RANDOM THOUGHTS

Quite a while ago, I cleaned out random scraps of fabric I'd been saving for far too long. A friend of mine took a piece of yardage I'd bought at a local market in Saint-Martin-du-Crau in Provence in 1999. What with every scrap of usable fabric being sewn into masks, it was no surprise that this piece would wind up being so useful. As my friend wrote, "Thought you’d appreciate knowing your fabric has become lifeboats—and stylish ones at that!"

Speaking of masks, on my few recent shopping trips - one every two weeks or so - I've noticed that not everyone is wearing a mask. That seems very inconsiderate to me, but I'd never confront a mask-less person and give them a Tsk! Tsk! One gal struck me as being odd: she didn't have a mask, but she was wearing gloves. I'd like to know the reasoning in her personal germ theory.

I'm still pondering my own germ theory as far as sanitizing goes. I have one friend who tells me she prepares a mild bleach solution and wipes down everything she brings home from the supermarket - everything - including cereal boxes and the like. To me, that's extreme. I do wonder, however, where and when, among all the various steps we take to shop and get the groceries home, do we sanitize - gloves or none.

The supermarkets have people at the door sanitizing the shopping cart handles (That's "buggy" handles if you're a Southerner.) One bright gal was using the same wipe for several carts. So, the handle is sanitized, you hope, but then you go and buy the groceries, touching an unknown number of items a you shop. You check out, you get to your car. Do you sanitize your hands before you touch the door handle? After all, you could be touching that handle again sooner than you expect. Do you then sanitize your hands before you touch the steering wheel? Do you sanitize your hands before you touch the handle of your door at home? "Etc., etc., and so forth." I don't think we'll ever have the answers.

Stay busy - stay happy - stay well. 🌈

RAINBOWS FOR EASTER

Yesterday morning I read an interesting article about rainbows and the pandemic. I began an article for the community magazine, but I knew it wouldn’t get out in the community until the June issue - the May issue has just gone to the printers.

This is what I began to write:

“Six colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Violet, make a rainbow, the meteorological phenomenon that has probably been seen at one time or another by everyone on earth. They are a part of the spirituality and mythology of every culture on Earth, and have been depicted over the millennia in everywhere from cave and rock art to today’s rainbow flag.
Everyone loves rainbows – they lift our hearts and spirits. Children love rainbows. They often draw them when they’re asked to draw what makes them happy. In these times of pandemic, when we need a smile and all the hope we can get, childlike, homemade rainbow signs are popping up here and there in windows around the world. The…”

And then it dawned on me: all of us - not just the children -  should be putting rainbows in our windows. To see what I mean, just google “rainbows for Covid-19” – you’ll be amazed. I didn’t color Easter eggs this year, but I got out paper and crayons and made a rainbow for my front door window.

I hope everyone will join me and make a rainbow for their window and spread some hope and some smiles this viral Spring.

SHORT CUTS

Ever since I wrote an article for them, I’ve subscribed to the daily newsletter from Prime Women. By chance, this morning they had a timely article on 5 Tips for Growing Our Short Cuts.

Just last night I was thinking that with the salons and barbershops closed for the duration, our hair was going to begin to look shaggy. I’ve often cut my own hair, sometimes it even looked pretty good, and once, years ago, I did cut Frank’s hair. We still laugh about that one.

Frank - trimmed and neat - 1884

The year was 1985, and we were in the process of moving. We’d bought a home in upstate New York, and were waiting to sell our home on Long Island until Frank was 55 and we would be able to take advantage of a capital gains tax exclusion. We spent most of our time upstate. At that time, the closest barber was miles away, over the Berkshires, in Pittsfield Massachusetts. I’d cut my own hair, so I did the same for Frank. In those days of really short cuts for men, I just trimmed it so that it wouldn’t fall over his collar. Today, that look would be common.

Eventually, we did get back to Long Island, and Frank got to go to his regular barber. Much to his delight, the old, Italian barber gestured to him with his hand and said, “Wattsa matter for you? Your wife she cutta your hair?” Yep - she did! So since then, when Frank needs a cut, I say “Wattsa matter for you?”

Frank - shaggy