“Every year about this time,” reminisced The Old Lady, “I flood social media with memes to remind people that fireworks, although perfectly legal in many places, are actively harmful to pets, wildlife, and those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

“This year, 2020, I will only say it once: if you don’t care enough about the health of others to wear a mask during a pandemic, then you probably don’t care about the health of others who suffer when you exercise your freedom to detonate recreational munitions.”

LISTEN to The Old Lady!

“One of the most interesting things about the recent Black Lives Matter protests,” reported The Old Lady, “is how many of the protesters wore masks. At the demonstration I attended the organizers required everyone to wear masks ‘for everyone’s health and safety’, they said.

“There were literally more people wearing masks at that demonstration than were wearing masks in the Winn-Dixie where I shopped on the way home!

“It’s funny how a matter of protecting public health has polarized along political lines,” puzzled The Old Lady.

“Nobody can tell whether you lean right or left, once you are in your coffin.”

LISTEN to The Old Lady!

*Namaske: the mask I wear to protect you honors the mask you wear to protect me.

As a person who is always perceived as white and who has been treated all her life as an aristocrat by the descendants of enslaved people, The Old Lady has something to say:

“I APOLOGIZE.

“I have allowed myself to receive respect, courtesy, and service from people who themselves had no access to the same kind of respect, courtesy, or service.  

“I have heard people who look like me, white people, even family members, express violently racist opinions and I have been silent.

“After the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in my extreme south Georgia town, local officials have invited the leaders to City Hall to tell officials what changes they want to see in our community.

“Here are the changes I want to see, both in my community and in my country:

1. Stop all GENOCIDE and ETHNOCIDE (for definitions of those words, go to https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52912238  , and read the whole article) whether perpetrated by individuals, groups, or governmental representatives such as police and military.
2. All terrorist acts must be treated as CRIMINAL acts whether perpetrated by individuals, groups, or governmental representatives such as police and military.
3. REPARATIONS must be offered to all whose ancestors, because of their unprotected status, have been robbed of money, property, or their time and labor through either institutionalized oppression or through exploitation by individuals.

“I know that negotiation is give-and-take, so here is my offer:

“I am willing to tithe* to pay for reparations.

“I will kick in 10% of my gross income, forever or as long as it takes, for reparations. The legally-defined “persons” which are corporations** will also kick in 10% of their gross income.

“All reparation money is to be divvied up among all people whose ancestors, because of their unprotected status, were robbed of money, property, or their time and labor by either institutionalized oppression or through exploitation by individuals.

“Radical? Yes, it’s radical!

“NOW is the time for radical action to try to begin healing this centuries-old national wound.”

LISTEN to The Old Lady!

*The word ”tithe” is defined as “one tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the Church or clergy”… in other words, for what was considered God’s good work.

**ALL corporations including Amazon, Walmart, Ford, Disney, Facebook, etc. etc. etc…. NO EXEMPTIONS, period.

When The Old Lady got downtown the Black Lives Matter demonstrators had begun to march around the block.

She stood beside the sidewalk as more than a hundred protesters filed past – all colors, mostly young people – chanting “I am George Floyd!” and “I can’t breathe!”

As the group passed The Old Lady blessed them and prayed for them.

Then she sat on the curb and burst into tears, sobbing “They are MY children! Please be kind to them all!”

LISTEN to The Old Lady!

The Old Lady found out she had a secret housemate when she discovered the secret entrance:

Peeking inside, she didn’t see anybody…

… but as you can see, the hole is rather large:

“I want to make my guest feel welcome,” said The Old Lady graciously, “so I did a little remodeling.”

The public library up the street from The Old Lady’s shelter-in-place place closed during the pandemic panic and has only recently reopened to offer curbside pickup.

An item The Old Lady had placed on hold came in and she was notified automatically, by text message.

But when she went outside to crank up the truck, the truck would not crank.

She checked online for the library hours… open until 7 p.m. today, it said, and it was only 4… so she waited a bit until one of her quarantine companions could give her a ride.

When the got there at 5:15 they parked in the lot and The Old Lady called The Librarian by phone to let her know they were outside.

“Oh, we closed at 5 today, I just dragged in the cart, give me a minute and I’ll take it back outside,” said The Librarian.

The Old Lady protested, even though she badly wanted the item (a DVD of the movie Hugo) and said she would come back the next day.

But The Librarian is unstinting in her dedication to serving her clients!

She dragged the cart outside while properly masked and gloved. Following the new protocols The Old Lady waited in the car until The Librarian went back inside. Then she got out (also wearing her mask), put her library card in the cart, and returned to the car. The Librarian came out for the card and went back inside for the DVD.

A moment later The Old Lady’s phone rang. It was The Librarian, offering her free craft bags for kids, and it happens that the shelter-in-place place owner has grandchildren.

The Old Lady wanted to express her gratitude for The Librarian’s willingness to serve even outside business hours.

“You know, we tip servers in restaurants and taxi drivers,” said The Old Lady, “we should tip our librarians!”

“You know what would be the best tip?” replied The Librarian. “Keep on using the library, and tell everybody you know how wonderful the library is!”

LISTEN to The Librarian!

Returning to Peacock Spring (to see OTTER Joy, scroll down three posts) The Old Lady took along her two quarantine companions, wanting to share the beauty of the place and hoping to catch another glimpse of OTTER.

The day could not possibly have turned out better.

While The Old Lady was wearing her dive mask and swimming in the cold clear water with her two comrades, OTTER came!

The Old Lady watched underwater as the slim, graceful creature dove and hunted and surfaced for air while keeping an eye on the entranced humans who had entered her watery world. As she swam she trailed behind her a train of air bubbles, and once as she rose to the surface The Old Lady could see that she was sheathed in a sparkling gown of the silvery bubbles.

OTTER put on a fine show!

Finally she disappeared under some lily pads, just as a clap of thunder cracked overhead.

The humans all scrambled out of the water and collapsed in delighted giggles on the dock.

“Just as grief shared is grief divided,” chuckled The Old Lady, “joy shared is joy multiplied.”

LISTEN to The Old Lady!

The Old Lady grew up in a birdwatching family, and has watched birds now for nearly seven decades.

But during three months of isolation and social distancing she has learned to truly slow down, focus, and observe bird behaviors from first sight until they fly away.

This morning two boat-tailed grackles were on the ground under the feeder. One was obviously a juvenile although larger than the other, which was apparently the parent. The younger bird fluttered his feathers and squawked in a baby voice, begging to be fed. The parent casually picked up seeds and ate them, oblivious to the pleading.

Suddenly and decisively the parent stalked in front of the youngster, picked up a seed from the ground right under the begging beak, and stuffed the seed down the gaping gullet.

The juvenile, silenced at last, swallowed the seed. The parent turned its back and stalked away. The youngster looked at the departing back, then at the seeds around its feet, and began to peck and eat on its own.

“A teachable moment, taken in from beginning to end,” tweeted The Old Lady. “That’s why it’s called birdWATCHING, not birdLOOKING.”

LISTEN to The Old Lady!

The Old Lady went to church for the first time in a dozen Sundays.

“Before the self-righteous pandemic panicmongers holler LOCKDOWN! let me tell you this service was safer than my last trip for groceries,” declared The Old Lady.

“Father Jim of St James’ Episcopal Church in Quitman positioned himself under the portico. The congregation drove up one at a time, properly masked.

“Fr Jim, sporting a severe black mask which contrasted nicely with his white clerical collar, stood a generous social distance away and unhurriedly performed a short service of prayer and blessing.

Then I put my truck in gear and drove home.”

Curbside Jesus!

God to-go!

Masked blessings

Under the portico.

God teaches us

Good hand hygiene;

Jesus teaches us

Good soul hygiene.