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.