Janet's Blog

We like to think that we are civilized people, here in the US in the 21st century. For the most part, we have been living busy, predictable lives. We work hard, and we play harder. Until just a few months ago, every minute of nearly every day has been scheduled, and we have been stressed by our ceaseless and, in our opinion, decidedly worthwhile activities. Now, our stress is caused by something different: the uncertainty of these unexpected, unparalleled times. So many things have changed in just a short time: our job and school situations, our limited ability to travel or gather freely, our inability to seek services and products we once took for granted, and our sense of freedom and personal safety. Was it really only four months ago that our biggest concerns revolved around our families' activities and favorite sports teams?  Now, we have been coerced to stay close to home and cooperate with new rules that have been totally foreign for most of us, until now. We don't like t...

I was five that summer, the only summer we lived in the First Street house in Norfolk. After supper one evening, Mom and Danny and I piled into the car with Dad to visit a junkyard of some kind, before it got dark. I loved it when Dad said, "Let's take a ride," because we were sure to see something new, or have an adventure of some kind. And, on the way home, I was always hopeful that we would stop at a Drive-In for an ice cream cone. I don't remember if we rode in the blue, '55 Ford, or if we had the red, Rambler station wagon by then, but I know there were no seatbelts in our car. I probably rode in the back seat, cruising from one window to the other, or leaning over the back of the seat in front of me to talk to Mom. Danny may have been sitting in Mom's lap, or next to her on the front bench seat. I don't know what Dad was looking for at the junkyard, but he and Mom got out of the car, and he told me, quite firmly, to stay put. So, I did what I alw...