Bangkok is the capitol of Thailand but its real name is:

“Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.”

What it means is “The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (unlike Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.”

But most Thai people just call it Krung Thep

When the news is bad.

        Perhaps it began with what we called "the funny papers" and now are called comics. The Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspaper came to out farm, a day late, by mail. Lying on my stomach on the living room carpet with the funny papers spread out before me likely gave me my start in reading the newspaper.
      Reading the papers these days is very grim as the COVID-19 virus wreaks havoc with our world. It takes courage to pay attention as illness and death, sorrow and suffering fill the pages. None of us have known a time like this.  The best antidote I know is a focus on that for which we can be grateful. Slightly inconvenienced is all I've suffered yet as I wonder what might come.
      Email brought me this list of suggestions for coping with the grim news that confronts us.
        
"Other things that are contagious and happily so, plus allow you to maintain social distancing:
Smiles
Goodwill
Calm
Patience
Laughter
Light-heartedness
Good news
Bad jokes
Songs you can’t help singing (ear worms)
Dancing
Re-framing problems 
Yawns
Cheerful teasing
Foot and elbow greetings (instead of handshakes or hugs) – which makes me think of the hokey-pokey which you could do in the lift with strangers and it’s an ear worm – double win! "   Amy G.

   Perhaps the official name of Bangkok might also bring a smile.

Bangkok is the capitol of Thailand but its real name is:

“Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.”

What it means is “The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (unlike Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.”

But most Thai people just call it Krung Thep

Takk for alt,

Al

I get email.

    Many days I get emails in response to my blogs in addition to the comments that are posted on the blog site. The diological nature of both the emails and the comments on the blog site enrich this endeavor. Today's email brought this comment in response to Sam's lament, posted last night, from a pastor friend in Ohio.

"Your posting each day brings a thoughtful reflection, but your sharing your friend's lament is especially meaningful.  When I was in seminary half a century ago, I thought churches were but cardboard boxes, disposable and without meaning.  Perhaps it is experience, or just age, that I am now about 179 degrees away from that view.  Just seeing a church building reminds me of relationships, events and meanings that touch the sacred." (N.M.)

    When I read this email I reflected on my own reactions whenever I see a church building. The sight of one always captures my attention as I try to see what I can learn about it from signage, consider the architecture and wonder about the congregation.

    Another pastor friend(H.F.), this one in Minnesota, forwarded Richard Rohr's daily meditation for this date. From that meditation I excerpted this quote. 

"We are not punished for our sins, we are punished by our sins (such as blindness, egocentricity, illusions, or pride)."  Richard Rohr

      This truth was illustrated in the actions of one young man. He was videoed licking a toilet. In a subsequent article it was reported that he is infected with the COVID-19 virus.
Enough said!

Takk for alt,

Al

Faith in a time of wondring.

      Today Lisa and I "went" to her church, Calvary Lutheran in south Minneapolis. It was an inspiring and encouraging experience which should prompt gratitude for modern electronics. It reminded me of a Lutheran Church that Joanne and I visited in Sighisoara, Romania. Transylvania was once populated by Lutherans. Nothing  of the inside the church remains in my memory, though one feature of the church, is unique in my experience. On the south, outside wall of the building was a pulpit facing the yard which was enclosed by a fence. The pulpit could be entered from inside the sanctuary via a door. This is where the pastor would preach to the lepers who were not allowed inside. Social distancing as practiced generations ago.
       One of my pastor friends is using this time to telephone her people. Imagine that! How comforting it must be as parishioners, as they "shelter in place," to have their pastor call to inquire about their well being. 
       Another of my pastor friends wrote this lament over his grief about the loss (temporary we hope) of place.
   

Random Thoughts about the significance of PLACE in our Christian walk with God

During this virus crisis, when we have been unable to worship in our church buildings (place), several sources have stressed that the Church is PEOPLE, not a place.

The longer this sheltering goes on, the more we long for the gathering of our faith community in the church building, a place where the Body of Christ gathers for worship, fellowship, service, etc.

When the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon, away from the temple in Jerusalem where they had experienced God's presence in the Holy Ground of that place, they longed for this special place in their lives. Think of the opening words of Psalm 84: "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!  My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord." (Continue on with vss. 2b-4).

Grundtvig's "Built on a Rock" hymn states that "Surely in temples made with hands God the Most High is not dwelling." But in stanza four: "Yet in this house, an earthly frame, Jesus the children is blessing; hither we come to praise his name, faith in our Savior confessing."

Just think of all that happens when we gather and worship in that place we call a church building: Listening to the prelude and praying for the pastors and other worship participants; confessing our sin, hearing the Word of Forgiveness; singing God's praises; witnessing children being baptized and welcoming them into God's family; listening to the proclamation of God's Word; offering our gifts and listening as the children drop their coins in the noisy offering; joining in the prayers with our "Hear our prayer"; being sent from this place with the light of Christ.

I think this virus crisis has convinced me of how much I long to be back in that place we call a church building with my faith community.

Sam Hatlestad, retired

   Thanks for sharing your lament, Sam.  I'm with you in this cry.

Takk for alt,

Al

Waiting for the other shoe....

Raise your hand if you're really good at waiting. Perhaps you love the unknown and rejoice in being put on hold. Well this is a time for you, as we wait for the virus to do it's thing. For most of us waiting is not our cup of tea. It's tough to wait and wonder if we, or loved ones, will get sick. Wondering when the crisis will pass and what our life will look like is hard . Perhaps we're concerned about our funds and preparation. So much about which we can worry.    Grace University Lutheran posts daily Lenten reflections. Into my email box came this note of grace today. "If we do this right For those who still can, stepping outside right now is decidedly different. Even at busy times of day the primary sounds are from birds, not cars, not people. The early migraters are returning the year-round winged residents have changed their tune from hushed winter chirps to rollicking spring song. Some eggs are laid, some are hatched. The natural world does not know this coronavirus. Sap is running, ice is thawing. Geese and swans fly in mighty Vs sometimes in hundreds. Buds are thickening. Leaves of strawberry plants are starting to green up. The first hint of yellow has appeared in the goldfinches at my feeder. Seedlings are germinating breaking the surface, spindly but upright rising toward the grow lights on the stand. Beavers swim, otters slide. Young bucks are growing antlers. And here we are. We humans who have been abruptly halted by something we cannot even see. Maybe it’s our turn. From Dutch Elm to Oak Wild to Spruce Budworm to endangerment and extinction, life here on earth is not without peril. Often, if we are honest, by our hands,. So how are we, with our big brains, to handle this? What might we glean from our Wild cousins so familiar with adapting? Perhaps it’s fortitude and the good sense to live with rather than against nature. Perhaps we will recognize connection to one another in bolder more unflinching ways. And, if we do this right— and by that I mean with grace and compassion— perhaps we’ll see ourselves in strangers. Really see ourselves for the global family that we are. And wrap our hearts and our mighty intellect around protecting, preserving, and caring for all who inhabit this beautiful world. And even the world itself. As we stand steady together in sickness and in health. By Chris Heeter ―From The Wild Institute, shared with us by Theresa Gienapp God of all of nature, help us to live into our new reality with grace, and to inhabit our world in ways that honor our connectedness. Amen." Thanks, Theresa! Bless you all in your waiting. Takk for alt, Al

Ya, then.

    Now we know whose ox was gored by last night's post about the importance of being clear about the delineation between 'lay' and 'lie'.  This email came today implying, above all things, that I'm un-Christian!  I resemble that insinuation..

"You forgot to include this paragraph in your Caring Bridge/blog tonight.  It is very important, even Christian, since it’s all about forgiveness!"

Ever been corrected—or corrected someone else—for saying "I'm going to lay down"? In either case, your dictionary forgives you. It's true that the correct way to make that statement is to say "I'm going to lie down," but it's also true that lay and lie have been tripping up English speakers for 700 years, and no one should be judged harshly for being among the confused. The pair is a doozy.

   Trygve is a happy dog. Now he has two humans to attend to him. He also has a fenced in back yard which was not available at my condo. Springers have thick fur and dogs like him, who have show springer blood, are particularly furred. Today he had a grooming, so he's a short haired dog for awhile. His groomer works out of her house so we put him in her yard and when she was finished released him back to the yard. We retrieved him and he's more energetic now because he's not so hot.

   Hoping you're all safe and secure as I am.

Takk for alt,

Al

Trygve, the wonder dog.

Now for something really important.

    Virus, virus, virus...that's all I hear. Meanwhile there is another crisis in the land which is totally being ignored. Why, it's so overlooked that some of you may not even know this terrible problems exists. It would be interesting to do a survey of you readers to ascertain how many of you have recognized this incipient disaster. Were the general population to awaken to this menace, concern about the virus would fade into the background. This is no time for the fractured response of 'states rights.' A coordinated Federal response is the only hope of bringing swift conclusion to this dire matter.
     It is beyond distressing and clearly brings us to the cliff of disaster to know how many of our fellow citizens confuse the words "lay" and "lie". Recently I heard some one say "I will lie this here."  The horror!  That's as bad as saying "I will just lay here for awhile."
     The Merriam Webster dictionary comes to our aid with this succinct tutorial.
What to Know

Lay means "to place something down flat," while lie means "to be in a flat position on a surface." The key difference is that lay is transitive and requires an object to act upon, and lie is intransitive, describing something moving on its own or already in position. Beyond the present tense, the pair can become more confusing because lay is the past tense of lie, and laid is the past tense of lay.

   Well, there you have it. Please do what you can to thwart this menace. Quarantined as you are, this would be a good time for you to review your grammar.

Takk for alt,

Al

The results are in!

    By popular acclamation Lisa's fan club thinks my move to her house was magnanimous on her part and a good idea.  Day one discovery: "It's nice to have a cook!"  Corollary, Lisa's thought "Dad, I don't think you eat very well."  😀  Actually I don't think I suffer, frozen entrees accompanied with fresh vegetables and fresh spinach are regular fare.  Then, too, I have been known to have a meal during a local establishment's happy hour. As I said before, "It's nice to have a cook!" It is good to be here and she's working from home. 
     While I lounge here at Lisa's the virus marches on. One friend was tested for the virus and fortunately was clear. None of  us really know if we're a carrier unless we're tested so its a weird reality in which we live. Waiting is not something most of us do well.
     As I wait I read Frederick Douglass biography. Reading about slavery is never easy and shows my current inconvenience to be rather minor.  The book is well written and now I have time. Several books accompanied my move and Lisa has shelves full. She does not have TV but, having grown up before TV, I've never learned the art of watching. So, I won't miss it.
   Here's hoping you are all well and safe!

Takk for alt,

Al

Moving Day.

     This unusually early post is occasioned by a change in circumstance. Finally I'm going to get the adult supervision I've lacked for a couple of years. Lisa, bless her heart, has invited (strongly encouraged?) me to move in with her while wait out Mr. Virus.  My condo building has over 300 units so, if the virus takes hold, I'd be vulnerable. Four times a day I need to exit/enter with Trygve which really ups the ante. Tonight is the night.


    This message and email, sent by a friend, arrived this morning.  Thanks, it's very fitting.

Read your blog and thought I would share this poem with you 

Before you know what kindness really is

you must lose things,

feel the future dissolve in a moment

like salt in a weakened broth.

What you held in your hand,

what you counted and carefully saved,

all this must go so you know

how desolate the landscape can be

between the regions of kindness."

-Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye

Takk for alt,

Al

Malaise?

     Sometime in the not-so-distant past of American history, then President Jimmy Carter, was pilloried for suggesting that the country suffered from malaise.  Is malaise a good description for what we're feeling now as we wait for the other shoe to drop? Of course it's unsettling to be in this situation, knowing that bad things are coming but no one can tell us exactly what to expect.  
     A friend who reads my blog sent me this email in response to what I posted last night.
 "I am hearing a lot of people saying what you said in your blog.  I wonder if we are internally overwhelmed and our egos are working hard  to keep  us strong and in control resulting in some low level  form of depression.  I also think we are all in the land of grief. Everyone's norms have been turned upside down . We have to figure a new norm and we know we can’t go back to the old."
    Apparently I'm not alone.
   In this context I think this quote from an article in the January 6, 2020, The New Yorker, is fitting.
"....when I thought of it I didn't think grief could come near me again.
     "It was a poor way of thinking. We are never finished with grief. It is part of the fabric of living. It always waits to happen. Love makes memories and life precious; the grief that comes to us is proportionate to that love and is inescapable." GRIEF; A writer reckons with loss; V.S. Naipaul, P. 19
     Perhaps if we think ourselves as sojourners in the land of grief it might help us make sense of this new reality in which we live. Foundations have been shaken, anxiety abounds and we grieve for the life we had, wondering if it will ever return. If ever the practice of a day at a time was appropriate it would be now.
     In the immediate aftermath of Joanne's death, and the time since, it was relationships that carried me. I'm finding the same is true now. Phone calls, facetime, emails...connect me to those who are important and in conversation with them I'm given hope and courage. Yes, this too shall, pass but let us remember those who suffer.

Takk for alt,

Al
 

(Blank) expands to fill......

    Somewhere, somehow, someplace I heard/learned the maxim "Work expands to fill all available time." A corollary is "Junk expands to fill all available space." But, let's stick with the first one. The first week of quarantine passed rather quickly.  Some physics major out there perhaps knows some theorems about the expansion of gases, etc. This is what I'm observing about this situation in which I find myself.
   "Loafing expands to fill all available time."  There are myriad small projects worth doing in the confines of this condo.  What happens? Thoughts float around, such as "No one knows how long this is going to last but it looks like it will be a long time. Therefore, there's plenty of time to do that task later."  So, it doesn't get done.
   There are at least two problems with this approach. First, and most obviously, worth while things, for which I have the time, aren't done. The second problem is more subtle. Not doing them chips away at self-esteem. So far they are very minor chips but it's a path better not taken. Even an introvert could struggle with depression from long term confinement and a multitude of those little chips could be depressing.

   Today I finished Lundborg's book Becoming a Pastor, which was the focus of yesterday's blog. Again, it was like being in conversation with him. The book is available from Amazon. It's the best 'inside' description of what it's like to be a pastor and the author transparently reveals both, what he learned, and who taught him and how the teaching happened.

Takk for alt,

Al

A gift in the mailbox!

     Many of the books I read come by mail, many for a penny plus $3.99 postage and handling.  Now, I didn't remember ordering any books that hadn't arrived but here was one in my mailbox. Looking closely at the package I saw the return address of a west coast theologian, Paul Lundborg. Opening it revealed this, BECOMING A PASTOR: Stories of the Flock shaping the Shepherd, Paul S. Lundborg.
     Now, wasn't that a nice surprise? The gift was the surprise, but I was aware that he was working on a book. Lundborg is a long time friend, a year behind me in college, seminary and arriving at our first congregations in North Dakota where we were neighbors. Not only that, I grew up with his wife's family in South Dakota and her parents are buried in the same cemetery as Joanne. (See picture)
    Yesterday I finished Independent People, which was long and complex. With that accomplished I turned to Lundborg's book using much of the afternoon to read. It was like having a long conversation with my good friend, granted he did most of the talking. It's a conversational book in which he tells his story of ministry filled with anecdotes from his 37 years as an ordained Lutheran pastor. It's winsome, delightful, grace filled and wise. Perhaps 'memoir' would be the appropriate category in which to place it.
   One of the defining events of Lundborg's life was his father's death when Lundborg was ten years old. Included in the book are some of his poems and other writings. This one is under the heading 'GRIEF'

"Absence"
Holden Village
September 14, 2010    (Lundborg was pastor in Wenatchee, WA, 1982-1999.)

Both grandfathers left before I was born;
By the time I was ten I was bereft of my dad.
Who were these men known only by absence?
Why so often did I feel sad and mad?

They weren't deserters forsaking their family;
They were but mortals with lifespans too brief.
They weren't to be faulted or scorned by my wrath;
They simply were gone; their legacy my grief.

Like the sun in the winter and rain in the desert,
I knew them best when their absence cut deep.
A father shaped emptiness was formed in my soul.
They appeared in my dreams while asleep.

So now I have sons and granddaughters, too.
I give them what I longed for, my touch, my presence.
Grief bathed in grace transforms all my longing.
How else would I know the great power of absence?

P. 138     Thanks, Paul!

Takk for alt,

Al

The marker for Lundborg's wife's parents. 

Humor for trying times + a book.

"I just had to tell you that when I went to the grocery store, the bakery had small cakes,  shaped like a toilet paper roll, white with the center at the top like a paper roll, and with a colorful message that said, “The Last Roll”.  It made me smile and I think the staff enjoyed making them."
Judie
    Anxiety abounds as we await developments from day to day. Humor helps, thanks Judie. Another friend is forwarding virus related cartoons. What a weird reality we inhabit. So we wait and wonder.

    While I'm waiting and wondering I finished Halldor Laxness epic novel Independent People.  Bjartur, the protagonist is one of the most frustrating characters I've ever encountered in fiction. Bjartur maintains his ferocious and self-destructive independence, one aimed not so much at bettering his condition as being able to tell his former employer where to get off. Previous to the beginning of the book he'd worked for 18 years to accumulate enough money to buy a small Icelandic farm on which to raise sheep. Time after time he 'shoots himself in the foot' to maintain his independence. Spite is really not helpful. Still, there is an appeal to Bjartur that creates hope that he will succeed.
    Laxness received the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1955, Yet, for years the book was not available in the U.S. That may be because of Laxness politics which are far left of center.
    It could also be considered a feminist book, for foil to Bjartur's rigid stubbornness, are a succession of courageous women who pay the price for his ideals. Self-centered idealism is a thing to be feared as is amply illustrated by Bjartur. It all comes to a fascinating conclusion with a final twist in a book full of them.
    Confined in self-quarantine?  Here's a book that will make you think. It's one of those books I'll find myself pondering for time to come. It reminded me a bit of Knut Hamsun's Growth Of The Soil.
Fredrick Douglas,700 page biography sits by my chair???

Takk for alt,

Al

A natural impulse.

     Tomorrow it will be a week since I began my isolate routine.  It is what Joanne feared, that when she died, I'd become a social isolate. Well, I have, now almost two years after her death. But it didn't happen when, or the way, she feared. No, I'm just doing my best not to be viral. There is something very unnatural about this isolation.
    Typically when there's a problem, or a crisis, people 'roll up their sleeves' and pitch in. "Let's go to work and solve this situation." But, now, we're told the best thing we can do is stay away. stay home, don't go out, don't do anything but hunker down. That's totally against our natural impulse to be helpful. You mean the best I can do is hang at home?
    Oh, yes, the rationale makes sense; flatten the curve of infections, allow hospitals and health providers opportunity to deal with manageable numbers. Perhaps be one of the lucky ones who stays virus free until a vaccine is available. Where are the anti-vaccers now?
   Speaking of which, a recent article pointed out that the anti-vaccine movement suffers from forgetting history. Having not lived when the diseases controlled by vaccines were rampant they complacently think shots aren't important and probably harmful. Likely they'll all line up for a virus shot if the virus is as deadly as predicted.
    Speaking of Joanne, as I did earlier,I have a tee-shirt she gave me. The logo says "BOOKS: Helping Introverts Avoid Conversation Since 1454.


Takk for alt,

Al

The principal of my school is not afraid to get her hands dirty.

Ruminations.

   Here are two quite different takes on the experience of self-quarantine.

"Days of social isolation have told us things about ourselves that we don’t want to know. Instead of using the time to read Tolstoy or listen to Beethoven, we watched a video of a cat sitting on a whoopee cushion."  ala Garrison Keillor 

"It is an interesting experience, a “less is more” time, which is not at all all bad. In fact, my mind is deluged with ways to think about this time."  Kathy Mohn  Grace University
 Lutheran's, Lenten Devotional.

   Mohn's "less is more" is a very helpful frame for this time of self-imposed isolation. So far my days have passed quickly and well with less to fuss about. Less certainly can be more as Mohn said in her profound devotion.

    Humor helps in times like these.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune's political cartoonist, Pulitzer Prize winning Steve Sack, offered some today. An armored car has stopped and is being guarded by a man with a weapon, Out of the back of the truck another man wheels out a carton of Charmin Tissue. 😄😄

   Which reminds me of a story witch of course is a total non-sequitur.  Walking down a sidewalk in Kunming, China, one day, a van pulls upside me. The doors fling open and men armed with machine guns pop out, one of whom shoves his at me nodding for me to back up. Guess what I did? Yes, I backed up, thinking "this is very interesting". Turns out it was the Chinese version of an armored car and they were transferring cash. So, if you're wondering, I lived to tell about it.

Takk for alt

Al

The government has ordeered all Thai schools (mine pictured) closed.

Dichotomy...

     Downtown Minneapolis is very quiet. Trygve took us for our mid-day walk through much of the city, (Excurses: There are no ATMs accessible from a sidewalk in Minneapolis.) Restaurants, bars and coffee houses are closed by government mandate. Lights are on at Penny's Coffee shop across the street but there is no one there. What will all the employees do without their paycheck? How will the shop owners make their payments? etc., etc., etc.????????
     Here I sit, only slightly inconvenienced. The dichotomy between having and having not rises starkly to the surface. Living wages, paid sick leave, income distribution so that the many do not have to live and the brink of insolvency, and other issues we often ignore finally get some notice.
     The suffering unleashed by this pandemic staggers the imagination.  In the face of such misery I find myself almost mute.

Takk for alt,

Al

That's a horse of a different color!

   OK, I admit it, I may have been a bit smug in preparing for a 3-4 week self-quarantine. Beginning with dog food I stocked the condo for that term. Suddenly the ante has been upped; 'prepare for 8 weeks of quarantine.'  That's a whole different ballgame, a horse of a different color, a......???
   Food is certainly one issue. Mental health is another. How does a person maintain sanity over that period?  This is going to get very interesting isn't it?  Perhaps if "a day at a time" is ever apropos this may be it. Facetime, IM, and all those other social media inventions of late could be lifelines.
    A few days into my own isolation I've learned that I need more movement. There is no "step counter" on my wrist but the confines of the condo, though as condos go it's quite spacious, leave me needing more movement. Trygve and I take a longish walk every morning. He's pleased that we've added another one to compensate for confinement. The skyway is not a good idea but walking outside is pleasant now that the ice has melted. Downtown offer myriad routes where I'm safely distant from others. Walking is a good boost for morale.

    Lars encouraged me to read Halldor Laxness, Independent People.  It's one of those books that's a bit of a challenge initially, which is probably why I hadn't read it though owning it since 1998. Now I'm delighted. It reminded me of a childhood experience.
    The setting of the book is a farm in Iceland circa. 1900? There is one milk cow on the farm that is confined inside through the long winter. When spring arrives it is allowed outside. The cow responds by running, jumping and cavorting like a calf.
    Calves, on our farm, that were born in the fall or winter, were penned inside while their mothers were milked. When the grass had greened in the spring the calves were let out into the pasture for the first time. Running, jumping, tails in the air they careened around the pasture, pictures of pure joy.

Seen through the eyes of others...
NORWAY COLLEGE: LEAVE 'UNDERDEVELOPED' U.S. Norway’s renowned University of Science and Technology has issued an alert urging students studying abroad to return home as a response to the coronavirus pandemic — singling out the U.S. The warning from the nation’s largest university, with some 40,000 students, applies “especially” to students staying in nations with “poorly developed health services,” as well as countries, “for example the USA,” with a “poorly developed collective infrastructure.” [HuffPost]

Takk for alt,

Al

The faculty.

Comfort Food.

   On a scale of 1 to 10, 1=low and 10=high, where is your anxiety level?  Personally, I'm not feeling very anxious as I hunker in my condo. Penny's Coffee shop, observable across the street from my dining room window, had customers even as I stay away.  MN Governor Waltz, announced the closing of all MN schools effective Wednesday. He said the two day delay to allow schools are parents time to adjust. It's a weird time like non-other and where it will end no one knows. Hopefully we all stay well.
    Strange thoughts appear such as "OK. tomorrow's Monday what am I doing? Oh, ya, same thing as today!"   If I'm still inside like this in two weeks how will I feel then?  TV, the internet, facetime, make this a very different kind of isolation.
    Well...still needing to eat I opted for comfort food. Lars gave me a loaf of sourdough bread he baked.  Gjtoast and jam....yes, perfect. Joanne had the practice of making rhubarb/strawberry jam about Memorial Day each year.  The last few years I'd do the chopping and she'd make a big batch that would last the year. Her last batch was May 2017. One jar remained and I wondered if it was still good?  It is and it was perfect on the bread with Gjtoast...comfort food.
     Still, there is that sadness that one more connection to Joanne will soon be but a memory. So, as I eat and enjoy it, I think of all the jars of jam we enjoyed over the years. Memories are here to accompany me in the land of grief.  This confinement would certainly have been difficult for her.  Hearing of others, I am reminded of how fortunate I am, for which I'm deeply grateful!

Takk for alt,

Al

Bangkok is kept clean, swept by hand.

Historic Times.

   History is always being made but some times are more dramatic and life changing than others. The COVID-19 virus, pandemic is certainly one to remember. Perhaps in 62 years someone will say "I remember in 2020 when the virus..." as I say, remembering the polio epidemic of 1952.  This situation is very fascinating and would be entertaining if it were not so tragic.
    Amy sent this from Lynn Ungar, which is perfect for the self-quarantine many of us have chosen. It casts this chosen, though perhaps not desired, solitude as an opportunity for blessing.

*Pandemic*
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love--
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
--Lynn Ungar 3/11/20

Takk for alt,

Al

Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok devoid of people: spooky.

n

Quarantine.

   In yesterday's post I noted the run on toilet paper at Costco. Apparently it's not only a local phenomenon as is evidenced by an article on CNN. CNN gave the following five reasons for this behavior.

 So why are people buying up rolls more quickly than they can be restocked?

Reason 1

People resort to extremes when they hear conflicting messages

Reason 2

Some are reacting to the lack of a clear direction from officials

Reason 3

Panic buying begets panic buying

Reason 4

It's natural to want to overprepare

Reason 5

It allows some to feel a sense of control

   Well, enough about that.

    Day one of self-quarantine has gone quickly. Rather than go out for coffee with friends, who live in this building, they came to my place. Living with a dog necessitates regular forays outside and those walks are a helpful break from the confines of the condo. 

    Time passes quickly and reinforces a learning about retirement. If I don't have a plan for a day the day concludes with little feeling of accomplishment. It will be important to structure this confinement so that lack of accomplishment doesn't lead downward into potential depression.

   In conversation with a friend on Sunday I observed that, while I suffered profound grief and much sadness over Joanne's death it never moved into depression. This extra time in the condo is a good opportunity to accomplish that which is often neglected; straitening things, extra reading, etc.  In short it's not painful for an introvert. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Girls waiting while I teach the boys.

Freud would laugh!

     After last night's post about social distancing today's Minneapolis Paper had an article suggesting Minnesotans have an advantage in that realm due to Scandinavian norms. A woman from Denmark was quoted as saying "3 to 6 feet of personal space? that's way to close!"  😀😀
    Beginning my day with a 'three household' run to Costco was a trip. Arriving in the parking lot about fifteen minuets before opening, the block long line awaiting entry was a clue. Inside the building the queue to "bathroom tissue," which I've always called toilet paper, stretched far across the store. Most customers were buying two bales; at the 30 large rolls per bale.
    Smirking at this pattern I wondered what Sigmund Freud would say?   The COVID-19 virus has created much anxiety and it is very serious. As the stock market tanks perhaps we should be investing in the makers of bathroom tissue and, while we are at it, hand sanitizer.
    Today, I'm beginning more deliberate social distancing. That foray to Costco was my last public outing for a bit. Grace University Lutheran Church has suspended services and other events at least through the month of March. Saves me the necessity of  having to make a decision about going to church Sunday.
    This self-quarantine does not seem daunting for a mono-syllabic introvert like me. Were Joanne in my shoes she'd be more challenged. After her surgeries, as recovery progressed, I'd send out an SOS to 200 of her closest friends to call or visit, to buoy her spirits. A consultant once told me that I'd make a good POW, by which he meant, I think, that solitude does not threaten me.
   Lars persuaded me to read Halldor Laxness Independent People, which I've owned since 1998, but never read. The first pages are quite dense and may have wrecked previous attempts at reading it. Now that I've got into it, it's very good.  So many good books and maybe in lock-down I'll get more read.

Takk for alt,

Al

Social Distancing!

    With all the news about the COVID-19 virus there's a new phrase in our lexicon "social distancing."  Social distancing...I was raised on social  distancing. Social distancing was so much a part of my childhood I hardly remember being touched. You know the old joke about an extroverted Norwegian American? He looks at your shoes when he talks to you. 😀 That's my culture, one that claimed three feet of personal space. So this social distancing is nothing new to me.

    This historical note was in today's Writer's Almanac
"It was on this day in 1918 that the first cases of what would become the influenza pandemic were reported in the U.S. when 107 soldiers got sick at Fort Riley, Kansas.
It was the worst pandemic in world history. The flu that year killed only 2.5 percent of its victims, but more than a fifth of the world's entire population caught it — it's estimated that between 50 million and 100 million people died in just a few months. Historians believe at least 500,000 people died in the United States alone."
     My aunt Ella, died in that pandemic and her brother, Oscar, who had come home from Canada to visit, almost died.

  Lars sent me this corrective to my post last night.

" I hope you’ll point out to your readers that the “no such thing as a free lunch” axiom that is so central to the teaching of economics is, at its most fundamental level, a values statement, and one that runs directly counter to our theology.  It’s always important that we challenge our assumptions and widely-held “truths” that are really propping up an idolatry of so-called “free market” capitalism."

Takk for alt,

Al

Today's random photo: Ripe mango & sweet sticky rice.

On Thin Ice!

     Long ago and far far away I once took an economics course...who called it the 'dismal science'?  The only real specific I recall from the course is the old saw "There is no free lunch." Perhaps there were other learnings which, absorbed into my general body of information, I cannot specifically trace back to that class. Among my subscriptions is one to The Economist, that should be good for something. Now, on that flimsy platform, i.e., thin ice, I'm going to venture into the realm of economic prediction. You heard it here first.
   The prediction is this. Both the American and the World economies are entering a u-shaped recession. U-shaped because recovery is going to take awhile. Likely public figures are reluctant to predict recession for fear it will be self-fulfilling prophecy.  On what grounds do I make this prediction? The American stock market was overdue for a correction based on fundamentals. Along comes the COVID-19 virus and disrupts the manufacturing supply chain because China has become

the world's factory. This causes significant disruption in manufacturing and in the supply of goods, both for business and consumers. The virus continues to spread to and within countries. Health officials, unable to contain the virus, fall back on efforts at prevention. Foremost among their recommendations is 'social distancing.'  Saturday I'd planned to attend Augustana University's choir concert only to be notified that the choir tour had been cancelled. Multiply this by some factor for all the other cancellations. Approximately 70% of the American economy is driven by consumer demand. Given the uncertainty created by the spread of the virus will American consumers be lining up to buy 'big ticket items?' America has a hodge-podge, mishmash of sick leave policies for workers. Will virus bearing workers report to work sick because they are not eligible for sick leave?  Or, will they stay home without pay?  It seems unlikely that consumers are going to add much to the economy for some time to come, except to buy gazillions of had cleaners.
    Into this mix came Saudi Arabia's decision to increase oil production driving oil prices into the $30. range. Suddenly shale oil production is not competitive. Take that North Dakota!  We may see lower gas prices at the pump but likely we'll also see oil companies lining up for government bailout.
    The travel industry is being hit hard. How many of you are planning to put money down for a cruise? How are your airline stocks doing?  How big a contributor these are to our economy I don't know but they are one case among many others.
     "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Likely you've heard that countless times but it's what has happened in effect with our dependence upon Chinese manufacturing. Business leaders have just awakened to the dangers of over reliance on China. Supply chains will now be reworked.  That will take time with likely some fits and starts. It will not be business as usual and this, too, will be a drag on the economy.

     Well, you might ask "How did you move from reflections on life in the land of grief to an essay on economy?"  Perhaps I'm not certain myself except to say that this is what I've been thinking about. I hope you will let me know what you think; agree or disagree.

Takk for alt,

Al

Today's random picture: teaching in Thailand.

More Likely!

     With every day that passes self-quarantine seems more likely.  That prospect has me trying to imagine what that would mean for me. Living, as I do, alone in a 15th floor condo, is a far cry from the farm based quarantine during the polio epidemic of 1952. My first images were of total isolation, staying in my comfortable place. Of course that's not realistic given the companionship of the world's best dog,Trygve. We could use the stairs, which I do once a day as a self-directed stress test, to avoid the elevator. Climbing those 214 steps 3 or 4 times a day? No, I don't think so!
     Geezers, like me, are the target of much advice to quarantine. The advice seems center on avoiding people contact and particularly crowds. It's a good thing I like my own company. Chapped hands are a sign that I'm washing them more frequently and more thoroughly. "Don't touch your face"...forget it I'm hopeless.  
     It is fascinating, and macabre, to watch it unfold. We are living through a world changing episode. After being led (?) by a crowd who are throw-backs to America's long tradition of "know-nothingism" suddenly expertise, recently dismissed, and, science also recently dismissed, are again in demand.  Yes, I confess to being a virus junkie of sorts. Tragic that it takes so many lives!
   The quote below is my blog post from March 1.

"It was a very different summer. With four children and a whole farm to explore it might have been much worse. The farmstead was surrounded by a grove of trees on three sides providing great places for children to play and explore. There were many places in the barn to play games. Of course there was the ever present farm work both in the fields and daily chores with milking, calves to feed chickens and hogs to tend.  Edna Meyers lived a half mile away and we could walk cross country to her house and she'd give us a haircut. The one break in the routine was attendance at church which we never missed.
     The year was 1952 and it was the height of the polio epidemic. Our solution that summer was to self-quarantine which we did. Dad or Mom would go to town for groceries but their children spent the summer isolated on the farm. Fear ran rampant because little was known of how polio spread.
    Perhaps we're on the verge of another time of self-quarantine as COVID-19, appears on the brink of a pandemic. My time in Asia has certainly raised my awareness. Scheduled to return on February 27, through Korea, I came back on Feb. 12. A few days after my February 27, original schedule, Delta Airlines discontinued it's flights from Korea. With 87,000 confirmed cases in more than 50 countries is it circumspect to think it will stop before it gets to us?
    Well, I'm prepared, I just laid in two months of dog food. 😋  Having experienced self-quarantine once I can do it again."

Takk for alt,

Al

Seafood feast.