Social Connections Maintained at Church – the Programme

... an apple tree in need of pruning ...

I am in the cohort of people who should not attend large gatherings until COVID-19 is safely under control.

Until that time comes, here is one thing I will miss about not going to church: I will miss the programme being handed to me at the door.

I like that piece of paper for many reasons.

I scan it to see if there is a Primary Party to which I can bring my grandchildren.

I look for announcements about the English as a Second Language Programme, since my friend, Sumindra Rana, likes to attend that class.

I look to see if the addictions programmes are running. I think about the brave people who attend addiction classes.

I notice which Primary children are giving talks.

I look at the names of people are assigned to give the opening and closing prayers.  I think it is nice to know ahead if I am going to give a communal prayer.  And I wonder what has gone through the minds of the people who have that assignment.  I wonder if they have thoughts similar to what I might have had.

.. a lazy wasp on a daisy ...

Once I get settled into my pew, I write on that programme: notes about the time of a funeral I want to attend; the phonetic spelling of someone’s name I want to remember; a stat I want to check or an idea I wanted to carry home with me.

I look at the party announcements: Young Adults, Adults from Aged 30 to 45, Older People, the monthly Thursday lunch, ward parties, stake parties, regional parties, all somewhere in fine print on the announcement sheet.

There is not that much room on the programme. I use spaces between the names of people giving talks and and those performing musical mnumbers for some of my notes.

... daisies in the meadow ...

Then I write up and down and around the margins of the programme, and finally use any white space on the cover.

I look for the name of the person who physically gathered all of that announcement material onto one 8 ½” x 11” space, finding their email address hidden in small print, inviting suggestions for next week’s programme. 

A nod of silent thanks always goes from me to the person who owns that email address – a lot of work.

Yes. I am going to miss holding that piece of paper in my hand in the coming months.

Arta

An Obscene Amount of food

Richard is not tempted to eat even one slice.

“That is an obscene amount of food for one person,” Richard said when he delivered my groceries from his run for them to Costco.

Not knowing how to shop the isles at any other store, he is right about the way I give my lists to him. I give him Costco Lists.

Cucumbers come in packages of three, assorted peppers come six to a bag, milk is in 4 litre jugs, onions in 3 or 5 pound bags.

“I know I can’t eat all of this,” I said.

“And now that sharing is really out, I have to figure out how to make what used to be vegetables, into something I consider a snack or a delicious dessert.

Hard work.

I am trying to use up everything in my freezer. When the pork chops got uncovered today there were 8 in the package. Another number bigger than usual.

Richard occasionally comes to or brings dinner to my house., and tonight when we cooked, there was enough for him for lunch, which makes me happy. We have a quiet meal. He always asks what was the best part of my day. If I tell him, then he gets way ahead of me on eating. The best part of my day was eating my lunch on the back patio, a large salad bowl in my lamp, The New Yorker in my hands, and the warm sun on my back. A triplet of happinesses.

... close up of elephant head on serving board ...
I just can't help myself.
Even in COVID times, and even if I am alone
I like to eat on beautiful dishes.

I don’t want waste even the core of an apple and sometimes wonder what todo with the top of a red pepper when I take it off, although I know the answer is nothing.

I have learned how to peel kiwis to get perfectly rounded fruit and then put on a plate.

He wasn’t tempted by one slice. I was surprised, though not really.

I feel the same way about grapes.

I think this is my salute to beautiful food, fit for a king – even better than that for it doesn’t require a whole household in the kitchen to prepare it.

Oh yes, when we divided up the food order between the three of us, Richard, Mati and me, it doesn’t appear that everything was mine.

Arta

Music as a way of giving information

... hard to spend the weekend
waiting for Covid results ...

Bonnie took the Covid test and was so relieved to phone and tell me it was negative.


You are the first person in the family who has gone for a test.


In Alberta now there is testing for anyone who reports the symptoms.



I was thinking about this when I ran into these two lovely songs.


Lovely to me.

... bonnie checking out the cherry blossoms
in her back yard ...

Ta dum, ta dee.


Click at your peril.

A message from the government of Canada

A covid song by the Vancouver, B.C., Phoenix Chamber Choir, --great singing, notice the Lysol wipes container being used for rhythm, the hand puppets and the ‘haircut’.

(Thanks for the text and the link, Ria.)

Arta

Fashion in Times of Covid

Question for the reader?
When someone takes  your picture and
you have your mask on, do you still smile?

I shook my head when I saw her and then I asked Wyona, how is it that she could have a blouse and a face mask matched.

She then pulled out a pillow she made from an expensive dishtowel that she bought in Iceland.

It may have been $52 for that towel.  She had the Icelandic money and had to spend it.  The print on the pillow case was so beautiful she knew she could make it into a pillow.  So here, the back of the pillow also matches the cover she made for her appliance on her left hand.

I do not know where she does all of this.  Just to say, yes, a mask to match her top, a cover to match her pillow and she can still play on-line bridge until past midnight.

Go, Wyona, go.   And thank you for the face mask you made for me.  I will try to match it up to a scarf I already own.

Arta