200526 penknife stones village

may 26 

  pandemic plus: (it's 11 weeks today.)

  Getting my digital point-and-shoot camera up and running  may 25

i have always had pen-knives because they are cool and seem useful, i even carry one in my day bag but have never used it.

today i discovered why grandpas always carried a penknife in their pocket: to cut open the memory card package!

"... and once henry asked me for a knife, but i told him knives were only made for grandpapas." mr. woodhouse, emma.

"knives were only made for grandpapas"

 

this was our morning project on monday:
painting stones.

federal village:

   i cannot believe that we get an income from our government once we turn 65 and free drugs. its insane. the disbelief comes to me now because governments are spending money to help people affected by the pandemic. doesn't it seem incredibly philanthropic for a government, a nation, to help you pay your rent in a pandemic?

  when life is normal and you can expect to live to see your statistical death age , government support seems our due as citizens.  that's the way it is in many countries. but in the shadow of this pandemic, it seems incredible that the attitude doesn't become - everyone for himself, run for your lives!

  i am astonished, and so proud of (most) politicians, for standing up and doing the the right thing. they are as scared as we are, but they have been handed a tough war to work through. when they signed up for their jobs, i don't suppose they had making life-and-death decisions in mind. right now it's the airlines or grandma: pick one! eenie, meenie...

  through most of history, in a village community, no one would be hungry or uncared-for. an unmarried aunt would live with her nephew and his family, or a grandmother or unmarried brother would help on the farm. but in this age of wealth and freedom of movement, the nuclear family has become the norm and seniors and most unpartnered people live on their own until they are unable to be independent. 

   in extended co-habiting families, most often the arrangement is beneficial to both parties, the additional family member(s) may share shelter and meals but provide cooking, child-care, or do minor repairs in return. the more adults a child knows well, the broader her knowledge base is, the healthier her social skills. perhaps these multigenerational living arrangements are not so rare or unusual as we imagine. we certainly see the trend of my children's generation staying at home longer. and in the coming leaner years, (we might begin to see some very lean years as we move on in the pandemic and post-pandemic world.),  it may become more common still.