May Stuff....

Well, the Corona Crisis continues, but things are gradually opening up.
There are lots of "sides" of the issue, and there is enough talk, tension and opinion everywhere you look to keep the people that comment commentating for a very long time.

Speaking from these four walls, it is getting kind of old.
I am all for doing my part in the effort to "flatten the curve" or "slow the spead", but I am also getting really tired of the way that we have to live right now, and hearing that things are probably never going to return to normal.
It seems a little extreme to speak of a future without gatherings and community, so early in the game.
I don't like to hear it, because it feels like people are resigned to living this way and almost welcoming.

I think walking and praying are keeping my head above water.
I have been going downtown and walking around the neighborhood. It is relaxing, and I have my podcasts and my music.

I went down to the water a few days ago and it was wild.
The wind was blowing like crazy and the water was whipping up all over.

Then on Monday we had a fire and John, Tim and I had a little informal "wine tasting".
It was so nice to sit in the yard and hear the birds going to sleep and watch it getting dark.

The weather is gorgeous and Summer is here. I have so much to be grateful for!

What's Missing?

So our state is still in lockdown because of the Chinese virus. 

If you are reading this years from now, I really hope that the crisis is ancient history. 

I hope you have a nice vaccine and you get vaccinated each year and all of the issues that we are dealing with are a part of the past. 

I think it's worth documenting all of what we are missing right now, and also how this affects our family and our little community.

There are so many things that we can't do. 

There are also a lot of things that we are doing that we didn't do before.

For me the thing that I am missing most is going to Mass. I was going every day. The Rosary before, and the people that I see every morning are so dear. It is so hard to stay away. I miss the sacraments so much. I miss Adoration so much!! 

Life, for me, was very busy. 

Meetings, studies, seminars, courses, and so many things that I was doing week in and week out. 

Making plans, making time, a full calendar. 

I would sometimes complain because there was just so much going on and I could barely breathe. 

I wanted more time to read, to study and to write. 

Well, now I have that!

I don't miss running all over the place, but I do miss being with the people that have become so dear.

I am very blest that my family is together and we are a peaceful family. 

I can't imagine going through this with people that are difficult all the time, or worse, abusive.

The house is full, true, but it is full of people that love and respect easch other, and we have been having family meals more than before.

I am happy to be cooking! It is great to have time to bake bread! It takes a long time to get a batch of bread made. Well, now there are entire days at home and I have made several differnt kinds.

I am so grateful that I like to cook, and the guys are even getting into the act.

They are learning to make their favorite foods. 

We can't go to the library and that is a difficulty, but we have Libby, and I just borrowed the Fellowship of the Ring, so if this goes on for a year, I'll have that. 

I also have shelves and shelves of books that I have been meaning to read. 

I also need to write more and I hadn't been making much progress. 

Well, now I have time for that too.

I can create Bible studies, and blog. I can work on my stories. 

I am doing jigsaw puzzles. Lots of them. 

Whoa.....

Blogger! Don't do that! I have not been away that long!!

I opened up the page where I always go to post and it's totally different...like, they haven't changed up like this in all the time I have been blogging. Hope it's for the better. 

Anyway, I have been away for awhile, because of all the craziness, what with the lockdown, Tim working from home, all the guys home and all, the days just seem to flow by, and yet, we are really busy!

I am reading, reading, reading. So much to study and learn.

I am doing a retreat called "Awakening Love" which is based on the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, and it uses the Song of Songs as a guide. It is so deep and so beautiful.

I am also rereading a couple of books, one for a book club that I am doing with the homeschoolers, and one just because. 

"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and "The Lord of the Rings" by Tolkein.

It is a grand adventure.

Still doing puzzles too. 

I have blogged on the other blog, so that makes me feel a little bit better.

The other day Lilly came down and we made a "Covid Apple Pie". She helped cut up the apples and learned a bit about Grandma Susie's pie recipe.

I have made "King Ranch Chicken" which everyone loved, and we did fajitas last night.

I have had to get creative at times with ingredients, and right now yeast is hard to find, so I ended up ordering 2 pounds from Amazon!!

Baking bread has been pretty great. 

This weekend is the Theology of the Body Virtual Conference! I am so excited!

Went back to Classic Blogger BTW. I don't like the new publisher...Thanks anyway.