Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here soon.

Little Smokie

Rocky

Here we are beginning a new week. The weather has been lousy this weekend and I have had a quiet time with Lexie and Smokie, my sister's dearly loved pup. Smokie is now twelve years old. The years fly by. I remember when she was a sweet little puppy who loved to bite Rocky's neck, his ears, the backs of his legs when she had those sharp baby teeth. He was such a gentle fellow he never even growled at her. He is gone now, she is the older one and my Lexie is the younger. They get along beautifully. I think Lexie loves Smokie. Recently when I put down a full water bowl for them, Lexie began drinking but when Smokie tried to drink also, Lexie stepped back and let her have all she wanted. Animals have their own way of communicating and showing their affection and respect for each other.

Lexie in the sunshine

I spent this weekend sleeping mostly as I am enduring a spell of nerve pain. I had wanted to attend an outdoor ceremony for some of my fellow writers and friends who wrote and published picture books for children. The publisher and illustrator came to Young Harris, GA to the library where she placed a beautiful mural on the outside wall. Each book by the local authors is represented on that mural.

Visit  www.muraltrail.com  to learn more.  Doreyl Cain is the illustrator of these large murals and her company installs them in places where they can be seen twenty-four hours a day. We have one in Hayesville, NC. You can see it on the website. 

My most recent memoir class has ended. 

We had a great group of students, and I think they are motivated to continue to write their unique stories. I plan to hold another series of classes in the spring of 2022. I teach online and find that works really well for me. I have had to experiment and learn new ways to reach my students, but they seem to enjoy the experience and that makes me happy.

Next Friday evening at 7:00 PM, I will host Writers' Night Out on Zoom. 

Our guest will be Ed Southern who will talk about and read from his new book, Fight Songs. Ed is the Executive Director of the NC Writers' Network and author of several books. You can read my interview with Ed on the Netwest Writers blog.  https://netwestwriters.blogspot.com/2021/10/glenda-beall-interviews-ed-southern.html

The book is about how sports affect people in the south and how the pandemic affected fans during 2020 when we had lockdowns and other restrictions. I am not a sports fan but this book has humor and also hard facts and even ugly facts about our beloved southland. 

I continue to have work to do with my job as NCWN-West program coordinator. I like to be busy with work I enjoy. I also plan to submit more of my poems and stories for publication. That is not fun.

As we look forward to the holidays, I wonder how our country will deal with the pandemic still going on. I was told that we had 14 cases of COVID last week and that means we have a healthy county. I guess I won't consider us to be healed until I hear that we have no cases of this virus among us.

I have had all my shots, my booster, and my flu shot so my vaccinations are up to date. Still, you will not find me out in a crowd. I will try to buy locally, but I am already ordering by mail. It isn't the gift but the giver that matters to me. I am as thrilled by a sweet card as I am by a present. 

I hope you, my friends, have a safe and healthy holiday season. Leave me a message or send me an email. I love to hear from you.

Good friends, good times, and good books

Heavy clouds over the blue mountains

A rainy week but sunny today and I will soon go out into it.

I go to physical therapy twice a week and I enjoy it. Many might think that is unusual, but my therapists are friendly, kind, and competent. We chat and that makes the work go more easily and quickly. 

For ten minutes I ride the bicycle (the one that goes nowhere) and I often listen to a book while I pedal. I am listening to Barack Obama read his book about his childhood and his African father. Dreams from My Father is a memoir about Barack's early life. This book was written in 1995, years before he would become the American President. Not only is Barack Obama a fantastic writer, but he also reads his work so well I feel he is sitting beside me telling me his story.

As my readers know, I thrive on true stories about people and the lives they live or have lived. Obama writes about how he imagines the meeting of his father and his white grandparents. He writes about how his grandfather had not had much reason to consider race until he moved to Texas where he was told how he should treat black people. "Don't ever call them mister" and his mother, as a girl, was taunted by other children for having a black girl over to play. 

I wonder, if those who hold racist feelings about Barack Obama, read this book, would they see him as they would see any little boy growing up in the sixties. Being a brown child in Hawaii, the color of his skin might not have been such a challenge as it would be in the mainland of the United States. This book is entertaining, informative, and enlightening, three things I believe a memoir must be for me to enjoy it.

This weekend found me on the telephone for hours at a time. An old friend called on Saturday and since we have not talked in a long time, we just kept thinking of things to say. 

Friday evening I hosted a Zoom writing event, Writers' Night Out on my Zoom account while Karen Holmes introduced and talked with a fine poet from Seattle, Washington. Several members of her family joined us for the reading, including her parents. Once again I marveled at the opportunity to meet and hear this writer who lives on the far western side of our country while I sat here in the North Carolina mountains. 

On Sunday I had another long conversation on the phone. This time I talked with my sister, Gay, about the progress made this week on the apartment she is creating at her house. I am excited about having this nice place to go to where I can stay as long as I want. Where I can see and visit with family members anytime. I will have a home away from home. 

Here at home, my writing friends are so supportive of me and helpful. One of my students, Raven, has gone to the grocery store for me a couple of times. A former student, Nancy Rowland, and Jay, her husband, came over and took care of some issues I had with my house that I could not do for myself. Jay even thinks he can replace the door handle for my microwave and plans to come back later this week. These kind people don't want or expect any payment from me. They are simply good people who want to help. It is this kind of generosity and caring that keeps me hopeful that our country will overcome the anger and division we face now.

Monday I will teach a writing class on Zoom from my own chair and my own computer at my house. We have a terrific class of writers who are eager to tell their unique stories. I hope they enjoy it as much as I.

Visit www.glendacouncilbeall.com to read my latest post on writing a memoir. 

I love to read your comments, so please let me hear from you.

Tell me if you have experienced kindness and generosity or if you have shown caring for others lately. Do you see a kinder and gentler nation rising from the ashes of COVID?  

Visit me here:

www.riceandbeall.blogspot.com

www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com 

A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT

Lexie loves to ride in the car. Looks like she is hiding here.

A day late and a dollar short. I heard this saying often when I was growing up. It means too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect. That fits me right now.

I am a day late writing this post for my blog. Life has been very busy, but also trying at times lately.

I was in Roswell, Ga all last week, but I was busy or under the weather much of the time. Thankfully my physical problems have nothing to do with the pandemic, with this latest surge of COVID, although hospitals in my area are overflowing with patients and there are no rooms in the ICU for them. Ambulances must wait sometimes six hours at the hospitals because there are no beds for the sick. I can't imagine how awful it would be to have a heart attack or a stroke and have no access to the medical services in the area. Some have had to be airlifted to hospitals miles away.

But, I have much for which to be grateful. I am working with Gay and Stu to remodel their daylight basement which will be comfortable and is where I will stay when I go and visit them. This means I can stay there much longer than I do now. It means my little friend, Lexie, will not interfere with their lives as she and I will have our own bedroom, living, dining rooms with a nice large private bathroom.  The front door opens onto a covered deck that overlooks a pretty little lake. With wooded strips on both sides of the yard, I will have almost as much privacy as I do at my mountain house. And the wildlife is tremendous. I once saw a huge owl and deer come through every day. Birds come to the lake and light in the tall trees. Lexie will have her own yard and a pet door so she can come and go when she wants. 

If I ever sell my mountain house, I can move into that apartment to live permanently. This is a relief for me as I have been in limbo about my future. 

Now that I am in lockdown and dealing with isolation again, I think about how nice it will be to have my sister, my brother-in-law, and my niece and her family nearby. 

I am already packing things to take down there. We hope it will be finished by December. 

Last week we had a scare when my brother was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. 

This is the second time this has happened since he survived COVID last year. He is a tough one. Back at home now, he is weak, but in good spirits. Perhaps his tough constitution and desire to live is why he is in his nineties now. 

September is slipping up on me too fast!

I will begin teaching a writing class on Zoom Monday, September 26. Those who are interested in taking my class, Writing Memories into True Life Stories, must register with the Institute of Continuing Learning. www.ICL/YHC.org I will teach six weeks, two hours each week, and the cost is only $20. We have such a good time in my classes and we all meet new people and make new friends. And everyone learns what they need to know to write about their lives. Because this class is on Zoom, anyone who has Internet and can get on Zoom will be able to participate. 

Visit my other site, www.glendacouncilbeall.com to learn more about what is happening for writers and poets in our area. 

 

Labor Day, COVID and photos of happier times

Today is Labor Day in these United States and many people are flooding the lakes, rivers and beaches to gather with friends and families.

With COVID-19 still thriving everywhere, I can't imagine going out where there are crowds of people, but some people are in denial about the danger of this virus. One man said to me recently while I waited, social distancing in line, " I'm so tired of all this. It makes me mad that Bill Gates made this virus and sold it to the Chinese." Where on earth did he get such a wild idea? I am sorry to say that many in my area seem to think the virus is not real, not dangerous to them and only affects old people. These people will not take any precautions to help stem the spread. So, I stay home hoping to avoid people like this man. Of course he was not wearing a mask. 

We have been fortunate that the death rate from this pandemic in our small county in North Carolina has been two so far. Both were older people like me. I'm sorry for their families. In other counties around us many more deaths and positive tests have been recorded. 

All summer I felt I had very little to look forward to as restaurants closed, we could not meet in person for our writing groups, and I was leery of even being with family. But I feel more positive now. Fall will be coming soon, I hope, although it is still quite warm here. I always feel better,, mentally and physically, when the weather is cooler. 

This morning I awoke earlier than usual and took my little dog, Lexie, for a walk. Because it was in the low seventies at that time, I enjoyed being outdoors. I saw more traffic than usual and know tourists from south of us are here this weekend because of the lake. I hope they did not bring the virus with them, but we are warned that this weekend could cause a surge in the coming weeks. 

In some parts of the country, autumn has already begun coloring the leaves. In Canada, fall is upon them. Oh, how I wish I could be in Nova Scotia at this time. I can almost feel the cool breezes and smell the ocean.  Isn't it great to have such an imagination? My memories are spurred by photos of places I have visited and enjoyed. Thanks to a husband who never went anywhere without his camera, I can revisit trips we made over the years. And thanks to Stu, my sister's husband, I still have photos taken when I travel with them.

 Nova Scotia

Near Estes Park, Colorado

In Front of Bell Museum - Nova Scotia

 Hawaii 

Coastline of  island of Oahu Hawaii

My favorite photo from vacation in Colorado - Barry Beall

 So many photos fill boxes and albums, but they are not on my computer at this time. 

Personal Sacrifices - Why can't we make them now?

I admit I had a melt down a few weeks ago - anxiety, depression, and physical illness. I have tried to understand why. Being alone is not that unusual for me. I have always enjoyed my private time. In fact, I am relishing the fact that I don't have children who would come in to see me and bring COVID-19 from their outings with friends. I think it was the uncertainty of what I should do to protect myself.  We were getting so many mixed messages in the beginning of this pandemic.

I am grateful I have my own home, and I do not have to go out to work. I can work from home, as I will do soon, teaching a writing class on Zoom. How fortunate I am to be savvy on my computer so I can do that. Many of my generation cannot.

I was thinking today about all the personal sacrifices my parents made in their lifetimes. My father had to go to work when he was just a boy, before there were child labor laws. His father died when he was ten. His childhood was far from normal.

Mother and Daddy lived through WWII and sent their oldest son off when he was only nineteen. They did not know if he would be killed or come home safely. Two of his cousins went to that war and did not ever come home. Those personal sacrifices for the sake of our country were the hardest anyone could ever make.

During the Great Depression when my parents had three little children, long before I was born, they lived above a store they ran. In front of the store were gas pumps and their place was called a filling station. When their customers lost jobs and had no money to purchase the food or gasoline, my family lived off the food on the shelves of the store. They did not buy clothes, groceries, and certainly did not travel. Today, if folks can't take their family vacation to the beach, they are angry and upset. They have not stopped ordering off Amazon and can get almost anything they want delivered. My parents stayed home in Pelham, Georgia. They were not the only ones. Most people had to sacrifice comforts they had once enjoyed.

A friend of mine who has a twenty-something son says his generation has always had what they wanted and won't sacrifice anything now to help stop this corona-virus if it means staying home or avoiding friends and gatherings. I wonder how they would handle the draft. What if they were told they must serve in the military whether they liked it or not in order to preserve our country?

What if food was rationed? They could only have certain foods and only a small amount of it.
What if they could only buy a small amount of gasoline each month? What if they had to make a personal sacrifice to save the lives of their parents? What would be their answer?

That is what is being asked of them now. Make a personal sacrifice that can save the lives of your family and the lives of others.

A nurse told me today that she wore a mask, not for herself, but to protect others. Her grandfather is in his nineties, and she would be horrified if she brought this deadly virus  to him. She also said she was not sure she believed the mask made that much difference, but it was a small sacrifice to make if it saved even one person's life. In the hospital where she works, she said there was around 100 people diagnosed with COVID-19 at this time. That hospital is about thirty minutes drive from where I live. She had been with three of those patients in the last few days.

Recently a smart and caring young woman who wants to come and visit her family, after hearing how the mayor of Atlanta, who was being careful and following the guidelines given to all of us, has tested positive for COVID-19, decided not to come home and is self-quarantined in her apartment. Four members of her family are all sick with the virus. The older of the four is the sickest at this time. Even when we wear masks, and we go out among people, even people we know, we have a good chance of getting sick. Most people don't know where they caught the virus.

Many people are making huge sacrifices because they have jobs they must go to every day. Many are among those with the lowest income, minorities, people of color, and they are dying from this virus. That is the biggest sacrifice. Not missed vacations, missed concerts, missed entertainment. Some are concerned about their future - will they have a job when they finish college? Who knows, but still we all must give up gathering in groups where we could become infected.

I have had to give up going to certain doctors who will not enforce wearing a mask and who will not wear one themselves. I think, if they won't wear a mask to protect me, are they doing anything in that office - sanitizing after each patient, or are they just among those who don't believe there is a deadly virus going around that kills us? Why don't they believe something so obvious?

We must make the sacrifices necessary to stop this enemy in its tracks or we will never feel safe going out in the world again. I applaud the young people I know who are doing everything right, wearing masks, washing hands, avoiding crowds and practicing social distancing. If only those who seem to be selfish and uncaring would think of others when they are so determined to have a good time with no precautions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/magazine/personal-sacrifice-coronavirus-world-war-ii.html

Love heals

In these times of unrest and frustration, anger and judgmental emails and Facebook posts, I found solace this past week with my family in Roswell, Georgia. Love - it heals the heart, the mind and even our physical bodies.
Gay came up and took me home with her last week. She and I always find ways to laugh! Laughter is the best medicine ever. She has a terrific wit, and I can't be with her long before my dark mood is brightened by her light.

Living alone with no one to talk to when the world seems to be evolving into chaos is not lessened simply by sending an email or talking on the phone. Getting on Facebook is upsetting when you see that people who are your friends are spouting opinions that make you wonder How can we be friends? I didn't know my friends had such closed minds, that they don't see why the confederate flag is a symbol with vicious meaning for descendants of slaves. Why do I see that, but my friends don't?

I was glad I was with my loved ones when I read that the head of a Christian organization opposed the new anti-lynching law protecting members of the gay community. Does he think it is okay to hang a human being because he is of a different sexual orientation than this so-called Christian?

One of the things I like about visiting my sister is we watch the online service from their Alpharetta Presbyterian church on Sunday and discuss the sermon. I grew up attending a little Methodist Church out in the country where a fire-and-brimstone preacher visited once a month. The man in the pulpit frightened me when I was a child. Later, attending another Methodist Church in my hometown after college, I learned that the men in the church had decided they would stand in the door of the church and refuse entry to any black person who wanted to attend church there. This was in the mid-sixties.

Of course, I did not go back to that church. I asked the young minister, "How can the people in this church call themselves Christians?"

I eventually joined the Presbyterian Church where I found my people. PCUSA, is built on values of love, caring and embracing all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background. No one is forbidden to enter the church. Women are welcome to minister here.

In some churches women are expected to do all the work, but are refused leadership positions. A good friend of mine told me, "I had been a part of this church for many, many years, teaching vacation bible school, Sunday School, and doing anything I could. But one Sunday when the leadership of the church was discussed, it dawned on me. I would never be asked to take a leadership role. No one wanted my opinion or ideas. I could not be a deacon or an elder, simply because I am a woman. She said she stood up and walked out of that church and never went back.

In my little mountain town, Barry and I were so fortunate to find the most loving and caring little Presbyterian church soon after we arrived here. We both loved to sing and soon Barry had helped form a choir. Singing is uplifting and helps our spirits. He became a leader in the church and because of his outgoing and friendly personality, our circle of friends grew. We had several couples join us each Sunday for lunch after the service. Several couples joined the church simply because Barry made them feel so welcome.

Today when I hear the pastors of Alpharetta Presbyterian Church speak on the injustice of racism and how we can help, I am glad to be a part of such an institution. We can reach out and we can be a part of the changes that need to take place. In our town, the only black church here is a sister church to ours. And the pastor of that church gave an eloquent speech on our town square this past weekend.

I came home yesterday filled with love for everyone, especially my sister who is also my best friend. She is a person who understands my thinking and feels the same way as I do about social justice. However, she keeps telling me I can't change or save the world and must look after myself.
She is also very protective of me because of COVID 19. We will see each other every two weeks for a while now, either here or at their home. As I age, I realize how fragile life is. I want to spend time with the people I love most.

I was so proud of my little sister. She looked so cute in her majorette uniform at Albany High.

I hope you have had a great week and that the coming days will be good. Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts as we all cope with a new normal.

https://www.glendacouncilbeall.com/p/calendar.html#.XvE00NVKj3g

Eating at a restaurant for the first time since COVID-19

I have not been to a restaurant since the end of April, but tonight I had an early dinner on an outdoor patio with my family. I felt safe, although a large party of ten people came and sat at a table at least six feet from us. The staff at the restaurant wore masks and made me feel they were making our visit safe for us.

We arrived at 5:00 p.m. and left as a crowd of people came around 6:45. It was fun for the five of us to eat together and have the opportunity to chat. This restaurant has done a wonderful job of social distancing with large picnic tables spaced well on a grassy area where they can have a band playing. I don't know if this is what the medical people would consider safe for people like me, but at least this restaurant will be able to survive unless someone gets sick with COVID. 

I was concerned when the owner came over to speak to us. He did not wear a mask. The reason for my concern is that he is in close proximity to all the guests there, and he could easily be infected by one of them. If he contracted this illness tonight, his coming over to talk with us could have shed the virus on us.  I am assured I was very safe, and I believe I was, but I am leery of going out among people. I will not likely do it again soon.

Telemedicine and COVID-19

I just completed a tele-medicine appointment with my primary care doctor. I am so happy she will do this kind of thing, and she said her patients have been super happy with it. But soon the Federal Government will shut down the tele-medicine program. I don't know why. When I see her for my next appointment in late July, I will have to go inside the office. We all know that the COVID 19 will still be a problem in our area. We are not likely to have a vaccine by then.

At present, she is having patients come to the parking lot for blood tests and any kind of procedure where a face to face meeting is necessary. She said most of her patients are following the guidelines to wear masks and keep social distancing. When the telemedicine ends, she will continue to practice social distancing in the office and she and her staff will wear masks.

I was glad to have a chance to talk to her. She said I should continue to wear my mask when I am out in public or with other people. I am at high risk with my respiratory problems, diabetes, and because of my age. I knew this, of course, but wanted her medical opinion. I will isolate as much as possible and it is not easy when you want to throw your arms around your sister or friend. I am a hugger, but now I can't.

 She spoke of a patient who was in the hospital now, very, very sick because he and his pastor met outside his home with a group for Bible study. They did not wear masks or any protection. Sadly, she said that most people when they reach the ICU stage don't make it. My brother was a miracle. He survived a week there on a ventilator, but he was in good health for his age. He walked two miles every day, took his supplements, was not overweight and just took care of himself.

Dr. W. said she wears a mask anytime she is out including buying groceries.
Recently, at Wal-Mart she and her boyfriend were shopping and obeying the six foot distance, staying on the blue circles marking six feet apart when a man came right up next to her boyfriend. He was evidently one of those people who are in denial about the virus and the protections we should follow. Her friend asked the man to step back to the circle six feet away. And that is when the man became belligerent. She said, "He went off!"

Why would people act like that? I just don't understand the mindset of this kind of person. This is why I am afraid to even go out in public now. I don't want a fight, a confrontation with these people and I don't want to be near someone who is unconcerned about the health of others.

Having lost a friend to COVID-19 and almost losing my brother, I know this is a serious, highly contagious illness and not just the flu as so many people in my area like to say.

I asked her if I could get a test for antibodies since I am wondering if my illness back in late January and early February could have been this virus. She said she would not recommend it at this time because I might need to be tested later and Medicare would not pay again. She also said the early claims that all testing would be paid for and that no one would have to pay the bill has not proven to be true. It seems many of the promises that came down the pike are not being honored, and she is in a position to see it first hand. I also heard yesterday that there aren't any tests in my county. What? I thought we had plenty of tests in this country. Weren't we told that?

I felt much better after talking with her and I have a new found respect for this young doctor. Sadly, my respect for my chiropractors is not so high since neither of them will wear a mask, and one of them told me I didn't need to wear a mask because it did no good. No good for whom?

My doctor thinks much of this disregard for safety and wearing a face covering comes from early directions from CDC saying we did not need to wear masks. She thinks that was said simply because there was a shortage of masks and PPE for the medical care workers. CDC was trying to stop the public from buying up the masks. Later, Dr. Fauci changed his tune on this and now they advise us to practice social distancing and to wear masks.

I wonder if anyone would want to pass on this virus to another, possibly to someone like me who would likely die if I catch it. If not, why is it so difficult to wear a fabric covering over your nose and mouth just to insure you would not pass on a droplet from your nose or mouth or accidentally cough near someone like me. I know how often I sneeze unexpectedly, barely having time to turn my face into my elbow.

The big danger of this coronavirus is that someone could have it and not be aware, have no symptoms but be dangerous to others. Like the woman who attended the dance in Murphy, NC or the man who attended the funeral in Albany, GA. They did not know they were sick, but these two people brought in a disease that killed many other people. 

If they were still alive today, I know they would be horrified to have done this. I feel sure they would have gladly worn a mask, a cloth covering of some kind, and would have been super sure their hands were sanitized. 

If only the ignorant people who are going around with no concern for others would be as careful. I say ignorant because these people are not educated to the dangers for a large part of our population. While we are staying home, we do have to live in this world.

I am staying home and can't complain about that. But I need to go to the post office and the grocery store sometimes. No one in Ingles grocery store had on a mask the last time I was there. I was told, "It is hard to work in a mask." Well, I thought, tell that to all those in the medical field who wear them every day. I'm sure they would prefer to not have to wear a mask, and all the PPE, but they do it trying to save their own lives and the lives of others. 

We are all frustrated and feel our lives are out of our control. We want to be like we were before this monster virus hit our land, but we will likely not ever be the same. I feel sure my life will not go back to the way it was. I have cried and I have screamed my frustration and anger. I have talked with a therapist and talked with my family, and we are all in the same boat. We have to just wait and hope our leaders will do what is best for all of us so we don't have to die. And we have to hope our fellow man will think about all of us as he goes blithely through his day.

As my niece said today on our Zoom visit. "This will pass one day."

Look at the cute mask Corie Pressley wore when she came to help me. I think she is a fashion plate in this. Someone should start a site just for cute masks. Corie would be a winner, I'm sure. 

My readers, how are you coping and what do you think?


https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/verify-viral-image-about-masks-gets-the-numbers-wrong-but-the-idea-right/507-ff915e39-5a79-483d-86b7-98ecc796c8e5