He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. . . Matthew 28:6
I don’t know what the word “Easter” actually means or where it came from, but the words in the quote above are exactly what it means to me.
Thanks for stopping by today. May your Easter be full of meaning for you.
Thursday morning I left home at 5:45 in the dark, cold, and rain to go to Winco in Visalia. The last trip was in January, and it seemed prudent to stock up. (My Mom had a huge list too.)
I managed to get both our lists at the same time into one very packed and heavy cart. It was disconcerting to see all the bulk bins empty, including most of the ones where you don’t actually have to touch the food with a scoop. I made substitutions, skipped some things, and only bought produce that came in plastic. Mom wanted things I didn’t know how to find, and just touching the bag of frozen okra almost triggered my gag reflex. (Really, Martha, are you that hungry??)
Winco isn’t banning people’s own bags yet but I didn’t know that. (I now have 17 plastic bags to use in sharing oranges with neighbors.) I had to put it into 2 carts once it was bagged, and then a stranger helped me pull one of them to my car in the rain. I should have taken the pick-em-up truck instead of Fernando (that’s my ’96 Honda Accord Coupe – have I ever disclosed that before?) Good thing I had no passengers.
I drove with the window open through Lemon Cove so I could smell the orange blossoms.
Time for a restorative cup of tea (I’m reading a novel based in England in WWII* – can you tell?), a bit of dark chocolate, and a reminder that spring is still happening and it is beautiful so stop whinging. (See? reading an English novel)
P.S. The neighbor’s dogs have stopped barking – there’s a bright spot in this mess.
*Coming Home, Rosamunde Pilcher
How long will this “Shelter in Place” be in effect? What a terrible balancing act between economic health and physical health, with so many unknowns, and so much pressure to see into the future accurately. If you are a praying person, please pray for our leaders.
Meanwhile, let’s continue enjoying springtime.
I found the drawing of the Boy Scout cabin that I did back in 1999. That was last century. I didn’t know how to paint or that Mooney Grove does not have an apostrophe S; my studio was in Exeter, I still had my first best cat, my 1988 Accord, my dad, grandma, and all my brothers-in-law. (But I didn’t have 6 new nieces and nephews or the internet.)
As this Thing continues, so many people are seeking respite from “shelter in place” by going to parks that most of those parks are now closed. I feel sorry for city folks during this weird time. They may have Trader Joe’s, lots of movie theaters, fancy stores, access to sporting events and plays and concerts, grocery delivery, big libraries, fast internet, mega-churches, and who knows what else, but they don’t have beautiful places to walk during this Thing.
Those of us in rural places don’t have any of the cities’ advantages, but that is just fine. Life isn’t fair – I am not tall, blonde, thin, athletic, or young, and that’s not fair either. That’s okay – I have beautiful places to walk.
And back home again.
It is Sunday and I am breaking my rules about not posting on Sunday,. Now I will break another rule and post a Bible verse.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
Fear not, friends! (But wash your hands a lot, okay?)
P.S. It came to pass; it didn’t come to stay.
If you aren’t quarantined or under voluntary house arrest, I recommend taking a walk. You might have to be confined to your own neighborhood, but it is Spring, and much is in bloom.
Here are some photos for you to enjoy, without unnecessary chatter.
A friend sent me this:
One final thought to cheer you up: As soon as The Thing appeared in our lives, all robo-calls disappeared! Is there a correlation? Don’t know, just thankful and relieved.
Today let’s look at some of the more unusual pieces of Tulare County’s Mooney Grove Park. It will require a little bit of talk today.
Maybe Hugh used that rifle to shoot squirrels. They are certainly a plague on the place now. Active squirrel holes are rampant.
What’s this? A platform to put a thingie for Frisbie golf, which can now only be called “disk golf”. There is an entire course for this popular game on the north side, but I saw the gizmos (“holes”) in other areas too.
And here is another platform which used to hold a statue called “The Pioneer”. The plaster statue crumbled. (End of the Trail in plaster was traded with the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City for a bronze version).
There are 2 hills in the Park on the east edge. They were created with the dirt dug to form a recharging basin in the park. The formation is useful as an amphitheater, and one hill has a disk golf “hole”.
When I went to Redwood High School, I used to look through the fence at a little log cabin that appeared to be abandoned. It was. After I grew up and became The Central California Pencil Artist (a self-ascribed title), the Boy Scouts reclaimed it, disassembled it, moved it to Mooney Grove, and reassembled it. I drew it as a fund raiser to help pay for the enterprise. (I wonder if I still have a copy of that drawing. . .)
Finally, I leave you with this Peculiar Sight.
Tomorrow we will conclude our tour of Tulare County’s Mooney Grove Park.
Today we’ll look at trees in Tulare County’s Mooney Grove. Just trees, no talk.
Tomorrow we’ll visit some oddities and unusual pieces and points of interest in Tulare County’s Mooney Grove Park. Many things can fit in a 100 acre park.
Today is bridge day on our Mooney Grove Park tour.
Tomorrow we’ll look at trees.
More photos of Mooney Grove Park, where I took a walk each day after I finished working on the murals on the Tulare County Museum.
Speaking of the museum, let’s focus on that treasure today. I’ve included pictures of the Pioneer Village behind the museum (entered through the museum) and 3 photos inside the museum.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at a bridge, not my favorite bridge (Oak Grove), but a simpler bridge in a true oak grove.