Elena 
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- The pandemic is running out of steam and cases are plummeting. Still, people don’t miss a chance to be mean to each other. It was (is) about masking and now it’s about the vaccination. So I want to come out and say this. We have all been pretty traumatized. I remember watching the coverage of the shutdown and the estimates that millions of people in Ohio alone were going to die from this novel coronavirus. I remember begging Mr. Pete not to go to the store or to work and I also remember scrupulously cleaning my hands as if I was going in to perform surgery. When people are traumatized, that trauma stays around for years. I’m still a little traumatized from my very first birth experience and that was almost 32 years ago! So I understand it and I respect a person’s choice to deal with this trauma in healthy ways. So I do not mask shame. I do not Vax shame. I don’t virtue signal about those things either – not in person and not with snarky Facebook frames. I encourage doing research, reading, and thinking about all of your options and I just ask that I am afforded the same courtesy.
2. Governor Dewine is the master of half truths and manipulation. Right now in Ohio we have something called Vax-A-Million. Once you get vaccinated you can enter the pool for a chance to win a million dollars or a full four-year scholarship to a state university for students. Since making the announcement, the governor claimed that the number of people getting the vaccine sky rocketed because of this vaccine enticement. While he is technically correct – the number of vaccines did go up, he failed to mention that the vaccines became available to 12 to 18 year olds at the same time. In fact, he didn’t mention at all that the age group that has sky rocketed in getting the vaccine was in that age group. The others are still flat. This is yet another example of how the governor of Ohio has used statistics to mislead the citizens.
3. I received a very sweet Mother’s Day gift for the backyard from my youngest three kids. It’s a St. Francis Statue and birdbath. It’s beautiful and I love it! My granddaughter, Miss C., who is now 7 1/2 years old, used my new Pentax K-70 to snap these pictures for me. I think she’s pretty wonderful too!
4. I’ve been using this free app on my android phone called Picture This. It’s a Free App, but you have to be careful not to sign up for the extra perks or the 7-Day Free Trial if you don’t want to pay for more features. Anyway, this app identifies flowers and weeds. I had this strange plant growing in my garden. The app tells me it’s called Fleebane. I didn’t plant this, so it is probably a weed, but I went ahead and let it grow and bloom and we’ve been delighted with it.
The app also told me what kind of Iris I have growing on the side of my house. – The bearded Iris! So it’s been a lot of fun and educational too!
5. Sam and Kassi are finally getting married! It’s been a long wait – here’s their prom pic from 2013. Since then, they’ve opened a business together that is going strong, and they will say their wedding vows this fall.
But before that, we had their bridal shower!
My sweet daughter-in-law made it all the way up from North Carolina to attend. My goddaughter, Izzy and my other future daughter-in-law also attended. Sis and I are now the matriarchs of the clan and I’m glad that my sister could be there with me as well. It was a beautiful day!
6. Rosie finished her track season. She ran varsity the entire time, made several new PRs and just generally got faster and had fun. This was her first track season as a high schooler but as I think about it, every one of my homeschooled high school athletes were prevented from competing in the spring of their Freshman year because of some government entity! It would be kind of sad if it weren’t so pathetic.
Anyway, she got faster and if she can stay healthy and keep her iron up, I think she’ll do great with summer running and cross country next fall.
7. One of my favorite affiliations is with the folks at Bake Me a Wish. I’m not just an affiliate, I’m a customer too. Last year, my best friend suffered the loss of a close elderly friend. I sent a lovely cake from Bake Me A Wish to my friend instead of flowers, and they enjoyed it at the wake. Here’s the photo she sent me of how well packaged it was.
It was a big hit and very appreciated. You can order now for Father’s Day and any upcoming special summer event. Get 15% Off All Gifts Code: SUMMERFUN. Click on the banner below!
