places needed to be closed for our health. I had called her yesterday to let her know there's a package for her on the delivery table downstairs. I took Faye her prescription that had been dropped off at that table and called when I got back home to let her know I'd hung it on her door knob.
Linguine with chicken livers
Donna suggested we order dinner from Pasta House, a couple of blocks away. Restaurants are closed here during the lockdown, but they still do pick-up orders. So I placed an order online, donned a face mask and blue glove, and took my cart out for a walk. People were waiting in several cars in the parking lot when I arrived and called the restaurant to bring my order out to me. It's really a strange new world we're living in right now, isn't it? I brought home eggplant parmigiano, a salad, and fresh broccoli for me; Donna got pasta linguine with chicken livers, a salad, and her favorite dessert — tiramisu. Nothing like having dinner "together" in our own apartments in separate buildings. But the food was good, and we'll probably do it again occasionally.
With all that time I spent talking on the phone, it started beeping at me that the battery was down to nothing, so I had to (once again) recharge my phone in the middle of the day. Then I had to recharge ME — in other words, sleep — before I finally finished composing this post that I mostly wrote yesterday.
Recipe for Date Torte
While under lockdown at home, I've been cleaning out boxes of old papers and came across a 3x5 card with a recipe for Date Torte in my mother's handwriting. The second line on the card says this recipe is "From the kitchen of" and Mom wrote "Ruby Thayer." Ruby was mother's cousin, who lived with mother's family after her mother died. So it's a family recipe, even though I don't remember Mother ever making it. Here's the recipe, just as my mother wrote it.
1 cup dates — diced
1 cup English walnuts — chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
Bake 275° — 50 minutes
I chose the illustration above from an online search because it seems to have similar ingredients, but I have not yet made Ruby's date torte. I'm putting the recipe here, so I can find it later and try making it. It seems simple enough. Want a taste of it?
Stay mentally active
A fun way to maintain strong mental health during this lockdown is to play mind-stimulating games and solve riddles. How many of these can you solve? (I'll give you the answers at the end of this post.)
1. Where is the ocean the deepest?
2. If you were running a race, and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place are you in now?
3. If you have me, you might want to share me. But if you share me, you will no longer have me. What am I?
4. What gets wetter as it dries?
5. There are three apples on the table, and you take two away. How many apples do you have now?
Take a virtual tour
If there is ever a time we need a dose of beauty and inspiration, it’s now. You can tour the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park (the Kraus House) from home. Just click on the blue link.
Here's the birthday girl, wearing my face mask "uniform" as usual when leaving my apartment. Notice the tissue in hand for punching elevator buttons, so as not to waste a disposable glove just to take the elevator down once and back up. Donna had ordered me birthday dinner from Panera — Fuji Apple Salad with chicken and apple chips, and a blueberry muffin for dessert. I met her where deliveries are left on that table next to me because outsiders may no longer roam the halls of the Crown Center. We met the delivery guy there and each took food to our apartments to eat, all socially distanced to stay safe.
I'll show you what I ate, and it was delicious. I shared a few nibbles of the chicken with Clawdia. Maybe it's because they are trying to be extra good to any customers they can get right now, but it seemed to me there were more of all the goodies in the salad today — more sliced up tiny tomatoes, more feta crumbles, more pecans, even more of the chicken. It was very delicious. Clawdia concurs.
Donna sent me a singing birthday card, and I've found it on YouTube for you. If the video here quits working, click on the link to view it there. The words are appropriate, since Clawdia would act just like these cats.
Cats on an antique player piano
As if one musical card weren't enough, I got another lively one from Mary Grace (Gigi) entitled "Kit Cat Boogie." She wrote:
"Happy Birthday! Hope you'll boogie on your birthday, Bonnie! Last picture I saw of you, you looked well and happy — hope that is still the case. Enjoy your special day. xxoogg"
Yes, I'm doing well and have been doing the boogie all over my little apartment today. My cat didn't lick my cake when I ate a little Hostess cake for lunch. For breakfast, I ate a small can of Vienna sausages and the last three green olives left in the jar. There's a back-story for that.
When I was ten, I went off to summer camp with my cousin Carolyn, who's a year older than I am. Mother sent me a care package that week, and in it were a can of vienna sausages and some green olives. She knew I loved those special treats. So for my breakfast today, I gave myself a treat from my childhood and thought about what my Mom sent me seventy years ago.
Marie brought me a gift last night and, wearing our masks, she handed off the bag she'd used to bring it up to me and backed off across the hall. I had a hard time deciding whether to open it last night — who would know, right? — or wait for my actual birthday. I did manage to wait to discover a wooden box full of Tea Drops. On the side are directions: "Pour in boiling water, add Tea Drop, stir and enjoy." Tea Drops, it says, "are pressed teas made with genuine tea leaves that dissolve in hot water." And inside are five kinds of tea:
Citrus Ginger
Sweet Peppermint
Blueberry Acai
Rose Earl Grey
Matcha Green Tea
I've had so many text messages and phone calls and long conversations that I had to recharge my phone at midday: Barbara, Sandra, David, Sheila G., Susan, Sandy. I got Facebook birthday wishes from Sylvia, three books shopped off her own shelf from Donna (stay-home orders, you know), and these birthday cards from Donna, Miriam, and Marie.
When Clawdia woke from her latest cat nap, we ventured out into the sunshine for the walk she's been wanting for days. Miriam called happy birthday to me from a distance, while she was out sitting in the sun after days of rain. We're both 80 now, since her birthday was in March. As Clawdia sat in the lush grass looking around, I decided the pollen count seems to be down. The mowers and trimmers were working here on this sunny Sunday, even though they usually come here on Mondays. Maybe they've gotten their days as mixed up as the rest of us during this lockdown, or maybe they're worried about "rainy days and Mondays."
That's not all, yet. Later in the day I got a couple of other singing electronic cards, both from Sharon. One was these goats yodeling, and the other was William Shatner singing to me and putting my name in lights as I posted at the top of the page. Okay, Sharon, how'd you do that, getting both of them to sing my name? Thanks for the shout out!
And at the end of the day, more birthday wishes on Facebook from Gina, Toni (who included another birthday cat for today's collection), Annette, Judith, Charlotte, Bonnie M, Jimmy, and Terri. Thanks to all.
Update 4/27/2020: Birthday wishes keep pouring in, like floodgates have opened. Facebook friends continue to send belated good wishes ~ Nancy, Jess, Alyssa, Cindy M, Jean L, Dora, Sharon L, Sylvia, Diana, Laurie, Mary Virginia, Cindy Z, Carol H, Ginger, Rosemary, Vickie, my brother Jim, Pamela, Ginny D, Candy, Sheryn (who added a dog to celebrate with us), and Rosie (who added a cat flying around in a small bi-plane to my cat collection). And I forgot to include the twenty-plus who have clicked "Like" or "Love." Feeling very blessed by all of you.
LOCKDOWN ~ humor
For more fun during our lockdown, here's a short video from a music teacher, who has composed a sweet little song. In her viral video, Liz explains:
"As some of you guys might know, I'm a music teacher, and I've found that one of the best ways that I can process the whole transition to online learning and teaching is to write a song. So, I wrote a song, and I'd like to share that with you guys now. Here we go."
What follows quite succinctly sums up the collective feelings of many, many teachers, parents, and students around the country. And I'd say, it applies to the rest of us, too. Shall we sing it with her?
Like in this clock I found on Facebook, my days all run together. Today is no longer Sunday o'clock, but Thursday o'clock.
Someone commented on a book blog last week:
"I think it is funny to read books written in the 40s and 50s. Life was so different then."
Having been born in 1940 and lived through BOTH of those decades, I find that rather droll. Looking back at 2020, at least to the early weeks of this year, we can say, "Life was so different then." Can you relate to what I'm saying? Life has changed drastically in a short time.
Word of the Day
DROLL /drōl/ curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement. Example: "I find that rather droll."
Sandy shared another picture of Louie today, and it's a cheery break in the awful news we get every day. Hi, Louie!
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.
It's raining, so "I will define the rainy day as a cozy day," as my friend Joy wrote. I'm grateful for a cozy day. I'm grateful for all the Crown Center is doing for its residents, like cleaning doorknobs (see #3 below).
2. Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?
Sandy called to check on me this morning, and I later talked to Donna when an ambulance pulled up at our entrance. It happens often here, but it seems more ominous now. The ambulance left within ten minutes, meaning they didn't have anyone on board, no lights, no sirens. Dora hates staying in her apartment, so she was glad to hear about the SilverSneakers exercises online (see #5 below) when we talked on the phone. I saw Scott in the hallway earlier; he's doing fine. Dorothy came to the door of the laundry room when I was there, and she's okay. I got texts from Donna's sister Jane and from Sharon down the hall, and both are well.
3. What expectations of "normal" am I letting go of today?
I had thought, as people fought over toilet paper, that I could always go downstairs. So far, the public restrooms in my building are still open. (I confirmed it with Scott, who was cleaning the doorknobs in my hallway as I typed this, another good thing the Crown Center is doing for us.) I took this photo of the closed signs yesterday, when I went to Donna's apartment in the other building to pick up the groceries she had ordered for me along with hers.
4. How am I getting outside today?
It's raining here today, so the only thing I plan to do "outside my apartment" is go to the laundry room.
5. How am I moving my body today?
I managed to get up in time to do the SilverSneakers exercises that were live-streamed. The instructor went very fast and bouncy, so maybe I'll look for their YouTube programs instead, next time. They have now posted a video of what was live-streamed this morning, so click here to watch it and maybe actually do it yourself.
6. What beauty am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?
Here's our bulletin board. Compare this "before" photo with the "after" that I took today (at the top). You can see how we are coloring our world, maybe brightening it a bit for others as well as ourselves. I love it. Okay, I'll sit down this afternoon and finish coloring one of the pages myself.
