The Upside of Masks

 

Actually, I only see one upside of mask wearing other than the socially accepted health-related one, and I will get to that in a moment.  For now, I just have to confess that I suffer from "mask feeling of suffocation".  Someone please think of a simple one word or perhaps a short phrase for that other than "mask induced anxiety", which sounds overly dramatic. "Maskuffocation"?  It is a real thing.  I would never be able to work a job for which mask wearing is mandated. Good thing I am retired. Seriously... only now, after months of practicing in my living room, can I wear a mask long enough to make a run to the grocery store, and even then, I sometimes can't make it all the way through and have to find an empty aisle somewhere so that I can drop the mask for a second and actually breathe before I pass out.  I know.  Weird, right?  (I dare you to tell me that it is all in my head.) Probably should also mention that in addition to increases in my anxiety level, masks also contribute to unappealing feelings of anger, but that is an entirely different issue altogether and may be more complex than I am willing to think about at this time.

There is one thing, and one thing only, however, that I love about masks and that is that I simply cannot understand one word that a politician says when masked. It's perfect really.  I am totally fascinated by how the mask moves up and down and in and out while muffling, muting and blurring every single sound.  Bizarre.  It is difficult though, and I don't find it in the least amusing, when someone, a normal person, is talking directly to me and I can't make out what they are saying. I fear that he or she will be offended by my blank look, but then I remember that they can't really see my face anyway. I think that I am a bit of a lip reader actually + facial expressions offer clues to a lot that isn't actually said. The masked world is difficult for me. I am thinking that I am not alone in this.

The worst thing is though that I don't recognize people from the eyes up -- especially if they have a hat on or heaven forbid -- a hat and sunglasses.  Then add to that that their voices are totally distorted and muffled; it is a wonder that we don't lose all our friends. I find it rather amazing that people tend to recognize me.  Some have told me that it is my hair which is the giveaway. I am not sure that is a good thing.  I have decided that they are referring to the whiteness rather than the fact that I never comb it.  Hey... we all kid ourselves about something...sometimes more than one thing. It's okay.

Anyway -- back to the masks because I know someone will suggest that I wear a scarf. I tried wearing a couple different types of scarves including bandanas, one was even like the ones that Howdy Doody always wore, which I thought would be great because I secretly have always wanted to be a cowgirl, but all types of scarves sucked into my mouth in what I found to be a rather impressive way. I do breathe when I walk.  I think that is because when I put on a mask or a scarf, I breathe with my mouth open so that I don't suffocate.  When a scarf gets sucked into a person's mouth, not only is it scary for small children to see... and most unattractive... but for me... it is suffocation in process... or choking.... It's all very complicated.  I stay home a lot.

The thing is I have this feeling that when we get to the end of this pandemic, some expert is going to tell us, like they did at the beginning, that masks are not really a good thing or that they matter not at all... or... the worst-case scenario... that they contributed to the spread of all sorts of unhealthy things. Have you seen how dirty and gross some masks are?  For now - if it makes people feel better, I will wear a mask.  I just won't wear it for a long period of time.  In the meantime, if you see me passed out on the floor at Walmart, you will know why.  I will be the one with the messy, startlingly white hair. The one who can't breathe. And... by the way... I would never tell you that you have to wear a mask... or try to shame you into it. Nope... not ever.  Just sayin'. Also -- you will never see me with a mask hanging off one of my ears. Again - nope... not ever.  Just not my thing.

Post Thanksgiving/Pre Christmas

Has there been a time in the past year when we have not been in the midst of a Covid Infected Election Process? (CIEP) Bless us all. It's a double burden.  Anyone else need a break?  Thank goodness we have the holiday season to help us get through. Right now we can look back fondly on Thanksgiving and look forward to Christmas.   We can hang on to the after and to the before of these celebrations for sure... although... changes have been made there -- even if not mandated by crazed in-power personages. For example, I know for a fact that some "ordinary" people started decorating for Christmas before Halloween in these unusual times.  Good for them. Not to mention that I also know for a fact that some families in NW PA did not eat outside on Thanksgiving as suggested by someone who obviously doesn't know what is going in the real world. Gatherings may have been smaller and perhaps simpler, but...  I don't know about your house, but at mine it was rainy and in the 40's.  Inside was lovely.  We do what we need to do to cope with this most unusual year. Obviously many of the politicians are doing what they need to do to cope - flying here and there to large family gatherings, eating in fancy restaurants, etc. while telling us to stay home alone. Is there anyone out there who does not detest such hypocrisy? Yep -- we need a break.

It has been a year of, shall we say...  a combination of challenges. Wonder if we will ever be able to look back on these times and laugh.  I am betting that we will. I actually know people who make me laugh even today.  I love them for that. I know people, for example, who are considering giving toilet paper for Christmas gifts -- if they can find any. Who wouldn't see the humor in that -- even though it is really a discouraging situation?  Right? I see people all over the place who have not lost their sense of humor and who can make fun of the hardships and reach out, at the same time to help others who are trying their best to "keep the smile".   As for the grouchy of the gloom and doom.... Weary of them yet? I would never suggest what you should do as far as this is concerned except perhaps to suggest to them that it might be a good idea to turn the channel.  Personally... I have come to the point where I ignore them whenever possible.  You can't help them anyway.  They are enjoying their personally embraced "dark winter". It's exhausting to watch them or to be around them. It's sad. And... they will try to suck you in. "Misery loves company" and all that. Be careful! Hang in there! 

I recently saw a meme on social media that says, "Scientists have found that one dog year does not equal 7 human years. In fact, the only thing that equals 7 human years is 2020."  Twisted perhaps, but funny too. I tell myself often --  Smile.  Your kids and grandkids are watching. Living in these times brings out who I am at the core ...  and hopefully that is who I want to be. I am thinking that you know exactly what I am talking about.  

A certain kind of quiet...

There is a certain kind of quiet -- almost a peaceful silence -- after a serious snowfall.  Except for the occasional sound of the wind, that is the silence of this morning. It is an impressive start to December here in Northwest Pennsylvania for sure. Not much is moving.

Just last week I was writing to a friend, who is in the sunny South for the winter, about how she was missing the end of a November that had suddenly turned dreary -- I described that the leaves were now all down and blowing about if they were not too mud covered and clotted together under bushes.  I described the situation as an ugly prelude to winter that makes one appreciate the first snows.  Really?  Obviously that was written by someone who had temporarily forgotten how the beauty of the first snow may hide the dirt, but what it really does is blanket and blind.  It's the combination of the "b's". 

I was driving home yesterday in the early evening and watched as cars were literally plowing the roadway as they struggled to get home.  Anyone who lives around here is familiar with that and knows that I am not exaggerating.  I literally needed 4-wheel drive to get up my driveway.  I thought at the time that it was a good thing that I remembered the road home so that I could stay on it.  The thing is, I was only driving about a quarter of a mile and even that was scary.  That's the thing about blankets of snow -- very pretty, but you don't know what is under them.  

As for snow induced blindness, we are not talking here about not being able to see because of the glare off snow in sunshine, although that is a real thing. It's why people around here carry sunglasses in their vehicles in the winter even though most days are a bit on the sunless side.  What we are taking about it how it is necessary to drive in the dark on low beams because one cannot see a damn thing if the high beams are on.  Anyone who lives in snow country knows exactly what I mean. That is the problem if there isn't any wind.  If the winds are blowing drifting snow -- that is a whole other thing... a potential nightmare of total lack of visibility.  I am not even going to talk about that. I will just say that we call it a white out. That describes it perfectly.  Think of the reverse of a black out.  It's just as scary... maybe even scarier, because shining a light on it makes it worse.

I have a cousin who lives in Eastern Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, who jokes about me living in Siberia.  This morning, I think he has a good point.  It sort of feels like it at the moment.   

Thanksgiving 2020

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This will be a memorable one for sure... in different ways of course. But... no matter how you prepare, or who is at your table, there are a good many things for which to be thankful.  We all know that deep down.  Sometimes we just have to look little harder. Sometimes we look through tears at the beginning of the search, and some days are more difficult than others because we have to drag ourselves through the sludge to get to the surface. It has been that kind of year - for the whole world.

Personally I start with being thankful for my wonderful family. Then after a time of acknowledging the many positives of my daily life, I move on to the sometimes surprising gifts... simple things like an unexpected smile from behind a stranger's mask (the secret in this is to watch the wrinkles around the eyes. Try it. Smile back, or better yet -- smile first. We all need smiles.) Anyway -- you don't have to look far really. You just have to set your course to find the good things.  There are a lot there. I have found too many "gifts" to even begin to count. The gifts I find, don't cost anything.  They are to be discovered in people -- in their hope and in their kindness -- and in their spirit and humor.  I am Thankful with a capital T. As for the darker "stuff"... well... since I know there isn't much I can do about it,  I try to ignore it as much as possible --  to put it on a shelf somewhere for later or … never. 

I try to remember to remind myself to look every single day and to make a mental list of all the good things -- to be thankful. For me it is a good way to move through a day.  Every day is then a Thanksgiving of a sort.  It isn't always easy, perhaps especially in these times, but... so worth the effort. Personally sometimes I think the whole world is seriously trying to count their blessings . There are glimmers here and there. Other days? Well, not so much.

For now...  Hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Without mentioning any names... This blog was first posted two weeks before the Presidential Election in September of 2016. Perhaps the proverb is true "...the more things change, the more they stay the same".

 I have recently been enjoying a self-imposed news blackout -- again. It works well for me.  My day-to-day life seems nicer somehow. I can always check in once in a while to get caught up if I want to, but I don't have to let the heavy stuff drop in clumps on/around me before I have a chance to self-protect... or even have a morning cup of coffee.

Without mentioning any names... here are some of the ideas and questions that I have been thinking about while enjoying a break from the dark side of the news -- and that includes the political front:

• How interdependent are we on the rest of the world?
• How can we focus more on similarities among people rather than on differences?
• What values do we have in common with all of humanity?

Look -- we all know that the old order is changing -- again.  No matter how scary things may seem, I think it is important to remember that this is not the first time.  It happens.  Here's hoping that the new ways of living in the world will take the best of what still works and will use those things with success to fight the new dangers of the times. 

Again --without mentioning any names...

• Who offers a sense of a breakthrough into a new way of living?
• Who offers a sense of strength in a complex world? 
• Who is not afraid to say "No", this is it.  We are done giving it all away. What is "it"?  It is, in no special order, -- American jobs, American dignity, American strength, American pride -- American hopes and dreams.
• Who knows the people who can get the jobs done that need to be done?
• Who dares to say what needs to be said?

Is there such a person out there? If we can find that person or one who even comes close to that, I may see you at the polls. Just sayin'.  In the meantime, I don't need the "news" to try to tell me what to think.  What happened to the "news" anyway?  Did objective reporting ever exist or is that also a pipe dream

We came. We saw. We conquered.

Attention Corry High School Class of 1967:  This blog, entitled "We came. We saw. We conquered." is a follow-up to the pre-reunion blog posted in April that was entitled "We're back...".  It is about us and about all who gather together to reminisce about a shared time. 

It is hard to believe that the weekend of our 50th reunion is over. The celebration went so quickly -- not enough time really... and now here I am settling back into my normal routine as many others are still traveling back from whence they came to begin again where they left off.

How lovely is was to take a short break from today's agenda and tomorrow's concerns, and to just revisit the past for a few hours.  What a gift to share old stories, some that had been forgotten, others that were delightfully embellished. It seems that a reunion like this is not so much about what you may or may not have accomplished but about what happened or maybe did not happen in times shared a long time ago.  Nice.

Our 50th reunion was a success on many levels. Always an impressive group, the Class of '67 won first place in the Corry Fest parade as well as all the important trophies at the 143rd Annual Alumni banquet. More importantly though... it was just great fun seeing and sharing time with friends and acquaintances.  People came back to Corry from all over the place and bonded in their struggles to hear while the music was playing and to read the "not so fine print" on name tags that included a copy of each Senior Picture. (Good grief, did we really look so young then?) Once again, we overcame challenges and figured it out. Even fifty years down the road we are a creative and industrious group.

People get older, but true friendships do not age. They are preserved in time just waiting to live again. The thing is though... there is another important aspect of a gathering like this. It affords the chance to get to talk with classmates you never really knew very well and now wish you had. The class of '67 is filled with interesting people.  I just wish I had had the chance to talk with everyone.  Maybe next time.

We were back in full force.  We came. We saw. We conquered.  It is what we do.

Finally -- I must mention that I cannot take credit for thinking of the idea of writing a post 50th reunion blog. That idea came from a supportive friend -- also a survivor of the CAHS Class of 1967. I told her that I would not mention names in this post reunion blog, and am keeping my word (sort of... Thanks Linda of pirate fame!  Argh....) I know I am not alone in offering an enormous Thank You to you and to those who worked so hard to make this gathering possible.

We're back....

High School reunions are a big deal in Corry, PA. It is a part of who we are.  It's fun.  Now with our 50th reunion fast approaching, I find myself wanting to encourage classmates near and far to come if at all possible.  The more who come, the more memories to be shared and all that sort of thing.  And speaking of memories... here is what I recall of a few moments in time now almost 50 years ago. 

The year was 1967.  The month was probably May.  I was, for some reason that I don't remember, the person in charge of the Class of '67 gift committee.  Back then I would have been referred to as the chairmen.  We were not so PC in those days.  Anyway -- as such it was my job to speak with the high school principal and to agree upon a gift that our class could give to our school -- something fitting like another flag for the auditorium or a new podium or something we could afford with the money left in our account.  But --- no.  Much to my chagrin, our usually kind principal who favored smiles and red socks, was not receptive and was not smiling.  In fact he told me in no uncertain terms that our school did not want to remember the class of 1967 and that any money remaining in our class account would be taken and donated to the General Fund -- whatever that was. He then went on to point out to me the twenty-some diplomas he had spread out all over his desk and to explain that they were being withheld until damages were paid and offences made right.  Now I know very well that there are those of you out there who will have a better memory of all of this because you were actually involved, but...  you are not writing this blog, I am.  So, forgive me if I do not have all the details correct.  You can tell me what I left out when I see you at the 50th.  

The event as I recall was this...  a caravan of station wagons (remember those?) had moved from one nearby community to another and "borrowed" school mascot signs which were then placed inside our school.  As they were very large and metal, their placement did cause some damage as did the illegal entry to the building itself.  I was told that the Bison and Dragon were especially rough around the edges.  It was a scandal indeed.  I was never party to all the details, but amends were made, a local company replaced counters and funds suddenly appeared to make repairs.  Diplomas were not withheld thus enabling young men to move on their way to their futures. In particular -- one young man moved on to wander about in a loin cloth once in a while and on at least one occasion to lasso moving cars on Main Street where he was arrested by a fellow classmate. 

(I heard that the cannon in the city park is now permanently attached somehow. Just so you know.)  But I digress....

Lots of memories -- some fun, some not so much.  Anyway -- soon many of us will gather to celebrate both kinds of memories and all those in between. It is my hope that those who are still with us will be able to come home again or to stop into one of the gatherings throughout the weekend.  We grew up together and shared a lot of years - a lot of our lives.  What a gift to spend time with those who understand who another is at the core. There is something about sharing experiences that creates a bond.  Our class knows what it is like when your school actually does burn down and when young men go off to war. We also shared the lighter side -- proms, musicals, plays, all sorts of activities.... We have a great deal to talk about.  At one point in time, we wrote an entry for "Twenty Years From Now" for the Corrian.  Well now it is 50 years later. Let's get together and see where we are.

Please feel free to send the link to this blog to any members of our class. It would be so great to have a good turnout.  I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to spending time and reminiscing with others of our class.  It always was a special group. Below is a Date Saver that I found on Facebook that was posted by Maddy Jawdy Johnson. It has all the important information.  

CORRY AREA HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1967
50TH REUNION WEEKEND
JUNE 16, 17 2017

Friday – 7:00 p.m. - Get Together at VFW Pavilion

Saturday 11:00 a.m. - Corry Fest Parade
Class of ’67 Pirate Ship Float Entry
Parade Theme Pirates of the Caribbean

Saturday Night 5:00 p.m. – Class Picture at CAHS

Saturday Night 6:00 p.m. - Alumni Dinner at CAHS
The Corry HS Alumni Association is one of the oldest continuously running in the entire USA. The Class of '67 committee plans to attend and proudly represent our class and hope you will come and join us for the Roll Call of Classes that night.
 Great food and good time to stand with over 500 other Corry Alumni!!

Order dinner tickets by sending check or money order for $13/per ticket to Lisa Eastman, 820 East South Street, Corry, PA 16407 no later than May 20, 2017

Saturday - Class of ‘67 Get Together at VFW Social Hall immediately following dinner. Age appropriate music, light refreshments, fun surprises also included at no additional cost.

Contact -Maddy maj707@verizon.net (814 664-4877) or Linda 814 664-5423 linda.vanderschaaff@yahoo.com
Find us on Facebook page -Corry High Class of ’67 Reunion. You are also welcome to visit corryalumni.com to see their posts

In order to move our 50th Reunion Alumni Weekend plans forward we could use your financial support. Accepting cash, checks, stocks, bonds, jewelry, leftovers from your kids college funds, lottery proceeds, etc. Make Checks Payable To: CAHS CLASS OF 1967. Mail to: Lisa Eastman, 820 E. South Street, Corry, PA 16407. Your donation and dinner ticket cost can be combined in one check.
HELP PUT A SMILE ON OUR FACES - LET US HEAR FROM YOU Plans brought to you by Mary Bosak Schill, Candy Chircuzio Frontera, Clancy and Kris Lawson Walsh, Ted Bauer, Ed and Donna Culbertson Malek, Bob and Mary Migliaccio Palmer, Cary Saxman, Sue Elmquist Jaquith, Dixie Swanson Anderson, Vonnie McIntyre Orton, Lisa Eastman, Linda Miscik Triscari, Charise Ohrn Loringer, Paul Kubich, Rex Messinger, Janet Auer Way, Larry and Jerry Harrington, Linda Wolcott Vanderschaaf, Maddy Jawdy Johnson.
Area Lodging:Cobblestone Inn, Route 6, Corry; Ottaway Inn - West Church Street, Corry 814-665-9301; Something Special Suites - North Center Street, Corry 814-664-9444 Victoria on Main - East Main Street, Corry 814-664-3823; Pennsylvania Gast-Haus - Mechanic Street, Spartansburg 814-654-7700 www.PaGast-Haus.com; Peek n' Peak Resort - www.pknpk.com; Holiday Inn Express - Findley Lake, NY; Holiday Inn, Warren Pa

So... all that being said -- A huge thank you from all of us on the fringes to those who are working so hard to bring us all together. To fellow classmates out there -- keep checking Facebook for details on the reunion.  For now -- pencil in the dates June 16th and 17th on your calendar.  Better yet use a pen.  

We're still here and "We're back" -- whether the school wanted to remember us or not.  Let's get together and share the memories.