Dear Sunday Letter friends,
This has been a sad couple of weeks. I try not to get political on social media, but for me, what’s going on in our country has moved beyond the political to the human. Between the pandemic and the tragedy of George Floyd’s death, I’ve been at a loss over what to say. Saying nothing seems wrong. Continuing on with my typical posts about what’s growing in my garden and cooking on my stove rings hollow and insignificant.
I hate how divided our country has become. I’ve begun to question whether or not we will come through this without losing bits of ourselves and many of our friends. While I don’t expect everyone to believe the same things, I have always believed that deep down we are more alike than different.
Lately, I’ve begun to question that as well.
As a nation, we are in an angry, heart-broken place.
Racism has been around since the founding of our country, systemic and ingrained, a terrible side of our culture. Racism wasn’t caused by President Trump, and it won’t be cured by Joe Biden. But certainly, can’t we all agree that words matter? That actions matter? A leader can either work to soothe a hurting people or douse a fire with gasoline. Right now our house is on fire.
I have faith in God. I believe in science. I try to be kind and empathetic while weeding through the avalanche of news and social media that often smells biased and feels manipulative. I don’t know about you, but right now, the least little thing exhausts me.
Back to the Farm
My sister and I recently spent three days on the farm. One thing about being in rural Mississippi County, we could almost forget all the madness in the world. With no television and sketchy WIFI, it was like old times. We entertained ourselves the way we always did—doing a whole lot of nothing.
Sometimes old school is the perfect teacher.
I’ve said it before—my sister and I trained for being self-quarantined our whole childhoods.
We checked off all the things on the to-do list Momma gave us including fetching the two kittens she adopted from a friend in Paragould.
We limited our contact with people and wore masks in the Osceola Walmart.
Sister-time is time well spent.
Weather Balloon
There are always treasures to be found on the farm, both in the house (where everything we’ve ever bought or created still lives) and walking through the fields (where shells and rocks and arrowheads wait to be discovered). This time, we found remnants of a weather balloon in the field. Because a plow had found it first, putting the pieces together felt much like a treasure hunt.
First, we found the orange parachute. Then, we followed a trail of styrofoam and plastic eventually leading to the computer component that had recorded weather information 100,000 feet above the Bat Cave. Last, we found the return envelope.
When we were kids, how often did we look for mysteries to solve in our backyard?
Maybe it was because we were home with not much to do, but finding a weather balloon was like unearthing a pirate’s treasure map or plucking a rare message in a bottle from the sea. And we found our National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather balloon on the same day NASA launched SpaceX Crew Dragon. It was as though we were connected to a bigger story, astronomically speaking.
So, yes, we mailed the computer component back to the National Weather Service letting the powers that be know their weather balloon plunged back to earth on Tate Farms behind the Bat Cave where so many interesting, odd, and sometimes magical things happen.
Hair Salon
I finally returned to the hair salon after 90 days! It was a much-missed treat. Even though I look a little maniacal in the after photo (and have crazed eyes in the before photo), I feel human again.
Praise be.
We Bought a Tree!
We are in the midst of an exciting and long-needed landscaping project at our little cottage where my mother lives. Last week, we took out two trees considered invasive in Fayetteville—a large Bradford pear and a Chinese privet. And a few days ago, we bought a paperbark maple to plant in the backyard.
A tree-buying day doesn’t happen very often; therefore, it’s a special thing. Buying and planting a tree represents life and hope for the future. This is something I’ve been needing.
Things Momma Says:
Some people just aren’t acting right.
***
Thanks for reading my Sunday Letter each week. I’ve been considering taking a break from social media, both Facebook and Twitter. If I do (the jury’s still out) and you want to continue reading my Sunday Letter and other blog posts, you can always find me directly at www.gracegritsgarden.com.
If you need a break from me, I understand.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
How exciting to find that weather balloon! I hope you don’t hide from social media. You don’t have to look or comment on posts you don’t want to see. I find it quite easy to pick and choose. I sure don’t need a break from you.
Thanks Colene! Oh believe me, I do a lot of scrolling these days…
I’m with Colene!
Talya, this was such a great Sunday letter. I agree with just about everything. I also got my hair cut and felt like I lost 30 pounds.
I have definitely turned off the news in order to keep my sanity.
Glad your Mom got kittens.
A haircut is transforming! The kittens are adorable. Can’t wait for you to see them.
Thanks, Talya. I have had the same emotions that you describe. It’s exhausting. I work in my garden, read, cook, and hope for better times. We must all be better.
Sounds like my schedule!
I share your feelings. I have always believed in the common sense of the common man. I have believed in Truth, its importance and its way to measure a person; in Courtesy, as a necessity of civilization; in Reason, as a means of understanding our ever changing world; and in Science as a gift of one generation to another. I study history, and it tells me that the things I believe in are not always so, but they are goals most of us want to achieve. At least, that is what I have always thought. Don’t stop writing. If those of us stop expressing those things we have tried to practice, what will fill the void we leave…?
Thank you for validating what I feel. I love your idea of science being a gift from one generation to another. I don’t imagine I will ever stop writing. Thanks!!
I would miss you so much. I live in a diverse neighborhood, but at home things are the same. Having said that, you could not pay me to go to downtown Richmond. There is a part of me that really wants to go down on Monument Avenue and take my final pictures of those beautiful old statues before they are taken down, but the pictures that show up on the news of all of the cuss words spray painted all over them breaks my heart. Some dreadful DINKS tore down a much smaller confederate statue in a park in the middle of the college campus. They defaced other statues like a police memorial, a veteran’s memorial. I am just so hurt and angry
Hurt and angry seems to be the theme across the country; different groups for different reasons.
Finding that weather balloon is so cool! And how wonderful it must have been to have a built-in playmates—and that you still enjoy your sister time. I love it that all your play pretties are still in residence at the bat cave.
I share your feelings about the state of our nation. Thank you for expressing them so well. I’m so tired of the politicizing of everything. Probably something about “not wasting a crisis.”
Whether it’s Covid 19 or the brutal, tragic death of George Floyd, we need mature statesman-like leadership that seeks to unite. And you are correct, instead we see Immature partisan fanning of the flames by name calling and finger pointing.
The anger and hatred is frightening, yet I understand as much as a Caucasian woman of a certain age can how tired our black and brown brothers and sisters must be of being treated “less than.” I’m grateful that the demonstrations have become more peaceful and pray for good things to rise out the ashes.
Every person of faith should be praying for fair, peaceful outcomes from this terrible time and for the healing of our land instead of taking sides and denouncing one another. Dear God, please help us!
Looking forward to seeing those cute kitties!
Thank you for having the courage to call out racism, because it really is wrong to say nothing. Of the millions of people in Europe during WWII, only a very small number of them murdered Jews; most said nothing. Whether we like it or not, racism IS the foundation of our country, and the question is: who can best put out this awful fire burning us down?
And, I missed us all in Piggott this June!