Quarterly Report – Q1 2020

 

First Quarter 2020

I am late but if truth be told I almost didn’t write this because, well, you know.

But, I changed my mind because C19 isn’t going to hang my head in fear or shame! So, what did we do first quarter of this 2020 year of ABUNDANCE? (My 2020 word in case you forgot!)

Listen to Me. Listen well…and let your soul delight in My abundance!  Isaiah 55.2

Odd scripture HE SHOULD GIVE ME for a very unpredictable year!

I have come to give you life – life in abundance.  John 10.10

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering with mercy and truth in abundance. Psalm 86.15

January started well here in our new tiny house in Greer SC.  We had a trip planned in Gracee for mid-January, with reservations in two north Florida State Parks. The first leg of our trip was to Griffin State Park about 10 minutes from my sister, Peggy’s and her husband Tony’s new home in The Villages. We spent six days there and the four of us had a ball. The weather was perfect and Gracee was our safe refuge every night! We were scheduled to drive to Homasassa to spend a couple of days with Lowell’s Mom but she was very sick with a bronchial thing. Now, we look back and are convinced she had Covid19. His mom is 94 years old and she insisted we did not visit her. We were very disappointed but we honored her request. Today, she is fine.

After our time with sister we drove north and then west to Apalachicola, FL and St. George Island State Park. We camped until Monday, January 20th. That place was gorgeous! The island is one way on and one way off. About 5 miles of open white beaches between the gatehouse and our campground. We truly loved it there and would consider going back. We walked the beach – we saw schools of Dolphins – we picked up (probably) 100 Cockleshells and many other seaside treasures. We only ate out once on the Island and that was Sunday brunch at the Turquoise Parrot. It was delicious on a windy, chilly north Florida morning. The chowder was extraordinary.

We cut our trip short by six days because we were anxious to get home to our tiny house! When we returned home, our front porch was all screened in and we were delighted. We knew the screened porch would become our 3-season dining room and a very attractive extension of our living area.

January was a cold, wet month. I worked (at home) and Lowell did a lot of You Tube watching and reading.

February

February was a pretty reg-ler month. It was cold and rainy – again! We had lunch at friends from church (our postman, actually). We got our SC drivers licenses and registered our cars. Lowell’s he-shed got started. My Ashe girlfriends came for a day visit. Lowell celebrated another birthday. Normal, familiar routines!

March

Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun

The month life changed!

On March 6, a pair of young Red Shouldered Hawks began courting in the skies and on the tree limbs above our tiny house. They built a nest, she sat on the nest until April 15th. The morning of the 16th we realized the hawks were gone. Last week we had our friend take a photo with his drone camera and there all alone in the nest is one abandoned egg larger than a golf ball.

On March 7th, I had my last recorded professional pedicure! My poor feet!

We had lunch with our friends whom we met in Alaska!

On March 15th as my precious niece celebrated her birthday – the reality that COVID19 was going to become somewhat of an issue, struck home. Our granddaughter’s school closed down – she was blessed to work as a nanny for several weeks. Simon’s high school closed also and he did school online…again.

Sunday, the 22nd, we hosted a pancake breakfast for our tiny village neighbors. 12 of us enjoyed fellowship, food, and fun together over Lowell’s amazing crepes, sausage, and fruit.

March held some medical concerns, emotional breakdowns, fear over faith moments but as a family we weathered well. March found us subscribing to Butcher Box, cooking great meals, getting to know our new neighbor Stacy, Lowell enjoyed helping build his he-shed, lunches with friends, a few Hello Fresh meals, two visits to two different South Carolina State Parks and watching church online at home. Certainly a different kind of month.

The first quarter of 2020, a new book was given life, Gracee’s Great Alaskan Adventure. A new series was watched, THE CHOSEN. A new devotional was started, John 17 – the real Lord’s Prayer.