Pandemic Times, March 14-20

Sunday, March 14

Where will I find my sabbath this day - or this week?  I spent some time in reading and reflection to prepare a message for the New Vision Class.  Then I watched a Universalist Church video from Woodstock, FT, that Anna had recommended. And thus the morning passed.  BBall started at 1 pm. AL won (barely) the SEC Championship over LSU. We were rooting for LSU, of course.

After the game it was almost time to order supper. RT was out of salmon again, so we both ordered shrimp, Bill fried and mine grilled.  They messed up the order and we got no broccoli on either order but an extra order of fried shrimp. Oh, Well! We will have several meals.

Laura kept us posted on Amanda's golf progress throughout the afternoon.  She is playing in a tournament at Tellico Village this weekend.  Yesterday she shot 101 and today she ended up with 94 - an excellent showing.

Monday, March 15

I'll have to add chasing squirrels to my exercise plan! Several times a day, I run outside to "bark" at the squirrel and chase him/her off the feeder.  At least I've gotten it down to just one feeder that they are robbing.

Most of the morning was consumed with following up on inquiries for the church job.  We have a dozen. Going forward, I will follow-up with them as they come in, if any more do.  I worked some more on this blog, catching up from last week, until Bill was ready for my help.  He got 200 pounds of sand this morning and we used it in the umbrella base.  The umbrella is now up and functional.

Amanda had her first high school softball game today.  Last season was cancelled due to Covid.  She didn't get any hits, but she fielded well.

Shrimp po-boys with leftover fried shrimp for early supper.

Tuesday, March 16

I got out early for a 9:30 grant meeting at Good Samaritan, just Mary Ann and me with Lynne on FaceTime. We are working on another dental service grant. This is a $5000 planning grant from Trinity Health Foundation.  If we get it, we will submit the program grant to them at the end of the summer for $50,000.  It felt special and at the same time normal to be out for a meeting and good to greet people in person.  After the meeting I did my grocery shopping and drive-through banking and made it home for lunch.  I made a skillet of cornbread to go with my greens and opened a can of cannellini beans - lunch for several days.

Amanda had another softball home game so I took her in to the field, came home to prep supper and Bill and I went back for the 5:30 game. Amanda got a solid hit - line drive to center field. She also fielded well, including catching a fly ball.

When we got home, I cooked some pasta and quickly sauteed the grilled shrimp and a little ham with garlic and served with a side salad.

Wednesday, March 17 - St. Patrick's Day

I'm not sure why everyone makes such a fuss about St. Patrick's Day.  It is neither a civic nor religious holiday, but if very popular. We not not celebrate.  I worked some on the grant and had a 10:30 phone meeting with the director of TWU's dental hygiene program.  That helped define some of the parameters of our proposed project.  She will send additional data.

Amanda's game was called off because of rain as a big storm system is moving through the area.  I took her to practice at the gym instead and had to go back and pick her up because they finished early at 5:30 and neither Mike nor Laura was available.

I cooked cod filets (or fillets?), smothered with peppers and onions and surrounded by new potatoes, all roasted in my handy cast-iron skillet. This was a great one-dish meal, served with braised spinach.

Thursday, March 18

After breakfast, I worked a little more on the grant. My part is the budget, but to do the budget, I really have to get into defining the main activities that we are funding. In this case, we are bringing the TN Wesleyan Mobile Dental Unit to Lenoir City to provide dental hygiene service for our clients. My conversation with the director yesterday helped narrow the scope of work that we will do.

I needed to feed my sourdough starter, so I also made a focaccia.  That required a quick trip to Aldi for some additional ingredients.  Later in the afternoon, Bill and I went for a walk through the campground which opened this week.  It was our first walk through there in several months. Now that the weather is warmer, we expect to go back to our usual route.

We had fish again - pan-sauteed salmon fillets, accompanied by home-made marinara over angel hair and a salad.  AND Focaccia.  I took a portion of the loaf to the Brock's.

I had word that the church staff-pastor-parish committee is scheduled to meet our prospective new pastor next Tuesday - Rev. Linda Bass.

Friday, March 19

The day started wet and cool and stayed cool & cloudy all day. I woke up early and since going back to sleep didn't seem possible, I got up to read and catch up on this journal.  I wrote a short reflection based on today's scripture and devotional reading.  Before going to bed I wrote another cryptic reflection.  I'll share both at the link below.

https://flowersandfeathers.blogspot.com/2021/03/reflection-on-john-12-20-26.html

We had another excessive data charge from AT&T this morning - 9 GB by the time we started up the computers at 10 am.  I spent the rest of the morning on tech support with no resolution except to have the issue escalated.  I think they have a bug in their hardware or software that is sending an incorrect reading.  I had to change the name and password on our in-house network which meant I had to change it on every device that connects to the network, 9 in all.  This made for a long and frustrating morning.

After lunch and a little relaxation, I finished my part of the grant and sent it to the other team members for review.  We are good at critiquing one another without anyone taking offense.

The Matzeks are going to Cookeville for a softball tournament, so we went over to get LeRoy for a sleepover. While we were there, Mike worked on my right hip which has been giving me a lot of trouble.  It hurts in the joint when I walk more than a few hundred yards, but not in everyday activity around the house.

By 4:30 we were ready to watch TN Men's BBall in their first game of the NCAA tourney.  They played poorly and lost to a much lower-seeded team.  

For Friday night we chose to celebrate Taco Night.  We haven't had beef in quite a while, since I made BiBimBap two weeks ago.

Saturday, March 20

We were up early again today.  I don't think LeRoy woke me up, but he was ready to go out and bark at some squirrels.   Coffee, breakfast and a few house chores took most of the morning.  There was time for reading, reflection and journaling.  Today or tomorrow, I plan to watch a video service of our prospective pastor.  I see on FB that she has done a series on Wil Cantrell's book on Atonement and one on a Fr. Richard Rohr book.  Interesting!

Basketball was on the TV off and on through the afternoon.  While sort of listening, I spent a couple of hours on my increasingly slower computer trying to get applications out and information sent to the committee.  Updating Church Facebook with Holy Week events consumed way to much time!  I wanted to find just the right picture for each event.  I finally got it done like I wanted it.  

We took LeRoy home mid-afternoon.  When we got back, we took a walked through the campground.  It was hopping, this being the first weekend open and the last weekend of spring break for many schools.

Forsythia is Spring

Amanda had a day full of softball at the tourney in Cookeville.  Friday night games were postponed because of weather, so she had five (5) games on Saturday.  She had 4 hits and 1 walk.  She got on base and crossed home plate more than once.  Wish I had been there to cheer her on!

BiBimBap on the menu tonight.  I think this was my best effort so far.

Reflection on John 12: 20-26

John 12:20-26

24 I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.  

The author of this week asks:

A single grain of wheat is just that, unless it dies. What are the grains of wheat you are clinging to? What in you needs to die? How can you tend to the soil so that your life bears fruit?

Spiritual growth requires me to constantly ask these questions. I don’t usually come up with very good answers because I don’t like to let go of something that might be useful someday. That is my grandmother in me. I’m not a hoarder, but I am a saver. 

In the garden, I have a hard time pruning, a hard time pulling out plants that are well past their time but still producing just a little. But I appreciate Jesus metaphors of planting and tending and pruning. Gardening is a spiritual practice for me, Even if I don’t always succeed. Gardening requires pruning and weeding, removing old growth to make room for new, fertilizing, watering, waiting patiently for germination, growth, maturation, hoping and praying for the right balance of those elements that are beyond my control-sunlight and rain. All that before a harvest is ready. And when the time is ripe, I must go out into the garden to gather the fruit of my labors. It doesn’t just come to me. 

I think the questions the writer poses are also pertinent for us as a church in this time of transition as we seek to find a productive path forward. I think we want to figure out how to be a  vital church that bears fruit, doing more than just hanging on. So what church habits or practices need to die to make room for new life. I don’t know.  What church habits or practices need to be tended and fertilized to flourish and produce an abundant harvest. 

Atonement

God = Love

Love = oneness, wholeness

Jesus = Perfect manifestation of God = Love = Oneness/ Wholeness

Jesus is our atonement

As we model him, we manifest 

God

Love 

Wholeness

Shalom

Pandemic Times, March 7-13

Sunday, March 7

Waffles and eggs for breakfast!  I spent some of the morning in reading and reflection from my various Lenten devotionals plus Fr. Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation.  Below, I will share the reflection that I sent to my New Vision SS class.  Most of the afternoon we watched BBall. We picked up LeRoy to keep for a few days while the Matzeks - Mike, Laura and Amanda - enjoy a snowboarding adventure in West Virginia.

One year ago today, we celebrated Mother's long and productive (a favorite word of hers) life with a memorial service at Sunflower UMC.  We interred her ashes privately at Indianola Cemetery next to my father.

Ruby T was out of our favorite salmon.  I chose my favorite New Orleans Seafood - tilapia with shrimp sauce, and Bill had fried shrimp. His serving was really big, so he set aside half for shrimp salad tomorrow.

Reflection:

Wednesday (3/3)

The Disciplines reading today is the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20. The rules that we follow define who we are. But Fr Rohr reminds me in his meditation that Jesus calls us to go beyond rules to the heart of the matter, to the heart of our being. Following rules can cause is to dig deeply into our own biases and see life from an “either-or” perspective rather than a “both-and” perspective. To recognize our biases and see beyond them requires difficult self-examination. Do I have an “over-attachment to my own way of seeing?”  Jesus’ way can help free me to see more clearly, more deeply. His way of teaching with stories and parables can help me penetrate my biases and see with fresh heart/eyes. In science teaching I learned to call this method “disequilibration”. In order to penetrate a students preconceived notions of how things work (science), I first had to shake up their expectations with an unexpected outcome - disequilibrate them. Only then were they ready to receive new knowledge. Likewise, if I want to gain new spiritual insight I must be ready and willing to recognize and give up old ways of knowing. I have to loosen my grip on some of my rules to make room for new understanding. 

Thursday (3/4)

Disciplines today has the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple. Jesus sometimes acts or speaks in contradictory ways. In a discussion of bias, Fr. Rohr has this to say: “The one we follow into mission and ministry—Jesus the Christ—was an avowed boundary crosser, a reformer of the religious and secular culture of his time.”  Again I find an overlap of theme from very different perspectives. 

Friends, 

I hope you have had a good week and have had a chance to feel the sun on your face.  I have been thinking today about the importance of experiencing a sabbath each week.  For me, sabbath is a day to step outside of my weekday routine, to find time for rest and reflection, to feed spirit/soul.  I don’t feel the need for physical rest like I did when I was a working mom, but sometimes the rest we need is mental or emotional.  Our church service, which includes wonderful interludes of music and quiet time for prayer provides a perfect opportunity for sabbath experience.  I miss sharing that experience with you.  Whether you are back in church or not, it is important to find opportunities for a sabbath experience every week. For me, that might be a quiet walk.

Monday, March 8

We are still eating waffles! One recipe make a lot.  I had a UMW meeting at 10:30.  It was an actual meeting with 7 of us present in the fellowship hall. We each had a table, so there was plenty of room for distancing.  

After lunch, Bill helped out and we cleared all the vinca and other old growth from the lower flower beds.  I still call it a flower bed, but the vince has so taken over that nothing else grows there except a couple of straggly rose bushes.  I have given up trying to clear it out and now just try to hold it back from the paths.  The vinca started from some springs I transplanted from the home place in Sunflower almost 40 years ago.  I was pretty worn out when we finished, but a dose of my favorite back medicine (a shot of Jim Beam or Jack if I have it, over ice with a splash of water) restored me.

As planned, I made a salad featuring the left-over shrimp and some chopped ham.  I added chopped boiled egg along with beets, artichokes and red onion (all pickled) and kalamata olives.  I thing I prefer the marinated vegetables over the traditional tomatoes and cukes.

This is actually Sunday's lunch salad, but almost the same.

Tuesday, March 9

We had planned a day trip for today, but put it off until tomorrow in hopes of slightly more sunshine.  We had a cloudy day, but no rain. I spent a lot of the morning on tech support with AT&T. (I hate AT&T). They are overcharging us for data uploads.  I did not get a satisfactory resolution but they promised to reset our data allowance.  Unfortunately, we have no other option for broadband internet.

After lunch we went to Costco to get a membership and look around the store.  We have to order the deck umbrella that we have selected from their online store and it will be delivered to us on Saturday.  The umbrella is the reason for the membership, but we also found a new grill that we will probably buy.  On the way home, we picked up Orange Chicken and Masumum Chicken Curry from our favorite, Little Bangkok.  

Later in the afternoon I worked on digging iris roots out of the pond so I could pull the old pump out.  My goal is to clean the pond out enough to put in a new pump.  I love the sound of the dripping, gurgling fountain.

Wednesday, March 10

At 10:17 I logged us leaving for Red Clay Historic State Park south of Cleveland, TN.  When we leave for a trip, day trip or longer, I log the time and mileage.  We had LeRoy with us since we didn't want to leave him home alone all day.  Two hours, 85 miles later, we arrived at the park.

The drive was easy enough and after the initial excitement of barking at trucks, LeRoy settled into a good traveller.  Red Clay is tucked away well off any major highway on the TN-GA border.  It was the site of the last eastern capitol and gathering place of the Cherokee nation.  

Red Clay is the figurative, if not literal, starting point of the Trail of Tears because it was here that the Cherokee learned that their lands had finally been taken and they would be removed west to 'Indian Territory.'  The removal of native Americans from their ancestral lands, the dishonesty and deception, was one of the most shameful acts by our government and people again those perceived as 'other;' that is, not British/Northern European. 

The most striking geological feature of the park is Blue Spring, located a few hundred feet behind the visitor center. The spring pool reminded us of the clear, blue-bottomed springs in Florida.  The spring pool fed a beautiful flowing creek. A picture cannot fully capture the clarity of the water and the fact that you are seeing the bottom of the pool many feet deep.

We had our picnic first in hopes that the visitor center would open and we would be able to see the interpretive video, but that did not happen. Just as we were about to leave for our hike, Bill pulled a let muscle.  We took the short walk around the Blue Spring and the reconstructed buildings as Bill tried to walk off the injury, but a longer hike was out of the question.  We will have to come again to complete our visit.  I hope that seeing the start of the Trail of Tears will lead us to explore more of the places and history of this tragic era.

Except for Bill's leg problem, it was a good day. About 85 miles and less than 2 hours each way.  I was glad to have Thai leftovers for supper.

Cherokee farm reproduction

Blue Spring creek

Blue Spring

Blue Spring 

Council House replica

Picnic with LeRoy

Thursday, March 11

One year ago today, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus, Covid-19, to be a world-wide pandemic and life everywhere began to close down. At that time, cases were primarily found in Washington state, California and NYC, but were spreading quickly. NYC was especially hard hit.

Today we feel like the pandemic and quarantine are finally winding down.   Many places have lifted most restrictions with only recommendations for masks and distancing.

Kathy came over mid-morning and we worked on refining the job description for the church administrative assistant position.  I think we accomplished a lot! After lunch, I finished formatting it and reworked the job application form.  I sent both documents to the committee for comments as well as all the inquiries we have received so far.  Altogether, it was a full day's work.

Daffodils at our house

Spring is really here!

Laura's new Daffodils

For supper, we had ham with sweet potatoes and cooked mixed greens (turnip, collard and mustard.)

One Year Anniversary Numbers:

US: 29,309,700 total cases; avg 56,613 cases/day last week;

    530,351 total deaths, 1500 today; cases are plateauing at a high level; about 2 millions vaccinations/day this week

TN: 788,109 total cases; 1512 new cases today; 11,623 total deaths;         0-10 42,209; 11-20 99,972

LoCo: 5786 total cases; 103 active; 66 deaths; 121 have been hospitalized

    rate of testing is down to avg 48/day

    rate of new cases is down to avg 18/day

    10.7% pos rate this week

    Orange Zone means that ket stats are improving

Friday, March 12

Amanda had early softball practice so I picked her up at 9:30. She drove to the field. After dropping her off, I went to the grocery and to church.  I picked her up at noon and after a couple more errands we got lunch at The Ugly Mug - excellent chicken pesto on ciabatta.   We took our picnic to LC Park and had lunch with the ducks, geese and coots.  What fun!  A light drizzle started just as we got home and continued for the rest of the day.  It will probably continue off and on for several days.

Tuna steaks, marinated in sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and garlic, with fresh asparagus and a salad.

Saturday, March 13

Today would have been Mozelle's birthday (Bill's mother). She was born on Mar 13, 1915 to Anna Jackson Renshaw and John Read Renshaw in Shannon, Miss, their 5th child and only daughter.  Her beloved father and one of her brothers died in the flu epidemic of 1918, a loss that colored the rest of her life.  She and her mother Anna eventually moved to Nashville, TN. In 1935, she married James Clark Whitaker and embarked on the life of a preacher's wife.  They had two children, William Robert and Anna Clark.

We were excited when our new deck umbrella was delivered.  We will have to buy about 200 lb of sand for the base before we can set it up.

The Vols Men's BBall lost a very close game to Alabama in the SEC semifinals.

Pandemic Times, February 28 - March 6

Sunday, February 28

The beginning of Book 5 of my paper journals marks one year of continuous journaling. It started with a record of Mother's passing a year ago, continued as a Quarantine Log and continued as Pandemic Times.  By the end of March, Bill and I will be fully vaccinated and it will be time for another transformation.  I need a new theme.  What about - 'The Journey Continues'?  Maybe the time to record every day is coming to a close.  Let's see what March winds bring.  February certainly is going out on strong breezes.

I repotted my little spinach seedlings with hopes of a crop in a few weeks.  I have only eleven plants.  That won't go very far.

Monday, Mar 1

"In like a lion," the saying goes.  The lion didn't roar as loudly here as it did elsewhere, but it was certainly wet and breezy today.  My day started with my annual physical - no big deal except that my cholesterol is elevated.  I will have to make a few adjustments. Maybe I'll add fish oil to my meds and have oatmeal a few days a week instead of my usual egg & toast.

Made my 'Uber' run with Amanda to softball, then a Zoom meeting about getting a new church secretary.  For supper, I cooked the pintos that were started last week.  I finished them with a meaty ham bone and made the red cabbage slaw that is our new favorite.  Beans were served over leftover Spanish rice for a delicious and very cheap meal.  Everything was made with on-hand left-overs.

The receipt for the Pontotoc County property taxes came in today's mail.  I have tax receipts that my great-grandfather Jeff Westmoreland paid on that 40 acres that date back to 1895.  I do not know when he bought the property because I have not been able to locate an original deed. My grandfather, Clark, was born in 1893 when Jeff was 20 years old.  

In 1900, the property was described on the tax record as it is today.  Jeff's father, Tom lived next door according to that census and owned his land.  I do not know if it was the same land or what became of Tom's.  That land represents a piece of my family history.  I have the tax receipts for almost every year between 1885 and 1937, and again beginning in 2000. We (Park, Melanie & I) had the timber harvested and replanted in pine just a few years ago.  We jointly own the property and hope to live to see another timber harvest.

Tuesday, March 2

No need to go anywhere today except for my Uber run for Amanda.  She has to be at school early to have her picture taken for the LCHS Wall of Fame for students who score 30 or above on the ACT.  Amanda, a tenth grader on her first attempt, scored 30 with a perfect 36 on the reading section.  We are very proud of our smart girl!

By the time I got home the sky had cleared, so Bill and I took a walk, soaking up the sun.  We saw a cormorant enjoying the sun.  I've seen large flocks of these birds on the gulf coast but they are not very common here.  I've never observed the orange throat patch, which indicates this is a breeding male. A few trees are starting to swell their buds.  We didn't see the Eagles, but as we were driving home we looked back and one was on the perch. 

Cormorant showing his orange throat patch

Cormorant posing

Beautiful Sycamore

Budding Maple

For supper, I fixed pork chops served with mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli.  No left-overs from this meal!

Wednesday, March 3

Bill got his 2nd Covid vaccine this morning.  He reported a smooth process.  After lunch he got started on cleaning up the brush and logs from the tree he cut down last week.  He saved the larger pieces of cedar to split for kindling.  We should have some great campfires with those.   

I went to the dermatologist in the afternoon for my annual skin exam: one biopsy on my back and numerous keratoses frozen off. I'm glad they don't actually burn them anymore. I remember that smell when I had a lot of spots removed from my legs as a kid.  

Before getting back home, I made a quick stop at Fresh market for nuts and some very fresh looking organic green leaf lettuce and took Amanda to softball.  Lucky for me, Bill had done all the outdoor work he wanted for the day, so I was off the hook. For supper I made chicken piccata served over angel-hair pasta with a salad.  We haven't had a lettuce salad in months.

Thursday, March 4

A home day. I puttered around in the morning but right after lunch Bill and I got busy cleaning up the remaining brush.  The area looks very neat now and we will have a big bonfire soon.  There was a lot of dormant poison ivy vines in the brush, so we showered immediately after we finished.  

Brush has been cleared

Ready for a big bonfire

Thursday seemed like a good night for Tuna Steaks, marinated in balsamic/olive oil Italian dressing and served with new potatoes and green beans.

Friday, March 5

My turn has arrived!  I left about 8:45 for a 9:40 Covid vaccine appointment at Tennova North hospital. The drive was less than 40 minutes on th interstate, so I had plenty of time to find a parking place and then find the clinic.  Of course, I parked on the wrong side of the hospital complex, so I got in quite a few steps for the day.  I had my vaccine before 9:40 and on my way home before 10.  I took the opportunity to stop by Whole Foods to restock tuna and cod filets and a few other items.  I made it home in time for lunch.

My Vaccine Selfie

After lunch Bill helped me trim and clean the beds at the front door.  Today was quite a bit cooler than earlier in the week, but wonderful for working outside.

I made BiBimBap.  It is becoming a favorite.  For the meat, Bill sliced a small beef tenderloin (~7 oz) into thin strips which I marinated in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and garlic with a little sriracha thrown in for good measure. The finished dish was topped with Gougujang sauce.

The Lady Vols played in the last game of the night in the SEC tourney in Greenville, SC. It was back and forth but they prevailed over Ole Miss and live to play again tomorrow.  The game lasted until 11 pm - an unusually late night for us.

Saturday, March 6

We enjoyed another picture perfect weather day - from inside looking out.  The morning was very cool and breezy and the temperature didn't break 50 until after lunch.  Last night I prepped the sourdough starter, made the levain for baking and prepared a sponge for waffles to be cooked this morning.  So our morning started with sourdough waffles.  I like mine with homemade blueberry syrup made from blueberries I picked last summer.  Bill prefers maple syrup.  As the waffles were cooking, I got the bread started.  The dough requires some action every 20-30 minutes, so that kept me in the kitchen until 2:30 when the loaves went in the refrigerator to proof.

While the loaves were proofing, I worked on cleaning the dead iris stalks from the garden pond.  Bill ran the weed-eater to cut them down and I raked them out of the pond to be hauled away.

Before

After

Left-over chicken piccata with rice and fresh asparagus for supper. The actual baking started after 6:30 and continued, one loaf at a time, while we watched the Lady Vols losing effort again South Carolina (BBall).  

Saturday Numbers:

US: 28,969,400 total cases; 61,127 daily avg this week; 523,157 total deaths; 3483 deaths yesterday

TN: 782,206 total cases; 0-10 41,921; 11-20 99,152

LoCo: 5736 total cases; 109 active; 66 total deaths; 16.6 avg case rate this week; 50 tests/day avg this week; 9.2% pos rate with many fewer tests.  Orange zone indicates stats are improving.

Pandemic Times, February 21-27

 Sunday, February 21

Sunday, Sunday - Good day for whatever comes.  I worked more on my sewing project, cutting out all the pieces - lots of small pieces.  Then we watched the Lady Vols lose a BBal game.  After the game, we met Laura across the river for a Sunday afternoon walk in the park.  Unfortunately, no eagles were present for Laura.

Ruby T's salmon for supper finished a good day on a good note.

Monday, February 22

The first goal of this morning was getting an appointment for a vaccine. I'm set for March 5 but I have to go to Tennova North.  Then I hurried out the door for an early blood draw appoint in preparation for next week's physical.

More work on the sewing project.  I assembled all the pieces and parts that didn't require the bits of hardware that are on order.  The day was warm enough and beautifully sunny but a stiff breeze kept us from our walk.

Today the country exceeded 500,000 - half-a million - deaths.  President Biden gave a very moving memorial speech as part of a candlelight memorial on the White House grounds.

For supper I made a new dish - Soy and maple glazed chicken with sweet potatoes, cooked in the crock-pot and finished under the broiler.

Soy-Maple Chicken with sweet potatoes and green beans

Numbers for 2/22

Loudon County: 5597 total cases; 112 total hospitalized; 64 deaths; 197 active cases; 33.6 case rate; 16.7% pos rate; avg 60.4 tests/day; 

Lo Co today had 20.8% pos on just 24 tests; there have been 32 Covid deaths since Christmas; 16.5% of all cases are children under 20.

We are in the Orange Zone because the statistics are improving.

TN: 766,089 total cases; 11,153 total deaths; 0-10 40,875; 11-20 96,861

Tuesday, February 23

In the morning I worked on the Trinity website and refilled the bird feeders.  The athletic gray squirrels have figured out that they can launch themselves from a limb and maybe grab the feeder pole to access the seeds. While it is entertaining to watch, we will have to figure out how to thwart them.  In the meantime, I need to order more Safflower seeds.

The hardware that I had ordered for my project arrived just after lunch so I made some progress before it was time to pick up Amanda.  

When I got back, we went for a walk.  No eagles today, but we had a nice conversation with a lady photographer from Tellico Village.  We showed her the best spot to get a clear view of the nest.  I feel a sense of community among those we recognize and acknowledge as 'regulars.'

Leftover chicken for supper.

Wednesday, February 24

The started as bright and clear as promised.  Bill had the RV ready.  After breakfast, I put together a picnic and we loaded up for a day trip to Chickamauga Battlefield NP outside of Chattanooga.  We pulled out at 10:20, not exactly an early start for the almost 2 hour drive.

We had to detour because of a traffic blockage so didn't get to the park visitor center until after 12:30.   We watched the movie and then finally had our picnic. The battlefield park was the first created after the Civil War and encompasses thousands of acres in northern Georgia. There are no particular geographic features.  There are many monuments, cannons and other installations commemorating the confederate and union soldiers who fought and died there.  

The park has over 50 miles of hiking/walking trails and we picked one that made of loop of a little over 2 miles. Even though the first sections was a gravel road, I was glad I had changed into my hiking boots and taken my trekking pole.  Once we turn off the gravel road, the trail narrowed and was flooded in spots.  We had to hop a small creed and find detours around a couple of the worst spots.  At one point, the trail came Chickamauga Creek along the park boundary.  By the time we got back to the RV my Fitbit GPS said we had walked a little more than 3 miles. It was a beautiful warm day to be out in the woods. 

Walk along with us in this short slideshow movie.  The sound effects are my recording of spring peepers who serenaded us at several spots along the way.

After a stop at Bass Pro, we were on the road toward home by 6.  We got home at 7:45 after a stop at Bojangles for fried chicken.  We travelled 212 road miles.

Thursday, February 25

We have been blessed with another warm sunny day.  It is not as warm as yesterday, but warm enough to enjoy working outside.  I also wanted to clean up the flower/herb bed and pots around the deck. Bill decided that this would be the day to cut the leaning cedar and a the tree next to it.  I agreed to help.   The leaning cedar was partially help up by its crown hung in the pines and partially by thick fox grape vines growing up and into neighboring trees. The first task was to cut the vines as high as possible, so while I held some tension on a vine, Bill used the long pruning saw to cut it.  As you might predict, when the vine suddenly snapped, I stepped back and over the chain saw, got tangled in the vine and tumbled down the hill.  I am so fortunate that I was not injured.  Fortunately also, there is no video or photo evidence!  After the trees were down, Bill cut everything into manageable pieces and I helped drag some of it up the hill and out of his way.  Finishing the cleanup will have to wait for the next warm day.

Leaning trees - before

Downed trees - after

My rewards! - Martini

and beautiful sunset

For supper, I made fajita style cod filets with Spanish rice.

Number 2/25/21

US: 28,509,300 total cases; 69,483 avg # cases/day - decreasing; 510,373 total deaths - avg daily rate decreasing

TN: 772,513 total cases; daily case rate is decreasing; 846,119 people vaccinated (12%)

LoCo: 5658 total cases; 184 active; 65 deaths; 26.9 avg case rate; 16.6 avg new cases/day; 69.4 avg tests/day; 11.9% avg pos rate; 13,635 vaccinations; Orange Status because stats are improving.

Friday, February 26

A rainy morning is always good for sleeping in, even if it's not the weekend yet.  After a late start to the day, I went back to my sewing project and finished!  I have been working on a cell phone purse and consider this first attempt to be a prototype.  Now that I understand how the pieces fit together, I understand better how to choose each fabric for its place on the finished product.

I also hand-sewed strips of seam binding on the inside of some of my masks and installed the metal 'nose strips' to give the masks a better fit.

Taco supper and movie - Hillbilly Elegy.  Glen Close was amazing as the grandma.

Mother died one year ago tonight, Feb 26, 2020.  

Saturday, February 27

Another gloomy rainy Saturday, so typical of East Tennessee in February. I started some pinto beans for chili before lunch. When they had cooked for a couple of hours, I put together the chili, using the taco meat left over from last night. 

After lunch, we went to the Matzek's for a visit.  Claire is home for the weekend and we enjoyed talking with her.

The chili did not turn out as good as I hoped.  I think I added the tomatoes too soon to the beans, because the beans never softened, even though they cooked for several hours.  We served it like a petro, chili over Fritos, topped with shredded cheese.  It was edible, but not as good as I hoped.

Today Book 4 of these journals was completed.