Senior Throwdown & Shoutout to Young People

If you have followed along here, you'll likely know that I am near the top of a waiting list and in the process of qualifying for senior housing in the region. Yes, senior housing. It's the truth. I'll refer to it as Dock though it is a part of a larger whole called Living Branches (The Dock Manor portion). It is all connected to and/or on the same campus as other of their housing for seniors plus their Mennonite high school (library access) with large athletic fields, and to the general huge, beautiful campus of all the apartments and cottages laced with walking trails, woods, and quiet roadways. The community garden has already been plowed between the recent wintery blasts.

The Mennonites, in this case, are the ones who built and maintain Living Branches. There are other somewhat similar communities in the region run by Schwenckfelders. The Brethren, also, have still another. I love the outdoors of Dock and hope an apartment that eventually opens its door to me is on a par with the landscape there. If not, I am very good at fixing up living spaces and thrive on outdoors.

So, I'll keep posting my iteration into a new, and different sort of dwelling place as it moves along. When Toby and I crossed the country nearly five years ago with our pony Subaru who knew I'd take up residence in senior housing and he would live in a barn?

***

A Shoutout to Young People: Why would you want to know about senior housing? Nothing like a little advanced info, and, I guess, because I wish you lots of good years to reach my age of the outer reaches of seventy-somethings and many, many more wonderful years for you besides.

While you're at it, Young People, please, your extraordinary talents, forthrightness, and willingness can straighten up the messes that are devolving so rapidly. We had a good thing going here in our "Great Experiment". It can be cherished, repaired and put on a fresh trajectory of service to all citizens; the planet. What you have and are now doing shows you are our last, best, brightest hope for making this planetary home a better place for the entire human experience and all that is living, from the rocks to the air, to the shining seas.

I salute you.

On Blizzards

The Winter Goddess says she is not finished with us yet. Sure enough, this morning had that glow again...

6 a.m. from the 3rd-floor window.

I must have had something else planned but the snow has blotted it out... Ah yes, Aidan and I were going to get in a walk at the farm. He had a snow day and like his grandma in Quakertown, he shoveled snow over at the farm.

11 a.m.

2 p.m. One of the neighbors running his snowblower clearing my sidewalk and driveway after I backed my pony out of the drive. 

6 p.m. And the drive filled right back up again. You'd think, "Why bother?" But, 18" of snow is easier to clear off in three six-inch sessions if you get the chance. 

R2D2 came back!

It is 12 hours later now, and the snow hasn't stopped yet. All praises for our good neighbors helping clear away snow--repeatedly. The big machine that clears the cul de sac has come three times already. The snow mogul at the end of the street has reached the dimensions of a garage. 

Aidan and I had a couple more walks a few days ago.

The nearby pond was at maximum water level. No frogs.

Crossing the field we came across the bones of a small deer and wondered how we could have all missed its demise and subsequent entry into the food chain.

Sonja finished her training out west and returned to Salt Lake City area and her family. She shared some pictures that Jeff sent her while she was gone.

Elijah, 12 going on 13.

Dimetrios 13 going on 14.

Kingston, 2. He picked out the right shirt.

Jeff and Kingston. 

So, too, there are roiling blizzards of our own making: shaken norms and laws, enormous needs and tasks, planetary size dilemmas that we see and hear all around us. I'd say to young Kingston and, if I could, to Martin Luther King, Jr., that a lot still needs to be done. We need you, young and old, to make right this "Grand Experiment", raise up what is good and decent, be a "Good Samaritan" to all our neighbors on this globe, stand up for justice and be accountable for truth, to link arms in our walk so that every single being has a chance, a place, a home.

The white glow from my bedroom curtains told the story even before I crawled out of bed at this saving of daylight time now imposed on my sleepy mind. The Winter Goddess woke up again during the night and blanketed us another time. Yesterday, Keoni's airline flight was thwarted still another time. This time, just as he completed a Boston audition and was to return to Georgia.

Between the recent storms though, life kept on re-appearing. The boys joined Seth at church Saturday night for another concert there. They sure are helping my Grandma Groupie creds. When they play like that, I trail around in their stardust.

Keoni, Seth, and Aidan--photo from friend Louise.

Then, there was a warmer afternoon when Aidan was home alone and I stopped in for a walk around the farm with him. My! do I miss that.

It warmed up to 41 degrees! I still wore my long underwear.

Wendy and John returned with a load of hay in the truck. Toby noticed and something on the hay-littered bumper got his attention. I'll leave it to your imagination what it could be.

Aidan played for me for awhile. Here's a snippet of one he's working on...






Over in Colorado, Sonja is on her last week of training for her new assignment at the VA. She had a nice weekend off to explore. She sent pictures of The Stanley where The Shining was filmed...

Sandy has been unearthing interesting things from our family's past. Here's a picture of Mom during WWII years...

Well, the snowing has stopped here though Keoni is still stuck in Boston. He says he'll fly out tomorrow for Atlanta. It is 35 degrees climbing to 42 today. The wind just started blasting. Here's early morning today...

I never tire of the view out the back of Marge's here in Quakertown. This, out the back patio windows is unique among all the heavily populated development where we live. The old man who walks his dog and cat has re-appeared from time-to-time, too.  I'll leave you with my view at first-light this morning...

March Came in Like a Lion...

Gale-force winds, the lion growled...

...and there was a blizzard. The early morning view as it began, followed by lengthy power outages over all of southeastern Pennsylvania. 

That coincided with the arrivals of Gloria visiting from Tucson and Marge back for a short, work-related stay. How could they have arrived within two hours of each other! from such disparate departures was an amazing coincidence requiring but one transport from Philadelphia International Airport.

Gloria and I have enjoyed a "through thick and thin" friendship since our arrivals in Tucson; mine in December of 1960 and hers a couple months later in early 1961. How remarkable to have a week to catch up. An interesting moment came when Marge, Gloria and I sat down to a meal and I felt like no time away from each other had elapsed.

Gloria.

Gloria and I spent the first day mostly visiting antique shops while Marge had a workday at the house with a colleague. As we wandered through the antiques with their myriad unknown stories, we immensely enjoyed relating many of our own stories and memories brought out by seeing the abundance of similar things from our histories.

The busyness of the preceeding weeks that are bringing me ever-closer to the top of a senior-housing list at Dock Manor, led to my first purchase for that dwelling when it becomes available.

A pair of matching mirrors. Yes, I did get them for a song.

Our next day was filled with storm coping. Marge is super-prepared and though the electric was out at bedtime we all were snugly tucked in with heaps of quilts and flashlights. Then, the electric came back on. Not at the farm though, as we later learned, but a few hours afterward.

Warm temps and rain started washing the storm down the drain. Marge worked in a drive to see some of her family. From her Facebook page here she is with the twins...

Gloria and I headed to Longwood Gardens and their Orchid Extraveganza...

The DuPonts that built the acres of beautiful hothouses and landscaped terrain must have had happy young family members who enjoyed a tree-house we spotted on our walk there.

Church was canceled Sunday since the electric there hadn't come on in time. We spent a little time with Wendy, John, Keoni and Aidan...

Gloria, Keoni, Aidan, and Karma.

Keoni is home for Spring Break. He related arriving at PHL as the blizzard was settling in for the blow. He has had for months one airline adventure after another.

Aidan and Keoni are working on a concert for tomorrow night at the church. They played one of the pieces for us. Mmmm-mmm. What's not to love...

Out west, Sonja is moving up in her work at the VA and was sent for several weeks training in Denver while Jeff took care of the boys. From Sonja's Facebook...

Sonja.

Kingston, dear little great-grandson.

***

Life is so full of joy and sadness. As you know from earlier posting, dear old friend Gene (for Eugenia) passed from this life on Valentine's Day. Her daughter Dana is planning a memorial in California next month and another in Missouri in October when her ashes will be interred next to her mom and dad's burial place. 

***

Monday saw Gloria and I off to the Philadelphia Flower Show while Marge headed back to Charleston. 

Gloria and JM by the Japanese Garden.

Even the cupcakes had flowers...

...and flowers on hats.

Subaru was a big sponsor of the show. In one of their displays I found my pony's ancestor.

I was happy to see so many cousins of my happy little Tillandsia airplants were there.

That was Monday.

By Monday evening the weather reports for Wednesday were so dire for Gloria's departure that she managed to get her ticket moved to Tuesday cutting her visit a day short but no small relief that we'd not be caught in another blizzard. And, it turned out to be the best thing as the storm, though not driven by gale-force winds, was extremely wet, deep snow with temps rocking up and down around freezing. 

Again, the lion roared. Early Wednesday morning and it continued snowing all day long.

And yesterday at least half was melted.