Flowers and Feathers: Pandemic Times, December 13-19

Sunday, December 13

Another quiet Sunday at home. The clouds cleared just after noon and by 3 pm we were able to go for a walk. These walks are so important for our physical and mental health. Having grown up in the flatlands, I am always fascinated by rock formations. Winter views may seem dreary because of the lack of greenery and color, but the barren trees allow us to glimpse hidden treasurers like these cave openings. How far back into the hill do they extend? What creatures find homes there? The beautiful bare white trunks of sycamore trees, hidden during the summer and fall, almost glow in the reflected sunlight.

Bare white sycamore

Lifting up its seeds in prayer

To winter blue sky.

(Haiku from February 2014)

At 7 pm we tuned in to the YouTube live stream of the Christmas Pageant at Cape Bible Chapel. Owen was a shepherd and Allison an angel. Of course, we enjoyed seeing the kids in their first performance. It was a full hour in length.

Monday, December 14

There is a lot going on out in the world today. The Electoral College votes are being tabulated all state, live on TV, state by state like an election. The outcome is not in doubt, but cable news is making the most of it, milking all the drama they can.

The really significant NEWS is that the rollout of the first vaccine doses. Reporters are showcasing health-care workers receiving their shots. Maybe by Easter our turn will come. I found a CDC sites that calculates a persons turn in for their county based on a series of questions. We are #8840 in Loudon County. The US death toll surpassed 300,000 today. TN is 2nd behind Rhode Island in cases per 100,000 with more than 100. This has doubled in a week.

I learned a few days ago that some of my Mississippi cousins have been sick and in the hospital with Covid. My 2nd cousin Katie is still hospitalized and on a ventilator. Their family has been hit very hard.

We had a Trinity Finance/Admin Zoom meeting and endorsed Pastor Kristie's recommendation to suspend in-house worship through the holidays until January 10. It is past time. I don't see how the situation will be any better in early January. I will be helping with recording on Friday afternoon as I did before we resumed worship in the sanctuary.

Numbers:
NY Times, 2:30 pm
16,477,200 total cases; 300,051 deaths

TN: more than 10,000 new cases since yesterday and 79 deaths
464,624 total cases; 5541 total deaths; 0-10 23,562; 11-21 60,811

Loudon County: 3036 total cases; 525 active; 23 deaths;
91 new cases yesterday; case rate 110.2; pos rate 24%

Add one more death not in this count. A friend and colleague, Ron Jordan, died last night of Covid, age 67.

Tuesday, December 15

The morning melted away while I was at my computer. One project was to download a print information on Matthew Alexander Park, my 2nd great-grandfather, paternal grandfather of my paternal grandmother Mary Park Taylor. I got caught up in searching for more documental evidence on my grandmother. Unfortunately, Mississippi vital records are not all online. I can find no birth record or death certificate for her. I believe that she was born in Alligator, Mississippi and I know that she died in a care home in Ruleville, Mississippi. Her family life was not very stable, so it is probable that her birth was at home and was not recorded.

Claire and Amanda had been deputized to bring their grandad a peppermint milkshake and spicy chicken sandwich from ChikFilA for lunch. He bought their lunch, too, of course. His milkshake craving ended up costing him $30! We enjoyed a short, safe-distanced visit with the girls.

Later in the afternoon we took our walk across the river. We were almost back to the car when a noise in the woods drew our attention to a flock of a dozen wild turkeys. Although we regularly see a variety of wildlife, we still get a thrill from seeing these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.

For supper, we finished the chicken noodle soup that I made yesterday from the remains of last week's roasted chicken. I served the soup with cornbread which I haven't made in ages and old-fashioned pear salad. It was a satisfying end to the day.

Wednesday, December 16

A cold damp chill permeated the day. Nevertheless, we were out of milk, so I ventured to the grocery. I had a few other errands as well. A cold drizzle started before I got home and continued for the rest of the day. It has been a good day to huddle indoors. The birds at the feeder were happy, though, because I restocked the safflower seeds that they love. They are eating about 10 lbs per week. Today I was graced with a visit from a white-throated sparrow - a handsome little bird.

Pork chops, purple hull peas and green beans from the garden/freezer stockpile, and fried eggplant made a satisfying repast. The vegetables remind me that garden days will come again in a few months.

Thursday, December 17

Bill and I frittered away several hours today watching the tree-service crew trim the threes under the power lines. It won't look good when they are finished, but maybe we have a lesser chance of power outage this winter. The crew of at least a dozen men and women operated trucks, bucket truck, chippers, and a big boom saw.

I've been working on signing and addressing Christmas cards. I started with the idea of sending cards to the folks on our church "shut-in" list. The project kept expanding and now my goal is to send a card to all my friends at church and a few community friends. These are people that under normal circumstances I would see in some social way or visit with at church during the holidays. I don't know that it will matter to anyone but me. For me, it gives a sense of reaching out when we are all cocooned in our homes.

We haven't had fried rice in a few weeks, so tonight I made some from left-over pork & chicken with a few shrimp added. Before supper, I enjoyed a nice long phone visit with Anna.

Friday, December 18

On this day in 1949, Clara Nelle Westmoreland married John Park Taylor. They were a young couple very much in love. He was about to leave for training in South Carolina as his National Guard unit had been called up for service in Korea.

Today's recording session was scheduled to start 1 pm, so I had time for morning yoga. As I was watching the little birds eager at the feeder, my practice mantra was HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. Holy are the small joys of life.

We recorded 4 services, including Christmas Eve, to carry the church through the first Sunday in January.

A friend texted with a request, so I got more political "get-out-the-vote" postcards to address and mail to Georgia. Fortunately the PO had plenty of postcard stamps as well as Christmas stamps to finish my card project. I did 50 postcards on the first round and this batch is 34.

Friday night called for a special supper. I made one of my favorites -Charleston - Shrimp and Grits. I have some good stone-ground yellow-corn grits. The shrimp gravy starts almost like gumbo - make a roux and saute a cup or two of the trinity (celery, bell pepper & onion). I use a frozen package of seasoning blend to ease the process. Add a bit of cajun seasoning. For tonight I add a link of Andouille sausage sliced in rounds to the skillet. Then add enough chicken broth (or shrimp stock) to make the sauce to the desired thickness. Peeled shrimp are added last and cooked until they are just done. Serve over the grits. I've been rationing my Joe Patti shrimp and have just one package left in the freezer.

Saturday, December 20

I spent the morning finishing my Christmas card project and got them in the mail by 1 pm. None went to family or or people I see regularly. It surprised me to realize that I don't have current mailing addresses for most of my nieces, nephews and cousins. They all communicate by text, private message or email.

This week, I've been thinking about a new project for the winter. More on that later if it develops!

At 3 pm we celebrated Claire's 18th birthday with a bonfire, cake and gifts. It was damp and chilly out, but fortunately Laura offered hot mulled wine and hot cider to keep us warm. Mike and Claire wondered why Laura was planning to served molded wine! We are very proud of our oldest grandchild. This has been a challenging year to finish high school and start college for all in her age group.