The same five-dollar bill has lived in my wallet for weeks. Normally, it would be long gone, spent on coffee or some forgotten trifle. But since the virus came... Like any good citizen, I don't do more shopping than absolutely necessary these days. I don't go to restaurants or coffee shops, and the cash in my wallet stays intact. I still use my credit card, of course, but I'm starting to find ways to live more simply. Lots of times we spend money on things we don't actually need or even … [Read more...] about Pandemic Penny-Pinching: Things I’m learning about saving money
Packing Lunches for Anabaptist COVID-19 Response
"Help us feed the hard-working health workers on the front lines of the COVID19 pandemic," reads the heading on the home page of the Anabaptist COVID-19 Response website. "Feed our Health Workers is focused on providing Med Staff Lunch Boxes for health workers on the front lines of the COVID19 epidemic. Feed our Health Workers is a project under the direction of Anabaptist COVID19 Response, a coalition of non-profits mobilizing with One Kingdom Community to serve our health workers." Several … [Read more...] about Packing Lunches for Anabaptist COVID-19 Response
Packing Mike and Ike Candy While Wearing a Cloth Face Mask
"I made some face masks yesterday," my friend Dawn said to me (over the phone, of course.) "And right now, I'm sewing a dress out of the same fabric, so I'll have a matching dress and face mask!" Yes, the cloth face mask trend has swept Lancaster County along with the rest of the world. Quilters and dressmakers are rising up with scissors in hand and sitting down at their sewing machines with a new purpose— the humble homemade face mask, fighting COVID-19, the new invisible enemy of … [Read more...] about Packing Mike and Ike Candy While Wearing a Cloth Face Mask
Why We Had Potato Soup For Supper
Grocery stores are rationing milk; farmers are dumping milk into their manure pits. Welcome, April 2020. Since I last wrote a blog post, Lancaster County and the whole state of Pennsylvania was put under a stay-at-home order. Since I haven't been going anywhere besides work, this hasn't changed much for me, except it feels more serious now. Especially since the stay-home order is in place until the end of April. On Sunday afternoon, I went on a long walk and took pictures of local … [Read more...] about Why We Had Potato Soup For Supper
A Springtime Like No Other Springtimes
"Seems strange to see the daffodils and hyacinths blooming," I told my cousin last evening. "Everything is so normal outside. It's just inside where everything is crazy." Lorelle and I were on a walk together, which is still legal in our part of Pennsylvania. We kept a safe distance. (Being a stoic Mennonite makes some things easy.) We commiserated about libraries being shut down. Then Lorelle told me how her plans to volunteer overseas hadn't worked out. "Then the covonavirus … [Read more...] about A Springtime Like No Other Springtimes