DAY 8

Today began with phys ed. This involved going out into the driveway and jumping up and down on some bubble wrap that came in a box with my meditation bolster. I can't imagine why the folks who packed the thing thought that it needed any padding. After all, it is just a big fat pad all by itself. Whatever, Miss Nine enjoyed it immensely.

After she wore out the bubble wrap we decided to bake cupcakes. This was quite a challenge as I had very little white flour. I had cassava, almond, coconut and whole wheat flour. It took some research to find a recipe that did not require ingredients that I did not have on hand. We settled on whole wheat chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. We made a batch of twenty four cupcakes. I didn't think that we needed that many cupcakes so we packaged some up and delivered them around the neighborhood. We have a pastry chef living next door. She works at M Street bakery and sends over really awesome baked goods every once in a while. I was hoping her mother would answer when we knocked, but no, it was the resident baker. I can't hope to compete with her. I told her I didn't want any comments about the appearance of our cupcakes. They don't look like much but they are delicious. She thanked us.

Miss Nine was intent on working on her bullet journal and insisted that we needed a few craft supplies. This is hard to believe if you have ever seen my craft room. I got online and placed an order with Michaels. They now offer curbside pickup. When my order was ready I drove to Brighton and called the store to let them know that I had arrived. The clerk told me to pull up in front and pop my trunk. A woman came out with my purchases in a bag, wearing gloves and a mask. She put them in the back of my car and off I went. It is truly amazing how quickly businesses have adapted to accommodate their customers.

I heard from my oldest daughter that some hospitals were asking for people to make face masks and donate them. She sent me a link to a pattern and directions to make them out of cotton fabric and elastic. As I said, I have a large inventory of supplies which happily includes yards and yards of fabric and elastic. Before the end of the day I had thirty six masks ready to deliver. While I was working I thought about stories I've heard of women rolling bandages during the Civil War and both World War I and II. It was very satisfying to join the generations of women before who did what needed to be done in hard times. I told Miss Nine a story I heard about Mr. Rogers mother. When he was a little boy she told him that when there is a crisis to always look for the helpers. Wise little Miss Nine said "Don't just look for the helpers, be a helper." I agreed with her wholeheartedly.