My visit to the river today,
with a friend,
was reviving as a sunrise.
Migration birds splash
In rainwater puddles
Fluttering off and returning.
Her shoes, so muddy.
Cleaning them is sheer
Determination in the wet grass.
Friday, April 24, 2020
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Updating our Tree Adventure
Friday the mighty oak fell. Monday, all the debris was cleared away. We are left with a stump that is low to the ground and will be ideal for turning into a planter. It's amazing how life is going to go on with our tree.
The update, however, is about another tree that is GONE. The City planted a Liquid Amber in the easement decades ago. You know the tree I'm talking about. The one with the nasty, spiny round pods that drop down and hurt you or, worse, you walk on one and find yourself flat on your back
Our police chief was noticing that it was sinking on one side and starting to lean perilously over the street. Not a good look. He call the mayor. The mayor came by and took a look. Yup. The tree had to go. So, whilst I will miss our beautiful Oak Tree, I will not miss the Liquid Amber Tree at all.
The update, however, is about another tree that is GONE. The City planted a Liquid Amber in the easement decades ago. You know the tree I'm talking about. The one with the nasty, spiny round pods that drop down and hurt you or, worse, you walk on one and find yourself flat on your back
Our police chief was noticing that it was sinking on one side and starting to lean perilously over the street. Not a good look. He call the mayor. The mayor came by and took a look. Yup. The tree had to go. So, whilst I will miss our beautiful Oak Tree, I will not miss the Liquid Amber Tree at all.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
The Day the Tree Fell
In the midst of this Age of Corona, I have shared a deep feeling of isolation with you all. Being alone was a new normal for me starting three years ago when I move to a place totally outside of my comfort zone. But I adjusted. I even wrote a book about it. Now, being forced to remain separate from each other, I find that I somehow have a talent for it. Going from a circle of friends to having no one was a challenge I would not wish on anyone. But, I managed. I rebuilt. And I have a circle of friends now that reveal themselves to me in unexpected and heartwarming ways. So, while I may be experiencing feelings of isolation, it doesn't feel crippling. It's the new normal that I built something good upon.
Certainly, though, the hardest thing for me has been the loss of freedom to go visit my family. I don't call my brother in California more than once every 7 to 10 days because I don't want to feel clingy. Indianapolis and my son and Tennessee and my daughter feel like moons circling my planet C'ville with no ship schedule to bring me there for visits. So, when something really out of the ordinary happens, the very first thing I want to do is call family. Two calls. No answers. Texts sent with a request to call as soon as possible. No call to my brother, just pictures of the event. I figure I'll hear from him eventually but I'm not holding my breath. He's probably out hiking. He'll be out amongst the trees on, this, the day my tree fell.
It was windy today. It was at the bluster level and moved the shrubs beneath the windows and the tree limbs out front in circles that swirled and dipped as they rose and fell. I could hear the wind just outside the window but then something changed and the shrubs and trees whipped and flew. I rose as the wind rose and heard a terrible crackle and pop. Rice Crispies on steroids would be a good analogy. A sort of explosion happened outside the window that drew me closer. As the tree fell, in slow-motion, I moved closer to the window, not believing what I was seeing and crying out for Don. Louder and louder, I cried out. The crush of the huge old oak tree took out one side of my beautiful Gingko as I madly pulled at the locked front door. My brain was frozen making it impossible for me to fit the keys in the locks.
When I finally got outside through the side door, this is what I found.
Certainly, though, the hardest thing for me has been the loss of freedom to go visit my family. I don't call my brother in California more than once every 7 to 10 days because I don't want to feel clingy. Indianapolis and my son and Tennessee and my daughter feel like moons circling my planet C'ville with no ship schedule to bring me there for visits. So, when something really out of the ordinary happens, the very first thing I want to do is call family. Two calls. No answers. Texts sent with a request to call as soon as possible. No call to my brother, just pictures of the event. I figure I'll hear from him eventually but I'm not holding my breath. He's probably out hiking. He'll be out amongst the trees on, this, the day my tree fell.
It was windy today. It was at the bluster level and moved the shrubs beneath the windows and the tree limbs out front in circles that swirled and dipped as they rose and fell. I could hear the wind just outside the window but then something changed and the shrubs and trees whipped and flew. I rose as the wind rose and heard a terrible crackle and pop. Rice Crispies on steroids would be a good analogy. A sort of explosion happened outside the window that drew me closer. As the tree fell, in slow-motion, I moved closer to the window, not believing what I was seeing and crying out for Don. Louder and louder, I cried out. The crush of the huge old oak tree took out one side of my beautiful Gingko as I madly pulled at the locked front door. My brain was frozen making it impossible for me to fit the keys in the locks.
When I finally got outside through the side door, this is what I found.
Neighbors came pouring out of their front doors. Approaching cars ground to a halt as they gapped at the massive oak tree that once shaded the street and now was flattened to the ground. Rules of social distancing disappeared in the face of the massive power of the wind. Waves of shock flooded me like a relentless tidal swell. Mayor Sue Grantham drove up. Chief of Police Tony Jones and Fire Chief Charlie Jones both showed up. Someone kindly called Southern Tree Care, our usual tree company we call upon for bi-annual tree trims, and eventually, they got to work.
When the fog cleared, I found a quiet place and called AAA. With an estimate of $2,000 in hand, I acknowledged that it would not meet our deductible and had to admit that THAT was good news. On Wednesday we received our stimulus payment of $2,400. On Friday, our tree fell. Easy come easy go and the face of gratitude below reflects how different the conversation would have been with AAA if the tree had hit our house or if someone had been walking by. The conversation would have been very different, indeed.
Friday, April 10, 2020
Friday, April 3, 2020
Open Letter to My Friends
April
3, 2020
Dear
Friends,
I
have been on hold with ATT U-verse for 20 minutes now. The recording warned there would be a longer
than usual wait and they weren’t kidding.
My problem is connectivity.
Apparently, my portal can’t be confirmed.
Logging in is useless. The most
frustrating thing is that I can’t read on my Libby App. I keep getting a message telling me the link
can’t be trusted. Not surprised as my
portal doesn’t seem to exist at the moment.
In
the Age of Corona, life is slowing down yet again. No on-line at the moment so no news. That is probably a good thing. I regard this as a little taste of what our lives
would be like again without the internet.
Analog would come back. Card
catalogs at libraries would come back.
Smart chips would disappear from vehicles and home garage repairs would
become normal again. And that’s just a
taste of life returned to the 90s and pre-The Web.
My
rosary today as actually unaccompanied.
I managed to find prayers for the Sorrow Mysteries and quietly said my
rosary on the side porch. I was kept
company by the presence of birds and squirrels.
It was pleasant but they were a bit of a distraction as well. They can be pretty funny as they go about
their activities. I’ve been observing
them for a few days now and their activities seem to mainly focus on finding
food, defending territories, and nesting.
The squirrels are a little more expansive as they seem to incorporate
playtime into their activities. Chasing
each other around tree trunks is a favorite activity.
It
rained last night but lightly so my sleep was undisturbed. The difference between today’s sky and yesterday’s
is dramatic. Yesterday the sky was a
brilliant blue and voluminous white clouds filled the sky. By noon though, things had changed to a cloudless,
dull blue. Today the sky is gray without a hint of blue
but there is no feeling of rain coming again.
It’s just dull and bleak much like how many of us are feeling.
Yesterday
I made several phone calls, touching base with friends and family who cannot be
seen right now. Glenda is finally
home. Sharon stops in at the driveway
occasionally and we converse from the porch.
My daughter and husband are able to manage the household by only one
person going to the store and the other staying in with the kids. The kids go to the park occasionally but only
get out if there are no other people around.
What a life they are living right now.
I feel for them so much.
I’m
thinking that I may have to start sending snail mail to friends farther away
who are not easy to reach. They may
still be connected to the internet but I am not so, as the broken link, it is
up to me to forge a new sort of link.
Yes, snail mail, the new communication.
LOL. As I sit here on hold with
ATT U-verse, I don’t dare check my Contacts for a phone number to use on my
landline. After 45 minutes on hold, I
don’t dare do anything to lose my place in line. So, when this is all over with today I will
export my phone numbers and make an off-line document I can use to access
numbers to make calls on my landline. Yes, I did say “today”. How hopeful I am that the issue will be
resolved.
I’m
thinking about actually sending this musing to friends everywhere – a sort of
Age of Corona card. Many of you do not
have our landline phone number here in Missouri so, as you read this, please
enter this phone number into your contacts.
(573) 922-5020 I would hate to call you
from my landline and look like a spam call coming from Missouri or be a call
marked Unknown. I don’t answer most such
calls and I don’t expect you to either.
So help me out here, friends.
Relying on our landline may become more common as we also get better
connections on it.
All
my best. My prayers are for you all.
Annie
p.s. I just had the nicest talk with ATT. Jay in the Philippines went over and above to
help me with my problem. Now I’m going to
download those phone numbers and print them out so I can use them on my landline.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)