DAY 26

John Prine died yesterday from covid-19. I've watched the news about him since he became ill, hoping that he would recover. His age and underlying health issues were working against him, though. Losing a world class songwriter and singer is no worse than losing a friend, neighbor or family member. However, there is such a universal feeling of loss when someone like John succumbs to the thing that we are all fighting against. My husband and I have long been fans of John Prine. We sing his song "In Spite of Ourselves" quite often. Our kids renamed it "The White Trash Song" when they were younger and embarrassed by the lyrics. We don't sing it in front of the grandkids. Maybe we should.

You decide:
https://youtu.be/O77VyANlE2g

Today my husband took Miss Nine out on his boat to do some fishing at Thompson Lake. They brought a picnic lunch and made a day of it. They reported seeing many kayaks on the lake, and a swan and babies in a nest on one of the islands. This happily left me to entertain myself for the day. I tackled some paperwork that had been piling up. It's difficult to do that while being distracted by children and their needs.

Our dining room table came from my great grandparents farm house. My dad loved to sit at the table and tell stories about joining the thrashers at dinner during harvest time. Many wonderful meals were enjoyed around that old table. It has taken quite a beating over the years. At some point one of my grandfathers or an uncle put some big screws through the top of the table to secure it to the base. Scratches and dings attest to the abuse it has seen at the hands of numerous children. I have thought about cleaning it up a little, but never wanted to lose the character that it has gained throughout the years. Today I decided to take it outside and lightly sand it. I did one leaf first in case I was not happy with the result. After sanding I put a coat of stain and sealer on it. When that was dry I rubbed it all over with beeswax. I am very happy with it. And those great big screws are staying.