Now that we’ve had some nicer weather, I’ve been farther afield with Guinevere. On the way home from the library yesterday, I passed a display that I had seen several times last year. The homeowners have two big planters out on their little boulevard, one on each side of a tree. There are plastic eggs, pretty sticks and butterflies. The fun part of seeing this again is that the owners have clearly freshened it up. Instead of dirty and faded as you would expect after the winter, the eggs are new and bright and the butterflies are all intact and fluttering in the wind.
This is not a display that can be easily seen from the house; the homeowners must have decided at some point to make sure the planters are cheerful and welcoming for folks who are walking by. I feel like it’s a gift to me and other pedestrians. This is important to me; in today’s environment that seems so overwhelmed by hate and nastiness, I am really trying to pay attention and acknowledge when people are intentionally kind (well, unintentionally too I guess). I’m thinking about leaving a thank you card in their mailbox.
We talked a out Little Free Libraries last week – books, produce, treasures, even sticks. I hope that everybody is seeing other acts of kindness as they go about their business and that it inspires us all to try to step up to kindness when it’s needed.
Any other kind/nice stuff that you’ve seen lately?
Trail Baboon 
Well, our crocus and scilla are starting to pop out of the ground, and the peppers have germinated under the grow lights in the basement.
One of our local doctors, now retired, is a Polish immigrant who has multiple planters in her front yard and lining her driveway. She has gaudy flowers in the summer and seasonal decorations in her yard and pots all the other times of the year. She also has a rather large statue of the Virgin Mary that has pride of place amongst all the busyness . I imagine the inside of her home as filled with icons and tchotchkes. I noticed her yard and flower beds are all cleaned out this week, and I expect there will be Easter decorations put out soon. I drive by her house on my way to and from work each day, so I see what she is up to.
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One of the first things I will do when we get home Thursday is look in my tulip bed to see if we have any re-emerging. Last fall we dug up our bulbs and replanted new ones (we do this about every 5 years). I love the surprises when they bloom.
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Sweet, VS. I mentioned the little “food box” down the block that I first thought was another LFLlibray. I have a friend that I will start meeting up with again at the community garden where we both have a plot. We’ve learned to coordinate our times so we can sit and have a face to face conversation (!), and she almost always brings muffins. A little thing, but…
For aother, I consider Sherrilee’s and Renee’s almost daily blog post essays – and everyone else who occasionally offers one.
OT: Don’t miss tim’s poem at the end of yesterday’s Contain Yourself! comments.
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Our neighbor planted hundreds of daffodil bulbs a few years ago. Up at the end of their driveway and our driveway, just all over.
Plus we get the bluebells in a couple places. They’re always pretty.
Several years ago, there was a farm that had a large stump off in the ditch. They decorated this stump through out the year. It might be Santa, it might be 4th of July, or anything. It was maybe 8′ tall and like 3′ diameter so it was some effort to decorate that thing and it always made me smile when I drove by. Road construction a few years ago took out the stump.
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I love it when people do that with things like stumps!
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And daffodils.
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Ben’s comment about the stump made me think of the old police squad car that the far southwest ND town of Amidon (The Smallest County Seat in the US) set up as you drive into town from the east. They have no city police force, so they put a mannequin in the driver seat and it looks like a police officer is sitting there waiting to pick up speeders.
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I suppose they could replace the mannequin with a large rabbit for Easter.
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Plus Uncle Sam for the 4th of July, and Santa Claus for Christmas.
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OT – Husband had his second Moderna shot yesterday, and today he’s feeling lousy, “like I’ve been run over by a truck” he says. I try to console him by reminding him that it’s said to be an indication that his immune system has kicked into high gear. Hope it passes soon.
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That seems fairly common. I get my second next Saturday. I’m keeping my schedule open the next few days after that.
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Each of us is unique, so I’m not really surprised. I know people who have felt fine after both shots, some who felt sick after both, and all permutations within that spectrum. We are not in control of our immune system and how it reacts. I trust he’ll be fine in a day or two. Meanwhile, he moping around or sleeping. Cooking a sausage ragu for dinner, hopefully that’ll perk him up a bit.
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Seems to me that about half of the people I know I felt bad for a day after their second shot. I don’t know anybody who felt bad longer than that. The other half — no symptoms. Including my 88-year-old mother so fingers crossed he’ll be feeling better soon
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Yes, we had no reaction to the second Moderna besides a sore arm – go figure.
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This:
My dear,
In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.
In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.
I realized, through it all, that…
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.
Truly yours
– Albert Camus, The Stranger
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Wonderful – thanks.
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For me, during the isolation of the pandemic, music has been a life saver. So many artists have been putting on regular virtual concerts that it’s hard to fit them all in. I don’t function with the radio on in the background; as I have admitted before, I’m no good at multitasking. If I’m listening, I seem incapable of doing something else, like reading. This is a lovely recording of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song:
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And I’ll have to say, PJ, I get some of my best music from your FB posts.
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wow
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play me darlin
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I had a nice thing happen to me. My neighbor here is AZ is a retired Physical Therapist. She saw me limping around with my broken foot. Then when I returned to walking after it healed, my lower back is acting up. She has been giving me free ultrasound treatments in the evenings, which have helped, although it will be awhile till my back recovers. I have been through this before.
Also, the desert is starting to bloom here. This morning while walking I saw a beautiful pink flower on some large Mickey Mouse Ear cactus. So lovely.
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i have an expression i’ve used at appropriate times over the years which is one of my favorites.
today’s question about kindness makes me think of it.
the whole word is messed up except for you and me and sometimes i have my doubts about you
i am having a blast right now as a shipt driver
you go into target primarily but also lynda byerleys , kowalskis, hy bee and fresh thyme stores and shop for people and deliver to them
the stores you pick are in regions that you choose and after a while you get to recognize people at the store, enjoy their personalities and find that truly 99% of all people in the store working and shopping are really nice people. all you have to do is say hello and watch it grow. it’s so easy.
i have always been a believer in the good of people and i am surprised every now and again that my trust was unwarranted but most often it just makes it a wonderful fools paradise to believe everyone is there to smile back and be helpful and that they appreciate a little shot of positive mojo in their day. i can do that.
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Not sure I understand you correctly, tim. You do shopping for people in various stores? I’m assuming “shipt” driver is a mistake, but can’t figure out what it should be.
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That one is not a typo. It really is called shipt.
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Well, whadya know?
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I don’t know why, but I find this string of comments the ultimate in “Baboonish”, and it makes me laugh – I had the same thought (PJ’s at first…
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a positive vibe is all that i need and all that i want though i may concede
that a positive touch will go a long way and the art of the touch will just make my day
the sharing of smiles and laughter is best and the feelings that follow i can attest
make a life that’s worth living the goal that we reach for the things that the golden rule is out there to teach for
don’t listen to news in hopes of insight cause fear sells much better it’s sad but so right
so it’s all up to us to make our own choice to follow which tone which vibe and which voice
to do our small bit to make it feel better the world can be chilly you can be the sweater
it’s easy and often surprising when you realize that your choices bout the things that you do make a difference in a very small way and if you do it and do it just a bit every day
you’ll find people will be there to smile when you come and they’ll beat you to it and maybe just some of the positive juices will fall to the earth and with the flow of those juices the positive birth of a feelin that feels like it’s right and it’s good like that’s why we’re here like maybe we should keep trying to put one step right after the last one . it needn’t be strong or some kind of fast one
just make it be on to remember you by like if maybe tomorrow would listen and try
if we all do a little to make it feel better we can be this cold worlds favorite comfy warm sweater
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I love this: “to do our small bit to make it feel better the world can be chilly you can be the sweater”
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Last summer there was a nice chalk drawing of Winnie the Pooh on a sidewalk in my neighborhood. Someone spent considerable time on it. It was kind of sad when the rain washed it away. Still, sunsets are beautiful and they don’t last long either.
Another neighborhood house used to have a pair of lion statues on either side of the front steps, and the lions would sport seasonal hats, shamrocks for St Patrick’s Day, Uncle Sam hats for July 4th, witches’ hats for Hallowe’en, pilgrim hats for Thanksgiving, and wreaths of greenery for Christmas. Awhile back the couple that owned the house sold it and moved to one of those senior complexes, and the new owner declined the lions. I’m not sure where the lions ended up but I hope they have a good home.
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