If Only I Stopped by 3 Months Earlier

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I called my 90-year-old friend and her cellphone was disconnected. So I called her house phone and my heart sank when that was disconnected. In August, when school started, Celestine Ellis was on my heart. "How is she doing?" I would ask myself,  "She's 90 plus years old, you need to go by and see her."  

She was the glue of our Secure Women Investment Club, SWIC for short.  We were together for 12 years. And before we disbanded, we cashed in some of our shares and flew to France to tour the country for 15 days.  Celestine took her grand daughter Corrin.  It was the best trip ever.  Even after we disbanded, Celestine, our perpetual secretary, continued to send out stock tips to the SWIC listserve. 

If I had only stopped by three months earlier I would have had a chance to say goodbye to my dear friend.  Our lovely Celestine Ellis is resting in peace, now.  She passed on September 9, just two weeks shy of her 93rd birthday. Her services were held at Inglewood Park Cemetery on September 27, 2021 and were officiated by Rev. J. Edgar Boyd, senior pastor of First AME Church of Los Angeles.

I sat and visited with her son David (her only child)  and he apologized, ". . . if I wasn't able to reach everyone."  However, he gave me a program from her services.  Understandably, he didn't really remember if anyone from SWIC was in attendance. I ended our visit by saying, "It is what it is," it came out of my mouth without much  thought and it felt a little odd that I would say that to comfort someone, a son who has lost his mother.  David chuckled and said, "You, too." 

I felt so silly for saying something so inadequate.  Then I got home and read Celestine's program. David quoted one of Celestine's favorite sayings, "It is what it is."  This time I chuckled through a stream of tears. I choose to believe I was channeling her spirit at that moment on her porch and David, her son, enjoyed the irony.

I feel so blessed that God saw fit to share Celestine with us mere mortals for as long as He did. Love you Celestine and thank you for being such a good friend.

Famsgiving 2021

This was our first Thanksgiving dinner since the pandemic 

. . .  and it was nice. Danny fried a turkey, BBQ'd lamb chops and pork ribs. Melanie served Tofurkey and banana pudding.  And yeah, we had collard greens, Salmon and monkey bread. The monkey bread, however, ended up on the dessert table, at first, because of the pretty bundt pan design. And who could resist sweet potato and pumpkin pies with a side of See's Candies. I think I gained 10 pounds typing this blog. We didn't just eat. No, no, no, no, no. We solved riddles and then played art history, Star Wars and the movie Inside Out themed games on Kahoot.  

We kept the celebration small (eight folks) and asked everyone planning on attending to be fully vaccinated for COVID 19.  But, we also didn't want to leave anyone out, so we planned a Zoom gathering as well. Family dropped in, jockeying for position (I mean we can be loud and loving) from Ohio, Nevada and San Bernardino.  I think our ancestors, though, would be proud of how we connected across several generations and states to show our love for one another. 

Our loved ones shared in the festivities from a heavenly realm and got ring side seats. I could feel their presence and it covered me like a warm blanket. These times we get together are precious and meaningful to the mind, spirit and genealogy.  And like my life partner Greg said in his prayer, "I hope the younger generation carries on the tradition" of gathering to show our connectedness and love.  Smooches fam.  And to all the folks reading this, you are sharing in the joy.

I hope you enjoy the video of my beloved family making connections. 

 Try this link, just in case: https://youtu.be/KB4DbZXaGhs 

Do you consider yourself a mathematician?

I was asked these questions today:

• Using your own words, define mathematics and explain what it means to you.
• Do you see yourself as a mathematician? Why or why not?
• What knowledge, skills, and understanding do you require to be a mathematician?

My initial response was, “NO, no and no.” But then I thought about it.

I know how to balance a checkbook, measure ingredients for a recipe, and can figure out how long it takes me to get from point A to point B.

 

I also sew, which requires using measuring tape and a yard stick. And speaking of yard sticks, I can keep track of how my grand kids are growing; I measure it on the wall behind the door.  And, I am pretty good at determining scale on a map and converting inches to miles. 

 Furthermore, I can keep track of the percentage of growth in our financial portfolio. 

I don't hold a math degree, but I do know math. I feel like a casual mathematician, rather than a formal one. When I stopped to think about it, I am way more “mathy” than I realized. However, I wouldn't really consider myself a mathematician, but maybe a mathemanaturalist (my own word). I study math in the wild.


What about you? Do you see yourself as a mathematician? Why or why not? Respond in the comments.

BS on the Nest

I just could not resist merging my new found obsession with the Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) eagle cam (full disclosure, I became a member this week) and the awesome places Bernie Sanders' image from the Biden-Harris inauguration has been turning up on social media.  So why not? I put him in the nest with Jackie, the star of FOBBV.  Stay warm Bernie, your country needs you.

photo credit: Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th U.S. president at the U.S Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 20, 2021. (AFP Photo)

Edited by Alyssa Shepherd Moore  -- screenshot from Friends of Big Bear Valley eagle cam