Dear Reader:

Yesterday was a special day…in lots of ways. Since I love creative challenges Mandy and I thought through a way to have a small get-together for Lachlan’s birthday…just him and his cousin, Mandy’s son…Jake. (The original plan yesterday had included a “Dino” movie that was just showing at certain theaters around the country (one special showing) and Azalea Theater (Summerville) was chosen to show it. *This surprise obviously had been cancelled.

Instead we kept the activities  pretty much outside … and it was over in less than two hours with the boys having a ball! They are both into dinosaurs so we had a “Dino Hunt” for clues which when found and turned into Coach Boo or Coach Mandy allowed you to search for the next clue. There were five clues and the sixth was to find the bag with Lachlan’s birthday present in it. Here are some samples.

Lachlan’s Dino bag had a dinosaur board game for five-year-olds and up….the idea being each competing team had to try to save the baby dinosaurs before the volcano erupted. He also got another Magic Tree House book for his collection…he loves them. In the party bags both Lachlan and Jake discovered a stuffed dinosaur and some treats.

When the boys arrived Mandy had instructed them well..to give me  imaginary high five’s and I showed them the foot wave which had them giggling. We let them play on the other apartment side when inside so they could spread out…the rest of the time they stayed outside in the yard playing.

Lachlan got to wear the famous birthday cake hat…which I first wore for Eva Cate’s first birthday…since she is turning 10 this year…it has been around a decade now! Still fun and the honorary celebration hat.

I told Mandy that birthday parties have gotten so expensive with so many parents inviting all the classmates and renting different forms of entertainment rooms that are also catered…that a simple back yard birthday party, a dinosaur clue hunt, some soccer ball kicking, and green cupcakes spread over everything (:) was just as much fun…in fact better…because we could actually have a dialogue with the kids during the celebration.

Yesterday we talked about the importance of communicating with seniors (sending cards) in assisted living facilities or nursing centers where oral transmissions have broken down in some facilities. Even writing someone you might not know well but who you know would appreciate a card talking about a relative connected to both of you… helps the isolated loneliness in some of these centers now.

Another great idea popped up today. Anne was telling me how (like my renewed interest in cooking) she and her neighbor Shirley had started biking again (10 miles daily) being careful to put a little distance between the bikes but still being able to continue friendly banter…missed by both.

Then Shirley started a new idea for Anne. She asked Anne if she would play the fiddle while she and her husband sat on the front porch sometimes (at her convenience) in the evenings. Anne loved the idea and it grew as they thought about a couple of other musicians in the neighborhood who all together could put on a “Walk by Jam” on certain evenings as neighbors biked and strolled down the street. Isn’t that another terrific idea? A lot of positives  can certainly come out of these uncertain times…it comes under the heading of “Simplify.”

* Found out Anne (on fiddle and a neighbor (Charlie Davis) on guitar and harmonica) started playing last evening in Anne’s front yard.  What fun it was in the neighborhood…soon strollers returned with glasses of wine to leisurely walk by the music again and listen…or grab a folding chair.

Mandy texted me when she got home to tell me Eva Cate was all excited because some neighbors had gotten together and decided to suggest that families chalk paint their driveways with pictures and sayings for families walking to look at during the day and evening strolls.

*Here is the picture John took of the family and the art work on their driveway…they drew decorative sayings about “Choosing Happy”…ironically, however…look at Jake in the photo…he obviously chose not to be happy! ” 🙂  🙂  🙂

So until tomorrow…Let us wake up each morning saying “This is the day that the Lord has made…let us rejoice in it!”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

What happens when people only half listen to the medical coronavirus cautions. 🙂

*Is it just me or have any of you also become more conscious of the number of times you touch your face? I find myself jumping sometimes while reading or watching television when I catch myself…because I have my hand supporting my chin or I am rubbing my eyes or blowing my nose or pulling on my ear…ridiculous…I think I have dog scratching beat by a mile??????