Life goes on . . .

Yet another Sunday bouquet from cousin Karin--roses and two kinds of irises.

My delightful Monday visitors--Kayla and Rebecca and . . . (don't know the name of her little companion).

They planned to explore the woods and have lunch at the picnic table.

Other types of visits followed every day of the week: phone calls from near and far; a WhatsApp hour-long conversation with a friend/cousin in New Zealand; a couple Zoom meetings. These all break the monotony of enforced isolation. 

Sitting most of the day, has led me to learn how to better use my laptop computer. I resumed the search for information about my parents and other relatives in the digital archives of the denominational magazine. At least seven members of my father's family were involved in various ministries within the Grace Brethren Church. I discovered so many interesting tidbits in the 1946 volume, that I decided to summarize my gleanings and share them with the Hoyt Cousins. While still learning how to navigate these online resources, I am also grateful for the progress.

Meanwhile, Michael, my saintly husband, (this week an old friend of mine called him a saint) has not slowed down at all even with the additional load of household chores. 

When he ran out of materials for the tension relief bands, he began cutting plastic shields and putting together kits for PhyXTGear volunteers to assemble in their homes. Another team unrolls and cuts the enormous 1000 lb. roll of plastic that was donated. Michael then laser-cuts the workable-size sheets following a standard pattern for shields. He can prepare up to 50 kits per hour.  Most of that time he spends on his feet.

Some days after hours of work at the shop, he still goes out for a 20-mile bicycle ride. Saturday, he joined seven other riders for his first long ride of the season, 85 miles! The weather was beautiful, the governor had lifted the stay-at-home order, and many were out enjoying the Greenway.

St. Michael's culinary exploits continue. This week's winner was a round of cheese. When I asked what inspired him, he said he'd been thinking and reading about it for over a year! The experience proved to be far easier than he anticipated, and tasty too!

I was reminded of how he got into beekeeping. First he read and studied about them for over a year, then he jumped into the business. 

Last weekend, he purchased two packages of bees to replace the ones lost over the winter. Installing and feeding them is an added chore.

We rolled over into a new month. When I turned the calendar page to May, there were sweet reminders of Mom's last Mother's Day on earth, and Rebecca's visit to her great great grandmother.

Saturday marked the third week since the misstep that changed my routines drastically. Yet here I am dressed and ready for a new day, and all by myself!  I'm beginning to get around better, finding ways to help with a few tasks, and gradually putting more weight on the left foot. 

We are so grateful for livestream resources from our church--Bible studies, a couple Touch Point segments per week to keep us informed and connected, and especially the Sunday morning worship service. The first Sunday of the month we celebrate communion. We were prepared here at home with a version of the bread and the cup. Though meaningful, it is not quite the same without our church family.

Speaking of bread, Stephan baked a bunch for Saturday morning sale in their kiosk at the top of the lane. It was gone before noon.

The stay-at-home order and no ice sculpture deadlines, allowed Stephan to tackle a list of big projects--clean and paint the barn, build a three-point carry-all, among others. 

I will close with a poetic quote I came across in the archives from my scholarly uncle, Dr. Herman A. Hoyt:

The clouds may come and the clouds may go,

And the winds of life may breathe and blow,

But the value of a human soul never changes.