Easter and Past

Celebrating Easter online is better than nothing. My church leaders made the sunrise service and regular one available on Facebook. The glorious music was there, too. The Flowering of the Cross is a tradition that I feared we would have to forego this year, but even that was made available. It is a wooden cross covered in chicken wire. We are invited to bring flowers from our yards to cover the cross. Several people came by to cover the cross in flowers.

Pastors Kat Kimmel and Brett Harris

Flowering of the Cross

Our amazing pianist, Zhaolei Xie, and four USM orchestra students, Alejandro Junco, Marlene Gentile, Cecilia Araujo, and Patricia Venucci lifted my soul. These are not only great musicians, but dear and treasured friends! 
Late in the afternoon two tornadoes ripped through South Mississippi only about 30 miles from me, leaving 11 dead in the state. This tragedy seemed another insult to already suffering residents. 
In spite of the rising death toll and weather damage, the temperature has been pleasant, and being outdoors can be beneficial to us physically as well as mentally.

 My amaryllis has opened all its blooms--seven total. When the storm was predicted, I covered it with a garbage can. The can was barely high enough, but it did its job. Here are pictures over several days as the blooms opened.

I thought all my irises I got from Ella Lucas were purple, so this soft yellow one was a surprise.

Along with making face masks for local hospitals and friends, I was involved in making straps for a newly developed mask, called The Hub Mask, by Dr Anna Wan and USM. Her team has made at least 1,600 masks in a few weeks (from initial concept to prototype to first product) that have been sent directly to health care workers on the front lines in Hattiesburg. The story of the creation of the Hub Mask can be found here. Several sewers from the community cut donated red t-shirt bottoms according to the specs needed.

I enjoy having a jigsaw puzzle on the table to work on for diversion. During this quarantine period, puzzles have become a mainstay for entertainment. But I am giving up on one--something I have never done before. It is a beautiful scene of Lake Kawaguchi and Mount Fuji, and I got a pretty good start but now have to admit defeat. Even in finished large sections, I can see a slight looseness and will swap two pieces and get a perfect fit. Finally, I cannot find anything that will fit--or find several pieces that will fit, only to have to remove later. I think it's time for me to yell out "calf rope," a term I grew up hearing in Texas.