Do you have trouble getting your ducks in a row? Following a snow storm earlier this month, my photography mentor and neighbor Cindy Dyer and I played around in the snow with a device that makes snowballs in the shape of little ducks and arranged them atop her fence.
Cindy, her husband Michael, and I have made up our own little pod during this pandemic. Cindy, Michael, and their three cats (Lobo, Queso, and Pixel) have helped keep me from going completely bonkers during our time of isolation. Zoom and other virtual communications means are good, but they can never completely replace physical contact with other humans or pets.
Humor helps too. When I walked through my neighborhood the day after the storm, I looked for subjects that were whimsical or simply made me smile, like the snowman with its leafy earrings and the butterfly in the snow. If you look at its nose, it is not hard to tell that the snowman is a celeried employee.
Many of you know that I have been attending a short virtual church service, called Compline in the Episcopal church, each weekday night at eight o’clock in the evening. It is a short service that, among other things, allows us to share our moments of thanksgiving and our personal prayer requests out loud or by typing them in the chat feature. After the service, we talk for a bit to see how everyone is doing and it has become traditional for me to share a daily Dad joke. If I forget, someone will usually remind me. What?
For Christmas, some dear friends sent me a daily calendar of bad Dad jokes, the kind of jokes that always elicit a combination of laughs and groans. It is a curious juxtaposition to tell jokes in the context of a church meeting, but it is a sign of how close we have become with each other—we can cry together and we can laugh together, sharing our unfiltered feelings.
How bad are the jokes? Here is a recent favorite, “I just bought a thesaurus and when I got home I discovered that all of the pages were blank. I have no words to describe how angry I am.” Sorry.
Happy Mardi Gras.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
How wonderful, Mike!! Brightens this wintery morning!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
You seem to be very good in duck reproduction 🙂
🙂 The snow was not quite soft enough to fill the mold completely, so at least one of them is missing its beak, but it was pretty easy (and fun) to make them.
Love the ducks, and the bad joke. You can drop them in any time, Mike. Getting through this pandemic takes a lot of different techniques. I think “whatever works” works fine.
I’m with you, Dan. Different strategies work for different people. I just think it is really important to try to stay positive, despite our tiredness and impatience, and not simply give in to despair.
Thanks for this entertaining post, Mike, and for sharing all your techniques for Covid mental survival. I applaud you. Enjoyed the snow ducks immensely, also fun “celeried” employee and the cheerful butterfly defying the frigidity. I take my hat off to you, but brrrrr, then my ears get cold. 😉 Stay warm and hurray for keeping those spirits up, my friend.
Thanks, Jet. I am a positive optimist by nature and tend to be enthusiastic about lots of things. That kind of passion is often contagious, particularly because I have no fear of being viewed as silly or childlike. As this pandemic stretches on, I have become more and more aware of how many people are suffering, most often in ways that they are not willing to admit. I am consciously trying to do my part in relieving some of that tension by focusing the attention of others on the beautiful, positive things in our world, which helps to counterbalance the toxic negativity that seems so prevalent. I have always tried to have my postings be a direct reflection of who I am as a person, but this past year I have made an effort to go even deeper in sharing myself in my postings. So, for example, I am willing to talk about things like my religious beliefs and share my attempts at art. I get a little tired of the curated images we see on social media of the seemingly perfect lives of other people. I’d rather be real, with all of my quirks and imperfections, and folks seem to respond well to that. This has turned into a mini-rant, but I don’t think that any of it comes as a surprise to you, because you have always struck me as really perceptive, Jet, and I am pretty sure that you “get” me. By the way, I love your clever “take my hat off” comment–it brought a smile to my face. Stay warm and positive.
Dearest Mike, I thank you immensely for these articulate and spirited words. I do “get” exactly what you are talking about, and whole-heartedly appreciate the love and kindness you give to the world. These are extraordinary times, and so very tough, and warriors like you keep us all soldiering on. I am most grateful.
Thank you for sharing these very special ways you’ve stayed personally “connected” during COVID, Mike. Great examples of seeing the positives – and a win-win for all involved☺️!
Thanks. We all need to do what we can to keep as much of an upbeat attitude as possible. For me it is good to remember to be gentle with myself and with others–we never know for sure what trials others are going through.
I love the snow ducks all lined up in a row. What fun.
Good fun! 🙂
The ducklings are a hoot! Good thing Bob is not there with his BB gun! The sort of remind me of the summer fair with games! Jokes during COmpline – very refreshing 🙂
This post has brightened my day quite a bit – bravo for sharing your sense of humor. Great images, too.
Love the ducks line up! They brought a smile to my face.
The snow ducks are too cute!
Haha and groaning on the bad joke! 😄
Humor keeps us going!
Hey, that’s funny 🤣
I just love the idea of the ducky snowball mold, what a great idea. Wherever did you find it? I was thinking I’d love to bring one back for the grands, but they see snow so seldom here (only during one or two snow-sport trips to the South Island each year) that it would hardly be worth while.
They are available from a variety of Amazon.com sellers. They are pretty cheaply made in China, I believe, and are not very sturdy, but they were a lot of fun. The mold uses scissors-like handles . You fill the two sides with snow and them you squeeze the handles together.
I believe laughter is truly the best medicine. 🙂
Glad to hear you’ve found a variety of ways to stay connected, Mike. I love the ducks, too, and the celeried fellow can be Employee of the Month for creativity.
Thank you especially for sharing that snowman! It too made me smile. 🙂 This is quite the life lesson: “When I walked through my neighborhood the day after the storm, I looked for subjects that were whimsical or simply made me smile.” Also, you will happy to know that we look forward to our co-worker’s dad jokes every day at lunch. 🙂 It’s been a very tough school year; the laughter at lunch is necessary.
You finally got all your ducks in a row! 🙂
🙂