Masking again?
Masking Again?
Yes— Now, though, I am masking for outside— not inside.
Who knew we could live through a CODE PURPLE weather alert day?
Good Grief —It’s a good thing we cornered the market on N-95 masks a few months back.
These treacherous smoky skies — blanketing us in dangerous particles and gases — have changed our agendas almost as quickly as the pandemic upended our plans in the early days.
They also are a test of my propensity to grouse about stuff I really could never control but ignore stuff I can.
What I Can’t do a Thing About . . . Still!
It’s as if the foul air is a metaphor for all the news that keeps seeping in:
Ukraine
politics
volcanoes
the deepening cultural quagmires, ETC! plus,
all the troubles in the lives of those we love.
Did I forget anything else of which this murky metaphor reminds me?
Oh yeah: my age and stage!
Today I’d like to sit and sip,
Forget about the world a bit,
Ignore the things I have to do,
And just enjoy a cup or two.
~Author unknown
Tea with a Tea rose — inspired by Linda Jacobus
What Can I Do?
God willing, the weather pattern that is holding some of us hostage will dissipate and the skies will be again their beautiful summery blue.
And maybe we can again smell the magnolias, roses, and lavender.
It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside. ~Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, 1941
Masking while tending this year’s planting adventures means I can’t get a whiff of their fragrances.
I so love the way marigolds smell!
God’s inventory of all the flowers and even the weeds could fill a Burpee’s catalogue and then some, huh?
Glad I am for the memories of former weeks of evening walks when the honeysuckle was a heady perfume.
A Goad
The masking suggestions reminds me that following directions means I can still stay busy . . .
Bad air outside is no reason to stay off my knees in the garden or in my heart:
Prayer is an antidote for helplessness.
And so is this reminder from a dear friend, whose husband’s needs have changed their lives and ministry—
God’s grace is specific and God’s grace is sufficient. (Aging with Grace: Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture)
Another good day, then, to paint . . . and finish up listening to Doris Kerns Goodwin’s The Bully Pulpit.The more things change . . . What a tragedy political divisiveness and “news” can create!