March 2021 Randoms

I like this adorable "owl be yours" dishtowel that I use every year when I get out the Valentine's Day things, but it had gotten pretty worn (although you can't really tell from the picture), so I took a picture and bid it a fond farewell before putting it into the "donate" box. Marie Kondo would have been proud.

More owls 🦉🦉🦉

I helped John make chicken nuggets and broccoli rabe for a virtual Young Men's cooking activity. The chicken nuggets were SO GOOD. Like Chick-fil-a level good. I got the recipe and can't wait to make them again.

It had been a year since the "estimated box-office figures" had been in the paper. It used to be in there every Monday. It was good to see it again--a small sign of normalcy!

Speaking of movies--Hollywood should definitely make more family-friendly movies than anything else, at the very least for the financial benefits!

 

This is the article I wrote for my town's magazine. I'm famous!

Hola!

A lovely socially-distanced alfresco lunch on Meredith's porch

These chocolate eggs were addictive!

"The nation's adult obesity rate is now 42.4%"...and women working outside of the home probably has something to do with it (see the second paragraph). We have more influence on things than we realize.

I want to go to Florida! I've been daydreaming about our past vacations there.

This was a good thought-provoking article

I thought this was so clever and astute. This family lives in my neighborhood. 

"People's external image does not always reflect their inner battles."

Snow in March, what a shock! (not)

The Brewster flats are one of my favorite things on the Cape

I still need to go to this beach. I can't believe I've never been! My ancestors were there.

Dick Hoyt was an inspiration to me. When I watched the start of the Boston Marathon in person when I was in high school, I was always inspired to see him running with his disabled son. 

An awesome discovery! Archaeology is so neat.

A stately owl

This is one of my favorite necklaces.

It's a small (literally small) miracle--my super-thin hair has grown long enough for me to pull it back into the tiniest of buns!

This is an x-ray of my foot. 

I was at the podiatrist for discomfort I've been having in the ball of my right foot. Long story short, I'm getting custom orthotics to help correct my gait so that the discomfort will end and to greatly lessen the chance of needing to get hip replacement or knee surgery in the future. 

I LOVED it when the Disney Fantasy cruise ship would blast "When You Wish Upon a Star" on its horns.

Sleep matters so much

I checked in on the Cape house for the first time since November and stopped at the beach down the street (we just call it "our beach") before heading home. 

The water was so peaceful and gentle and almost still. It was very calming and soothing.

Boots at the beach (Only in spring! And winter! And fall! LOL)

Artwork of the Savior that I've always loved.

Note that the door has no knob. We have to let him in.

This one always brings me back to my days in Primary. I recited a lovely poem with this picture for Easter one year.

The new youth magazine in the Church. It replaces "The New Era."

I loved the March Dishscape of a beautiful castle scene in Ireland 😍

Crazy Times Scrapbook, March 2021

 It's been a year! What a crazy and unexpected year that it's been! At the one-year mark, I think we're definitely in better shape COVID-wise (unless you live in India 😔), but the crazy times continue and I think there's still a lot to be concerned about. So, time for another post in which I probably alienate at least half of the people who read this blog. 😄😘 I love you all! (The feeling's mutual, right? RIGHT?! 😁)

After a long winter, things were starting to look up.

Finally!

A 1.8% positivity rate in MA is good good good.

I really like the South Dakota governor. She's smart. 

Two good letters (or more likely e-mails) with good points about Trump and the election

The vaccine

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses an abortion-derived cell line. Good for these Catholic bishops for calling that out. I'm not going to get a Covid vaccine but if I did, I wouldn't get the J&J for this reason and because of the rare but relevant blood clot issue.

Such good points here. Read it!

Is this really happening in America?

My travel days better not be over! It would be an outrageous injustice if they were.

I took this government Covid survey. I probably shouldn't have. I may have put a big bulls-eye on myself. 😳

✋

Reassuring words from Jen Psaki. I hope they're true.

A "New Normal Society"

I'm just saying, conspiracy theories sometimes turn out to be conspiracy facts.

End of vaccine section (yay!) 

I love the title of this op-ed 😆

Makes me feel like I'm back in an International Relations class at Penn. In another life or if my life had taken a different turn, I was interested in going into diplomacy work.

I think one of our next big problems is going to be drought and famine conditions right here in the U.S. That's going to have a huge impact on food availability and prices. Get prepared now, just in case.

Ya think? 🙄

This is such good news. Thank you, Arkansas.

Now on to a state that I don't have fond feelings for. I have a long history of being prejudiced against California. I think it's a terrible place to live (even though my dad is from there and my ancestors helped settle places like San Bernardino, and I know CA has its pretty spots and good things, but overall I think it's a hellhole). Anyway, my opinions were validated by this... 

"Most Americans know by now that 99.997 percent of healthy Americans below the age of 65 survive Covid-19 if contracted." Followed by several other good points.

"The Covid pandemic has seen the greatest loss of American liberty outside wartime."

This picture cracks me up. I'm glad that Rand Paul challenges Fauci and a bunch of the other over-reactions that are going on.

I truly do hope that this is a good thing. It seems to be going well now. Time will tell.

"The best approach would have been to isolate the elderly and infirm as has been done through history. This social experiment imposed on us has been an abject failure and must not be permitted to be repeated."

Good news!

No Royal Caribbean for me anymore, at least not until they reverse this policy 😢

Another negative effect of Covid: fewer children are being born.

Not a baby boom but a real estate boom.

Society

End of the crazy times. (I wish!)