Clocks, Chimes, and Bells - 18 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 371

Micah 6:8
Zechariah 14:20-21
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is Oranges And Lemons Day, and I've already had a glass of orange juice! "Oranges and Lemons," say the bells of St. Clement's. Takes me back to 1975 and my first visit to London. We were (partly) a handbell choir, so we made a stop at the Whitechapel bell foundry to see how they were made. (Our bells were American-made English handbells from Schulemrich in Pennsylvania, but it was still cool to see the place where they made bells like ours.)
 
That was a wonderful trip - four weeks driving around in a couple rented VW microbuses and camping (in tents!) mostly at horse racing tracks as it was the off-season. That was the first place I ever woke to find it raining inside my tent. The three of us (Tim, Rick, Charlie) made a quick dash for one of the vans where we spent the night. I have a picture somewhere of Rick wringing out a paperback novel in the morning when we went to recover our belongings from the flooded tent.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

03 September 2020 - Plague Journal Day 174

Micah 6:8
Numbers 13:25-27
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

I have a fairly odd cat. Jack is almost more like a dog than a cat - he wags his tail when he's happy, comes when called, sits when told (before getting his meals or treats, generally). All in all, he's not a normal cat.

He does like his dairy products, though - especially yogurt. As many of you no doubt know, cats really dislike citrus fruits. One of the suggestions to keep them away from Christmas trees is to hang oranges on the tree. Jack, however, loves these Chobani yogurts: Lemon Meringue, Orange Cream, and Key Lime. He bugs me when I'm eating them to give him his share, and he always cleans the bowl.

There are two other flavors, though, which he prefers to the citrus ones: Honey and Coconut. Yesterday Jack finished my honey yogurt at lunch with his wonted gusto. Now I discover that yesterday was World Coconut Day (sadly, I didn't realize it then), so for a belated celebration, we had some coconut yogurt today, and again, the tub was clean as a whistle. (How did that become an expression? I've heard dirty whistles from time to time.)

So there you go. By the way, Jack's not totally abnormal. He loves getting into boxes and bags, just like a typical cat.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.