I was chilling out on the couch last evening, watching the news when I realized…today is Friday. I remarked how quickly the weeks seem to be flying by. And, in other ways…it seems like we’ve been in this Covid mess for-ev-er! I can tell time is passing because my garden gets bigger every day. The “Day ___” here on my blog is getting higher every day. And if I don’t quit eating a whole pie (with Mr. FixIt’s help, of course) in a day’s time, I’m going to be as big as the broad side of a barn.

I went out to the farm yesterday to work on the taxes. As I expected, the internet went out at the house, so I saved myself a great deal of frustration by going out there. I tried the air conditioner again and it doesn’t work. Now it’s so late in the season, I don’t know if I’ll be able to find a new one, but I’ll look. 

Mr. FixIt ran errands in town without me yesterday. He needed to stop and get something to eat in a hurry, and even though we’ve talked about not eating at fast food till this crisis is over, he stopped at Popeye’s to get a chicken sandwich. As he sat at the window, he watched the girl handle the money, then put the lid on his drink, and grab the bag of food…all without a mask or gloves. Now, our governor issued a mandate on Tuesday that masks indoors were mandatory…and I would certainly think everyone in food service would be wearing them. When the girl brought the food to the carry out window, Mr. FixIt held his hand up.

“I’m sorry…I am not going to take that food.” 

“Really? Why not?”

“Well, you aren’t wearing gloves. You aren’t wearing a mask. You handled money, and you put the lid on my drink without sanitizing your hands. I don’t want this.”

“What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Unfortunately, that’s not my problem. The governor mandated masks and all food service workers should wear gloves.”

And, with that…he drove away. He called me later and said, “I did a thing. You’re going to be so proud of me.” And I am. I know it’s not easy for him to be cross with people, but these are extenuating circumstances. I suggested he go to a grocery store and get a little lunch meat and bread and make himself a couple of sandwiches, which is exactly what he did. We’ll call the manager and the customer complaint line today. We don’t want anyone to lose their jobs, but this was unacceptable, given the circumstances.

There is just so much going on at once. I think that’s why it feels like the time is flying by. The discussion about returning to school is very concerning for me. We have grandchildren who are still in school. My daughter is a teacher in an inner city high school in the Denver Metro area. I am not afraid of the virus for us. We stay home mostly and when we do go out, it’s always with masks and we carry hand sanitizer and wipes with us at all times. But the kids going back to school? That worries me. 

The governor of Florida said…if you can go to Walmart, if you can go to Lowe’s…we can make school work. Yeah…ok. But, when I go to Lowe’s or Walmart, I don’t go five days in a row and stay for seven hours crammed in a small classroom with thirty other children…many of whom will be fighting wearing a mask. There are so many variables. I know children need socialization, but look at it this way. The vast majority of Americans went to school every day to be socialized and to learn how to get along well with others. How is that working so far? 

I don’t know what the answers are. But I can tell you this…if my children were still in school, I think I’d be homeschooling them. I wish I had something better to offer. I wish there was a time machine we could either go back in time and fix things, or go forward and bypass all this.

I caught a huge raccoon in my live trap sometime during the night. So huge that he bent the trap door and got out. I found it first thing yesterday morning. So much for that idea. I guess I’ll be sharing the garden with the critters after all. I did do something good yesterday. I was coming home from the farm and about to turn onto our road when I saw a box turtle trying to cross the road. It was “rush hour” meaning there’s twenty more cars an hour going by. I pulled off the road and stopped the truck, jumped out, and save the little guy before he got smushed on the pavement. I hopped back in the truck and crossed to road and into our driveway. Then I carried the turtle down to the end of the farm field and let it go near the creek…where I let the other one go. Maybe they’ll be friends!

We have the same breath…those animals and me. 

❤️

“I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?”

Ecclesiastes 3:18-22 NIV