"As soon as the birds flew out, the phone started working again," said Mom this morning. "No one will believe me if I tell them our phone call got cut off because of the birds."' "Everyone will think we're cuckoo if we say our phone and internet isn't working because the birds are building a nest again," I agreed. This, however, is absolutely the truth. The phone box that houses the wires that lead to our house and tether us to the outside world via phone and internet has become the … [Read more...] about A Home for Birds, Bats, and Skunks?
Neighborhood
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
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
Penny Letter From a Lockdown Zone
"A natural disaster would be interesting to see," I once told some family members. "Not people dying or anything like that. I just think it would be fascinating to witness a devastating natural event of some kind. Don't you think so?" "No!" My family members were aghast. "That's crazy! Why would you want to see something like that?" "Oh." Apparently, not everyone daydreams about riding a boat down the street, or standing in a doorway during an earthquake and seeing if that really is … [Read more...] about Penny Letter From a Lockdown Zone
Police Bullhorns at 3:30 a.m. and Coronavirus Panic
This morning I awoke to the sound of a police bullhorn blaring over the neighborhood. "Come downstairs, come out the front door, keep your hands up where I can see them!", boomed the distant echoing voice, interspersed with short blasts of a police siren. Shaking off deep sleep, I crawled out of bed and shoved my glasses on. Down the hall, I could hear my parents stirring. "They've set up roadblocks," said my mom, coming into my room. "I think they're looking for someone!" "Which … [Read more...] about Police Bullhorns at 3:30 a.m. and Coronavirus Panic