Happy Friday morning as we keep our social distancing. I hope your day is gong well. We aren’t having rain here this morning which is a nice change. We’ve had three inches in the last two days. It is 67 here at the moment but a cold front is moving in and the temps are going to drop like a rock again.

Let’s see, I don’t think I have told you about our lucky or unlucky news, depending which way you want to look at it. Wednesday afternoon we had a lightening strike on one of the tulip poplar trees just outside the back door. Those trees are at least sixty feet tall. There is a long (20 ft) narrow peel of bark down the south side of the tree but it doesn’t appear to be deep so I don’t think the tree is in danger of splitting. I told the kids it looks like the devil ran his fingernail down the tree. The great part is that it didn’t split; because had it fallen, it would have taken out the house and us with it. That’s the lucky part. The unlucky part is that it fried our TV cable boxes, and all four TVs including my “new” 65 inch television that I got the day I fell down my basement steps. So we went on Amazon yesterday and ordered three new televisions and they will be delivered Tuesday. Two of the TVs were completely fried but two of them, it killed the HDMI reception portion of the TV. But, since they are “Smart” TVs, my WIFI Spectrum in- home app works well with them and that includes my “new” one downstairs. So, I may be in no hurry to replace it. The only problem is that I can no longer record or DVR with the app but what the heck. I paid $1800.00 for that TV, didn’t get to watch it for four months because I couldn’t get downstairs and now this. Frappadoodle. But all side, —- we are fine, the tree looks like it will be fine, the house doesn’t appear to be in any danger and God protected us. Anything is just aggravating fluff.

The Corona virus of course is still running rampant across the nation and the world. We have finally had it it our area. There have been three cases reported in our area. Two of the patients were examined and sent home for quarantine themselves for the next two weeks or so. The third was admitted to the hospital. I think there have been 300 deaths nation-wide from this virus. The country of Italy has had that many a day. I think the majority of the country and our leaders are taking this pandemic seriously. There is still a problem of people hoarding all kinds of stuff and trying to get needed supplies to doctors etc. remains a problem. I don’t know what is in the stores now because we just don’t go. That’s why we ordered our TVs through Amazon. On a normal day I would have just gone down to Target. But not these days. Schools are closed and being conducted on-line. Churches are closed and pastors are taping their services for later. We went up to the church on Wednesday evening and taped our Sunday service and it will bee broadcast on Sunday morning. This is a different world and a new society with no relief date in sight. BUt on the other hand, families are being forced to live with one another at home for the first time in several decades. Evening meals are being held together. I think that parents and children are learning that they don’t have to be going to or being involved in every kind of sporting event. Perhaps in the long run, we will become a kinder, gentler society. That is my prayer anyway.

Have a blessed Friday. Call your loved ones, call your neighbors and talk to them and check on one another. May God be with you as we all go through the “new way of living” for awhile. Peace.