And Here We Are

It’s been three whole Corona months since my last post. Life took over and all my energy went to making sure I swam and didn’t…sink!

If you’ve lived long enough to see your parents age then you might have had the privilege to see them grow into the last stages of life. Even though you see it coming all your life it is still a surprise when you look up one day and their gait is a bit more unsteady, their thinking is a bit more cloudy, aches and pains arise for no real reason, and naps become a favored friend. I joke with my mom often about getting her O.P.N. each day. Haha! “Mom, you want to do this or is it time for your O.P.N.?” She casually responds, “I’m not taking an O.P.N. today…I’m just going to go watch a video.” I usually just chuckle because five minutes later I peek into her room and there she is sitting on her bed, remote in hand, head slumped to one side, and sound asleep. By the way… O.P.N. = Old People Nap.

Speaking of checking in on her in her room …. my mom is now living with me. It was suppose to be a temporary move but I have a feeling this is “our” new norm. Covid has changed a lot of things. We mutually decided that during Covid and while the world is in such flux it would be better for her to live with me for now….so, the past 3 months has been prepping, packing, moving and selling her house….all while maintaining social distance and wearing masks. *sigh

Y’all….I was so tired. It’s taken me 3 weeks to recuperate…. but I was so happy to be available for my mom.

Things are starting to calm down in my world a bit, if not in The World. Hopefully, I can get back to my drawing board soon. I’ve missed drawing (Facebook: @portraitartbyjan) …I have found so little time to do it.

As mentioned in my last post, I started a garden during the lockdown, mainly to keep from going stir crazy as I sat here. It started out as a small lettuce garden but expanded to a large Summer patio test garden and yesterday I started a Fall test garden. 😎 I call it a test garden this hear because I’m not real sure what I’m doing but I keep doing it. Haha!

I’ve heard people say all my life that gardening was therapeutic and that it’s good for your physical and mental health. I didn’t get that until I started gardening. During my most exhausted days in the past three months I found a few minutes to go hook up my water hose and water all my veggie babies so they were happy… which made me happy. Even as much as I hate bugs, I have learned to not be creeped out by earthworms and will rip a hornworm off my plants and throw it in the shrubs like a Worm Champ. I’m a new woman!

Here are some of the fruits of my labor this summer. It wasn’t a huge harvest but I learned a ton and can’t wait to do it again next Spring.

This was my best garden surprise. About 3 months ago I had a medium sweet potato sitting around that sprouted a lot. I threw it in a grow bag and it just took off with green beautiful vines. The other day I harvested it and got a big new sweet potato by surprise.

All that to say…. here we are in a world pandemic ‘they’ say, which has changed everything. This doesn’t mean that the troubles of life were put on hold, it just means that even in the midst of a pandemic life changes but it goes on. We still deal with the things life throws at us, we still love and help our family and friends, we still learn new things and grow, and I still love God and believe in Jesus!

Carry on friends! This too shall pass.

Love and Hugs.