You Can't Stay Home Forever

   Well, maybe you can, but March, April, May, June, and July is long enough, already.

   Senior Adults need to get out and see people and things.

   But how to do it and stay safe from our "friend", Covid-19?

   Why not just enjoy the simple pleasures of home? After all the morning glories are blooming..

   Planning is important in these times, and we wanted to stay safe. So...

   We wanted to get to Blacksburg to see our kids, and there were some guidelines we needed to follow. 

      1. Don't eat out in strange places.

      2. Use a mask when out in public.

   Who was that masked woman?

      3. Use clean, less crowded rest rooms.

   Now you may think that this is kinda self-serving, being how I like to visit courthouses, especially those in small, out of the way places, but remembering how we used the restrooms while traveling, they seemed an available, and perfect, option. They were kept up well, never anybody else waiting or using, and seemed the perfect place to keep safety in the forefront. So we visited small county seats, especially in towns off the beaten track and kept clear of crowds in restrooms on the interstate highways. 

Cocke County, Newport, TN

Greene County, Greeneville, TN

Jefferson County, Dandridge, TN

Smyth County, Marion, VA

Washington County, Jonesborough, TN

   It is not hard to stay out of eating venues if you pack your own lunch and snacks. On a 6 hour drive, only one meal is needed each way, and that was always ready. The problem was where to eat. We solved this on the way north by finding a church parking lot, with shade and a picnic table.

Baileyton, TN UMC Church 

   The only person around was the lawn mower guy. He saw what we were doing and just waved as he mowed, ending with a salute as he drove off when finished.

   On the return trip from Blacksburg, we found a small rest area on I-81 and stayed away from the rest rooms, and other people.

   Another advantage of courthouse visits was the mandatory use of the face masks in those courthouse buildings. In Tennessee it must have been an important day for car tags as there were lines (spaced appropriately of course) in several places.

   The purpose of our trip was to visit with family, and we did for a couple of days before heading home. Our primary activity, besides eating, was Pickleball. We took our paddles and balls, chalk for marking lines on the tennis court, and played many games.

   It was more instruction in rules at first, but as that family caught hold of the concepts, some real lively games ensued. Pictured are Caroline and Carolyn in the forecourt with Drew and David in the back. PS: the photographer is standing in the shade on a hot day.

   There is a certain type of anticipation that takes place as you begin a backroad oddesey. You know you will get scenery, history, and adventure, but you just never know what interesting places you will find.

   Like a big dike holding back the waters of Douglas Lake at Dandridge..

   Like a Revolutionary War Graveyard, also in Dandridge..

   Also in Dandridge where Tennessee seemed to be hanging on by a thread..

   In Newport where a 1920s Clinic and Hotel had been redone for Senior Housing, on the highway behind the Courthouse.

   In Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee, we found a picturesque town, that was home to a national storytelling theatre..We want to come back and stay one day.

   And in the parking lot behind the Washington County Courthouse, a car with a John Wayne quote. 

   "Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway"

   Appropriate for the settlers who came to these sections of East Tennessee and SW Virginia.

   It did not take a lot of courage for us to make this trip, but we found people and places where courage was put on display for all to see, and enjoy.

History in the Flower Patch

   LILIES Flourish in the Garden at Woodlane.

   And each time, Carolyn and I take a stroll to survey that plant paradise, I get a lesson in History. Not the kind of lesson taught in school and recorded in textbooks, but a personal flower story.

   "This plant or cutting was given to me by ...... way back in the 80s", and the pedigree comes out as we admire the color and shape of the flower. 

   Let me illustrate with a real life example (above). "This day lily tuber was passed along to me (Carolyn) by Jean Thigpen, but I believe she got it from Carolyn Floyd. It is called Midnight Magic."

   One day a man who worked for a neighbor, Portries, appeared at the front door with a clump of bulbs, and planted them for me in the garden. These are not days lilies, but the blooms last for several days. The flowers are named Wine and Roses.

   "Nadine is a close friend, and she brought me these from her Mother's yard."

   "Another neighbor, Denver Scott, a hybridizer of day lilies, gave me these tubers, left over from his work."

   "These were my purchases at Day Lily shows years ago"

   A cousin of Carolyn's sent her these from Missouri. They were a present in gratitude for the help she had received when coming to Chattanooga to do some geanologicai research on the McClure family from the Ringgold area. George McClure was Carolyn's Great Grandfather on her mother's side.

   These are called Rain Lilies, and they are planted around the birdbath, where the birds splash water from the concrete bath on the plants every time they bathe.

   These are not just flowers to "pretty up" the yard, there are stories associated with each. They are remembrances from friends and family, and they mean something. 

   There are plenty more plantings scattered around the house and yard, all with a story for another day.

   It is a great spot to call home.

Leave That Bathrobe on the Hook

   Why do we do the things we do?

      Is it Habit Only?

      Is out of of a Principle?

   Why do we quit doing some things and never go back?

   What calls us to return to some things that we used to do?

   Why is that bathrobe hanging on a hook in my bathroom?

   Let's us return to the first part of March 2020. A virus, Covid 19, was beginning to sweep through our country, and indeed, the world.

   Governments, beginning with the U.S. Government and going down to the State of Tennessee, to the County and the City, knowing there was no cure for the virus when it attacked, nor any vaccine that would ward it off, decided on Social distancing, masks, and eliminating group contact.

   All the "normal" things that occupied our lives changed.

   The rut we had been traveling swerved in a new direction.

   We did not choose what to do, now we were told what way we should live.

   Could it be that this change would not be all bad?

   We could, and should, think about why we did those things. Was it for reasons of inertia, or we have always done this, or we don't want to change?

   Back in the early days of March, governments began trying to slow the virus down, rules, regulations and guidelines were proposed and enacted to keep the pandemic from spreading.

   Not only did these disrupt and close down Monday through Friday, they closed the doors of Saturday and Sunday.

   Church, like ours and yours, could not meet together in person.

   We got "virtual church".

   Worshipping together had a new meaning. Watching the same streaming church service. became the way "to do" church. So, in our own living room, in our recliners, perhaps still in pjs and robes, we watched church leaders do their thing with no one close by. Not just one church, Brainerd Baptist, but all churches.

   Participating in a service meant singing along with the music minister or praise team, bowing our heads as someone lead the morning prayer, or even standing, alone or in a family, as the Bible was read. We listened as the pastor read from his text, in our own Bibles or on the screen of the TV.

   Now we are about to participate in a combination of the personal and the virtual. There are decisions to be made even on our part, as to what we should do.

   I drove by the church campus this morning. Buildings and parking lots looked the same as they had for the last 3 months or so.

   Empty!

   This coming Sunday, June 7, 2020, the scene will change again:

 

   No longer will be the church spire just house the room where the virtual service originated, but be an active symbol of God's Love.

   The church will open its doors to invite people inside to be together.

   Serving, Fellowshipping, Worshipping..

   Singing, Praying, Reading and Listening..

   True, there is still a concern that some folks should not come back this soon. Many are still "at risk" in this medical crisis. Even with all the precautions that will be taken, there is no guarantee that the virus may not slip in.

   Several times over the past months I have pondered about going back to church. Why is church so much a feature of my past life. I know I have had periods where I did not want to go for some reason or another, but why the desire to be there when the doors open Sunday.

   There are many reasons to go to church, and, true, I know some folks who don't go and don't seem to think about God at all, but a church, no matter how grand or how plain, is still God's house.

   I am glad that technology has advanced to the point where the virtual service can be a reality, and I'm glad that we have been able to worship that way each week but,

   When these doors open 3 days from now, I am glad we can slip inside and listen for God's voice in a service of worship.

   We are a blessed people.

   Amen

(And the bathrobe, still on that hook waiting for my return...)


 

 

 


 

Walking on a Sunday

   Chattanooga has been active over the past few years in establishing walking trails (and bikes) around the Tennessee River area. There is the Riverwalk which begins at Chickamauga Dam, runs to downtown then south to the St. Elmo area at the foot of Lookout Mountain.

   There is also a Greenway trail that runs north from the River toward Hixson on the North Chickamauga Creek.

   Then there is the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway, which, when finished, will run from the Riverwalk near the river, all the way to Camp Jordan in East Ridge. Carolyn and I have walked part of this trail previously, but yesterday, on a sunny Sunday, after a virtual church service, we took the section running east toward the Airport. This section goes about 2 miles until it reaches the still-under-construction part.

   The trailhead for this section is located at the old Sterchi Farm, just south of the Creek close to Highway 58 in East Chattanooga. Dairy cattle roamed these fields in days past, and the creamery was just to the east on Highway 58.

   Standing tall at the trailhead is an old silo, constructed of cobblestones, picked up from the fields around the area. 

   Right off the trail, heading east, the developers have constructed a small park. It is a sort of "challenge" area for kids, and others, consisting of large tree trunks, like you would use to cross a small stream or washout. The whole park is comprised of items from the surrounding area, like rocks from the fields and streams and the aforementioned logs.

   Then the trail begins to rise as it clings to the side of a hill working its way toward the Highway 58 bridge across the Creek, crossing under the bridge and over the Creek, taking its travelers to the north side. 

   The trail is mostly deserted, maybe 10 people walking in the 4 miles we hiked, plus 6 or 8 cyclists. It is a hidden gem meandering along the Creek, seemingly unknown by the inhabitants of the area. We were glad to find it.

   From Highway 58 we walked along the stream in an eastwardly direction, crossing under another railroad bridge, before we came to the end of the completed section, and retraced our steps to the Sterchi Farm.

   Walking and Cycling were not the only ways to enjoy this area. We saw canoeists on the water, and some kayakers. One couple looked to be enjoying lunch in their boats at a shady spot across the Creek.

   For two octogenarians, it was a great place to be out of doors. There were new flowers to ponder, history to consider, and just great scenery.

   Although we say we walked or hiked this trail, it was more like a stroll with our 25 minutes per mile pace, just about right to work up a Sunday lunch appetite.

   After all, 4 miles is not a bad morning stroll for old legs.

   The trail is a jewel, God's handiwork is awesome, and doing this together makes the experience worth celebrating.

   

   

A Colorful Day

   Early yesterday morning, there was this rainbow, visible from our kitchen window before breakfast.

   After supper, another more colorful one, and double, appeared in the east out the living room window.

   In between, part of our Wednesday was spent working on a new puzzle sent by Carolyn's daughter in law, Joan.

   And a prayer from my reading this morning.

      "Lord, You are our rock and our Redeemer. You are our strength and our Protector. Everything good in us is from You. It's crazy to think that with just a word You spoke everything into existence. You are amazing. You are mighty. Thank you for creating us to be able to see Your colors and feel Your Love.Thank You."

   Blessed with a meaningful Day

   With lots of color.

   

A Reminder from an Everyday Errand

   Sitting in the breakfast room, just checking my phone, I hear a voice,

   "Honey, will you go out and get the mail?"

   "Sure", I replied and promptly went out through the side porch and started toward the front of the house.

   Walking around the south side of the house to the front, I exited the grassy area onto the drive and moved toward the road and the mailbox. Partway down the drive I passed the walkway from the front door.

   At the point where the stepping stones meet the drive, there is an area with an outside light and a small flower garden.Two clumps of, what I think are Siberian Iris, I spy a hint of color, not rising out of the clump of green, but buried deep inside the flags, the foliage we might call the leaves.

   A splash of purple at the bottom of the plant, hidden from view until you stand right over the tall green flags, and look down from above.

   That is pretty neat, I think as I continue my short walk to the mailbox.

   Walking, my eye is drawn to a larger white object over by the garage. I take a quick look to my left and see...

   Yes, it is my beloved white 2007 Ford Ranger, standing proudly out in the late afternoon sun, just begging for a chance to pose for a shot.

   Retrieving the mail, I move quickly back into the house and grab my phone. That truck is calling.

   As I return to the front drive and move down toward my Ranger, I pass by the little purple iris and think...

   Too often I have made myself the object standing proud in the limelight, when I should have been biding my time, inconspicuously waiting.

   Over my lifetime, too often have I sought man's praise instead of being satisfied with God's.

   A reminder from a stroll to the mailbox:

   God's handiwork is so much more powerful than man's.

Shelter in Place

   What does a day of Shelter in Place feel like?

   What do they mean when talking about "A New Normal"?

   I was thinking about this in my morning quiet time and decided that we are just doing now what we were doing before all this staying home was mandated.

   Let's run through an "Old Normal" day, like a Tuesday several weeks back.

   Get up early, maybe 6-6:30

   Read my morning Scripture and commentary (I am currently going through the Bible with Adam Wainwright, a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals and a member of Community Church in St. Simons)

   Make the coffee, pour the OJ, and welcome my charming wife to a new day.

   Breakfast

   Check the iphone for email messages and weather forecast, then settle back in the kitchen rocker for a few quick Solitare games. I try to play 4 daily challenges.

   Free Cell, Regular Solitaire, Pyramid, and Spider

   Take care of any chores and get dressed.

   Check the paper and do a couple of puzzles there.

Sudoku

Crossword

   It should be time for lunch by now...

Meal and a Game (or two)

Is she reading or playing yet another game?

   Depending on the weather, the afternoon might be spent working outside, going for a bike ride, practicing Pickleball over at Central High on an old tennis court, or reading.

   By that time, it is Supper..

   After supper and cleanup it is time for some viewing on the TV

Jeopardy, Andy Griffith, and Heartland

   Being worn out from a strenuous day, we hit the hay.

   The next day, we will begin another day, and it will probably look pretty much the same.

   The "New Normal" of the COVID19 is surprisingly like the Old normal of a few weeks back. Sure we don't get to church on Sundays, or play Pickleball on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or work a stint behind the welcome desk at the BX on Mondays, but we keep our minds sharp with puzzles and games and enjoy our days together.

My Favorite-LEMON

   Let's don't forget the Cook, the one who keeps us nourished for our busy schedule.

   We are blessed, and we know it.