April 30, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Presidents.

The only American President who received no criticism was George Washington. Since that time, the President of the United received hateful words said of him. But time changes the narrative. When Lincoln was the President many people hated him and said terrible thing about him. You read about those words in history books. But now, no one says only compliments about Lincoln. No one from either party casts aspersions on Lincoln. I am old so have experienced several Presidents first hand. President Truman had an approval rating of 22% when he left office. People said horrible things about him, calling him stupid most of all. But history has been kind to Truman and now he is held in high regard. The same for President Eisenhower. When he was in office the press called him lazy, a do nothing president because he played golf frequently and he did not seem to talk a lot. But these days you read only positive words about his presidency. Most people agree that he was a good president and allowed the country to get back to work after the war. These days, even President Reagan receives compliments from both parties, even though the press referred to him always as a second rate actor who was not very smart. He seems to have gotten smarter over the years. Even President Bush the younger is getting a fair number of positive comments about him even though when he was in office he was called foolish. History has treat these ex presidents kindly because their records have had a positive effect on the country. The nasty behavior has been swept away. I would like to see the history books in 50 years concerning our last and the present president. Time will tell.

April 29, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Dinner.

I am so pleased with myself. My dinner tonight was delicious, all cooked by me. Of course, I started with good meat, given to me by Joyce and Robbie. I cooked one of their beef tenderloin steaks which was delicious. And I did not ruin it in the cooking. Once in Mexico, Suzanne R. went with us to a restaurant in the next little town where the chef cooks right in front of you while he describes what he was doing. He cooked steak in a frying pan. Ken always cooked our steaks on the grill but I remembered that chef and cooked the steak in a pan on the stove. I even recalled how he did it, even to waiting a few minutes after the meat is cooked to allow the juices to stay in the meat. My dinner was delicious, as good as any meal in the finest restaurant. I ate a baked sweet potato served with butter, creamed corn, and the steak. I only lacked the wine. My dinner is perhaps the best dinner since I returned from Mexico. The good thing is I have three more of those beef tenderloin steaks in the freezer along with 6 hamburger patties. I am set for awhile. Sara Lou and I laughed on the phone the other day when we commented that as we are both mostly alone, our meals are the highlight of the day. Certainly dinner tonight met that standard.

April 28, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Atlanta Olympics.

The Olympic Channel has been showing snippets of past Olympics. Today when I was eating lunch, I watched the gymnastic competition at the Atlanta Olympics. This one we all watched and enjoyed all those years ago. For the first time ever, the American women won the overall team gold medal. I loved watching the competition all those years ago but I liked it even better today because I knew who was going to win. The Russians were expected to win the team competition. But the Americans came on strong. Going into the last round, the two teams were only separated by one point. The Russians were performing in floor exercises while the Americans were on vault, which was their strongest event. The commentators both thought the Americans would definitely win because their history on vault was better than the Russians on floor exercises. But things got tense. Two American women sat down at the end of their vault. The Russians were flawless on floor. The last American vaulter was Keri Shrugg. She was the strongest and best American vaulter. But on her first vault she hurt her ankle and sat down at the end of her vault. The rule is that an athlete can perform two vaults with the highest score counting. Now Kari, with a bad ankle had to score a high number in order for the Americans to win the gold. I remember well the tension. Her coach was exhorting her "Keri, you can do it". And she did. The Atlanta crowd went nuts. Keri executed an excellent vault and stuck the landing. Immediately she fell to her knees. But her score was high enough to win the gold for the American women. It was all very exciting at the time and a great pleasure watching while I ate lunch today. What we did not know at the time is that the American women gymnastic team has become a powerhouse and have won several team gold medals. Meanwhile the Russians were in tears. They expected to win. But ever since that date, they no longer expect that result. They are trying to keep up with the powerful American women. It was great fun watching especially because I had no anxiety. I knew the Americans had won.

April 27, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. More Cooking.

Every day for lunch I eat either red beans and rice or a cheese sandwich with bread and butter pickles. Tomorrow will be the end l of the beans and rice which pleases me. Foolishly, I used two packages. Perhaps I should have frozen half but I persevered and now tomorrow the pot will be empty and I will return it to the rice cooker. Fortunately I have a big chunk of sharp cheddar and as I had two loaves of bread I am good for many more lunches. Christina set me up to order from Krogers but she was not able to access my store. I will not order until I have used all the food in this house. I am determined even though I am eating an odd diet. This evening I cooked again. Unfortunately I put too many seasonings on the hamburger patties and they were too strong. But they were juicy and tender and I enjoyed them along with half a can of creamed corn. And I ate a large dill pickle. My cooking was not as successful as the chicken. Next time I will not use the box of salt. I do not know what happens when you eat too much salt but I am about to find out. I do drink a lot of water with my meals which is probably a good thing. This summer in Nova Scotia, I will be without the caterer. I have been thinking of options. One idea was to go out for our main meal, perhaps at noon. For supper we could eat a salad or yogurt. Another idea is to have me cook but as I am only batting 500 so perhaps that would be a bad idea. The last thought is to only come to visit me if the guest is prepared to cook, like in Mexico. The right way will show itself, I feel sure.

April 26, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. A True Story.

Years ago, the accountant at the association accused the director of sexual advances. It was her word against his. On the advice of the attorney, he was fired. Two years later, the treasure of the organization asked for the back three years of the records. The same lady accountant accused the treasure of making sexual advances to her. But this time the treasurer was smart. She always spoke to the accountant in the open office where other folks were present. So when questioning the other staff they discovered the story was made up and the accountant was fired. So I know from personal experiences, that not all ladies tell the truth. So I am puzzled. During the hearing for the last SupremeCourt Justice, on a facebook of a friend, said a saying that meant the lady told the truth. Many years ago, a lady accused the candidate of sexual advances. This comment stayed on Facebook way after the gentleman was already on the Supreme Court. In other words, when a lady makes accusations, she must be believed. Now a lady has accused the former Vice President of making sexual advances long ago in 1983. I am looking for the same comment about this lady now. If my friend thought the first lady was believable, how about the new one. I being a cynic , would always await for an investigation. The wicked lady in my true story eventually admitted that both stories were lies. In the first incident she wanted the job. In the second she knew she did not want anyone looking at the books. But why the difference? I am awaiting to see the sign on the Facebook page that says the lady was telling the truth. I am waiting.

April 25, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Simp[le Pleasure.

Every morning I carefully select a mug for my tea. Many many years ago, when we travelled with the boys, I bought a mug to bring home as a reminder from the vacation. In the years prior, when Ken was at medical school and travelled in the summer, we had no money so spent nothing except travel and food expenses. I collected the mugs for quite a while and finally decided that I needed no more mugs, so I sought out small original water color paintings. They were inexpensive and easy to carry. When we got home I framed them, when I got enough money. Many of the mugs have disappeared but I still enjoy the memories of where I bought the mugs. Two mugs I purchased at Nags Head when our friends from picnic group went every spring. I bought them at different years. They are big and blue. One has seagulls and the other shells. I use a large one from the first year we went to Rehobeth Beach. And I have a Jackson Hole mug where we went skiing with the boys. I also have two mugs given to me by my Mother one year she visited us. Now I have the new mug given to me by Wonderful Wendy of the statue of Ken in Nova Scotia. The use of all the mugs gives me great pleasure. If anyone looks in the breakfast room you will see several small paintings, all brought back from vacations. I have them from Scotland, Idaho, Ireland and Costa Rico. Great memories. Mary Frances hung all the small paintings in the breakfast room. I look at them every day. Especially now that I am home much of the time, I treasure the mugs and small paintings. They are all very simple but they bring me much pleasure.

April 24, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Cooking and Baking.

Three friends this week have told me that the grocery store was out of yeast. This had never happened too them before. What is happening is obvious. Now that people are home, they are baking bread. And they are teaching their children to do it too. In Nova Scotia, Gill and Mary have been making their own bread for a couple of years. Even Christina had baked bread this week. I wonder how long this trend will continue? Baking bread is similar to making pastry. If you do it regularly, everything is easy but when you only do it every so often it seems like a big chore. Last week, Christina baked bunches of things, with Molly's help. She said the problem was that they ate everything in three days. And I am cooking too. The controls for the ovens are high so I can not read the temperatures so when I turn on the oven, I must guess about the temperature. Ken was right. He thought we should install new ovens when we first moved in. I objected to the expense because we seldom use the ovens so we left them alone. Today, I decided to cook all the chicken breasts given to me at Christmas by Joyce and Robbie. My freezer is now empty except for the meat given to me. I have not cooked for 35 years but I put on an apron, looking official. I got out a pan and opened all the chicken breasts. My plan was to cook them all, then freeze the cooked chickens to be used in the future. All was well with the preparation and I was ready to put the chickens in the oven. I had turned on the oven but could not see the temperature. So I pushed the control up a notch, put the pan in the lower oven and went for a walk, hoping for the best. When I got home from my walk which took about 30 minutes, the house was not full of wonderful smells so I turned the temperature up a notch or two. As there was fluid in the pan, I figured the chicken would not dry out. After another 20 minutes I took them out to check. It seemed cooked. I ate a chicken breast for a late lunch, along with more rice and beans and kernel corn. Amazingly, I had remembered how to cook. My dinner at lunch was delicious.

April 23, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Advantage.

Something good comes from everything. Now that we are housebound, friends answer the phone when I call. In the past, I would leave a message. But not now. Everyone answers their phone, which is good for me. When Ken and I were house bound, we were house bound together so I had interesting conversations with Ken. But now I am housebound by myself so am short of good conversations. Kashina comes three times a week so I do have company but as she never reads, she does not bring much of interest to the table. Christina, Molly and Mary Frances come at least once a week, which gives me a break but I still am by myself much of the time. My solution is to call my friends and talk. This evening, I called my friend Sara Lou. She answered after one ring. Normally I leave a message on her tape and she calls back. We had a great conversation, at least I enjoyed it. We talked of things great and small. And we talked about what we eat. Living alone makes for peculiar meals. Sara Lou told me that she has eaten the same thing four nights in a row. I had to admit that I ate red beans and rice four days in a row. We talked about the virus and the impact on real estate and of course we caught up with our respective families. And I talked this afternoon with my daughter in law Suzanne who lives in San Antonio. Again, talking with Suzanne was difficult because she is so busy. But now she teaches from home so she answered immediately and we talked longer than usual. Their family is doing well. David has the longest commute to work when he walks to the bottom of the garden to his office. The twins hope their school will hold a graduation. The school has selected three prospective dates: one in. May, one in June and one in July. They both hope that their colleges will open on time. So the virus that is keeping us all at home has been helpful to me. If I am short of conversation, I phone a friend. I like it. And it keeps me happy

April 22, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Nova.

Nova is a splendid show on PBS. I am not a scientist but I enjoy exploring topics dealing with science. Ken was not in love with the program perhaps he objected to a layman point of view. But I like it and watch every Wednesday evening. Last week they were discussing Genetics. The program is an hour. During that time they discussed the discoveries and the treatments of genetic disorders. New discoveries are happening all the time. It is impressive and exciting. Ken always said that the medical world is at the cusp of great discoveries. He was hoping the discoveries could fix his Parkinson's Disease. He died too soon. Tonight the topic was on torrential floods. I knew nothing about the topic. Scablands are east of Seattle. It is a large area full of high cliffs and deep pot holes. Scientists have been puzzled. How did this topography occur? No large rivers are close by and the glaciers ended just north of the Scablands. In Iceland, far away, there is an area similar to the Scablands, with a large horseshoe cliff and deep pot holes. The idea is that a volcano erupted, melting the ice and causing massive flooding. They think the same thing happened in the Scablands. Interesting. The scientists asked the question if a river could change the land so drastically. They were skeptical until the Guadalupe River flooded and formed a new channel just below the dam. The flooded river caused a deep trench about 100 feet deep, just below Canyon Lake, with deep pot holes in the bottom. We were there for the flood. You can see the deep channel now as you drive along the road. Now the scientists know that a torrential flooded river could indeed change the land. And I know too, thanks to Nova.

April 21, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Protests.

Finally, people are pushing back on the draconian restrictions imposed on them. People were willing to stay home and stay away from friends and family but some time along the way, the powers that be forgot the purpose of the restrictions. The restrictions imposed on people was to curb the infection of the virus from one person to the next. So people stayed home and washed their hands. If a family is in their car with the window up, no one could get an infection from them but police fined people for attending an outdoor Easter service, listening to the minister over the radio. I(n Minnisotta, the governor allowed the beer stores to stay open but not the hardware store. People were not allowed to buy seeds or plants. And even if no one was at the park, a father was fined by playing ball with his daughter. Walking trails have been closed in some states. The same for golf courses. It makes no sense at all. People can stay 6 feet away from each other on a golf course. When folks are given power, they will use it even though their decisions make no sense. I never expected to be living in a police state. The US constitution allows the right of assembly and worship. People are ready to have the economy open. People need to go to work. Lots of things can be done to insure public distancing. People will figure it out. Let them do it. Let the protest continue.

April 20, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Progress.

Today I heard motor boats on the Reservoir. Ever since the restrictions to stay home, the reservoir has been closed to boating. The purpose of staying home was always to decrease the spread of the virus, yet the officials have not been any boaters on the lake. The strings are loosening, which is a good thing. Theresa cleans my house. A few weeks ago, the first Monday when we were supposed to stay home, she had four customers cancel their appointments with her. She works two houses each day so four of her money earning jobs were gone. She was upset. Today she was all smiles. The company she works for received money from the government on Friday so the workers like Theresa will get their salary. So Theresa will get the same amount of money as last year. Bev who owns the company was smart and applied immediately when the PPP was approved. Now Bev has the funds from the grant and will dole out the funds each week. Theresa is thrilled. She will not need to take another job. It was just like The White Spot of Vancouver days. Today we drove into the restaurant Primos. We gave our order on the phone and the order was delivered to us in the car. Many folks sat in their car to eat. Others sat at an outdoor table. We brought our food home. Pretty slick. The place was busy. This morning, Kashina and I drove to my eye doctor to pick up my key. They found it on the floor. I was delighted. Kashina said all along that I lost it in the office so today I called and it was there. On the way home we celebrated by buying lunch. I had a day of progress, which I could see going on every place I looked. All seems exciting. And more progress is in store. Hallelujah.

April 19, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Food.

When I arrived home from Mexico, I had a freezer full of cooked food. My cook did not manage cooking for one, so every week I had food left over. My solution was to put the leftover food in the freezer. I had multiple containers of good food. My pantry also had loads of food. I had tins of vegetables and boxes of rice mixtures. There are at least 6 types of cereal in the pantry. My goal this time in Mississippi was to eat all the food in my house and only buy fruit, milk, vegetables and bread. So far I am doing a good job. All the containers of food made by Drysis are empty and are now in my tupper ware drawer. I enjoyed all her soups. For dinner last evening I ate a baked potato and green beans. Tonight I cooked two packages of red beans and rice in the rice cooker. I served it with hot dogs I found in the freezer. I was supposed to eat a salad but I was too full. Next time I will eat the salad first. The last time I went to the grocery store I bought cottage cheese and apple sauce so I have had that for breakfast. I do not really enjoy cereals but I will probable eat them for breakfasts just to have them gone. My friends Joyce and Robbie give me frozen meat for Christmas so I will cook that meat beginning this week, that is if I can remember how to cook. I am determined to use up all the food in this house before I return to the grocery store. So far, all is well in the food department at my house. I have been managing well without my cook. Kashina and I often went out for lunch but we can not do that now. We miss our lunches. But soon we will be back to normal, I feel sure. My freezer looks great. Almost empty. I am giving myself a pat on the back.

April 18, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. My TV Room.

Originally, the little room adjacent to the bedroom was to be a screened porch. The plans show it and the windows into the bathroom are metal outside windows. During the construction, they turned it into a proper room with a large arch opening to the room from the bedroom. Two sides are all windows. The former owner used the room as a TV room and we did too. It is a lovely little room, especially since we fixed it. The room was always too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. The summers did not matter because we were never hear. We bought a little heater for when it was chilly. The first thing we did was replace the single pane windows, which helped. Finally, we installed a separate heating and air-conditioning system with its own thermostat. Also there was never an air duct to the little room. The installers discovered that no insulation was ever put in the attic so we installed it. Now the room is cozy. I like the little room for several reasons. Ken and I replaced both our chairs and we moved the furniture. Ken's chair allowed him to look right out to the reservoir My chair is on a swivel so I was turn to look at the trees, birds and water. In addition I can look at four pieces or art, right in the room. My sister Carol gave us a copper relief of a scene making maple syrup the old fashioned way. As she gave us a gallon of maple syrup each year it is a lovely reminder of her generosity. Next I have a small pen and ink sketch of Nova Scotia of a scene from our cottage. It is charming. I think it was done by friend Pat. Two others are from our trips. One is sketches of castles and churches in Ireland. They were note cards and when we got home, the framer put the four on a frame. The last is from Newfoundland and Labrador. They also were put together by the framer. The are made with fabric and are stuffed a bit. They are bright and cheery and a reminder of our happy time there with Bud and Mary. So I enjoy my little TV room, even when I am not watching TV. And I especially appreciate the four little pieces of art. They remind me of happy times of long ago.

April 17, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Keys.

My keys disappeared right out of my purse. The devil must have swooped down and removed them just to keep me humble. Today I had an appointment with my eye doctor. Kashina could not work today so I used Lyft to get me there. I locked the door to the house and headed to the mailbox to leave a letter for the mailman to pick up. But the Lyft driver drove into the driveway and got out to help me in. And he offered to take my mail to the box. He returned to the car with mail. I still had the keys in my hand so I offered to have hime put the old mail inside the house. But I changed my mind and asked him to leave the mail on the stoop, which he did. The parking lot outside the large office building was roped off. In order to get in you must drive to the second floor and take the overhead walkway to the building. Inside was a desk with two ladies wearing white robes and masks. They asked me lots of questions. When I passed that test, a nurse behind the table took my temperature. Finally I was able to use the elevator to get to my appointment. Then I waited. And I waited. I had not opened my purse. Finally I was in a small waiting room right inside the offices to wait for a room. I put my purse on the chair beside me. My purse fell and my phone dropped out. I picked it up and checked the floor to see if anything else had fallen. It was then that I could not find my keys. I felt sure I had dropped the keys in the car of the Lyft driver so I called him. My keys were not in his car but he did say that he was going to be downtown and if I called him he would pick me up, which was good. Next I thought I had dropped the keys when I almost gave him the keys. But when we got home the keys were not in the driveway. My keys were lost. Fortunately I keep an extra key outside and beside the fountain in front, under an old pottery base. The driver found the key and opened the door for me. I have an appointment at a Subaru dealer on Wednesday to get another key for the car. Kashina will be here and will drive me. How can a key just disappear? It must be someplace hiding. I think it is kind of funny. How can a key disappear in plain view? I figure it was the devil's work!

April 16, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Coffee.

Easter, 2015. Our new house was in chaos. Our belonging from the condo arrived in the morning. One hour later the stuff from the farm and in storage arrived one hour later. The movers from the farm unpacked all the paintings and piled them in the middle of the living room. We had boxes everywhere. Wendy arrived from Toronto in the middle of the evening. After she hung up her coat she started opening boxes, beginning with the kitchen boxes. As she opened, she put things away. I sat on a chair close to the kitchen so I could answer her questions. Starting about 10:00, Wendy asked if we had coffee in the kitchen boxes. I assured her we did. I suggested she start with the pantry boxes, which she did. At first, when Wendy opened a new box she put the objects away but as time passed, she started just opening the boxes and rooting through them looking for the coffee pots and the coffee. Both Ken and I had no anxiety because we both knew we had both coffee and pots but Wendy had no faith, especially as more and more boxes came up empty of coffee. Ken and I laughed. But not Wendy. She was anxious. Finally she found the pots which was a happy sight. But the boxes were getting fewer and fewer and still no coffee. At least we had the pots set up. Finally, in the last box marked pantry, Wendy found the coffee. She found the ground coffee for the drip pot and the packages for the one cup machine. Wendy was happy. And finally we all three laughed together.

April 15, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Number 42.

On April 15, every player in the Major League Baseball League wears number 42 on their jersey. It is the only time during the year that any player wears the number 42. It was permanently retired and is not used by any player on any team. The day is a reminder that although life might be difficult for folks right now, in the past things were worse. Jackie Robinson was a great athlete. He was a star in four sports at school and college. Baseball was not his best sport. After school he went into the service in WW2. When the war was over he played one year in the Negro Baseball League. Branch Ricky had been looking for a black player with the skills and disposition to play in the MLB and he found his man in Jackie. Jackie was drafted by the Dodgers and played one year in the minor leagues. April 15, 1947 was the first time that a black man had played in the big leagues. At first he was jeered but his high level skill won over the fans. He did everything well. And he was unfailingly optimistic. He was a winner on and off the baseball diamond. We are missing baseball on April 15, 2020 but we can still give tribute to Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play in major league baseball. It must not have been easy for him. But as we look back at this time, you must wonder just what these people were thinking not allowing black players in the league. Number 42 reminds us that times were tough back then. Next year I look forward to April 15, 2021 to see all players wearing 42, all in homage to Jackie Robinson. But tonight, I do it myself, all by myself and tip my hat to Jackie.

April 14, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Handball.

When we were first married, Ken and I lived over a hardware store, on the corner of Bleeker and Howard Streets in Toronto. The neighborhood was not fancy but it was affordable and convenient. Right across the street was a large brick wall with no windows. Young men congregated there and played handball. They were good players. The game consisted of batting the ball against the wall with your hand and trying to make your opponent miss their shot. They played for hours. They never bothered us except their vocabulary was limited to swear words. Until last evening, I had never seen team Handball. It is actually an Olympic sport. I always watch TV when I eat meals so last evening, with nothing else to find, I turned to the Olympic channel and discovered handball. Actually it was the world championship of handball, played in January. The game was astonishing. It has nothing like the handball played by those young men in Toronto. Seven men are on each side. The ball is thrown from one player to the other and to score you throw into the goal. Unfortunately, the commentator gave me no hints about the rules so I was forced to figure out the rules and strategy myself. The goal looks to be about the same size as a hockey goal. The goalie has no pads so mostly the ball goes into the net. At first I figured that any team could score every time they had the ball but that was not the case. But the scores are high. The game I watched ended up with a 22 to 20 score. Tonight I see another game coming on and I hope to figure out more rules. I was pleased to find another team sport that I knew nothing about. For a few days I will be an expert on Handball, a game I knew nothing about. I am always astonished on how little I actually know. But now at least I know something about Handball.

April 13, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Storm.

I was lucky. Yesterday afternoon a bad storm came through Mississippi. It came from the southwest and hit Louisiana first. Next it continues its path through Alabama and Georgia and South Carolina. In Mississippi alone 11 people died. The tornadoes did the damage. In the greater Jackson area we had damage with trees down and thousands of folks without power. The storm was a big one and covered a large area but in Jackson we got no tornadoes. I was ready for a big storm. Christina put my car in the garage and the young college student across the street moved his car into the other side of my garage. One of his windows leaks and his car is always parked in their driveway. And I have flashlights set beside everywhere where I might be sitting whenever the electricity goes out. So I was ready for a big storm. What I got was three periods of heavy rain, high winds and thunder, each storm lasting about ten minutes. I could see no lightning although the thunder was loud. When the storm would kick up, I expected it would get worse but it never did. After listening and watching the storm, everything got quiet. After about an hour, it would start up again. At least three different times I felt sure the really big storm was coming to stay. But it never did. We had no hail either. My cleaning lady was forced to drive to me via an alternate route because several large trees covered the roads. And she was out of power. The hail damaged cars around her. So my area got lucky and Christina too. All the people who died in Mississippi died in their homes. Wreckage from houses is still being worked on so the officials expect that the death toll will increase. Some days you just get lucky. I had no bad storm yesterday and all is well with me.

April 12, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Easter Dinners.

My first Easter dinner was eaten Saturday evening. As Sunday noon was supposed to have a storm, Christina suggested we eat our Easter feast on Saturday. And she suggested Japanese food. The best Japanese restaurant in Jackson opens at 5:00 so Christina phoned in our order and was given another number to call when parked. When they arrived the lot was full with people waiting for their order. Eventually the food came along with the credit card machine and they were ready to come to see me. Kate is still off limits. The plate of food was full and delicious. None of us thought we would be able to finish our meal, but we did. That was the first time we have celebrated Easter with Japanese food. We might do it again we enjoyed it so much. Then we sat in the living room and talked until well after dark. We had a splendid celebration. Around noon today, my across the street neighbor texted to see if I would like an Easter dinner. Normally, both sets of parents come for Easter but of course, they are staying home. But Donna was still cooking. I said Yes. Late in the afternoon, Gregg brought my dinner. It included appetizers and dessert along with a typical ham and all the trimmings Easter dinner. I saved the appetizers and salad for tomorrows lunch while I enjoyed the ham dinner. It was wonderful. I feel grateful for my family and my neighbors for looking after me so well at Easter. At this time of year with a peculiar situation in the country, it is easy to think of what has been missed. But I have focused on what I have, which is a comfortable home and two delicious Easter Feasts. Pretty good.

April 11, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Roof.

In the corner of the living room you can see a water mark on the ceiling. Actually, I do not see it, but the son of my handyman spotted it last week. He told his father so on Monday he came to take a look. Chantes and his crew replaced the roof for my neighbor before they sold. He checked my roof and suggested that I probably should replace the roof. All the homes were built at about the same time and about one third of the homes sport new roofs. But I asked hime to fix the leak because I could not get organized so fast. In this subdivision you must get a permit to put on a new roof. And the new roof must meet specific requirements. My roof is a cedar shake roof. Each shingle is thick and nothing seems to be out of place. And I have only one leak. Except I do have two leaks in the garage which we have ignored. So Chantes and his crew fixed the leak. Turns out that a squirrel had chewed a hole to get into the attic so no wonder I had water leaking in my living room. Now the hole is covered with metal, which is a good thing because tomorrow we expect a big storm. I talked to son David and he and I decided to not replace the roof this year. And I will look for problems. These shingle shake roof were advertised to be a "life of the house shingle shakes". But of course, in No Scotia we installed a new roof in 1999 with a 25 year life shingle. But as we live by the sea, I had to put on a new roof this Spring. Roofs are expensive so I did not wish to put on a new roof here in Mississippi. Our storm tomorrow is supposed to be big and dangerous. Christina put the car in the garage to protect it from the hail. And I will watch for my roof. So far I have dodged a bullet. Now I hope for the best tomorrow.

April 10, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Home Exercise.

Pat and Tom conduct Scottish Country dancing in their condominium every day. They put on a record and dance away. In the real world, they attend classes and dances once a week but now they dance by them selves at home. "It is a good work out," said Pat in an e mail. I was wondering what can be heard by the people below them. My friend Butch uses a stationary bike, given to him by his brother for Christmas. He rides for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in late afternoon. The people in Sicily perform calisthenics on their balconies. Some gentleman in the middle of the street leads and people follow from their balconies. And they have fun. If you could see me from above, you would think I was nuts. If the weather is not good to walk in the neighborhood, I walk inside the house. Fortunately the house is wide. Even when I am reading or on the iPad, I get up every hour and walk around the house. I walk around the outside walls but of course, inside the house. And I walk around the bar and the dining table. After ten minutes, I sit back down to read. Every day I perform exercises for my arms and legs. And every other day I go downstairs and lift weights for my arms. I am not able to walk the 10,000 steps such as Rita and Gill do every day but I like to walk between 3,000 and 7,000. steps each day, as recorded on my phone. Today was windy with waves on the reservoir. I have been told not to walk outside during high winds so today I walked inside. So far, I have walked 3072 steps. If I walk more than 7,000 steps my legs hurt at night. If I walk fewer than 3,000 my legs hurt at night. By the time I go to bed, I will be over 4,000. Every time I get up from a chair to get anywhere, I walk a circuit or two around the house. If you could see me, you would think I am confused about where I was going. My system works. I know this is not as good a workout as walking for a longer time at the same time time but at least I get some exercises. In Nova Scotia, walking inside is difficult because the house is too small from one side to the other. But I use the deck outside along with the stairs to get a bit of exercise. But for now, my drill seems to be working. And that is good.

April 9, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. A Drive.

I know we are supposed to stay at home but today we disobeyed instructions. We went for a drive in the country. We live close to the Natchez Trace, the National Parkland running from Natchez to Nashville. 50 mile an hour speed limit. No signs. No towns. Ken and I loved to drive on The Natchez Trace, especially just north of our house when the road runs just beside the reservoir. Our pattern was to drive on the Trace until we got bored with it, then take the country highways home. The minor highways in Mississippi are excellent, paved and smooth. We would wander until we finally got home. Kashina is uncomfortable with just wandering so today I mapped out a plan for our drive which kept us both happy. we left home at 10:30 and drove right to the Trace, where we headed for Tupelo. The drive was beautiful with almost no cars. The fields were green and lush. The reservoir is high with only one man fishing. Next we drove east on Highway 16 to Carthage. While we were there we picked up lunch at McDonalds, using the drive through of course. We ate lunch in the car sitting in the parking lot outside a Mexican restaurant, who had a whole stream of people having food brought to the car. Then we drove back on 16 to highway 35, where Kashina used the GPS on her phone to get us home, all via back roads, which made me happy. We arrived home at 1:30. The countryside in Mississippi is lovely. The houses and farms are well tended and at this time of year everything is green and fresh. As I had not really left my home for weeks, I decided it was time. And I enjoyed the drive.

April 8, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Gillian.

Right now, Gillian is at her home in Nova Scotia. She must stay home without being with anyone for 14 days from her arrival from Toronto earlier this week. She is lucky. She had been on a cruise ship that had no infections with either staff or guests. And the cruise line did everything right to unload the passengers before borders were closed. She was traveling on the Cunard Line, Queen Mary 2 and she was on a long three month journey. Her goal has been to travel all around the world but in bits and pieces. This cruise started in New York and was supposed to end in Southampton. When the ship was in the far east it was supposed to stop at many ports on the way to Australia but the Cunard officials made the decision to head directly to Australia, which they did. The passengers were not happy and according to Gill, she heard much complaining and unhappiness. The ship circled Australis, then downloaded the passengers at Fremantel and booked a plane to get the passengers to Sidney where they could get flights home. It took Gill 49 hours to get home to Toronto. She was exhausted but happy to be home. The officials in Toronto announced the rule for everyone to stay at home, started in three days. Gill lives in a lovely condo in downtown Toronto but it is 900 square feel. After a day of diddling, Gill was able to take a flight to Halifax just the day before the provincial border was closed. Mr. Gaskell took her home. Friend Karen put groceries in the fridge so she is set. She must stay by herself but she goes everyday for a long walk. The wind is blustery but the ocean is beautiful. No one is on the road. No people and no cars. But she is delighted to be there. And she is very lucky. There are people who are still on their ships. And she could have spent the next month cooped up in a little condo without the ability to walk on the streets. She is a happy camper and she knows she is fortunate too.

April 7, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Olympic Channel.

2018 was the year of the last Winter Olympics. But we were in Mexico and Mexico has no interest in winter sports, so no events were on our TV. I did get to watch some events when we got home but mostly I missed all the events, even though I kept up with what was happening. This year, the Olympic channel was showing events as they were being held but once all sporting events were cancelled, the channel showed past events. I saw the world gymnastic finals. Same with ice skating. But they were just repeating them over and over. Finally, this week, they started showing finals from the 2018 Winter Olympics. Some of the events I have no interest in watching but Saturday night I had a big treat. The women's hockey final was being shown, the Canadians against the Americans. The game was interesting and exciting and I loved every minute. The Canadians had won the last 4 gold medals at the Olympics. The US team won the annual world championships but the gold medal at the olympics had not been won by them since I think 1982. I could not remember who won the game so I was interested to the bitter end. The US ladies won in a shoot out. The competition between the teams were fierce. Many of the players had been on the same college teams so they were looking for bragging rights. It was great fun watching the game. Next up they showed the curling gold medal. Now this one I knew who had won but I never saw the actual game until Saturday night. The game was for the gold, between Sweden and the US. No one dreamt that the Americans would get to play for the gold but here they were, looking cool as cucumbers. The Swedish team was ranked number one in the world. And everyone expected them to win. But the game was close the whole way. I knew that the Americans won by winning big in one end but I did not know when. Finally, the game was close but the US team scored 5 point in the 7th end. With that lead, they went on to win the gold. I was excited all over again. So something good comes from everything. On Saturday evening I got to watch two thrilling events. I was a happy camper.

April 6, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. College Bound.

They are going to different schools. The decisions have been made. Samantha will attend Virginia Tech and Allison the The University of Colorado in Boulder. They are excited to have made it final. They have been worrying and puzzling where they should attend. And now it has been done. Selecting a college is not easy. Right from the beginning, they decided to attend different schools, even though they have only been apart for a few weeks the whole life. I am so pleased for them. Choosing a college makes a lot of difference to your future life. After all, David and Suzanne met at college at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Once they became an item, their future was determined, for which we are all grateful. Many couples begin to fall in love in college. Also many students remain in the same state of their college for employment, when college has finished. So your choice of a college is important. It is also the most difficult transition to leave your family home and launch out on your own. But Samantha and Allison are ready for the next chapter of their life. They are both thrilled with their decisions. And I am too. I am very proud of them.

April 5, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. A Change.

Ever since we came to Mississippi we have gone out Sunday morning with the family for brunch. We selected a different restaurant each week. A couple of years ago we delegated to the girls to decide on the restaurant. Mary Frances suggested Pig & Pint for this weekends outing. But when she called to make a reservation, she discovered that the place is closed on Sunday. We were already set to eat barbecue so Christina suggested we dine together on Saturday evening. No one can go out so we all agreed. We would eat brunch Saturday night. Christina and the girls, minus Kate, picked up the food ordered on line. The restaurant people brought out the food to the car. And when they arrived at my house we sat down for dinner. We had fun perhaps because we do not normally have dinner together. The evening seemed festive. The food was good too. Both Molly and I ate ribs along with Mac & cheese and southern style green beans. The meat just fell off the bones. Both Christina and Mary Frances ate smoked chicken nachos which they too said was good. So a change of routine proved to be a good thing. But next Sunday we will probably eat brunch together because I missed seeing everyone this morning, as did Kashina. But dinner together last evening was a hit. Switching routines is always a good thing.

April 4, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Cruise.

The phone call was no surprise. Yesterday late morning my phone rang. Pearl Seas representative was telling me that my 2 cruises had been cancelled. So I booked the same cruise for 2021. They offered me the same price as this year plus 25% of the price to use however I wish on the cruise. Now I am set for next year. But that gave me lots of things to do. I was intending to stay 2 nights in Portland before the cruise to be able to see my friend of 1962 who lives 20 minutes away. So that hotel reservation had to be cancelled. My flights to Portland also had to be changed. The airline, Delta, was kind by waiving the fee for switching flights so now I fly from Jackson, to Atlanta then Toronto and finally Halifax. Airfares are low right now so the cost for my new flights were $95. less than the first flights to Portland. Now I am set. I must contact Mr. Gaskell to pick me up. I also have a hotel reservation in Milwaukee so I cancelled that reservation too. On my cruise of the Great Lakes, we stop at Parry Sound and had already contacted Bud and Mary to see them. So I had to alert them. And the cruise goes to Sault St. Marie where my nephew Christian lives. I was looking forward to seeing him and his family too, but not this year. The only flight I have done nothing with is the flights from Milwaukee to Halifax. I was encouraged to wait until closer to the time when I hope they will cancel the flight which means I get my money back. Now I must contact friend Sharon to tell her I will come in 2021, when I sail on May 15. Other than that last detail, everything is ready for me. I feel as I am just like the Olympics. Same drill, just one year later.

April 3, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Studying.

Sarah and Abigail are doing their University work at home, along with every student in North America. But they have turned a deficiency into an asset. They along with three friends are living and working at the lake house in Canyon Lake. Every day they complete their work. When finished, they go water skiing. They are having a blast. The boat is kept in the cove tied up to the shore so all they have to do is go down the hill before they get on the water. Each girl has a spot where they work except the office which is kept for those who have group chats or discussions, using Zoom. There are plenty of tables so every girl can keep their supplies and books in one place. And on Sunday they all clean. Sarah organizes the tasks so the work of cleaning is spread around. No one gets to ski until the house is clean. Evidently the five girls are getting along. I have no idea what they are eating but I know they are not going out to restaurants because they are all closed. Sarah lives in an apartment in Austin but living at the lake is a vast improvement to being stuck in an apartment in the city. Here in Mississippi, the reservoir has been closed to boating. Up until 5:00 I could see boats on the water but evidently the young people were rafting together to have parties so they closed the reservoir. So far, the Corps of Engineers has not closed Canyon Lake, at least not yet. And I hope they never do. Those girls are working hard but also having a lot of fun. Hats off to them.

April 2, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Hockey.

My grand niece lives for hockey and school. Lauren lives in Sault St. Marie, commonly called "The Soo". The season was coming along nicely. This weekend her team was to play in the provincial playoffs. This late Spring and Summer she was asked to play on three different teams specially to compete in three different tournaments. In the Fall, she will be in high school and will attend a Hockey Academy. Her season of hockey looked smooth and promising. But two weeks ago, Hockey Canada shut down the whole program. No provincial finals. Lauren is devastated. And she does not know when anything will return so she can play hockey. Fortunately she is a good student and has a good attitude. Her conditioning coach on her team is a former NHL player and he emphases the need to keep up the academics. Evidently when he was in school he played hockey only and he emphasizes to the girls to pay attention to school first and hockey second. This virus threat to the world does not much affect me. Mostly I am home anyway. But for the young people it can be more difficult. I hope it will soon be over so Lauren can go back to playing hockey, the love of her life. I wish her well.

April 1, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Grocery Store.

Last year, my grocery store chain, Krogers, started a new system. Customers could order their groceries on line. Then they pick up the groceries outside the store, where staff bring the groceries out to the car. People liked it. But now the customers like it even more. I went to the grocery store this morning. Kashina drive me, then waits outside in the car while I do my shopping and get in my walking. Today I was amazed. There were more staff people filling the on line orders than there were regular customers. The staffers use a cell phone to check off their list. And it appears that they are working with more than one customer at a time. I heard on TV tonight that grocery stores are having to hire more staff. By the time I left, there were more customers than staff people. But by then it was lunch. I can report that there is no shortage of food in the grocery store. The shelves are full of everything. But there were exceptions. There was very little bottled water. And there was no bread that I like, the multi grain loaves. And of course, there was no toilet paper. But that was all. The rest of the shelves are packed with products. The meat department is full of lovely looking meat and there was plenty of options in the produce department. The truck drivers have been working. I have been puzzled by the amount of hoarding. Why are people buying so much toilet paper? The same for bottled water. There is no problem with the water systems yet people are buying bottles of water. But I can report that the grocery store is full of food, which is a good thing. And when I got home, I washed my hands.