Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 61

Just a Spool of Thread

   “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:8b, New King James Version)

Last weekend I was trying to finish sewing a Christmas present (I know, I’m late by almost two months). I had looked at my thread before I ran to town on Friday and realized I wasn’t going to have quite enough. The store I went in was out of the color blue I needed, and I just didn’t want to run all over town looking for it, so I hoped for the best.

As I was coming down the home stretch, sewing that final seam, I watched the thread spinning away, thinking maybe I would have just enough. When the bobbin ran out. I was like – well, that just figures.

For a couple years, since I’ve really started to embrace sewing, I’ve been buying almost as much thread as fabric. And putting them all in their neat little rows in the two plastic boxes I bought just for that purpose.  

But before I had those boxes, I used a small tackle box for my sewing supplies. It dawned on me that, maybe, just maybe I might have a spool of blue thread in there.

I dug out that old box, and sure enough, along with a few spools of odd-ball specialty threads, sat one spool of bright blue thread.

It seems so dumb, sometimes. I mean, God has got so many other more important things to do. He really does. I should be just a blip on His radar, and the blanket I was sewing for a Christmas present could surely wait another week or two until I could get to Walmart. Yet, there it was, an old spool of thread I had forever, which was the exact color I needed.

Coincidence? That’s what some people would say. Or maybe, with so much craziness going on in this world, I am grasping at another bit of hope in a loving God. Or some would say that.

For me, I am convinced that God put that spool of thread in my old tackle box to remind me that no matter how big or how small my problem, He has got it covered.

And I fell on my knees right then and there last Sunday and prayed something like:

Lord, Father in heaven, You are there for me always and forever. I may feel surrounded by sadness and confusion, I feel like so much is weighing me down. But You have got it all taken care of. If You can give me a simple spool of thread, You can – and You do – answer all of my prayers. Thank You so much for letting me be Your child. Amen.  

Be a hero another day

On Monday, I get my second COVID vaccine. I’m not going to lie – I’m dreading it like I’ve dreaded few things before in my entire life.

Yesterday morning I read a pretty good article about this vaccine, and I should have saved it right away. I naturally thought I would easily find it again to maybe copy and paste (giving the author full credit) so that I wouldn’t have to write this whole explanation here. Alas, here I am, starting from scratch.

In my January 22 post, I already explained how this new vaccine works and how it’s different from the other vaccines we’ve received over the years. With my appointment for my second vaccine coming up so fast, this has all been on my mind. Obsessively so.

Any article you find on the vaccine will tell you that there can be side effects – fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, headaches, nausea, and, naturally, a sore arm. But they tell you that about a lot of things. You know? How when you get a new prescription, the handout says that this medication may cause diarrhea or constipation, fatigue or insomnia, excessive facial hair, baldness, shortness of breath, blindness, death. But everybody knows that those side effects are really rare (except for the patients who immediately call their doctors after reading that and refuse to take the med). Most of us know that the pharmaceutical companies have to print that stuff because one in four million test subjects experienced those reactions. We understand that these drugs are totally safe. And they are. Seriously.

And then, the COVID vaccine came along with its list of adverse reactions. And instead of one in a million people getting them, pretty much everyone I know who has had the vaccine has had some sort of negative response. And when they say fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, they mean those symptoms might knock you clean off your feet and curl you up in your bed under six down comforters for two days.  

Let me back up to explain the technology again.

When the first dose of the COVID vaccine is given, it is like a training dose. It’s training your body to recognize the coronavirus as an invader. If that first dose does its job, by the time you get your second dose, the body immediately realizes what’s going on and puts the immune system on high alert. When the immune system is high alert, it can trigger all those side effects listed as a way to fight this invader (or at least I assume that’s how it works; I’ve been searching the internet for twenty minutes now and couldn’t find any clarification on that).

But whatever happens, or why or how it happens, those fevers, chills, body aches, and fatigue – they could well take you out for a day or two. I just want to warn everyone. Especially when the younger population starts getting their vaccines. As we age, our immune systems slow down, which is why the elderly are more prone to illness. The good thing for us older folks with this vaccine is that our slower immune systems mean that this high alert response won’t be so pronounced, so we shouldn’t have such severe side effects. Or that’s sure what I’m hoping.

Bottom line – get the vaccine, both the first and second dose, when it's available to you. Have some Tylenol or ibuprofen on hand and take them as you need to. Make arrangements to take a day or two off of work after you get the second shot if you need to. Drink plenty of water. Don’t be a hero. Stay in bed if you need to. Or maybe just if you want to. You can be a hero another day.

Chris  

Oh, one more thing I just read. If you are due for your mammogram, you might want to wait until four weeks after your vaccine. All this immune response can show up as an immune response in your breasts, which could show up as something which happens when your breasts are defending themselves against cancer. You could get an alarming abnormal mammogram and need to have it repeated. 

To be loved and be lovable

   Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39, New King James Version)

When I sat down to write this blog post last night, Hubby and I had just finished watching the movie “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Having no other solid ideas of what to write about, I thought I would just grab on to the philosophy of dear ol’ Mr. Rogers.

Here are some of his quotes I found online.

During a CNN interview. “I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there’s some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen.”(Wouldn’t it be great if everyone on TV today believed this!)

On the Value of Life, which seems to be taken for granted by so many these days. “As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has–or ever will have–something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.”

On loving others, because isn’t that what life should really be about? “You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And, consequently, the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they’re loved and capable of loving.”

Though he was an ordained Presbyterian minister, Mr. Rogers realized that the best way to teach people about the love of God was to live it. In this messed up world we live in today, people are turning away from religion for many reasons. But I am sure that one reason is that many of the Christian leaders we see in the media are doing anything but showing love for one another. (But that whole discussion would lead me right down a rabbit hole.) 

The movie “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” did come out just over a year ago, so it’s actually astonishing that I saw it already. (The only newly released movies I see are the comic book hero movies that Hubby has to watch.) Here’s the thing though, something I just found out when I was looking up facts on Fred Rogers. His wife, Joanne, passed away on January 14 of this year. I don’t know why that stands out to me. Except that God chose now for me to watch the movie.

Dear God, send more people like Mr. Rogers into this world, people who are true believers, who value human life and are willing to love unconditionally, who are an example of what it means to be Your child. Amen.

Oh, and also in the movie, Mr. Rogers asks the journalist who is interviewing him if he had a favorite toy or stuffed animal when he was a child. This would be mine. Have a good week. Chris

 

Snow and a Poem

When I went for my morning stroll around our yard at six am today, I took my camera along, hoping to get some pictures of my woods to post now. I knew it would be too dark for them to turn out, but you know me, I still had to try.
I measured nine inches on the deck just now. Tromping through the woods, it sure felt like more. But it’s good to have that fresh snow. Having been born and raised here in the Northwoods, where winters are harsh, somehow it feels reassuring when we get those near blizzard conditions and a forecast for highs below zero over the next couple of days.
It’s like returning to life as usual, life when I was a kid, life when things like a pandemic were for the movies.
Have a good weekend. Be safe and dress warm if you are out and about. At least this cold weather makes us want to wear those masks. (Gizmo is glad he doesn't have to wear a mask.)

One last thing, speaking of the pandemic, a poem I wrote was published this week in the Voices on the Wind online poetry journal. Click this link to read it. Chris

Trust During Travel

  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, New International Version)

I wasn’t sure if I was going to post here today as I am out of town. I took a road trip to Minnesota to visit a friend and didn't know if I would have time or internet.

I’ve been planning this trip for about a month, but thanks to the pandemic and the weather forecast, I wasn’t positive I was going to go until I woke up Friday morning. It’s so hard knowing how safe it is to travel with COVID in the air everywhere, but the friend I was going to visit as well as another friend I was traveling with were both healthy and have both been cautious when they do leave their houses.

Then the weather. One never knows, including the meteorologists, what sort of weather the winter will send us on any given day. The forecast was for freezing rain last yesterday afternoon, turning to snow overnight, with up to three inches possible.

I’m a northern Wisconsin girl, though, so a little ice and snow might keep me vigilant, but usually won’t cause me to cancel my plans. But above all I trust that the Lord will get me from one place to another and that if He doesn’t want me going then He will send me a sure sign to cancel.

And while I’ve been here in Minnesota since Friday afternoon, He has filled me with joy and peace as I visit with old friends.

Thank You Lord, God, for giving me friends I can connect with after many years and for giving me a dependable car which will safely get me home later today. Amen. 

Picture hanging in the hallway outside the AirBnb where we are staying. And if you know me, you know stories and pictures from this road trip will be posted here in the coming weeks. 

Hi from Emma

Hi. My name is Emma. I am seven months old. I think. I don’t know too much. So, I don’t really know how old I am.

Mom and Dad say I am not too smart. But I like to eat, even though, when Mom puts food on the floor, I can’t find it even when she keeps pointing at it.

And sometimes I don’t know what to do with my toys. And you don’t even want to watch me go down the stairs. They kind of freak me out, so I have to stay only one on side going down and the other side coming back up. Mom likes to mess with me and pick me up and put me on the wrong side and I don’t know what to do and I almost fell off the steps the other day and Mom felt really bad.

I also spin in circles. A lot. Which I think sometimes makes Mom mad. I don’t know why. I think it’s because she thinks I’m crazy. Or like she says a lot, “that cat is not right in the head”.. 

I do know some stuff, though, like the best places to sleep.

Mom says I have Neapolitan toes. I have no idea what that means. She said it means my toes are the color of some kind of ice cream. But I still don’t know what that means. But I think some of it means that she loves me.

I love my brother Gizmo, even though he is a trouble maker.

And I like my step brother Ches. He is so big, but both me and Gizmo are catching up to him.

Finally, I like boxes. I guess that proves I am a real cat, even though I don’t know how to jump into them.

Unless Mom helps me and puts me in one. But then stupid Gizmo chases me out. 
I gotta go now. It must be time to eat. 

Chances

Last chance to blog about my quick trip to southeast Wisconsin back in November. 

Actually, when Hubby and I were there last February, our son took us out to eat at Chances restaurant in the quaint village of Rochester.

The building, built in 1843, was originally known as The Union House and had been a stop on the Underground Railroad. The building is reportedly haunted by seven ghosts, including one referred to as a lady in a green ball gown waiting for her Civil War soldier to return.

When we ate there last year, we didn’t see any apparitions, but the food was good so it was still worth the trip. I always did want to return, though, to get a look at it in the daylight.

You know me and my love of old buildings.

I think most of us have heard of other towns named Rochester, mainly in New York and Minnesota. Straddling the Fox River and located in the shadow of the town of Hartford, this Rochester was settled by settlers from Rochester, Vermont. Interesting, huh?

Or maybe not.

But only a couple miles down the road near Army Lake – well, you have to admit this collection of gigantic candy corn does catch your eye

Keep It Simple

   Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

   Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 

I’m still focusing on my word of the year: Trust. Which I am supposed to focus on for the entire year – that’s the point of this word. But I won’t continue to post about it here every week. I was kind of still looking for just a single verse to memorize and tack up on my wall and recite every day. You know – that sort of thing. Or keep it simple – “Trust in the Lord.”

[Today’s verses are brought to you from Psalm 37:1-7 in the New International Version of the Bible. Today’s pictures are brought to you by my old Yashica 35 mm camera taken in 1981. They scanned up pretty good.]

Just Say Yes

 {Disclaimer: I did very little actual research for this post. If you want the real facts, and not just my opinions, do your own web search or ask your own health care provider 😊}

 

If you read my post here on Sunday, you may remember that I received my first COVID vaccine last Friday. First of all, in case you are wondering, I have not had any side effects. Most people who I know who have gotten it said their arm was pretty sore for the first couple of days. Mine hurt way less than it does from my yearly flu vaccine.

From the people I’ve talked to, for any who have been infected with the virus already, they are prone to more side effects from the vaccine – fever, body aches, fatigue. I guess that’s because the body is already geared up to defend itself from the virus and now the vaccine is messing with those antibodies. When the health care providers I work with explain it to me it makes so much sense, but then I can never remember enough of their exact words to have it make sense when I write it.

Also, after people get the second vaccine, they tend to get a lot more of those side effects. Again, I suppose, because the body is now immediately ready to fight it off. Which is a good thing coz that means it’s ready if the real virus sneaks into you.

The other thing I can never explain coherently is how this vaccine is different than any other we’ve had before. Our flu vaccine, as well as the ones for polio, measles, etc, all introduce a weakened or inactivated form of the virus into our bodies. This causes our bodies to make its own antibodies against those bugs, so that when those bugs invade the body, our defense system is already ready to eradicate it.

The COVID vaccine, on the other hand, doesn’t infect us with anything at all like the actual virus. Instead, through some process way more complicated than I will ever understand, the shot contains a teeny tiny textbook which teaches our cells how to make a protein which triggers an immune response inside our bodies which produces the antibodies which now will stand guard ready to kick the butts of any COVID-19 bugs that try to get in.

Or something like that. Science may be fascinating, but understanding it? There’s already something standing guard outside my brain saying, “Uh-uh, you’ll never get this.”

Ok, but the bottom line – is it effective?

It’s reported to be around 50% effective two weeks after the first dose, and up to 95% effective after the second dose. They do say that you still have a chance (no idea how great that is) of contracting the virus, but you will have few, if any symptoms.

The problem is (and my pea brain thinks this is a huge problem) that if you do contract COVID, you can still pass it on to someone else. Which makes me want to ask, then what is the point of even getting the shot? To which, of course, the answer is: if everyone gets the vaccine and everyone gets a very mild illness or no illness at all when exposed to the COVID virus, then it is less of an issue than even the common cold. Right? Don’t you think?

The second bottom line – is it safe? If it can cause all these side effects, and we don’t know if there could be long-term side effects, is it worth getting?

Of course it is. At this point, of all the people who have gotten the vaccine, the number who have had serious life-threatening side effects or have even died from it is still way, way, way lower than the number of people who have had those same bad outcomes from contracting the virus.

And any possible long-term problems from the vaccine? The medical community already suspects there could be long-term health issues from having the virus, but there have been no such findings from the vaccine. Yes, both the virus and vaccine are still too new to really know enough.

Whatever the case, we gotta just get through this. As I already mentioned, someday this particular coronavirus could come and go through our bodies without us even noticing. We’re not there yet, so in the meantime, wear your masks, greet others with air-hugs, stay home as much as you can, and get the vaccine if you get a chance.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay sane – Chris

Some day, we'll all get together again. 

Small-town America

Sometimes, with all the chaos in the world right now and especially in this country, we need to step back and return to our roots. Such as in small-town America. The historic buildings and the village square. Such as in East Troy.

It’s such an adorable town. I can see why my son wants to stay in the area. 

Situated in Walworth County, Wisconsin, East Troy had a population of 4,281 in the 2010 census. It’s 65 miles from the state capital of Madison and 40 miles from Milwaukee. Or a straight shot east will get you to Lake Michigan in 35 miles.

But I wasn’t going nearly that far, that weekend in November, when my daughter and I visited her brother, who lives just west of East Troy.

And there’s always something to make you dream. What could I do with this cool building?

Three stories, 8,276 square feet and built in 1837! All for only $749,000! My imagination could do a lot with that. 

Or this simple farm on the west edge of town.

Only not for sale and not quite a farm.

But, again, how cool is that?
Then again, I find pretty much anything fascinating.