Cooperative Living July 2020 - 34

Rural Living | by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Writer
Of Change and Constancy
There's no longer a Monday or
Tuesday, just a 'Nextday'
A
s I write this in late May, I can
only imagine what July might
be looking like.
Right now, Virginia businesses are
like an early spring flower: Poking up
their heads and looking like they are
about to bloom. At least, we can finally
get our hair done. My heavens, we
were all a scruffy-looking bunch.
Restaurants with outdoor seating
are finally allowed to dole out paper
menus and deliver food to the table,
where you may sit with a friend or two
and enjoy a meal. It's almost like a
French sidewalk café - my
favorite place to eat.
I'm sure we all had a certain
plate or two of restaurant food
in our minds for more than two
months. For me, it was a hot-off-thegrill
pancake at the Country Café in Hot
Springs, with eggs and crispy bacon.
I just can't make that at home. I do not
have the " perfect pancake " gene.
Maybe I've written some of this
recently. Frankly, I do not recall. I often
had to sit here and ponder over what
day of the week it might be, not to
mention the number of the day. And
during the beginning of all the
sequestering, we changed to daylight
saving time. That made me wonder
just what time it was, several times
a day.
I have desperately waited for
Virginia to reopen its public libraries.
Thankfully, I have shelves groaning with
books. A friend who does not read the
kind of books I do (snipers, assassins,
spies, intrigue) had given me a couple
books for a couple birthdays two or
three years ago. I put them on the shelf,
just knowing I wouldn't like them.
Surprise! They were excellent. I
loved " The One in a Million Boy " and
" The Orphan Train. " Another friend
gave me " One Damned Thing After
Another, " a book centered on time
32 | Cooperative Living | July 2020
travel through historic events. (Fiction,
of course.) I finally sighed and picked
it up one day. Could barely put it down.
One thing I did like about the
house arrest aspect was that it affected
everyone. This meant network news
correspondents and late-night talk
show hosts were broadcasting from
their homes. That meant we got a peek
inside their living rooms and dens.
I loved looking at all the décor and
shelves of mementos.
And pets! Some had cats on their
laps or rambunctious dogs that
wandered through, looking to play.
I even got a good look at Tom
Hanks' kitchen and Stephen
King's study. I enjoyed spending
almost every late night at home
with Stephen Colbert.
I let this unfinished column sit
for a while. And then, just when the
coronavirus thing looked to be taking
a better turn - bang! People who
had been staying at home filled the
streets of cities by the thousands, many
with no masks, standing shoulder to
shoulder amid protests, marches
and violence.
It was shocking. And frightening.
When I wrote up at the top of this
column that I could only imagine
what July might look like, I surely
never imagined it would look like this.
I don't know what might calm the
country down again. I certainly don't
think military troops in the streets are
going to be the answer, though.
As I finish this column in early June,
I am sad to say I truly can't imagine
what the country is going to look like
come August. Or even next week. I
can only hope, pray and dream. This
too shall pass? Pray that it does. ■
To order Margo's book, " A Party of One, "
call 540-468-2147, Mon.-Thurs., 9-5, or
email: TheRecorderOffice@gmail.com.
co-opliving.com
WherezIt?
Look for the CL logo, like the one here, in
the pages of each issue of Cooperative Living.
Let us know what page you find it on and
submit your answer, along with your name,
email and phone number, to WherezIt, c/o
Cooperative Living, P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen,
VA 23058-2340 or go online at co-opliving.com
under " Contests. " The deadline for this
month's entries is July 20. The winner will
receive an Amazon gift card for $25.
The CL in the May issue
was hidden on page 5.
Elizabeth Lee of Zuni, Va.,
is our WherezIt winner.
Congratulations, Elizabeth!
WhatzIt?
Each issue, we will publish a photo of a familiar
but unidentified object. You are invited to make
your best guess and submit it in writing, along
with your name, email and phone number.
Either mail to WhatzIt?, c/o Cooperative Living,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340
or guess online at co-opliving.com under
" Contests. " The deadline for this month's
entries is July 20. The winner will receive
a $25 Amazon gift card.
DO YOU
KNOW WHAT
THIS IS?
The May WhatzIt was hydrangea.
Betty Lewis of Snow Hill, Md., is our
Amazon gift card winner.
Congratulations,
Betty!
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Cooperative Living July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living July 2020
