It’s the End

It is already the end of February. Warnings are being posted about the time change in the middle of the month. Remember to spring forward. It just didn’t seem like February lasted long enough. ¶ We enjoyed several days of spring-like weather during the past week. Lots of sunshine and warm, at least for this time of year, temperatures. Much of the snow has disappeared. And now there is a winter storm warning posted for tonight. ¶ Those of us who have lived in South Dakota practically for ever know that these wild weather swings come with the territory. Never count on it really being spring until summer. Prepare for winter in September because it can happen. A snowstorm on September 29, one year comes to mind. Then there was the massive ice storm on Hallowe’en that cancelled school and the attendant parties much to the dismay of the children involved, and much to the delight of the teachers of the same.

¶ One year Holy Week occurred during the first part of April. It had been very nice springlike weather all week. Part of the ceremony for Holy Saturday is the lighting of the New Fire, symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus. Many churches have a smallish container in which they light the fire. I’ve always like to have a big fire which means it better happen outside. The church where I was filling in had a big window in the rear. Saying to myself that this was perfect, I arranged to bring my fire pit and place it outside this large window. Those who wanted to come out could. Those who wanted to remain in their places could, but could also see the fire. Sure enough, Holy Saturday afternoon the snow began and it snowed and continued to snow. I brought my deck umbrella so there would be some shelter over me. By this time the wood was wet. So the Great Vigil began with me standing outside in the snow storm struggling to light a fire with wet wood. Finally it was accomplished and the procession (small though it was) entered the church stomping snow off boots and shedding snow covered clothing. It wasn’t exactly as I envisioned the whole thing. Spring in South Dakota–there’s nothing like it! ¶ This was the appointed week for OLLI class registration. OLLI (Osher Life-long Learning Institue) is a national program instituted to provide learning experiences for “senior citizens.” There are no tests, and only an occasional assignment. Most of the classes are lecture type or visual presentations. That has made it fairly simple to convert most of the classes to Zoom format during this pandemic year. Except for those few classes that involve tours or another feature which requires physical presence I find this to be a wonderful way to take the classes. Most of the classes in former times would be held at the University Center (I believe it has a different name now) which is about as far from me as you can get. Now I can just stay home and enjoy the class and save about an hour commute forth and back. Another advantage is the lack of any class limit due to room size. Also, if one cannot participate when the class actually happened, they are all recorded so one can watch at any time. I’ve registered for 20 classes for this term. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to it.

¶ Thursday was my second COVID vaccine shot. The weather this time around was much more pleasant. I asked one of the staff how many people are vaccinated each day at their site. This week they are dealing with 900 per day and next week hope to get to 1100. They are very efficient. The aftermath was a muscle ache in the target arm which has finally abated, and a weakened state the morning after. I slept most of that morning and by mid-afternoon I was back to normal, whatever that means. No “mump” has appeared as yet. It is a good feeling to be as protected as one can get. ¶ The cat wooden puzzle has been started and it is certainly not an easy one. The resident cat has been fond of trying out her “lurking leopard” poses just in case she is ever called upon to play the lurking leopard. It’s always good to be prepared. ¶I did have a chance to view the movie "Nomadland" which I mentioned last week. There are some beautiful scenes. The acting is excellent. I found that it tended to "drag" a bit but that may have had something to do with the time of day I was watching it, 10 PM. It deals with a whole subculture about which I knew nothing. ¶ Monday I begin with scans at 7 AM, labs at 12:30, doctor’s appointment following and then an infusion. It will be a long day. Hopefully, the scans will show no new concerns. I’m praying for that and hope you are as well. ¶ Thank you for all of your prayers, thoughts and communications. They are all treasured.

What Do You Do?

What do you do all week is a good question? There is still a pandemic raging. There are really no safe places one can go to be with others. Yet Saturday comes and the week flies by and one sits and wonders, what did I do all week? ¶ In this household there are two opinions. One is mine and one is Sophia’s. My particular idea of accomplishment is to see something begun, worked on, and completed. I’ve yet to figure out what Sophia’s idea is. ¶ This week I know I’ve gone through a few piles of “things to do later when you have enough time.” I completed the Cat Zodiak puzzle.

¶ I’ve done very little exercise and with good reason, one being that it’s been too cold to walk outside. Another reason being that I hate to walk on the treadmill. I hate it because it’s boring. Well, then, why not put on an interesting video and watch that while you are walking? One might logically pose that question. Is there a logical answer? No. We’ve come around to square one. The reason being is that my watch will not record my steps on the treadmill, so I get no credit for doing anything, and if I don’t get credit why should I do it? Now, that makes sense. No one should do anything if you don’t get credit for it. Well, it makes sense to me anyway exercise-wise. ¶ I did my prep work for our weekly Tuesday night Benedictine liturgy. I sent out the PDFs and the Zoom link, and hosted the meeting and participated in the discussion following. ¶ I did go to the Eucharist on Ash Wednesday, at noon. I do believe there were more there that day than are currently present on Sunday. ¶ I made my weekly trip to Eucharist on Thursday and visited briefly with the folks there, followed by my usual trip to Costco. Why? Because the church is close to Costco so it’s convenient to make that stop for fuel and one or two or several dozen other things. It’s truly amazing to see that some people actually do go to Costco for just one thing. Not very many people, but once in a while there is some one. ¶ I’ve done quite a lot of reading comparatively speaking, a lot of praying, and some thinking. And, that’s about it. ¶ Sophia’s agenda is a bit different. She’s fond of “floppy” toys. These are items that have some length. She enjoys tossing them in the air and trying to catch them before they hit the floor. A juggler does the same thing, only with more than one object. This bit of amusement doesn’t last very long. Resting is then in order or a search for a new and better toy.

¶ She is not fond of drinking out of her fountain so she won’t if there is an alternative, which is a bathroom sink, or any sink. She feels persecuted because I limit her drinking to one bathroom sink. Most of time she simply want to watch the water go down the drain. She finds that most fascinating. I would equate it with watching grass grow, or paint drying. ¶ When she is really interested in drinking then we go through the balancing act of three feet on the edge of the sink and one on the ledge behind, a most interesting position. ¶ In my presence she does not ascend the kitchen counter, and she is quick to assure me that she would never think of doing such a thing, because that would be naughty and displease me. However, once in a while when approaching the kitchen sink in the morning there may be a broken water glass

lurking therein. How did this happen? We have no clue. ¶ The morning paper reports that the new hot movie “Nomadland” is streaming on HULU. I’ll have to see if I agree with the critics. There are rumored to be several scenes filmed in South Dakota. In one of these Frances McDormand plays a clerk at the infamous Wall Drug. ¶ This reminds me that I must engage in my yearly winter viewing of “Fargo.” ¶ The strife continues over the governor’s refusal to allow the people of South Dakota to know how many of their tax dollars have gone to pay for her security whilst she is out stumping for other candidates of her ilk in other states. Some bills have been introduced in the legislature but have been killed in committee by persons of her own political persuasion. Makes one think that perhaps something fishy is going on. ¶ Today, I have been for one walk and intend to take another. It is 40 degrees warmer today than our coldest temp of last week. We’ve had nothing to compare with the south ravaged by winter cold and ice. We are, at least, equipped to deal with it. Friends live in a location where it never snows but this year received 6 inches in one storm. That’s a little hard to deal with unless you have a snow shovel. Most in their location do not. At last count I have five snow shovels. Don’t ask why, I just do. There is a reason. I could offer to loan a few out but they wouldn’t get where they are needed before the big melt. The stories of people dealing with the cold, the frozen pipes, the lack of electricity and numerous health problems are truly tragic. ¶ Looking forward to Thursday when I receive my second COVID vaccination. I will then feel somewhat more safe. I’ve felt well all week, and with the increasing daylight and some bright, sunshiny days things are going fine. ¶ Thanks for reading, for your thoughts, and for your prayers. I miss seeing you.

It doesn’t really hurt until…

One can read about the hundreds of thousands of COVID deaths but it is an academic exercise which elicits outrage, sorrow, feelings of compassion, wishes for an end to it all, cabin fever, a myriad of emotions but it really doesn’t hurt until it hits home. One of my closest friends of many years, my mentor as a teacher in the gifted program, my school principal for several years, my house sitter, my cat care taker, my chauffeur when a four wheel drive was necessary, my companion at symphony concerts, jazz in the park, and at Levitt at the Falls, health advisor, companion at doctor’s appointments, died of COVID-19 on Monday morning. There’s no reason that Colleen should have been afflicted with COVID. No one was more careful than she when the pandemic hit. She would never go into a store. Everything had to be delivered or curb-side pick up. Having gone through chemotherapy she was rigid about hand sanitizing. She would not go to social events, no matter how physically distanced and masked the smallish crowd might be. Yet she went to one physical therapy appointment and that made the difference, according to her daughter, a physician. She suffered four hospital stays, two times in rehab, pneumonia and pulmonary embolism, scarred lungs, and finally in hospice. Always a petite person she weighed less than 80 pounds. Seeing her last Sunday morning as she struggled for every breath, I knew she would not be on this earth much longer. This thing is so very real. It’s not some plot to keep everyone frightened. It is a nasty, nasty thing and it kills people. Blowhards can poo-poo it and claim it’s going to disappear. Governors can pretend that they are doing people a favor by not requiring precautions. No one is doing anyone a favor by not taking every precaution possible until COVID is conquered. And even when every precaution is taken, some still die. May Colleen rest in peace and rise in glory.

On Sunday I noticed a swelling on my right cheek and that side of the neck. I didn’t think it was a tooth because I could chew easily on that side. By Monday the swelling was a little more pronounced. On Tuesday even more so, I made an appointment with my doctor who was full for the day and leaving on vacation. The PA was the next choice so I took it. While having my infusion that day, the usual routine is to ask a whole list of questions. Have I been in the hospital? Have I fallen? Have you noticed any changes? Being an exemplary patient I said I was concerned about the swelling on my face. Many nurses had to come in and declare that I was indeed swollen. The PA declared is was a swelling of the parotid gland and that I should allow lemon drops to dissolve in my mouth or insert lemon pieces with some frequency. Feeling that lemon drops were the less objectionable I opted for them. I did mention to the doctor, who came in to check the PA’s diagnosis, that I had received the COVID vaccine. He didn’t think that would cause it. At the cancer center the next day I voiced that opinion to one of the nurses who immediately reported several cases of various swollen glands amongst the nursing staff after having the injection. The swelling abated gradually. I revisited the PA on Friday and she agreed that it well could have been the injection. I’m practically normal, swelling-wise, now, so I declare that I am over the “mump.” Other than that little episode the week went well. All the infusions were infused, the anti-nausea medication administered each day, and I received my Friday shot to improve my white-cell count. A news notice was just received that the Senate has failed to convict the former president. There are so many things wrong with this that I cannot get into it. But, I’ve served on the jury often enough to know that jurors are not allowed to sit and doodle, or read other documents while evidence is being presented, that jurors are not allowed to be absent. I also know that members of the jury are not allowed to meet with the defendant’s attorneys during the trial. What a travesty and a show of contempt. May the ballots cast in the next election reveal that we hold our senators to a higher standard than many have displayed. It’s cold here. The low tomorrow night is predicted to be -24º. The prediction also is for a high of 37º one week from Monday! Spring is near. So is Lent near. This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday the beginning of the 40 days of Lent (not counting Sundays, which are never part of Lent).

The term Lent comes from the Old English word meaning “spring season.” Spring will be welcome after this weekend’s frigid temperatures. Sophia and I have enjoyed several evenings in front of the fire. I’ve binge-watched “All Creatures Great and Small.” It is quite as enjoyable as the original series. What to watch next is the burning question. A new puzzle has been started. It has to do with cats and the signs of the Zodiac. The border is complete and more labor will be accomplished this evening. Now it’s time to bundle up for the trip to the mailbox. Winter is a lot of work—all that dressing and undressing and booting and unbooting, all for the 30 foot trip to the mailbox. Is it worth it? I frequently ask myself. However I was raised to bring the mail in everyday, so that is what I must do. One cannot forget one’s upbringing.

Brilliant Sunshine

Most of today, much to my delight, has been filled with brilliant sunshine. Pouring through the windows it has been a joy. It is especially bright being reflected by the newly fallen snow. Have I ventured out, one may ask? The answer is “no.” Today’s high is 3º and tonight we will enjoy -9º. Or, shall we say, some might enjoy. The air quality index is “good.” The prognostication for the end of next week is three days with a high of 0º and low of -11º. Not having paid much attention during the seemingly endless days of cloudiness no attention was given to the weather report. Thursday being the appointed day for my first COVID-19 vaccine injection, the time for reporting being 7:20 AM, taking the body to bed early on Wednesday seemed wise. At 5 AM my cellphone beeped its text message arrival sound. A very few friends are known as early risers. This missive was from the city announcing a “snow emergency” and plowing would begin post-haste. Plowing! I need to be on the other side of the city for the blessed shot in the arm! A few more minutes of shut-eye won’t hurt. Needless to say the few more minutes were overcome by angst concerning the trip “over the river and through the woods” to the clinic I must go. Trust that the plows would have all the emergency routes completed was low. The route being plotted in my head, I bravely set forth. My house is just a half-block from the closest emergency route, downhill at that.

I don’t exactly know where all the people on this side of town and the adjacent suburbs work, but wherever it is they need to be there at 7 AM obviously. In addition to the traffic there were more than the usual number of, shall we say, careless drivers, or those who know not how to manage a vehicle on slippery streets. Dilemma posed, shall one take the Interstate or go through the city streets. My trust level of the State of South Dakota being swifter than the city in clearing the snow is not high, so I guess the Interstate is out of the question. Thankfully all the chosen streets upon which to travel had been plowed and arrival at the clinic was in good time. When checking in I was informed that my advent was early. After explaining that I wanted to be sure to make it, the attendant smiled and said “enter through this door,” as he gestured. The next person checked the form previously filled out at home and directed me to a table where a quick jab in the arm was received. Next stop was the scheduling desk for the next shot, then fifteen minutes sitting in a physically distanced area and back on the streets by 7:15 for the journey home. Choosing a different route I had the misfortune to be caught in the traffic for, not one, but three schools. The upshot: I am partially protected and will have shot number two on February 25 at 9 AM. The snow people arrived to do their “thing” about mid-morning. I ventured out for the 1 PM Eucharist at Good Shepherd. After a couple of errands my return home necessitated looking at the roof. There was wind but it was not doing an adequate job of clearing the roof. Instead of fretting, my decision was to go ahead and rake the roof. Now where was the roof rake last seen? Probably somewhere in the garage would be a logical location. It was found, assembled and the roof raked! For those not accustomed to this ritual of roof raking, it is a means of getting the snow off the roof so an ice dam will not develop at the eaves. The roof rake is an inverted snow shovel on a long pole with three extensions that plug into each other making the whole contraption about 24 feet long. The design is such that a person doesn’t have to get on the roof but merely hoist it up and pull the snow down. The biggest struggle is getting it up on the roof. The technique has to be finely tuned so the rake remains on the roof while pulling the snow within .25 inch of the edge so one need not hoist it up again. I am sure the neighbors are highly entertained by the whole process should they be inclined to watch. It really does not take that much time but the thought of going through the gymnastics involved has a tendency to cause a delay in the deployment of the aforementioned equipment.

The puzzle mentioned last week has been completed. I must admit that it was difficult. There is a certain satisfaction in completing a work begun. Perhaps that is one of the reasons for working on a puzzle. I have another puzzle which appears to be even more challenging. No one has high expectations of my completion of a puzzle which makes it a nice pastime in the dreary winter days, and leisurely as well. I’ve felt well all week. The infusion routine begins again on Monday. I’ve no reason to believe it will go differently than in the past. I have an Erma Bombeck book to read which will keep me thoroughly entertained. I found this on a bookshelf, dusted it off and take it along. I’d forgotten how humorous her writing was. She was another person taken much too early from among us. Her account of life in the suburbs as a mother is wonderful. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts and your time shared with me.