My Coronavirus Predictions

I have not benefited from all the forced "down time" that people are enjoying, as my normal life at home is so busy that nothing has changed for me. But in the wee  hours of last night, when there was "spare" time, I decided to try a new talent out: prophesy. Let's see how I do.

My Coronavirus Predictions
(short term and long term, in no particular order other than how they came to me)

• This will permanently change the way our society conducts business, holds school, etc., as  having a break from the everyday "rush" and sleeping in will be a relief to many and they will not want to go back to the stress. 

• Since businesses will be more online and most people will opt to continue working from home, brick-and-mortar stores and offices will dwindle, perhaps being converted into apartments.

• The nation's internet infrastructure will be extended and improved. Therefore, the next attack on the American People will be through their internet or infrastructure. 

• The school system will re-structure and try to get their students back from the land of Sleeping In. There will be a huge push to get parents to cooperate (as in, go back to getting up early) and put their kids back in schools. This might take a lot of advertising, pressure, and/or new legislation. 

• There will be more homeschoolers than ever, and more stay-at-home-moms long term. 

• I haven't checked in on coffee sales, but they are probably going down in lock-down states where people are sleeping in. My prediction is that people will get used to no set schedules and sleeping when they want and how long they want, that they will need less coffee to stay awake. 

• The majority of current office-holders will NOT be re-elected.

• There will be a Baby Boom starting in January/February 2021, especially in the lock-down states. These future taxpayers will be the ones to pay for the 2 trillion dollar bail-out. 

• Some parents are actually going to name their boomer baby boy "Covid" and their girl "Corona."

• Right now, Americans are living off of fear. Especially our senior citizens. But in a few weeks Americans will tire of all this, and a sort of bravery will be born, better than endurance. Many women will be the first to be brave for their families, turn off the news and start to try to make a normal life for their families. Men will follow soon after and quit being afraid of getting sick and running out of toilet paper, and turn their mind to manly endeavors and new inventions to fill needs. Seniors will eventually find their resilient selves, except for many senior women, who are vulnerable to deep and lasting fear. It will take them longer to recover from the news.

• Social distancing will be here to stay. Even the way we park our cars will change (as seen already by people social-distance parking). We didn't like the closeness anyway. We might start bowing to each other from 6 feet away, and the friendly wave will replace the hug. 

• We will never, as a nation, run out of toilet paper.

• Our kids will look at us (and our collecting habits...) the same way we looked at our grandparents who went through the depression. 

• This spring will sprout more gardeners

• Farmers and Ranchers will be the best off physically and mentally by the end of this.

• Freedoms taken away will never come back. More orders will come down the pike to keep us in practice of doing things en masse. 

• There will be found new freedoms that we didn't know we had. 

• Blogging will increase.

• YouTube will start charging people to start a channel.

• Hyperactive kids are getting more sleep and more play time. Some will be medicated a little less here on out.

• The majority of people in the nation will take the new vaccine for the 2019 virus at the end of 2020, and the social pressure to do so will be immense. 

• Instead of just thanking God for our food, we'll ask Him for it in the first place. 

• There will be more socialization than ever in person (as a reaction to everything being cancelled now), but it will be rather awkward as we will be a nation of germophobes.

• People will be thinking about their health, their wallets, and physical safety but still won't think about their souls. 

The Celebration of November

If it weren't for some of the junior members of our staff, we would live a very dull life! On the 2nd, after a dramatic day of rain storms and wind which swept the lawn of leaves at little trouble to ourselves, a very dark evening descended upon us. Our little gifted hostess wanted to have a tea party to celebrate the new month of November. A tea party...right now. Since it was about supper time, it was decided we would have tea for a light supper, for a change.

While the cooks in the kitchen started the menu that the hostess wrote out, the latter sat down and created invitations.  

Who could refuse such an invitation? Not one!

The menu:

Pumpkin cupcakes from Sugar Pie Farmhouse

Open-face turkey and muenster cheese toasted sandwiches (these were topped with mandarin orange slices, not pictured)

Tiny maple-leaf shaped scones with Apple butter or apricot jam, and whipped cream

Sliced cucumbers with vinegar, oil, and dill

Sliced cucumbers with laughing cow cream cheese dollops

Deep fried eggplant bites

Bengal spice tea and milk

Help for Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice-- What to Wear Next Time

For the viewing of the Royal Wedding today, our staff here at The Pleasant Times enjoyed a Royal Wedding Breakfast which was catered in to the viewers, some of whom are half or quarter British, and the others who claim relatives in Scotland and Northern Ireland. We were quite pleased with the ceremony, and that so many people all over the world could hear about what God wants marriage to be.

A universally acknowledged distraction to the solemn, beautiful and touching wedding ceremony of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today, was the Duke's cousins, Beatrice and Eugenie, specifically their hats. I have not been paying attention to these two ladies since they were little girls in cute smocked dresses. Alas, from what I saw today, I think they need help in developing a sense of what dignified fashion is for dignified events. For this they need look no further than their grandmother the Queen.

Though this is a bit late for them to wear today, it is something to keep in mind for the next Royal or National event:

 I know we are not supposed to judge books by their covers, but for my purposes in this fashion show, I am going to make some assumptions based upon the dresses that the two Princesses wore to the wedding. First, because she wore the more outrageous outfit of the two, I will show what I think would become Princess Beatrice:

 It seems to me, that this young woman likes to stand out in a crowd. She likes to get attention by dressing "differently" and shows no embarrassment in sporting her new ensembles. Therefore, in order to satisfy that urge and to maintain a royal bearing, I suggest the above outfit: the "cavalieress" look. Done in her national colors, it is sure to bring attention but also approval. The blue coat is conservative enough to satisfy what we all expect of Royalty, but the large collar, elbow-length coat sleeves with white puffed cuffs showing from underneath, and big gold buttons add a touch of the unexpected. The skirt or dress beneath is of a similar shade of blue, only in a lighter material. The "outrageous" comes from the hat, pinned up at one end, which can have as many giant white, soft ostrich feathers as the Princess should require. A wide, bright red ribbon provides attention-grabbing contrast. The shoes complete the look with big gold buckles.

Her sister, Eugenie, struck me as trying to bring a sweet, feminine element to her look, with the bows trimming her suit top, and a full skirt. However, the suite style, with so many horizontal lines, was a bit "choppy" looking.  I believe that a wrap-dress effect might look good on Princess Eugenie, and above I offer a suggestion for a soft, feminine dress that can be customized as to number of flowers and size of hat.  A shawl-looking front on the dress adds a puff sleeve look to the shoulders, but not obvious or stiff. The roses can be made of the same material or silk, and can cascade diagonally down the skirt or not; a bunch may be left at the waistline for a contrast. The skirt is almost straight, but with a slight flare, and trim on the sleeves and skirt is soft and not too puffed or bunchy gathers. This dress is made in a lovely pastel color, a softened royal purple, perhaps, or maybe it could be done up in pink. Whatever color compliments what the queen is wearing at the time should be considered.

Little Bits

Lady Looking at Drawings, 1894

Giclee Print
Belimbau, Adolfo

Buy  at AllPosters.com

(You ought to see this painting framed with a gold frame and light pink mat! It's beautiful!)

Little Bits of News and Various Thoughts
By The Pleasant Times Reporter, L.

The other day I awoke to the news that there is to be a Royal Wedding. Since the entire world is going to put a lot of pressure on Miss Middleton to live up to their expectations, The Pleasant Times will hop on board: let's hope she starts a new trend for wedding dresses (and a modest one). We are getting so tired of the current style, which has been around too long.

With the holiday season being upon us, and time being scarce, I have been pondering some changes for next year that will help with the time problem:
  Have an earlier Thanksgiving. It is too close to December and makes the Christmas preparations rushed. To my mind, they are two distinct holidays, and we need more time between them. Perhaps we could move Thanksgiving closer to harvest, and not wait until the garden is dead to have a feast.       
  Abolish Daylight Savings Time. People do not like their sleep patterns messed up. (Someone recently told me that when we lost an hour this Autumn when we "fell back" from DST, that he wants the lost hour, to divide up as he pleases: 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there, as he needs it.)

Australians should celebrate Christmas in their Wintertime. Why do they have to go along with our time schedule for it? The holiday is best celebrated in the dark, dull, damp winter. No one knows the exact day that Jesus was born, after all.

If you have a fake Christmas tree this year, remember to fluff it up, says our Craft editor Miss Paste. Look at real fir trees and try to imitate the shape with the fake ones. Top branches point up, middle ones out, and bottom ones downward. She advises that you quench the eager desire to decorate, and take the time to fix the tree so that it does not look like it is still crushed up from a box.

If you haven't yet noticed, the Editor has a put a Google Reader feature on the sidebar to note posts that are of interest to her.

There are a few things planned for The Pleasant Times in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned.

Society News

Reported by Lillibeth

Society around here has either been very dull or very quiet, and I have barely anything to report, except that Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey went to London for their anniversary last month. But as there was not a lot to do there, the trip was only an afternoon one. 

Oh, and it has recently come to my attention that my local area used to be the fight'n-ist town on the river.

Have you been to your local museum lately? 

It is fun to use a program such as "Google Earth" to see places. I think it would be extra fun to have a "Historical Earth" overlay to a program like that, and superimpose old maps showing the way things used to be in a particular spot.  Or, do a "street view" with pictures of the same scene a hundred years ago. It is interesting to go into a museum and  see what was your town looked like a century or more ago, compared to what it is now. "There used to be a mill in that parking lot! I had no idea there was a house there, that stood for three generations- it is just a flat field of hay!" 

I was struck recently by this verse in the book of Zechariah: "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. (Zec 8:4-5)" Isn't it interesting that the old people and the unborn babies are the ones that society tries to get rid of? And yet God sees the population of elderly and children as a sign of good things. 

As I was looking through some very old issues of The Pleasant Times (15 years old already!), I enjoyed the pleasant memories brought back by the Society pages. I decided that though it may be old news to me, it is new to some of you. So, here is what Society was doing in May 1994:

The church held a Ladies' Day May 5th. The speech was given by Mrs. Sherman and the other Mrs. Sherman read a few short poems and essays. There was a delicious luncheon afterward, consisting of salads, casseroles and desserts. Mrs. Kent made some beautiful pins and handed them out to the ladies. All the ladies looked beautiful in their spring dresses. 

The Shermans paid a call on the Lawsons and just happened to drop in around tea time. Mrs. Lawson served some delicious biscuit and fresh fruit, and various other good things. The tea was delicious and they had a very good time. 

Mrs. Finley is expecting the arrival of her 46th great-grandchild. 

Joe and Lucille have been having some mattress problems. Lucille went and bought a new mattress and Joe did not like it, so he fussed and fumed and griped and complained until she went and exchanged it. When the time came for the new one to be delivered, Joe said "Maybe this one isn't so bad after all," and Lucille said that he'd better keep his mouth shut, and if he didn't like this new one he better start running!

The family of Mrs. Hazel treated her to a picnic by the river on Mother's Day. 

Applications for the Walk and Gawk Society will now be taken. The Walk and Gawk Society is a club in which the members meet once a month to take a walk down a beautiful road or in a pretty neighborhood and gawk at the flowers, architecture, and scenery. Members are required to have a good pair of walking shoes and a cheerful outlook on life even in the foulest weather.  In return, the members will benefit from the fresh air, exercise, and good company. Each month, one of the members will host a walk , and provide some light refreshments at the end. There is no cost to join, and no age limit, as long as you can keep up you can come! The walks will go from June to September. Call the Editor if you are interested. 

First Tooth Art Print Morgan, Frederick Buy at AllPosters.com

Society Page

Wilsons Promontory National Park" border="0" height="263" width="350">
Scenic View of Bay at Wilsons Promontory National Park Photographic Print
Edwards, Jason
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The Editor has been looking at this beautiful bay every morning in February. She was sorry to have to leave it when March rolled around. 

Mrs. S. hosted a ladies' luncheon at her home last week. The ladies in attendance enjoyed each other's company, and the tea of course. 

The Misses S. and their Mother brought a green-themed St. Patrick's Day tea to Mrs. H's house last week. Shamrocks were everywhere, and the girls dressed in green. A pleasant time was had by all. 

In the pioneer days, the women that lived deep in the woods would have been afraid that a bear might be out in a tree in their back yard. Nowadays there are certain women in the neighborhood who are afraid that a bear might be out in a tree in their back yard, hanging there to be processed into bear jerky and bear sausage. There are some women who do not wish to eat bear, but some men who think it would be a great treat. Fortunately some men did not shoot their bear this year. 

There are so many computerized things in these modern times, that you rarely get a live telemarketer on the phone anymore. And the computers that tell you they will remove your phone number if you press 3, are lying. 

When we got our new hymn book at church, we were disappointed to find some of our old favorites left out. It is nice to have the new songs, but we did not want to forget the others. So the song leader sings out of both the old and new books. If we pay attention, we might be able to make this work! "Number 17 in the red books. Number 1,100 in the blue books"

Here are some that were in our old books: 

"I am the vine, and ye are the branches" 

and 
"Yield not to Temptation" 

By the way, this is a good site for printing off old hymns. 

The Editor has learned Fingerloop braiding. She says it is serious fun. 

It is said of George Washington, "No company ever withheld him from church." Whenever he had company on Sunday morning, "...instead of staying at home, out of false complaisance to them, he used to constantly invite them to accompany him." (-George Washington the Christian, by Wm. J. Johnson, pg. 56)

Great Uncle Jim said, that there are some folks who start at the bottom and work their way to the top. Then there are some folks who start at the top and work their way to the bottom (He was referring to young folks who bite off more than they can chew when they are "just starting out."). 

The expression "on tender hooks" comes from the textile industry. It is actually referring to "tenterhooks, " on which fabric was attached and stretched during the manufacturing process. That is why some of the yardage we buy at the fabric store has little holes in the selvege edge. 

-Reported by Lillibeth