Two Noras: January 31, 1914 and January 31, 2021

Nora Bauer: Saturday, January 31, 1914

We had quite a bit of snow today. Got a letter from Lena. She sent me a Christmas cactus. Was to church tonight and met Dora & Gertrude going home. 

Nora Spitznogle: Sunday, January 31, 2021

I was an EME at 10:30 Mass. Schaun and Adrian helped me move shelves to the garage and I treated them to lunch. We visited their sister and toured condos. 

I'm a logistics person at heart - a Christmas cactus delivered by mail in January in the middle of a snow storm? I'm not sure who Lena is - Grandma Nora mentioned a Lena on January 1, which lead me to believe that she was local, although you can send letters to someone in your own town. 

What is confounding me is that she noted receiving a letter from Helen Rosfeld on that day. In my family tree research I found that she had an Aunt Helena Rosfeld (Nora's mom's sister). Lena could easily be a nickname for Helena, but I have doubts that she's speaking of her 49 year-old aunt. Grandma Nora has referred to her uncles as "uncle," so I don't think that she would drop the aunt honorific. Most likely is that Lena is a cousin, possibly the daughter of Aunt Helena, who was called Lena to not confuse her with her mother, Helena. I haven't had time to dive into Great-Grandaunt Helena's tree. I'm adding it my to-do list. 

I also went to Mass today. Because of the pandemic the number of people that can attend Mass is limited and half of pews are off-limits to accommodate distancing. You have to sign up each week to make sure that there aren't too many people, but it's not an exact science. I take up a whole pew by myself, while a family could sit in the same space. I always try to grab one of the shorter pews on the sides. The last couple of weeks, I've stood in the back, which I'm happy to do. It actually suits my can't-sit-still fidgeting comfortably. 

It's weird to not be able to socialize afterwards with folks. As an EME (Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist) part of my duties would typically include gently washing the vessels and choosing the purificators. I love being in the Sacristy getting everything ready for the next Mass. It's a nice time to have a quick chat with other volunteers and to say hello to Father Guy. 

Since I've been mentally chiding Grandma Nora for not adding details, I should give you some background on Schaun. He and I dated for a handful of years and broke up 2.5 years ago. We have managed to remain friends and help each other with projects. I help him file the sales taxes for his business and with some correspondence and he helps me with minor car repairs and lends his muscle for moving things. 

The impetus for my reorganization project is lessening the amount of furniture in my 750 square-foot house. I have a huge thing that used to be a display piece at a local department store. It holds a ton of things, but I've started to feel like it looked too much like I was opening a gift shop. Schaun and his brother moved the top part to the garage and I'm keeping the bottom - shelves with doors to use as a buffet/breakfront/sideboard. The room looks bigger already and it frees up a lot of wall space for the art that's been stacked in a corner. 

I took the guys to lunch at Half Liter, just down the street from my house. Adrian suggested that we join him for a visit to his sister, Brenda's home. I adore Brenda and jumped at the chance. Beyond a brief visit when she popped in to Marigold when I was working, I hadn't seen her since August. It was wonderful to catch up with her and Gary. 

Brenda as made so many friends - and has convinced other friends to move to Lions Head, that we were about to socially distance tour two of the condos. She is a great ambassador and I'm ready to move in while I'm with her - it's so tempting! In the meantime, I need to keep getting my financial ducks in a row. It's good to have goals!