Today, the 24th, has been designated World Polio Day by the Rotarians.
That wonderful organization has worked tirelessly towards their goal to stamp out polio world wide. I well remember when we worried all summer long about that disease and no one had a clue as to what caused it. Once they isolated the virus, it wasn't long before they came up with a vaccine. Some of us also recall going to a central large place; we went to the Norfolk auditorium, to get the oral vaccine. It was like a miracle!
Last week got a little “hairy” for me; I'm not used to having something going on every day! Unfortunately, two events were funerals; one for a cousin who had Alzheimer's, the other, for a friend from church. It seems I go to a lot of funerals; I'm guessing that has something to do with age; just like a lot of other things I've mentioned.
Some were just good visits; for instance, on Friday, four of us who used to team up to do foot care at local senior housing places got together for coffee. The foot care came to a halt with COVID and has never resumed, at least, not by Tabitha. Our Area Agency on Aging runs a couple monthly clinics that are well utilized.
The four of us are all capable of using our cell phones. But none of us even looked at one during the whole three hours we were together. We come from the generation that put the emphasis on face to face communication. One of the subjects we got onto was growing up on farms! Three of us did not have indoor plumbing until we were 9 or 10 years old. (The fourth grew up in town; albeit, a small town, but she had an indoor bathroom.) The three farm gals also remembered milking cows by hand, and then, having to clean the separator! One even reminisced about the dolls whose skirts were made with separator milk filters! Now, I had not thought of those for many years.
Yesterday, Sunday, I dragged this old body out of bed in order to get to the 8 am service at church.. The day's lectionary included the parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector. When we were calling a new pastor, we were surveyed as to what we wanted in a minister; I wrote I wanted one who could preach. Well, Pastor Will Miller can preach! I had heard that story many times, but never in the way he told it.
I even stayed for coffee and a doughnut because at 9:30, we were all to traipse outside to the site of the sanctuary that will be built next year, God willing, and built an altar of stones. In the Old Testament, whenever something significant happened, the Israelites stacked stones. So, it was fitting for us to stack stones in the approximate place the new altar will be.
Of course, when I arrived home, I had a lot of the World Herald to read, and while I was reading, I got sleepy, so had a morning nap.. Morning or afternoon, a nap is always good, right? Later in the afternoon, I stepped out to water the coleus on the landing and could smell smoke. Turns out the smell was coming from the fires southwest of us around Cortland and Firth.
Dry weather with all that wind seems to lead to grass fires. Two firemen were injured, and three homes destroyed, and we were very grateful for the rain during the night. There were horses at the Lancaster Event Center. So far, that seems to be the extent of things, but it was scary to think about. And a lot to be thankful for.
