What day is it??

Well, this is probably the first post in a while in which  I have no pictures of grandchildren.  Because I haven't seen any grandchildren for over a week!  In fact, it's hard to remember what we did on any particular day because there has been so little to define the days.  I've been doing some writing and organizing and cleaning and cooking, occasional grocery shopping trips (with extreme caution, of course), and some walking.

Here are some pictures I took on Saturday on our walk around the neighborhood.  Gorgeous blue skies and some signs of Spring.

I made this collage of pictures I took a week-and-a-half apart.  I was so excited to see the red on the lower photo!

So far I have had crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths blooming.  But none of them are profuse.  I think our bulbs must be getting old and tired!  Maybe we need to dig them all out and plant new ones this fall.

On Sunday we had several online services.  At 9 AM we joined in with GBRV on Google Hangouts.  Later we tried to join one on Zoom with some friends from the former Houserville church, but we weren't being very successful so we switched over to the Facebook Live service at Calvary.   Who knew there were so many ways to get together??

On Monday we had snow!  But not a lot.  The flakes were huge.

Because so many trees have been cut down I don't have the beautiful big evergreen snow pictures like I had other years.  Even the one tree that's on the west side of our house has had all the lower branches cut off because of a disease. 

On Tuesday morning the sun tried valiantly to burst through the thick clouds. 

And after a while it succeeded!

I came across a childhood picture of Dick this week and could not believe how much he looked like Hunter!!  Or I guess Hunter looks like Grandpa!

I am in charge of GBRV's Facebook page, so sometimes this week I have played songs to put on the page as a way of connecting.   Yesterday I decided to post a few choruses that speak to my soul.   

There are more things to read and listen to about COVID-19, and it's effect on everything, than any of us can keep up with.  Here's one that's short and to the point by Beth Moore.

And a really funny one!

Have a good rest of the week!

Our mini-vacation

A few months ago when I saw that COBYS Family Services would be celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, we decided that we really wanted to go to their annual banquet in March.  So we made our reservation and also made some appointments in the Lancaster area for the following day.  Then I decided to ask off for that Sunday as well so we could have a nice little four-day vacation and get to see all our family down there.  

So this past weekend was that mini-vacation, but so many things kept changing as the weekend progressed!   We left here early Thursday afternoon.  Our first stop was in Lebanon to see Ray and Ashley.  Thursdays are the one day they both have off work, so that worked out perfectly.  Now WHY did I not think of getting a picture of them???  We had a fun hour or so with them catching up. 

While we were there we got a call from Dick's brother informing us that Pleasant View Communities, where Dad and Arlene Stauffer live, would be locked down effective 5:30 PM that day because of  Covid-19.  I could hardly believe it!  We had not gone down to see them the previous two weekends because we knew we would be down anyway this weekend and would have more time to be with them.  I was really, really disappointed!  

From there we went to the COBYS banquet at Middlecreek Church of the Brethren near Lititz.   I can't remember if I mentioned this in any previous post, but COBYS, which was an acronym for Church of the Brethren Youth Services back in 1980, was a brand new foster agency when we took in a 15-year-old girl from our church who was experiencing trauma at home.  Lisa was 6, Anthony was just turning 4, and Jeremy was six months old!  We had not yet heard of COBYS, but our church agreed to support us.  Shortly thereafter someone told us about the new foster agency that was just starting up in our area.  We were encouraged to reach out to them.  When we did, we found out that they would soon be starting their first foster parent training class and we were welcome to participate.  And the rest is history!  We were foster parents with them for the next twenty-one years.  Someone recently asked how many children we fostered altogether, and I really did not know.  So one day last week I pulled out my file of form letters and came up with a list of 19. 

Kathy (age 15) 8/80-10/80
Miki (age 14) 1/81-forever
Elsie (age 16) 9/83-10/83
Henry (age 11) 3/84-4/84
Donna (age 16) 4/84-1/85
Kristen (age 18) 2/85-5/85
Cindy (age 15) 9/85-11/85
Dawn (age 18) 2/86-6/86
Missy (age 13) 11/86-1/87
Maggie (age 5) and Richard (age 4) 8/88-10/89
Damary (age 4) 2/90-5/90
Nicole (age 6), Krista (age 5), and Joseph (age 4) 2/91-7/92
Efrain (age 18) 12/92-7/94
Sam (age16) 8/94-forever
Frank (age 15) 9/94-forever
Ray (age 14) 12/96-forever
Maggie (age 16) 8/99- 6/02

The stories I could tell! Some are hilarious, some are difficult, some are outright heartbreaking, and others are absolutely beautiful and very heartwarming. 

The banquet was a lot of fun as we saw many people we had not seen in a long while.  We sat at a table with current foster parents and enjoyed hearing their stories.  The food was delicious and the program of reminiscing each decade was so very interesting.  The organization has grown tremendously in these 40 years.   

This picture does not show all the people that were there, and it was the second banquet of the day!  I'm pretty sure that if it had been scheduled for even a day later it would have needed to be cancelled.  And there's no question that being in a crowd that large was probably not the wisest thing to do.  But we really did try to be careful.

We slept at Dick and Nancy's place that night (my brother and sister-in-law).  On Friday morning we had a financial appointment at Everence in Mount Joy and decided to have breakfast first at the nearby Country Table Restaurant.  Lots of older folks there!  We almost felt retired. 

After our 10:00 appointment we had time to kill until my eye appointment at 2:00.  I had assumed that we would spend that time with Dick's parents.  Instead we went to the Park City Mall food court where I found a table (which I thoroughly cleaned with a Clorox wipe in my purse) to do my weekly bookwork.  Dick decided to be a mall walker.  I was sitting right within sight and smell of Auntie Anne's Pretzels.  I just could not resist!  For old times' sake I decided to get a sweet almond pretzel with caramel sauce.  It was even yummier than I had remembered.  Back when our boys were teens and I would often take them to Park City I frequently had those pretzels.

Then we went to my eye appointment in East Petersburg.  We were greeted by a sign that said we had to use their hand sanitizer before touching anything.  I was happy to find out that my cataracts have not changed much and do not need to be taken out yet.  

After we left there we decided to drive by the house where my dad and Grandma Mary lived for about 15 years.  Oh the good times our families had at that house!  When I posted this picture on Facebook there were a lot of great comments by both Witmers and Zimmermans.  

Then we had more time on our hands.  We couldn't do anything with Destiny and Alex because they were still visiting his mother in Florida.  Neither could we do anything with Bjorn and Jess because they had gone to DC for the weekend.  

Dick wanted to go to the Salvation Army store in Lancaster.  We spent quite a while there.  But then I got a call from Jeremy and he was concerned about Dick being in a place like that.  We had not even realized that, as a diabetic, Dick was considered to have a compromised immune system.  So we left.  

We had contacted Frank and Lauren, but hadn't heard back from them yet.  We decided to just start taking the slow way toward Reading on Route 272 with all its towns and traffic lights.   When we saw this place (Riviera Italian Restaurant near Ephrata) and remembered eating there one time with Sam and Jenn, we decided we might as well get our dinner a while.  We ordered a salad and our favorite pizza (Hawaiian) and of course tried to use plenty of hand sanitizer and more Clorox wipes.  

We heard from Frank and Lauren that they would be home after 7:00, so we headed to Reading.  We had a wonderful time there!  That sweet V'anni is growing so fast and is the absolutely sweetest thing!!  I had fun with Jada and Alaya as they showed me their bedrooms upstairs. We sat on Jada's bed and read books together. I finally had to tell them that I really would like to go downstairs and hold the baby!

It was a great evening!  Then we went back to Dick and Nancy's place near Manheim again for the night.  

Saturday morning we decided to go to Brickhouse Cafe in Manheim for breakfast.  That's the place where my sisters and I met a few weeks ago.  Notice our hand sanitizer right in the middle of the table, haha!  They also had a big bottle of it by the coffee carafes.  We just loved it there!

Afterward we asked if we could go upstairs to check it out.  What a great space!  I suppose they rent it out to groups maybe?

From there we decided to go across the street to see another new place in town, Prussian Street Arcade. The old Bickels Chip factory has been turned into an artsy shopping arcade.  We could not believe this amazing place was in our little hometown which had become so dead over the years.  We were told upon entering that over 120 vendors were set up here!  We spent a long time there just browsing all the little shops.  We bought a few things too because I really felt like I wanted to support it.  Now I am wondering if they are even allowed to be open for business. 

When we left there we went to Dad Stauffer's house, which now belongs to Josh and Jill Stauffer (Jim's son).  They were there working on the house, and we needed to pick up the paintings that we did not have room for the weekend of the auction.   Look at that beautiful bush already in full bloom! We also thought of Dad as we looked at the shed where he would sit on a lawn chair for hours at a time.    

Again we felt so sad that we had not been able to visit him and Arlene.  They can't even see each other right now because Dad is in skilled care, which is on complete lockdown even from other residents at Pleasant View.  Someone is going to help them to FaceTime, but Dad is really too weak to talk much or be understood.

Then we headed to Sam's apartment in Duncannon.  He had just gotten off work and had the kids.  Dick had a gift card for Bass Pro Shop in Harrisburg that Ray had given him for Christmas, and he wanted to go there to use it.  So we all loaded into the van and went.  I'm afraid we were not really thinking about whether it was wise to be going to such a public place.  In fact, we had not been thinking about it when we were at the shops in Manheim either.  I guess we were just in vacation mode feeling like we had time to do some fun things.  

And we did have so much fun at Bass Pro Shop!!  The wild animal displays were absolutely fascinating. (Each of these pictures will enlarge if you click on them.)

 

We were about to leave when I got a text message from Anthony that we needed to stop going places.    And I realized we probably had been careless.  I love that our boys care about Dick.  

Sam and the kids came to our place for the rest of the weekend.  At that point we knew the kids would have no school for the next two weeks, and Sam also would have Monday off from work.  

That evening we watched an old movie, Night Crossing.  Do any of you remember it?  It's about two families that escaped East Germany via air balloon.  So much suspense!!!  But such a great family movie.  We all thoroughly enjoyed it.  Dick and I had watched it numerous times years ago, but Sam and the kids never had.  

On Sunday morning as I made bacon and pancakes, Sammy started asking about the Berlin wall.  He got his tablet and looked it up.  We all learned more about it.  That discussion led to questions about the great wall of China, the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State, and the sizes of all the continents.  What a great social studies class we all had!!

Everything was cancelled, so the guys got busy cutting down all our tall grasses.  It was a beautiful sunny day!

Both kids enjoyed this puzzle I had bought at the arcade on Saturday.  It can be put together so many different ways.  Unfortunately, we think one piece has been lost.  

After the tall grasses were all cut down we went over to Stauffer Acres.  Since seeing the picture last week of Anthony and Lori and the boys sitting in the hunting shack, I knew I wanted to go up there!  The kids enjoyed looking through the binoculars.  

Then the rest of them went to another part of the woods where Dick has a tree stand.  Those kids have no fear!

After we left there we went up Route 26 above Pine Grove Mills to the scenic overlook.  In the far distance we could see Beaver Stadium.  

Monday morning was a regular work day for Dick.  Auto repair shops are considered an essential business and not required to close.   

The kids spent a lot of time drawing and coloring.  

Later I took Sam and the kids home because Sam had to work Tuesday.  

I have gone out to get some groceries two times this week.  Both times there were no eggs.  We are not completely out of them yet.  Dick definitely eats more eggs since he needs to watch his carbs.   There also was almost no meat at Wegmans today, and of course no Clorox wipes, etc.  We get our toilet paper, paper towels, and tissues at Sam's Club, so we still have enough of those.  This was the empty egg case at Weis a few days ago. 

Meanwhile all my normal jobs are suspended.  So I have been catching up on this blog.  And gathering some stories together for a book I dream about writing someday.  I have to admit that I am a person who works best under pressure, and when there is no pressure I do not get as much done.  Can anyone else relate?  

Here's what I wrote on Facebook a few days ago:  

Hmmm. If everything closes down and there’s nothing to do and nowhere to go, I just might have to start writing one of my future books. I have three titles so far:

Facebook Funnies (funny stories I have posted on Facebook)

Telling Tales out of School (stories from all my years of teaching)

All My Children (stories from my life with many, many children)

This morning there was finally a gorgeous sunrise again.  We've had a lot of cloudy.  But thankfully quite mild. 

Have a good rest of the week!  And please stay well!

Zimwit Reunion, Hunter’s birthday, our last semi-normal week

"I did not have time to do my Wednesday update, and now we’re on the way to a fun few days down home. So I’m going to try doing this post from my phone."

I wrote the above on Thursday as we were driving toward Lancaster County, but I soon discovered that Blogger is apparently no longer compatible with an iPhone.  I could not figure out any way to add pictures.  Do any of you successfully use the Blogger app on your iPhone?

Anyway, I now have an enormous amount of catching up to do here.  I'll start with a picture I took on Thursday, March 5.  I had helped with picking up the boys and was on my way back home when I saw this beautiful sunset and the reflection of it in the puddles in the foreground.  Obviously this was before Daylight Savings started.  There is no longer a sunset at 6:13 PM thankfully!

On Friday, March 6, I saw a recipe online for Gingered Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Stew with Lentils & Kale.  I knew that would be something that Anthony and Lori would love, so I proceeded to check my ingredients.  I do not have a pantry, so all my flours and sugars, etc are in a lower cupboard which is quite deep. I need a better system, because things I do not use all the time tend to get pushed to the back and forgotten. I dug all this stuff out of there looking for lentils.  No luck!  But I did discover some really good stuff down there!  Now I have this picture to look at if I have any questions, lol!  

As it turned out I did not have lentils, but I had soaked beans in the freezer that were leftover from my ham and bean soup a few weeks prior. I did not have kale, but I did have fresh spinach.  I did not have coconut milk because I apparently picked up a can of coconut cream by accident one time.  However, the stew turned out absolutely scrumptious and I will be making it again.  

That evening I also made a layer salad and a pan of peanut butter rice krispie treats for the next day.  

On Saturday, March 7, Dick and I and Austin hit the road for Lebanon County right after Dick got off work at 12 noon.  We were going to the annual ZimWit reunion at the OnFire Youth Ministry building in Myerstown.  (For any new readers, the ZimWits are the combined families of my late dad and my stepmother. We are the Witmers, they are the Zimmermans, thus the ZimWits!) We always take Austin with us because he loves shooting hoops in that big gym.  He's getting so tall and handsome!

We were there early enough to have lots of time to chat with Grandma Mary and others in the Zimmerman family before the meal.   Here she is with one of her adult grandsons.  Everyone loves her so much. 

My sister Mary Ellen played Dominoes with Austin and Aiden (Doris's grandson).

Around 5:30 they called us all to order.  The food and the servers were ready and waiting.  Several of the Zimmerman brothers gave the pre-meal announcements.  Nothing they ever do is without a huge dose of humor.  I love them so much!

During the meal and afterward the good conversations continued.  

My stepbrothers Marvin and Gary are pictured below with their wives, Bev and Julie.  Roy is pictured with one of his little grandsons.  Jay (whose wife Crystal passed away last summer) is pictured talking with his nephew.  And Doris and I are pictured with our grandsons.  I really don't think I ever smile except for pictures.  Almost any time someone snaps a picture of me unawares, I have that awful expression on my face.  I just hate it.  

I did not have a picture of my stepbrother Carl, so I'm posting one that Mary Ellen took.  Carl and his wife Mae always host us at this youth center where they are involved.  Last year Carl organized a scavenger hunt (for quarters!) in the gym.  You better believe that Austin remembered that and asked Carl if he was going to do that again.  When you start giving money away you can't just stop doing it, right?  Here's a picture of Carl organizing the kids in order of age with Marvin's help.  

It was a really fun evening, but of course a late one, especially because of the time change.  

On Sunday morning (March 8) we went to our service at GBRV (of course having no idea it might be the last Sunday morning service for a while!)  We went home to nap afterward instead of going to Calvary's service.  I also made another layer salad.  

Later in the afternoon we went to a playground where we knew that Lori and Anthony and the boys were.  It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  I took a walk with Hunter and we had fun looking at our tall shadows.  

Then we went to Anthony and Lori's place to celebrate somebody's 4th birthday!  Four years old!  What precious memories we have of Hunter's birth and babyhood.  Every day now I have such adorable pictures of him in my Facebook memories from 2016.  

It was a really fun evening with friends from their small group.  

We loved how, when opening his gifts, he would get stuck looking at the books and forget about opening the other gifts until reminded!

The next morning (March 9) when I came out of our bedroom at 6 AM there was so much light across the floor outside the den that I thought someone must have forgotten to turn off the lamp above the computer.   But no!  It was the moonlight flooding through the window!  I don't remember ever seeing that before!  An hour later there was another beautiful sunrise. 

It was a gorgeous warm Monday, and I went for a walk enjoying the sight of the tree tops against the cloudless blue sky.  

That evening Lori sent me a picture of their family up in Dick's hunting shack.  She said it was so peaceful, and I knew that I really want to go up there sometime.  

It was Spring Break at Penn State, which meant Hunter's daycare was also closed.  So on Tuesday (March 10) he came to our house.   He wanted to stay long enough to get to see Grandpa, so Lori came for him early evening.  

Here's a video of him reading "But Not the Hippopotamus."  Sorry I didn't position my phone very well for it.   For some reason the book comes with a magnifying glass which he loves to use.

There was another beautiful sunrise on Wednesday morning, March 11.  

I went to Macy's that day to pick up a top I had ordered online.  I soon found out that they no longer do in-store pick-up because they are closing soon.  I said, "Well, I got an email that it is ready to be picked up!"  I checked my email and discovered it had been delivered to a Macy's in Ohio!  While I was there I looked around for quite a while, feeling sadder and sadder.  I have loved Macy's in the years since we live in this area.  It was so empty.  I don't know how many times I said to employees,  "This is so sad."  Each one of them agreed that it indeed was.    This mall has lost all four of its anchor stores - JCPenney, Sears, Bonton, and now Macy's.  

As I drove away there was more news about the coronavirus and its impact on schools on my radio, and I felt even sadder.  I was thinking, "Wow, if everything has to be done online we better hope there won't be a cyber attack!"    

By the way, I DID get that top I had ordered!  I had to make two phone calls to the Macy's in Ohio, but I finally convinced them to mail it to my house.  And it has arrived.  

That Wednesday evening we had our weekly Lenten service at GBRV, and again, we had no idea it would be our last service there for a while.  I had already cancelled choir practice for the next evening due to the little vacation Dick and I would be having for the rest of the week.  

But all that is for the next post!