Two Years? - 31 March 2022 - Plague Journal Day 749

Micah 6:8
Genesis 45:5-7
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Two years ago today I started my daily blogging during the two week lockdown to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 case load. I missed only a couple days in that time (when my Dad was dying - I hope you'll forgive my distraction then), but it's time to stop this daily grind and move to a more occasional "schedule" of posting when I have something to post.
Check back now and then, won't you?

Please note that I'm not claiming there will be five more years where our various overlords will "take care of us" going forward, but I'm not claiming that there won't be either. (You do follow the scripture links in each post, don't you? The first and last are always the same, but the middle one(s) relate to the topic du jour, as it were.)

Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our insane 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.

Just Bare Bones - 10 February 2022 - Plague Journal Day 700

Micah 6:8
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

That's just stunning. Today is day 700 of our two weeks working from home to flatten the curve. Fifty times the originally expected period - and we're still not through the whole thing as far as our Federal overlords are concerned. It makes me glad they didn't say four weeks at the outset! At any rate, I've now blogged for 682 days, missing only a couple right around the time when my Dad died. They're not all gems of the blogosphere, but they're all there - warts and all.

Now for today's freewrite prompt word. It is Skeleton, so here we go.

I can't tell you how many meetings I've been in where folks mix up the phrases "flush out" and "flesh out" when talking about adding details to their ideas. I'd like to tell you, and I'm not contractually prohibited from doing so, I just can't remember, other than to know that it's been quite a few.
When I pointed it out once, I was told that fleshing something out sounded kind of gross or disgusting. To my mind, flushing something out smacks of childhood goldfish funerals - and that's much worse than adding muscles and skin to a skeleton if you ask me.

Of course this all does bring to mind that spectacular scene by Ray Harryhausen when Jason and the Argonauts (those are the ones who didn't suck) fought the sword-wielding skeletons that kept growing up out of the ground from the dragon's teeth that had been planted for just that purpose.
Pretty amazing effects when you think about the fact that it's basically the same technology that gave us Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer featuring Burl Ives and the first elfin dentist.
I'm sure those Argos were glad no one fleshed out the skeletons!

Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our insane 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.

Victory Is Ours! - 22 December 2021 - Plague Journal Day 650

Micah 6:8
Isaiah 41:1-10
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is our ticket to herd immunity. It spreads more quickly than the previous versions, it produces milder symptoms, and it results in much stronger immunity (antibodies) than any of the vaccines. In fact, a recent study from Washington University School of Medicine indicates that once a person has had and survived COVID-19 he or she will likely have lifetime immunity. This seems ideal! Easier to catch, easier to tolerate and survive, and a one and done kind of infection.

As I've said before, it's time to declare victory and open the world again. Lockdowns and masks clearly don't stop the spread of this stuff - look at New York if you're interested - but if they do anything at all, then by keeping us apart they slow down any chance at herd immunity. You remember herd immunity, don't you? That was our original goal before it was changed to 70% vaccination rates before it was changed to no one ever getting sick before it was changed to whatever the goal du jour might be now.

It's time to follow the science.

Keep Calm and Don't 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.

Planning for Christmas - 17 November 2020 - Plague Journal Day 250

Micah 6:8
Matthew 2:1-6
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?

Well, here we go again. No family gatherings, no in-person worship, no restaurants, no multi-household meals, no meetings (OK, there is a silver lining), and on and on it goes ...
and here come Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. grr.

So, what are we to do? We'll be brainstorming to figure a way to celebrate the holidays (Holy Days) anyway. That's what.

After all, whether we have our freedoms temporarily trampled, we still know Who is really in charge, and with faith in God, we still have far more than enough for which we should be thankful.
If we didn't have a church we wanted to attend, would we miss it?
If we didn't have family whom we love, would we miss them?
If we didn't have health, would we worry about getting sick?
As I always say when it's my job to call for the offering at church, when we have enough, we have enough to share. In a similar vein, when we have something to miss, we have something that matters - whether we can possess it now or not.

So -
Yes, this year will be different. It will be hard. It will tax our patience and our civility. In many ways it will suck.
However - it will also be a time to celebrate what we really do have, and to give thanks to the Author of all that is good.

I'll leave my normal tag line below, but I need to add this:
Keep Peace and Joy in your heart - you are loved.

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.