QUARANTINE BLOG # 604

November 24, 2021

We begin today with the story of birds.  Two stories, actually.  The first one involves your favorite blogger.

Yesterday morning I was sitting at the kitchen table, eating two hard boiled eggs for breakfast, drinking my second cup of coffee and reading the latest adventures of Guido Brunetti – Bonnie had gone to Sam’s for supplies for Thanksgiving Dinner – when something dropped onto the floor beside of me.  Out of the corner of my eye I could see something brown, and thought it was a leaf from one of the plants which decorate the kitchen.  It was not.  It was a small brown bird.

Said bird, when I looked at him (or her – who can tell with small brown birds) hopped onto the window sill, then flew behind the curtain, then out onto the air fryer, and then flew into the computer room where he sat on top of the official TV-VCR combination of MIR Children’s Foundation (a story for another time).  From there, he flew onto the ceiling fan, then into the dining room and went under the table.  Next on top of the cabinet with the Russia souvenirs.  And around and around. 

I spent the next 20 minutes chasing my uninvited guest – Google suggests that the visitor was a house wren – with a towel.  I tried to drop it over him, but he was always faster.  And clever in his hiding places.  Finally, I opened the door and 10 minutes later my uninvited guest flew out the same way he got in.

When Bonnie got back from Sam’s, and I was telling her the story, blaming our children – some of whom, and their children, habitually leave the front door open just to hear me growl, “I’m not paying to heat the whole neighborhood!”  She said, “I went over to the storage building and I didn’t close the front door the whole way.  I pushed it up to the frame, but it wasn’t completely closed.”

But she brought me a caramel macchiato from Starbucks, so she is forgiven.

👉  In 1965 Paul Harvey did a story about birds that he broadcast at Christmas time, but in light of the above story, I share it today.  Paul Harvey called it, “The Man and the Birds.”

👉  A couple of signs for the times:

👉  One “Blackout” and one “Ooh You’re Gold”:

👉  It’s either a walk down memory lane or a history lesson – here are some more vintage photographs:

TV Dinners Were A Huge Hit

Although today, eating TV dinners may not “be in,” that certainly wasn’t the case back in the 1950s. Back then, they were all the rage. The term “TV Dinner” was first used as part of a brand of packaged meals developed in 1953 by C.A. Swanson & Sons, with its full name being TV Brand Frozen Dinner. Most TV dinners came in an aluminum tray that was then heated up in the oven (microwave ovens weren’t readily available until the mid-60s).

Fallout Shelters Were A Legitimate Concern

The 1950s was a time of heightened fear of the Soviet Union and the use nuclear bombs.  Fear of atomic war caused families to begin creating fallout shelters.  These fallout shelters even began to be advertised and turned into an actual consumer product.  The government had even announced that it would be the best way for families in suburban areas to survive in the case of an attack.

I remember asking Dad if he would build one in the backyard of 117 Shenandoah Avenue.  His answer had two parts and it put to rest forever the idea of building a bomb shelter.  First, Loch Lynn, Maryland would never be on Russia’s target for an atomic bomb.  Second, if a bomb did drop on us and we survived in the shelter, with radiation all around, what would we do when we came out from our underground hiding place?

👉  Amy sent me some new funnies that will appear under the category “Think About It.”

👉  And in anticipation of tomorrow’s celebration, one from Baby Blues:

👉  Today’s close, “Giving Thanks All Around,” is by Chuck Swindoll.

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). 

It’s almost Thanksgiving ... my favorite. I prefer it because it is so healthy, so encouraging, so valuable, and so understated. I prefer it because there are no jingles to sing, commercials to endure, gifts to buy, places to go, or meetings to attend – just be thankful. Just look up, look around, look within, and say, “Thank you, Lord.”

So let’s start early with our Thanksgiving this year.

Looking up. Thank You, Lord: for Your sovereign control over our circumstances, for Your gentle compassion in our sorrows, for Your consistent faithfulness through our highs and lows, for Your grace that removes our guilt, for Your love that holds us close.

Thank You, Lord, for all You are, all You do, all You say. If we were unable to look up into Your face, Thanksgiving would be just another day.

Looking around. Thank You, Lord: for our close family ties, so affirming, so enjoyable; for our marvelous church, so many gifted and loving servants; for our strong heritage, so wholesome, so wise; for the joy of seeing our children grow and learn; for an occupation that enables us to make a living; for the embrace of a friend who really cares.

Thank You, Lord, for all You provide in such variety and incredible abundance. By just looking around, we are made aware of how rich we are this Thanksgiving.

Looking within. Thank You, Lord: for eyes that see the beauty of Your creation, for ears that receive the world of sounds surrounding us, for the special stimulation of taste and touch, for hands to work with and legs to walk with, for a sense of humor that brought healing and hope, for the sheer delight of knowing and walking with You!

Thanksgiving is my favorite. Now you see why.

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