A Cold April, 2021

 No walking today my friend.  For the past three days we have had early morning temperatures hovering for about two hours around 30 degrees F.  Yesterday morning it was 28 degrees F.  This morning was 30 degrees F. once again.  Looks like the same for tomorrow (Saturday) morning followed by a chilly rain.  According to the weather forecasters, it should begin to warm by next week, the last week of April!  Sorry to spend time on the weather, but I am anxious for warmer, sunny days.  We have watched the Spring flowers and trees bloom and disappear because of the cold as their beauty was short-lived.

Things are improving here at Grace Ridge, we now have a beautiful cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating.  The landscaping is quite beautiful with large rocks, a waterfall, walking paths and newly planted grass and greenery.  The colors reflect the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in that the decor both inside and outside is dark blue.  It is called the Ridge Cafe, and will be the main meeting place for Friday evening social beginning next Friday, April, 30.  We are all looking forward to being able to connect with our old friends from the Mountain House as well as the cottage area.

The Pandemic is still here, the only difference is that the vaccines that we have all received appear to be effective.  The death rates are lower as well as the hospitalizations.  Grace Ridge has been very successful in their mitigation practices and we have not experienced a spread of the Covid-19 virus.  There were some staff persons who tested positive, but no deaths among any of the residents.

To date, my son Greg continues to struggle to recover from the strong therapy of a combination of radiation and chemotherapy following extensive radical neck surgery to his neck and face on December 17, 2020.  Even though he completed the treatment the first week of March, he continues to feel the lingering effects of the radiation and the chemotherapy.  He still has not been able to consume food other than the liquid nourishment that provide him with calories and extra protein.  His mouth has finally healed but the taste buds have not, and neither have the salivary glands.  Even the Boosts drinks continue to have a metallic taste. Another problem now is the fluid retained in his neck, and under his arm has continued to accumulate and he is having a lot of pain with that.  Weekly massages, we hope will eventually eliminate that problem.

Well.......this is not what I had planned to write about, but it is so heavy on my mind that my concentration was jeopardized.  Perhaps our next visit will be better.................................

More Later......................................Brenda

Buttons!

There you are!  Please come visit with me for a while. As you can guess, I have once again been pondering.  Sometimes I like to do that.  Today I am thinking about buttons.  I know, quite a mundane topic and not one to pique your interest!

Think about this.  Have you noticed that men's shirts and coats button differently from women's?  Look at your blouse.  Notice how all the buttons on your blouse are lined up on the left side of the blouse.  The buttonholes are on the right.  Now look at a man's shirt or coat.  Notice how all the buttons are lined up on the right side of the shirt or coat.  Why is that?  Have you ever given much thought to that peculiar arrangement?  Well, I have.  This is what my research through Google revealed:

"The reason is historical, says Melanie M. Moore, founder of a women's blouse brand Elizabeth & Clarke.  When buttons were invented in the 13th century they were, like the latest technology, and like most new technology, they were very expensive.  Wealthy women back then did not dress themselves--their lady's maid did.  Since most people were right-handed, this made it easier for someone standing across from you to button your dress".  So....while the styles have evolved, this one tradition has not!

Another theory is that it had not so much to do with making the servants time spent buttoning the ladies into their fancy garments as it eventually became a "trend-setter".  The buttons being on the left indicated one's social standing among the elite?  Fancy that!

So, now you know......the next time you button or unbutton your blouse, remember that the placement of your buttons as compared to those of your husband's or any male, distinguish you as a more genteel lady of high social standing!

Quite a few years back I began the habit of saving buttons. It all started with having to discard a well-worn shirt that belonged to my husband.  Remembering the times when he would ask me to sew on a lost, never to be retrieved button, I began to snip those from the discarded ones. Over the years my supply increased from white buttons to colored buttons.  I began to have assorted sizes in every color.  Each time I discarded a shirt or blouse I saved the buttons! I also accumulated some from purchased blouses and shirts.  My button box became filled with my treasures of buttons.

One day as I was going through my button box, I decided to arrange them according to size and color.  In retrospect I cannot imagine my spending an entire day arranging buttons. I, the person who hates to organize anything at all, organized my buttons!  

I now have a plastic box labeled "Button Box".  Inside that box are small plastic zip-lock bags of hundreds of buttons that are all neatly bundled into categories by size and color!  Imagine that!  Do I ever use them?  No!  I do, however, have the security of knowing they are there should the need arise!

Oh, the pondering of it all...........................................................................

See you next time.......................Brenda

The Long Road Back

No walking today!  Frightfully cold, but sunny.  Let's sit and visit for a while as we discuss one of the most pressing issues today.  That is, of course, the Covid-19 virus and the vaccines.

I received my second vaccine two days ago and was cautioned that I might have some untoward results such as lo-grade fever that would only last a short while.  I left remembering that the first vaccine caused no ill effects at all and I expected the same for the second one.  The muscle in my arm was not sore; however, after about six hours I developed a strange headache, unlike any I have had before.  It is hard to describe, and I only knew that I was uncomfortable.  About an hour later, I began to chill and could not get warm.  It was only seven p.m., too early to retire for the evening so I refrained from going to bed.

Around 8:30 p.m. I decided I really needed to get under the warm covers, relax and get warm. No fever, just feeling chilled and tired.  I felt fine the next morning and throughout the day.  Once again, around 5-6 p.m., I began to have chills and was very tired.  This time I checked a one-degree rise in my temperature.  I put on extra clothing, such as my warm jacket, but still unable to get warm.  By this time I was having chills and was very tired.  At this point, I put on my p j's, crawled into my bed with my electric blanket and covered myself with a down comforter.  After trying to watch a simple program on the T.V. I fell asleep.

This morning I was fine and have been all day.  I am hoping not to have the chills and lo-grade fever along with the fatigue again.

I am glad I now have a fairly good immunity in my system.  We have been asked to continue with mitigation by continuing to wear masks and to limit number of persons in our cottage.  Safe distancing and masks do work.  

This is a very powerful virus!  It has now mutated into at least two other strains: African, and Brazilian.  These variants are now being found throughout the world.  Scientist are now warning that another vaccine or booster may be necessary to halt the aggression of the new variant!

Whenever the U.S. declared a Pandemic, I vaguely remembered something I had read in a book of Quatrains decoded from the fifteenth century by writings of Nostradamus.  He predicted a world-wide plague unlike anything ever seen before.  According to his prophacy, it would occur sometime during the first 10-20 years of the twenty-first century.  He also said it would last for ten years!

So..............will leave you with that little bit of information to think about!

See you next time........................................................................................ 

Vaccines

 I am excited today because in two days I will be given my second vaccine against the virus known as Covid-19.  This virus began in China in 2019 and by January 2020, it had not only spread all over the world but was now in the North American Continent, specifically, the U.S.A  In the beginning those who developed the virus were those who lived in crowded cities located along the coasts, such as New York, New Jersey, Washington State and California.  It was aggressive, disorderly and surprising.  We in the United States were dependent on our federal government and leadership to protect us.  Instead, they chose to deny the virus existed.  Our then president and his administration announced it was a hoax and that it would disappear on its own in a few months.  Millions of people in the U.S. believed him, while the death toll soared!

Even though we were repeatedly advised to listen to the scientist and follow regulations to prevent the spread of the virus, our president of the U.S. continued to say otherwise.  It was an election year and he desperately wanted to maintain his presidency even though thousands were filling hospitals and morgues all across the United States.  We were told by the scientist that if we did not social distance, wear masks and close some businesses that by the Fall of that year, we could possibly see the death of over 350,000 people.

In my retirement community, I have been fortunate to have the leadership of those who worked desperately to mitigate the spread of the terrible disease.  We came together as a team and enforced the regulations that were necessary for our survival.  We were given masks, meals that were delivered twice a day and frequent calls to ascertain our level of functioning.  All this began in March 2020 and is continuing as I write in 2021.  To date there have been over 400,000 deaths in the U.S alone, not to mention the number worldwide.  This has been a terrible Pandemic of major proportions!  Those of us who have survived so far have been vigilant about using masks, controlling people in our environment and keeping safe distances when outside.  

We received news in September that several drug companies were close to having a vaccine available before 2020 ended or at least during the first month of 2021.  In November, elections were held and our former leadership lost.  In spite of many lies, forceful protesting and finally a mob riot on the capitol to force withdrawal of state electoral votes, a new president emerged!   Under this new leadership we now have hopes of eradicating the virus and restoring our democracy.  Unbelievably, our democracy almost fell off a steep cliff because over seventy million citizens of the U.S. believed the conspiracy lies that were proven over and over again to be false!

And so it is today, this 25th day of January 2021, that on Wednesday of this week I will be given my second dose of the vaccine.  After three weeks, I should have 94-95% immunity.  We have been advised by our new president and his administration to continue face masks, and safe distancing for 100 days.  It is everyone's hope and desire that at that time we will begin to see a reduction in the number of sicknesses and deaths due to the virus!  The best we can hope for at this stage is that maybe, just maybe, we will have a more normal Christmas in 2021!

More Later......................................................Brenda

An Update on Tommy the Cat

 Tommy has now been residing at the home of my niece for one year.  As you recall, the beginning was extremely traumatizing for him and he ran away  He stayed away for two weeks as my niece and I grieved over his disappearance.  Our guilt over his departure in a strange neighborhood was overwhelming.  We were relieved and happy when another cat in the neighborhood allowed him to follow him back to my niece's house.  After a few weeks, he stopped looking for his old home and settled in to a warm bed and as many meals of "fancy feast" he could consume.

Tommy claimed fame to a position in the garage on the largest cat bed and seemed to enjoy the company of four feline friends who resided in the same area.  I received daily reports on his new lifestyle throughout Spring and Summer. Tommy enjoyed watching my niece's husband work in the yard as he planted flowers and trees among his new rock garden that surrounded the house.  He would sit atop a large rock as though he was supervising the work being done.  He seemed to get very excited about the many beautiful flowers and when the old ones were removed to make space for new ones, he excitedly jumped onto the back of the Highlander to survey the new shipment.  He appeared to find peace among the beautiful yard and the sunny days spent on the tallest warm rock.

From time to time, I would receive pictures of him and was amazed at how healthy he looked!  He had gained weight (almost too much!) and had proclaimed his territory among all his feline friends. From time to time he would be tempted to follow a neighboring male cat and venture around the outer periphery of the yard.  This caused temporary anxiety on the part of his new owners who always welcomed him home with treats and hugs.

Tommy is now seven years old ( cat years, around 49)!  I believe he has forgotten the farm where he resided among three families his first six years.  He appeared as a kitten and wandered from house to house, begging for food, protection, and attention.  He finally decided that my house had what he needed and remained there as my outside barn cat until I left in January, 2020.  Even though my extended family provided a new home for Tommy, he in turn provided a much-needed friendship for my niece who was reeling after the loss of both her parents only six month earlier.  They have each enjoyed the love that continues to pass between them.

Today, January 2021, Tommy has moved from the garage ( on cold days) to the comfort of their home.  In the beginning he was not familiar with house sounds ( T.V., dishwasher, or the humming of many other appliances in the house.).  He would run to the door and appear to want to return to the outside.  It did not take long for him to lose those fears as he was allowed entry into the warmth of the house more frequently.  He now enjoys the belly rubs from two grandchildren who frequent the home of their grandparents.  In addition, he has become accustomed to watching the T.V. from the comforts of a soft rug.  I am told he especially likes to watch ballgames and will move his head back and forth as he watches the players on the screen.

Yes, this is Tommy today!  He no longer has to fear the neighbor's dog who once chased him daily. He is a beautiful, loving pet who repays his new owners many times over with his returning love and affection.