HOPE AND LOVE...

"Love recognizes no barriers.

  It jumps hurdles,

 leaps fences,

 penetrates walls

 to arrive at its destination 

full of hope."

Maya Angelou

I'm not the first one to say this but,

 these are hard times.

  

The experts say that 

the next couple of weeks 

are going to be the worst yet 

in terms of illness and death.

 Somehow, someway,

 we will get through it all 

but not without 

losing a small bit 

of ourselves.

 At times, 

it all seems like a bad dream,

 like we are watching a movie 

from another era and 

sometimes we have to pinch ourselves 

to even imagine

 that it is happening at all.

 But it is, and

 we must watch out 

for one another and

 watch out, especially,

 for ourselves.

When loved ones 

tell us (order us) 

not to  go out of our homes, 

we must listen 

as it is done out of love, and 

it gives them hope 

that we will listen and survive. 

 It is not a dramatic idea,

 it is what is true right now.

  When a neighbor says 

they are going to the store,

 do you need anything,

 we do not pay them in money, 

we just do the same for them 

when it is our turn to go. 

 When a neighbor, 

seen in the street from a far distance, 

says they can't find toilet paper,

 you just leave

 a couple of rolls 

on their front porch 

if you can.  

You don't need to know 

who did a kind deed for you, 

you just need to know 

that you will return one

 when the time is right.

We owe so much to our kids.

  They have gone above and beyond 

for us while doing what they can for others.

  While Tim drove 

3 1/2 hours (and 3 1/2 hours back)

to bring us our groceries this week,

 Tami was helping 

in a homeless shelter in Santa Cruz.

  She works for

 the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and

 because she is a county employee,

 their hours have been cut back

 to four days a week. 

 They are given the choice 

of donating time to a community cause 

on that day off.  

She chose to help out

 at the Veterans hall,

 as they had given over a room 

in their building,

 to house 20 homeless people 

who would otherwise be 

out on the streets,

 during the pandemic.

  These people, 

suffering from whatever life has dealt them,

 were so appreciative and thankful. 

 She says 

it was the most humbling and rewarding

 experience she has ever had.

We got a 

beautiful, thoughtful, package

 from Jake and Jacenda. 

 They had packed up 

some candy, cookies, men's soap,

 nail polish, hand sanitizer and bubble bath

 and because they know 

I love anything lavender, 

Jacenda painted 

the prettiest card,

 shown above.

We are so blessed 

to have our family 

who love and care about us and,

 in turn, 

all we can do is love and care for them back

 and pay close attention 

to what they want for us,

 which is 

just to be safe.

So far, 

we are not going stir crazy.

  We watch a lot of TV,

 which is really not anything new for us,

 but we have found another show 

that I think, 

although I never did before,

 is really entertaining.

  The Masked Singer is a hoot.

  When it first came on, 

I thought it would be 

the silliest thing and 

didn't plan on watching it. 

 We just happened 

to click on it the other night and 

found that it is really

 a fun filled hour 

to while away the time.

  The talent really is pretty good and

 the judges are characters and 

it is fun to 

guess along with them 

who the masked singer might be. 

I'm glad we started watching it and

 you should try it

 just once.

We also watched

 Joanna Gaines's special,

 In the Kitchen with Joanna Gaines on HGTV. 

 It was good to see Chip and Joanna

 back again even for a little while.

  They have started a new network, 

Magnolia Network, 

that is scheduled to air 

in October of 2020.  

As I was googling 

to see when it would air,

 I saw a person had commented 

that all the other shows 

that try to mimic Fixer Upper 

should just go away 

as they could never be as good. 

 While, in a sense,

 that may be correct.

  It would be very hard 

to find something to top it,

 but there is another show

 that we enjoy called

Home Town...

  ...even though 

it is the same concept as Fixer Upper,

 it is unique and 

as good in its own way.

  The young couple,

 Erin and Ben Napier, 

are charming and 

the setting of their show,

 Laurel, Mississippi, 

is a sweet little southern town.

  Ben is an excellent woodworker and 

Erin does a great job in

 decorating and designing. 

They are very 

personable and likeable.

  While,

 as most of us say, 

there can never be another

 Chip and Joanna, 

this show is worth a watch and 

deserves its spot 

on HGTV also. 

 The Gaines's new network 

looks like another smart move

 by the couple and 

they have renovated 

an old gristmill in Waco 

for the show. 

It is a beautiful building

 done in their trademark style and 

I'm sure the new adventure

 will be successful.

I haven't been doing 

any decorating to show off and 

haven't had a fresh flower 

in what seems like months (years!) 

so I have been showing 

some oldies but goodies. 

 Flowers are always 

a pick-me-up 

no matter old or new.

I'm still plugging along

 with my painting. 

 Not a bad pansy,

 but still much room

 for improvement.

My heart goes out 

to all of us and

 hope that our world 

can start healing very soon.

 Be kind to yourself and 

do what you can.

  We all need to know 

that we are here for each other and 

that love and hope

 will pull us through.

A nice way 

to end a cold rainy day.  

Stay well 

and 

stay home.

...Judy...

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