Remember when ....

March 1

Brunch at Grandma's Pancake House after worship service

I like a little coffee with my cream

Ella is learning to feed herself with a spoon

She's very independent and prefers to feed herself these day

We enjoyed ice cream that afternoon at the Lazy Cow Creamery

Their ice cream is homemade with fresh and natural ingredients

So good!

Knox and Ella on their backyard swing

I think this was the first time she's been on it

She loved it

March 3

You wouldn't know it to look at this picture, but this is the day the world turned upside down in our town. An F-4 tornado roared through the west side of town and left death and destruction in its wake.

19 people died, some of them folks we knew and loved. Many families lost everything, including my nephew who managed to make it to his basement before his house was torn apart. Most of these folks along that stretch of devastation lived to tell the tale. Their survival stories are amazing. 

And it seemed the whole town and surrounding towns and even folks from out of state showed up that day and the next day and the days afterward to volunteer in whatever ways they could to help.

Tennessee is called the Volunteer State for a very good reason.

March 5

Shelby and Elijah at Ocha for lunch

Schools were closed the rest of the week after the tornado

This is the only picture I took of these two this month

Haven't been able to see them much because our world shifted yet again, only this time on a global scale, when COVID19 made its ugly presence known and in the coming week would force us all into shelter-in-place seclusion/quarantine/lockdown.

Miss you two!

March 6

Yep, that's our president. He came here to our town to visit the devastation the tornado left behind and to speak with survivors. He also visited the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort set up in our church gym. My brother-in-law Don Foy, news editor at our local paper, captured this scene in the gym. President Trump spent nearly an hour here and was impressed with the speed the disaster relief was put together. Everyone who had the privilege of speaking with him had nothing but praise for him and the sincerity of his kindness and sympathy. I believe this man truly cares. 

I hope you don't mind my sharing your photo, Don.

I did get to see the president's motorcade as it left the church. Found out later, it had passed right in back of my house. Wish I'd been at home to wave as he went by.

March 7

God blesses us with these awesome sunsets

Always trying to capture their beauty but fail miserably

Ain't nothin' like the real thing

March 8

Neil and I were out for a Sunday afternoon walk around the block and ran into these three (Knox, Ella, and Kelly) who had the same idea. 

March 8

Took this fuzzy snap of an almost full moon Sunday evening after worship service

Still meeting at this point, but it was shortly after this that services were suspended, our elders making the decision to cancel week by week

March 9

Kelly's snap of Ella too cute not to share

(Three weeks later, I think this is how we all look/feel)

March 13

Babysitting these cute little feet

Ella and Grandpa building skyscrapers

March 19

Celebrating the first day of Spring

Donuts are still a must during the pandemic

March 20

Ella loves her books

I love hearing her try to repeat a word

Sometimes she nails it. Sometimes it's hard not to laugh at her efforts. Right now she has a language all her own.

She's discovered the joy of crayons, mostly just carrying them around in her fists, and sometimes marking in her coloring book (and on other surfaces)

Grandpa stuck them between her toes

March 22

Off on another walk

That's about all there is to do these days

Physical distancing is a serious thing (and of course washing your hands and, for the love of Pete, stop touching your face!!)

Other than folks we volunteer with and help at Disaster Relief at the church gym, Kelly and her family are the only ones we've been in contact with close up. It's necessary when we need to keep the kids. Son in law Kerry works for a company that makes toiletry and hygiene products, and right now they're in high gear cranking out hand sanitizer, so he's had to work some overtime lately.

Beautiful day

March 23

Frankie sez that cookie sure does smell good, can I haz some?

Ella was not sharing

March 24

She was stuck between the cushions but didn't seem to mind as long as she had her bag of Goldfish

March 26

Kickin' back on the front porch, enjoying a beautiful evening, watching the sun set

They came by to play in the backyard for a while

They had fun flinging the discs at each other

Sooner or later it's gonna happen

Ella had fun running around too

These are blooming

Tennessee state flower, y'all

March 28

When life gives you bananas, you make banana bread

Does a double yolk count as two eggs? Just wondering.

Kelly and the kiddos came over to get out of the house for a while

Ella is loving running around in the yard, but she doesn't like to touch the grass. If she stumbles and falls, she'll sit there until somebody helps her up so she doesn't have to touch the grass.

The banana bread turned out great and was half gone by the time I thought of taking a picture

March 29

This was Ella's first Bomb Pop

She loved it

March 29

Red Bud, Forsythia, Crab Apple

These blooms sure do brighten up a life of shelter-in-place

March 30

Neil and I both had doctor's appointments this morning

Nothing remotely related to the virus

His was a six month follow up, and mine was for bloodwork

The last place either of us wanted to be is at a doctor's office

Our doc's office is efficient in moving folks in and out and never anyone in the lobby waiting

Today was different. Several patients waiting, a couple of them with masks on.

These empty seats prove we all were physically distancing, like good boys and girls in the land of coronavirus.

The powers that be announced yesterday another month of this

We may all go quite mad until we're turned loose to be free once again

March 31
Neil and I helped out at Disaster Relief today
The gym is packed with necessities for those who were in the tornado disaster zone

Some days are busier than others. Very few people stopped by today, perhaps because of the rain and cold, or maybe because of the virus.

Everyone who comes in is diligent in using the hand sanitizer we have available on all the tables.

 Our courthouse square this evening

Thankful for the beauty in our hilly little town

We're all waiting for that green light to go forward with our normal lives

Pick up where we left off

Praying that will happen sooner rather than later

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18(NIV)