It's Sunday

This is going to be known as "the year when church was cancelled". I will be in trouble all week not knowing which day of the week it is. But still ... James and I had a good experience. First of course we had breakfast which today was toasted "Holiday Bread", a homemade baked gift from our friends Kim and Mike for Christmas and frozen. Yummy!

Then we sat down at the dining room table and set the computer up to worship with the streamed (FaceBook) service of our church. St. Martin's priest Father Lee and others are doing wonderful work. Here is a link to the 4th Sunday in Lent. We love your church!!! You might want to click on that link for some quiet time any time of the week. We found it very uplifting.

In the afternoon I was busy figuring out how to make a face mask. Sarah is a clinical pharmacist. As all hospitals right now her's is short on protective masks. I had told her that I was reading that quilters were busy sewing homemade ones and asked whether that was even accepted in places like hers. A day later she said that her boss was sewing some for everybody on the weekend and volunteered me to help. There are so many different pattern out there. Which one? Her department had some certain specifications e.g. it had to be polyester on the outside etc. Most pattern asked for cotton. And did you know that the pleats have to go a certain way? Outside and insides they go different ways. Here is my prototype:

We observed "social distancing" as we drove to deliver it to Sarah. Of course we waited until the boys were taking their nap and didn't get close to Sarah or Wade either. Now I am waiting to hear whether she wants me to make more.

Afterwards we did manage to get to our 10,000 step goal but it was cold and windy. Where is the beautiful weather from Thursday and Friday? So many signs of spring, even in the cracks in the roads on our walks.

It was time for some garden work. Trimmed the roses (partly, more is needed), cleaned up some azaleas and took care of the more than unruly butterfly bush. For the last our neighbors were happy.

Ha-ha, unfortunately the grass seeded in fall at the edge of our patio is doing more than good. But, while we were taking a break, the next door neighbor came over with his weed trimmer and took care of it. I should have taken an after-picture. Thank you, Bill.

When I wanted to take care of some plastic over some stacked/empty planters ... look what I found. He was so cute and was very complacent looking at me. Is this Freddie which every year shows up either in the front underneath the lamp to feast on the bugs? The same we also found underneath the grill cover?

But look. There is another one. Well, sorry for disturbing you. I put same back under their cover.

Not used to garden work especially after the winter. But we were very pleased with our efforts ... and being able to have lunch outside.

Another few days of winter coming again and hopefully more and more days like this. 

God is good.

Quarantined

Yes, our Doctor of Pharmacy (younger daughter Sarah) told us sternly that we should take it seriously. Yes, we are old (even though we don't think of us as such). We are in the 70s group. I am 71 and James 77.  So, we did self-quarantine. Social distancing is a new concept.

One can't stand listening to the news and we try to make the best out of the situation. James and I have never ever been bored. There is so much we can do. If the weather allows we can go for walks. Our community is great for that with wide streets and pedestrian walkways. More people than usual are out walking and most are serious about keeping the 6 feet minimum distance. If we go towards each other on the sidewalks, one of us steps out into the (most times empty) street. Yes, we chat with each other across the street.
Luckily the last two days we had awesome weather. Here is James yesterday with shorts for the first time this year.

We play cards at least once a day, usually after lunch with our coffee.

We have plenty of food in our pantry and can plunder the freezer. For teatime we enjoyed a banana cake a friend had gifted to us at Christmas. Yummy.

So, not much hardship for us ... except that we can't see our grandsons (and their parents of course)  and can't meet with our friends. Every Friday we usually go for dinner with some other couples. Not now. Church is cancelled. No Wednesday Lenten service. We are already told no Holy Week services. No Easter service. The last two Richmond Forum events for this year: cancelled (hopefully postponed). Richmond Opera's Aida: cancelled (postponed?).

And just yesterday I received the email that the Oberammergau Passionplay in Germany is cancelled too. That was a big part of our next trip (planned for June 19 to July 19). We had spent many hours in February to puzzle this trip together. We had booked a cruise on a small ship (I think about 80 passengers) from Venice to Malta with time in Germany before and in Rome after. We had invited my sister Ute to spend time with us in Oberammergau and yesterday I had to give her the news about that. I had already talked with our friend Corry in Singen that we most likely could not come. They had planned a party with the "old" friends in their house. Today we started to cancel all the other "puzzle pieces" like the train ride from Munich to Venice over the Alps, all the different hotels, the transatlantic flights and from Malta to Rome, the tour of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel and the tour to Pompeii. So much had been on my bucket list.

But what is all the above to what happens to other people. With God's grace we might be able to still do that in another year. But all those sick people. All those people who have lost loved ones. All those people without a job, without income. All the school children out of their routines. All those people who might lose their small businesses so hard worked for. What effect has this on society and all of us. Statistics! We hear numbers.

James and I are lucky. We have enough to eat. We can do our walks. Today I even did some gardening which I have neglected for a while. Ha-ha, I roped James in for help and he was very willing. We have lots of projects we can (and should) do. And we are grateful. But still ... 

Sometimes you do have a sleepless night. It is after 3 am now and I better try again.

Did you know ...?

... that there are house concerts? After all these years we found out last October.

I learned by chance that one of my Montpelier quilting friends sometimes hosts one and she invited us. Peg had shared this information with me.

So, on Oct 20, we went for the first time. Their house is in the middle of the country side and we most likely would have never found it without a GPS. It was a lovely drive even though it was raining.

Peg had told me that they can accommodate up to 40 guests. We were not quite as many but it was all very interesting and friendly. The music was awesome including a couple of bagpipe songs and a sing-along. What an experience.

After the concert in the living room we all went into a room over the garage. It was obviously for dancing. We were taught the Virginia Reel and things like that. I was very much out of my box. 

Then we all enjoyed a potluck meal together.

So, when Peg announced another house concert for this Sunday March 8 we were happy to accept again. Here is the write-up:

We didn't regret it. It was a great afternoon. It seemed as if the fiddle was a part of her. She was so enthusiastic. 

Mari talked about how much she liked house concerts and the differences between that and concerts on stage in front of many more people. It was all very informal. James and I thought we had recognized one of the other guests as the musician from our first house concert. He was and Mari introduced him as her teacher and mentor and he played twice with her/them. 

Oh yes, afterwards the dancing again. I was still out of my box even though I must admit that it is fun. James was in his element.

Potluck dinner was called and Mari was ready to rush down the stairs, ha-ha.

Leaving the house we saw the "special" moon called for tonight.

Next morning: the huge moon still to see at 6:30 am on our way to "over the river" to help with the children.

Oh yes, might as well share a photo from yesterday, Sunday March 8. Wade and Caleb had been to a Boy Scout overnight, Sarah and the twins came to church Sunday morning. Sarah said they had asked to go to church and were good as gold. James had to serve. The boys insisted that they had to help Papa "undress".

Still chilly but all-together a nice weekend. How can Omi not be happy?

Season Tickets

Just some thoughts about it. We moved to Virginia in 2008. Soon James heard about the Richmond Forum and we booked season tickets starting with the 2009-2010 season. Those tickets were even then not so easy to get and we were in the very last row high up. James really had trouble sitting there with his long legs. Uncomfortable is not the right word. In the following season we were lucky though and got much better seats and now are very happy. It's a good thing we did that because there is a long waiting list for it now.

We have heard many interesting people talk about important subjects and have only one time been disappointed. Here is a link to the past speakers.

Saturday Feb 22 we saw and heard Peggy Noonan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Wall Street Journal. She also has written several books and was a Special Assistant and speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan and worked later for President George H. Bush. She was not only very interesting but also very humorous. I like it when I can laugh a lot.

The next day we went to the Carpenter Theater for the Sunday matinee at 2:30 pm because the other season tickets we have are for the Virginia Opera. In the beginning we used to say "oh, this would be nice to go to" or "that would be nice to get tickets for". But we never got around to get the tickets so obviously didn't go.

Ones you have tickets you try to go to all performances, even if you have never heard about that particular opera or composer. And every time when we had no expectations we were so surprised and had a wonderful time.

The Richmond Opera also has a special feature. We try to never miss Dr. Glen Winters' "Opera Up Close" pre-curtain talk forty-five minutes before the performance.  He is so interesting and very funny too. He gives us inside to what to watch out for we would never know and it makes it for a richer experience. We are at awe about the quality of the productions and especially the singers. I was wondering why I had never heard of Cinderella by Rossini. I think it is probably not that easy to find a singer who can do that lead roll. It was unbelievable. So glad we have those season tickets or we would miss all those incredible performances. Why did us to take so long to get into it.

Yes, getting the season tickets was a very good thing to do. We would have missed so much because we never got "the round toit".