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?
Today, Google posted this image. When I scrolled over it, these words appeared:
Stay Home. Save Lives : Help Stop Coronavirus
Look at the letters. The first G is reading a book. The two Os are making music, one singing and the other playing the guitar. The second G is talking on a cellphone with the final E, and the L between them is exercising with two weights. Thanks, Google. What are YOU doing to keep busy and/or entertain yourself?
GETTING OUTSIDE
At 2:00, the temps here in St. Louis reached 73, so I opened the windows for Clawdia (and me). She jumped up on the windowsill to look down at the budding trees below our windows, and I went to shower (finally, in mid-afternoon) so I could take her out for a breath of fresh air and a walk in the grass.
DR. FAUCI SWAG
No, really! You can now buy Dr. Anthony Fauci swag, like mugs, socks, fan club buttons, lawn signs, candles, cushions, and tee-shirts. Fauci is now saying he doesn't know why the United States hasn’t instituted a nation-wide stay-at-home order amid the spread of COVID-19.
VIRUS ECONOMICS
"Virus economics" is a term I heard today, uttered by Austan Goolsbee on CNN. He's an economics professor, who says (I'm paraphrasing), "We have to fix the virus problem before we can fix the economics problem." I don't have to tell you how many people have suddenly lost their jobs because we're staying home and not shopping and traveling and meeting in large groups. We are all either feeling lost in the middle of so many changes or feeling that lots of folks around us THINK they are experts. Let's listen to the experts.
CONNECTING
The lobby in my building is now COMPLETELY empty, unlike the day I discovered the "shocking" almost-empty lobby a couple of weeks ago and took a photo. Instead of two chairs and a few table, there are no pieces of furniture at all except the little table with hand sanitizer and a lamp on it.
So now we call each other. My neighbor Faye came home from the hospital Wednesday, so I called her yesterday and talked for almost half an hour. Tiny, Susan, and Pamela called me, and I called to wish David and Sharon a happy anniversary yesterday. I read what a neighbor has written on her Beverly's Notebook blog (she's not as wordy as I am), and showed Helen how to solve the visual puzzle I'd posted (click the link to do it yourself or read the comments for the long, convulated way to get the right answer).
I've been in touch with several people on Facebook and by texting, like Rosy and Lauree, who sent pictures of her cats. While I was typing this, I got a text from Sharon down the hall:
"Fresh cornbread outside your door."
And it was still warm! I ate it immediately, with a glass of good cold milk. Clawdia thought I should share, until I put a crumb in front of her and she changed her mind. She was trying to take a bite (or maybe just sniff) before she noticed the camera aimed at her.
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?
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.
As I was going past the Link Desk (in the hallway between the two buildings of the Crown Center) one day last week, I happened to notice this picture on the monitor showing events and calendars. I stopped and waited until it came around again so I could snap this photo. Sandy, Miriam, Susan, and I were putting latkes on our plates at Chanukah Dinner last Monday when one of our staff asked us to pose, getting Susan to stand so she could also be in this shot. I shared my photo of Gail and Sandy last week, taken (of course) from the opposite direction.
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!
This is "my" usual table when I eat dinner here at the Crown Center. I wasn't there when they celebrated Cardinals Night. Left to right are Gail, Susan, Sheila, Mickey, Adeline, and Donna.
FAMILY
My youngest grandchild graduated from high school yesterday. Congratulations, Cady! She'll be starting university life in the fall.
BOOKS
The library loot I wrote about last week hasn't been as difficult to get through as I had expected. I've already completed three of the seven books...
Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer ~ by Barbara Ehrenreich, 2018, sociology, 9/10
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale ~ by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Randall Wright, 2011, children's chapter book, 7/10
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor ~ by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raul Colon, 2016, children's picture book, 8/10
...and have gotten well into a fourth library book.
Counting by 7s ~ by Holly Goldberg Sloan, 2013, YA fiction
These are quotes I want to remember from Ehrenreich's book, Natural Causes:
"Once I realized I was old enough to die, I decided that I was also old enough not to incur any more suffering, annoyance, or boredom in the pursuit of a longer life. ... As for medical care: I will seek help for an urgent problem, but I am no longer interested in looking for problems that remain undetectable to me. Ideally, the determination of when one is old enough to die should be a personal decision, based on a judgment of the likely benefits, if any, of medical care and — just as important at a certain age — how we choose to spend the time that remains to us" (p. 3).
"Not only do I reject the torment of a medicalized death, but I refuse to accept a medicalized life, and my determination only deepens with age. As the time that remains to me shrinks, each month and day becomes too precious to spend in windowless waiting rooms and under the cold scrutiny of machines. Being old enough to die is an achievement, not a defeat, and the freedom it brings is worth celebrating" (pp. 12-13).
Quoting physician John M. Mandrola: "The default should be: I am well. The way to stay that way is to keep making good choices — not to have my doctor look for problems" (p. 9).
Today's Armchair BEA topic: Share a positive "real life" experience with books, either by way of
your own partnerships in your community, a book signing you went to, or
possibly even a get together with fellow book bloggers. Tell us all
about it!
I've been meeting other book lovers for years (click blue links to read more about
them). While discussing Oprah's books in the 1990s, a group of
us coalesced and called ourselves the Book Buddies.
Francesca
One August Sunday in 1998, several buddies came to Chattanooga — Jelani from California, Francesca and her family from Michigan, and Donna from St. Louis — so we could all meet each other. We converged on my church, where I preached and Jelani provided the special music. He has a beautiful voice! And then we ate lunch around a big table and talked for a couple of hours or so.
Donna (above left) and I then drove up the east coast to visit three other buddies —Maggie (above right), Meg, and Nancy. Maggie took in two strangers overnight, though we had all been getting acquainted online for more than two years. All the people I've met are as wonderful in person as they are online.
Let's see, I dined with June @ Spatter when she was in Chattanooga with her friend (now my friend) Carla in 2008. In the meantime, Carla has moved here, was at my New Year's Day party, and we ran into each other on Monday while having lunch with other friends. Moving right along ... I met Susan @ Patchwork Reflections on an extremely hot day in 2007 at the Mudpie, a little restaurant on the North Shore.
Jenn and Bonnie
Jenn dropped by my house on the last day of 2010, with her husband and youngest child. They were on their way to St. Louis from Atlanta, and Chattanooga just happens to be on that route.
Stephanie
Stephanie @ Confessions of a Bookaholic had her husband and all three of their kids with her, when they stopped in Chattanooga for a visit. They were on their way home from a vacation.
Marylyn
This is Marylyn, who is a Marine as well as a book lover. She had this pink scooter while stationed in South Korea. When she's home on leave, she sometimes drives up from Georgia to visit family — and me! — in Chattanooga. She's part of my online Book Buddies group.
Margreet
If phone calls count as "meeting," I have talked to Margreet in the Netherlands several times. I also talked to the famous Dewey of Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon. I've met more bloggers, but that's all I can think of, at the moment.
Annette
UPDATES (as my memory brings others to mind):
A few years ago, I drove to Atlanta with Donna (above) to meet Annette. We had a good visit that day, before Annette flew home to California. She and most of these I've pictured in this post are now Facebook friends, so we have gotten to know each other well over the years. (That includes lots of book friends I have never met face to face.) Sorry, Annette, but it took our FB exchange to remind me!
Margie
And now I need to add Margie from Southern California and Hawaii. I've talked to her by phone as well.
Even after Madge left the first comment on this post, I forgot to add her to this list. We have also been in touch by phone and, as you can see by her picture below, Madge has a great sense of humor. The English part of the sign says, "No Turning over, Please." So it looks like Madge is "climbing" over, instead.
