Long Day, Birth Day, and Earth Day

60°f/15.5°C, showers and overcast. Happy to see the rain, we need it. 75% of eastern US is in drought conditions. 

Our old cherry tree is covered with green fruit. Fingers crossed that they make it to ripening!

It was a long day yesterday, delivering a dresser to Charleston, visiting a friend in a retirement home, lunch at a favorite restaurant in the farmer's market, buying (lots of) plants. Then back to Ripley to pick up electric fence supplies, more plants, potting soil, gas for the van. And last, stopping at Shari's for the open mic. Home by 10pm, in bed by 11.

I don't  think my friend Beverley ever expected to be in a retirement home.  She and her husband had a place in the country, and were doing well until one day his heart stopped briefly and he fell from a ladder. She tried to lift him and broke her back! He ended up in a nursing home while she was in the hospital, then to the retirement home where they had assisted living until he passed. She now has a small apartment at the same place.  

It's funny how we find friends. I met Beverley when I did a storytelling performance for a state reading group. She later invited me to do a presentation for a women's group, and we have stayed in touch ever since. One of the benefits of my storytelling years was making so many good friends along the way. I value all these connections more and more as each year passes. 

While having our lunch I saw a man walk by and instantly recognized him, not by his face, which was turned from me, but by his walk! Todd worked at the library with me and is just the happiest-natured guy. I hadn't seen him since I retired 15 years ago, so we had a nice chat, catching up.

The open mic last night was excellent, mostly new performers. One was a man who had started playing the fiddle 3 years ago. I thought he did quite well, as that is one hard instrument to play. 

And this guitarist,  Randy Barr, was so nervous the first time he played here, but now is very relaxed 

Another thing I noticed is there are now a few musicians who met through the open mic series and are now playing together. So cool to see this networking happen. Last night Amanda and Barry played together, and their harmonies were really nice. The new fiddler is working with them on a few songs too, a good way for him to advance his skills. 

The featured presenter, Ricky Cooper from Boone County, played a mix of covers and his original songs. His accompanist Chuck Willis was amazing, switching from electric guitar to fiddle to harmonica and singing harmony. I am not a fan of the electric guitar but I sure enjoyed this man's playing.

Today is Earth Day. I will be planting flowers, and thinking of the ways we do our small part in conserving this precious planet's gifts. While we don't do the typical recycling,  our work reselling is a kind of recycling. We save cardboard to use as mulch, shred paper for the same use, compost our garbage or feed it to the chickens, buy used clothing and other things we need aa much as possible, consolidate our trips out to save gas, use hand tools for many things that most use electric tools for, grow a lot of our food and reuse jars and plastic bags when feasible, etc, etc. I can't say we do these things as conscious conservation--they just make sense and have become part of our lifestyle.

Today is also our great-granddaughter Cadyn's birthday.  She is 17 now, a rising senior in high school. She was my first great-grandchild. Although we rarely see her, she holds a special place in my heart. How well I remember the day she was born! 

I am so thankful that my late son Jon was able to see his first grandchild, and have a little bit of time with her before he left us the following year. He would be proud of the young woman she is now, a thinker, writer, and training to be an esthetician. 

Life is a crazy thing, sometimes seeming to have no rhyme or reason, but somehow we blunder on, licking our wounds and looking ahead. Here's to a great year for Cadyn, our Earth and all us hopeful souls who live here, however long our time may be. 

Ending with a video taken earlier this month of our very busy birdfeeder.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.