Those 70ish Girls

They say you can learn a lot about a town by who’s buried in the cemetery.

Some of those buried at Mt. Moriah were really quite legendary.

I walked silently through all the sections. I knew who I was looking for.

They buried the unknown in Potter’s field with those who were very poor.

A large section is filled with those who died in a tragic lumber mill fire.

I found the graves of children of misfortune, madams, and a gun for hire.

I finally came to the two I had to see.. Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

I heard they were romantically involved but true love they couldn’t attain.

Wild Bill’s friends made a promise to him that someday when he died,

They wouldn’t bury Calamity near him. I see they must have lied.

Calamity outlived him by twenty-seven years. She’s buried on the hill.

She insisted she be buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery right next to Wild Bill.

So now they’re together for eternity, much to Wild Bill’s probable chagrin.

Shot in the back while playing poker…with a dead man’s hand he couldn’t win.

Mt Moriah Cemetery is in Deadwood, South Dakota

This morning as I drank my coffee… activator

I decided it was time to clean my… refrigerator

It turns out I should have watched a… demonstrator

Putting the shelves back in right was an… aggravator

I couldn’t ask my “smarter than I am”…next door neighbor

To come to my house and do me just a… little favor

We’re keeping our social distance for…the remainder

Of the time it takes to rid us of this… health invader

We all have to strive to be a good… cooperator

And listen to the updates on the… common denominator

This virus will be under control… sooner or later

This is what I get for being a… procrastinator

I’m trying not to become a…refrigerator hater

To those who have suffered through… so much greater

I’m sending lots of prayers for you… to our Creator

A picture my son took this morning in Wyoming

I decided to write a blog on things you can do to entertain yourself while having to stay home for what might be a couple of months or more.

This Coronavirus has sure been life changing for people all over the world.

I understand the need to isolate and stay away from groups with more than ten people in them. I know we’re supposed to stand or sit, six to ten feet apart. I wipe off the surfaces in my house and wash my hands often.

Understanding doesn’t make it any easier. I’m going to take a stab at making a list of SDA’s (social distancing activities.)

Last evening, Kip and I listened to our ipad. It has 1700 songs on it. Kip’s sister, Karlyce, downloaded all of them from itunes and she did a great job. We’ve listened to it once or twice before, but hadn’t listened to half of the songs. We used to play one of our 262 albums all the time, but it’s been a while.

We were going to play Dogopoly tonight. It was okay because Kip came in late from working on my she-shed and I was tired. Besides, we weren’t bored or crabby with each other. We’ll play it tomorrow night.

The following night, Kip will finish putting the heating/air conditioning unit in the space he made for it. I’m still going to use the electric fireplace if I just need to take the chill off. While Kip is working on my she-shed, I’ll sit on my porch, look at the sunset and catch up on some of my reading.

I had four emails canceling events until further notice. Part of me is okay with it. I’m about ready to prime and paint the she-shed ceiling. I should get my stencils in the mail tomorrow.

A friend posted this on Facebook today. The author died in 2013 so it has nothing to do with the pandemic. It sure does seem like it could have been written during this moment in time.

Sometimes it’s just meant to be

You see the things you’re meant to see

You’re not always meant to know

The way things are meant to go

You’re meant to feel the way you feel

Life’s meant to be good but real

You’re meant to keep the good things in mind

You’re meant to see the blessings you find

You’re meant to believe what you can’t see

Faith feeds our souls…it’s meant to be

You’re meant to be strong and forgiving

It’s all meant to be a part of living

You’re meant to sow what you want to reap

And give to others what you don’t need to keep

No one is meant to be misled

I meant every word you just read

 

 

It’s a serious time and we have to take care of ourselves and each other, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun. I decided to provide an activity that you can do alone at home. I bet you laugh at least once.

Be aware of the philosophy of laughter yoga. Laughter yoga was created by Dr. Madan Kataria, “The Laughter Guru,” who believes in the power of laughter and its ability to provide physical and holistic benefits. The laughter must be loud and deep, like a belly laugh coming straight from your diaphragm.

“I love people who make me laugh. …Venus

• Through a combination of deep breathing, physical movements, and deep laughing, laughter yoga ties the mind and body together, creating harmony between them. Though you may not feel happy or motivated to laugh, laughter yoga can help you learn to laugh as a form of exercise.

“I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever sat behind myself in a movie or something, I’d probably lean over and tell myself to please shut up.”
― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Keep in mind the physical benefits of laughter yoga. There are many physical benefits associated with laughter, especially with laughter done on a consistent basis for thirty minutes a day. These benefits include:

• A higher release of endorphins: Laughter has been proven to encourage the release of endorphins. They create a happier state of mind and boost your sense of self-worth and optimism.
• Improved circulation to your lymphatic system: Deep laughter involving deep inhales and exhales can help to ensure your major organs are fully oxygenated, giving you big bursts of energy and release. It can also massage your lymphatic system and promote better circulation to your digestive and lymphatic systems.
• A stronger immune system: Better circulation can also boost your immune system and increase the amount of anti-viral and anti-infection cells in your body.
• A healthier cardiovascular system: Laughter can help to lower your blood pressure and your pulse rates, ensuring your cardiovascular system is functioning properly.
• A form of catharsis and stress relief: Laughter is also a known form of catharsis and release, helping to release blocked emotions, mental issues, and any depression or anger.

Recognize the holistic benefits of laughter yoga. There are also holistic benefits to laughter yoga, which can help to improve your overall health, physically and emotionally. These include:

• Better emotional intelligence: Laughter encourages a sense of play and childlike behavior.
• An increased sense of joyfulness: Prolonged laughter can help you feel joy and have fun, despite any obstacles or problems you may be experiencing. Feeling joy is primarily a physical experience and you will be able to feel a real sense of joy doing laughter yoga.
• A better grip on negative emotions like depression, anxiety, and stress

“Inventory:
“Four be the things I am wiser to know:
Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe.
Four be the things I’d been better without:
Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.
Three be the things I shall never attain:
Envy, content, and sufficient champagne.
Three be the things I shall have till I die:
Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye.”
― Dorothy Parker, The Complete Poems of Dorothy Parker

Pearl’s Fashion House/Runway/Farm has been open for a few weeks now and there has only been one fashion show. The crowd mostly consisted of Bingo player holdovers. However, the word is trying to get out and Hilda/Hsomething has actually gotten some big name fashion designers to commit to a run down the runway under one condition. There has to be 150 attendees who each have the ability to purchase a minimum of one designer outfit. This will not be a runway event where fashion is purchased to provide inventory for high end shops…maybe later.

Essie/Ellie: Since we have a bunch of chickens now, we have more eggs than we can eat, sell, and give away. There are a couple of dozen going rotten every day. I can’t even get them all collected. Sometimes, I don’t know if the ones I’m getting are rotten or fresh.

Grace: Maybe we can sell some nice fresh eggs at the fashion show, and I’ll sell some of my divinity. I use lots of egg whites when I make divinity.

(I’m going to jump ahead just a little and tell you that an awful thing happens at the fashion show. Grace accidentally uses rotten eggs to make her divinity. In an attempt to use some of the eggs, she has also made custard pie with rotten eggs.)

Pearl: We can make some of those egg salad sandwiches and cut the crust off the bread. That makes them look high society.

(Jumping ahead, that turns out to be a bad idea.)

Ellie/Essie: You two are coming up with some great ideas. We also have too much milk. We have goat’s milk and cow’s milk. No one likes the goat’s milk. They think it tastes like a hairy old goat. Does anybody know how to make hairy old goat cheese?

(Bad Idea)

Pearl: Stop Essie. Grace is getting that funny look on her face. She hates to waste anything and bad things happen when Grace tries to overcome wastefulness.

(Jumping ahead, Grace makes eggnog and sells it at the fashion show. The fashionistas seem to like it.)

And the crowd? Well, at first they were pretty upset.

Then a laughter yoga instructor decided to save the day by doing laughter yoga. Pearl and Grace loved it. Pearl is looking at adding another slash to her business. How about Pearl’s Fashion/Runway/Farm/Laughter Yoga Studio?

HA HA HO HO HO

What is More?

By Mary Francis McNinch

I asked my dad to help me with my school report.
He said, “Not now, my little one, my time is just too short.
I know you’ll understand that I have promises to keep.
I work late every night, while you are fast asleep.
You know that old car of ours? It runs great, but it’s not fancy.
You asked for some new dresses and I said that I would see.
I only want the best for you. I work harder than before
to make a better living so I can give you what is more.”

Dad went off to work that day and I went off to school.
I saw a friend’s new shoes and they were oh so cool!
I wished that I could have some shoes exactly like she had.
I couldn’t wait til I got home so I could ask my dad
if I could have new shoes, though my old ones were still new,
I didn’t love them anymore, so they would never do.

When Dad got home from work, I could see that he was weary.
Though it was late, I couldn’t wait to approach him with my query.
He said, “I only want the best for you. I’ll work harder than before
to make a better living so I can give you what is more.”
It seemed no matter what I had, I wanted better stuff.
No matter what Dad gave me, it was never quite enough.
We didn’t talk about it, in fact we hardly talked at all.
Soon all those things around me, did nothing to enthrall.

Dad worked so hard there was no time for us to be together.
In time, it didn’t seem like we were two birds of a feather.
I sometimes questioned why things were so different from before.
Didn’t it mean Dad loved me, when he gave me what is more?

I couldn’t understand, why I felt such discontent.
The feeling came along with me, everywhere I went.
One day, though I was early, I thought I must be late.
I saw my dad out back, leaning up against the gate.
He didn’t see me coming. His expression was intense.
What was he looking for on the other side of the fence?
I stood quietly beside him and I felt him squeeze my hand.
We both gazed straight ahead and I began to understand.

“I see the Beasterhop,” I said. “Can you see him, Dad?”
“He’s riding the same old bicycle. The one he’s always had.”

Then Dad did something he hadn’t done in quite a while.
He waved hello to the Beasterhop and smiled a great big smile.

“He’s hard at work in his garden, Dad. He has bunny mouths to feed.”
Dad sighed and said, “Not to mention all of the other things they need.”
“I remember now,” Dad said, as he stopped and rubbed his chin.

I knew what he was thinking and I couldn’t help but grin.

Dad thought a little longer, still staring straight ahead.
And then he spoke to me, and this is what he said.

“I miss these times my little one. I know that I’m to blame.
I wanted to give you the world, and I played the world’s sad game.
The Beasterhop knows better. I just had two words wrong.
I know the right way now. It’s too bad it took so long.
I thought I had to give you the best of what is more. And so I worked much harder than I had ever worked before.

Our life will change. It won’t be both. It must be either or.
I’ll give you what is best for you, instead of what is more.

We’ll have more time together. We’ll make memories to store. And we’ll be thankful for enough instead of wanting more.”

The Beasterhop looked our way and I thought I saw him wink.

If you have enough… more gives you less. At least that’s what I think.

It’s a way of life much easier to talk about than do.
Please say a prayer for me and I will say a prayer for you.

I went out to the she-shed this afternoon to see how Kip was coming along. He is doing a great job! There is still a lot of work for both of us to do, but it’s about to get fun.

The walls are covered with four inch pine furring strips. they look like knotty pine. They’re a real light color and because there won’t be any windows, I’m going to stain them with a light stain.

I’m not going to complain about the “no windows” thing. The she-shed has double doors in front that take up space and I’ve come up with a couple of ideas for the ceiling that I hope will bring the feeling of the outside in. I’ll see what you think.

The ceiling has plywood held up by 2 x 4 rafters. They (the ceilings) are flat on 2 sides. Those areas could be used for storage. they’re kind of like a low loft. the ceiling is vaulted in the middle. I’m thinking of painting the rafters dark brown and the plywood light blue. Then I will stencil some clouds and birds up there.

The first pic is of one of the flat sides. The second is of the vaulted space in the middle.

The picture below is just to show the brown rafters. I couldn’t find a picture with the ceiling made from plywood.

There will be no chandelier or balcony. This is to show the clouds on a blue ceiling. Mine won’t look exactly like this because I’m not going to air brush the clouds on. I’m going to use stencils.

Bird and cloud stencils.

Painting the concrete floor is going to take a lot of work. You have to clean it with a special cleaner and seal it with a special sealer. I’m still looking for a cozy round rug,

There is already a storage cabinet and a shelf in there to display my display stuff.

Kip just ordered a combo air conditioner heater that will go in the wall, and Heidi gave me a really cute little duraflame fireplace that looks neat and also puts out heat.

What do you think? I’m open to suggestions

A great big thank you to all those who attended the Cedar Creek Literary Club meeting this morning to watch my presentation. You touched my heart.

For those of you who missed the performance of the hour, here you go!!

Part 1 is 25 minutes long, part 2 is 11 minutes. The big revelation is in part 2…