Hard to believe it's May 1

Kind of hard to believe it's May 1 already or almost May 1. Pretty close. We've been busy so the time has kind of flown by. I know when one is idle time seems to go by really slow. I was talking to Gary the other day, and he said he'd gone through the drawers and arranged them until he was tired of it. One friend of Marge's said they were watching the grass grow. Not us. We've been getting the gardens ready to plant and kind of waiting on Mother Nature. I got in a hurry one year and lost a bunch of pepper and tomato plants when it frosted. It's been a bunch of years ago, but there were a couple rows of peppers and tomatoes in one of the tunnels. Probably 50 of each. It wasn't good. Forecast looks good, so we are starting to plant.

We tried out the "shop from home" on the internet and then have the goodies brought out in the parking lot to us. Works good. Probably cheaper in the long run because there is no impulse buying. Always before we'd go in for one or two things and come out with a cart full. Now it's get what was ordered, and that's it. Not the best but it works. I've gotten spoiled by living close to a whole bunch of good stores, whether they be grocery or hardware or they-have-it-all stores. Don't know I need it until I can't get it stuff.

Times are tough for most everyone. Some are better off than others, but they are tough for everyone. Some have a pretty extensive safety net, while others have virtually no safety net. Some have family and friends and neighbors to help them get along, but I know there are some who have very few who they can lean on and help them.

Back probably 15 or 20 years ago, we'd drive to Sikeston once a month and pick up a load of groceries to bring to Scott City to distribute. We'd pick them up at the food bank down there. I can't say enough good about the food bank. Never knew exactly what we'd get, but normally it was all pretty usable. We never had enough to supply the needs of everyone, so we'd have to divvy out the groceries so that everyone got a little. There were times when we'd have, say, prunes. Now some like prunes and eat them like candy. I'm not one of them! So if we'd give someone who didn't like prunes some prunes, there is a chance they'd end up spoiling. Some would take them because they were entitled to them, but some would pass and let someone else have their share. Kind of "Being my brother's keeper" attitude.

When it was announced that pretty much all of us would be getting a check from Uncle Sam, I thought that many really don't need the money, while there are some that desperately need the help. In a perfect society it would have been nice to have been able to say, "I could use the stimulus, but I really don't need it. Give it to someone who needs it." It would have been nice. Given the nature of the beast and the size of our government that would have been impossible. That personal touch can only come through neighbor-to-neighbor empathy if you will.

All of us -- and I mean all of us -- know someone who is struggling. They might be struggling with bills or necessities or emotionally or whatever, and they might just need a little support. Maybe a stick to lean on until they are able to get back on their feet. From the time I was little, I've heard it said you can't get yourself out of the mud by pulling up on your own bootstraps. There are times when we are stuck and can't seem to get free. But one thing we can do is help a neighbor out of the mud, and as a result they can help us. There is something about helping someone who needs helping.

I try to call those in my close circle fairly often. Normally, I call my brother on a daily basis. Usually, I call my sisters every couple days or so. It might end up being a week or so, but try to call more than that. And the list goes on. Most are up in years and pretty much alone. Most don't have a social network to rely on. Checking on friends on Facebook is OK, but it's not like talking one on one.

What about the vulnerable? Some don't have a clue as to what they will be eating next week, so maybe pick up an extra case or two of ramen noodles to share with someone in need. One might get tired of the noodles, but I'm betting one won't starve to death on them. Canned tuna would sure taste good when one's belly button is rubbing on one's backbone. It's not my favorite, but I'll eat it. Pick up a couple cans of salmon. Both tuna and salmon would go nice in a help basket.

One of my favorite snacks growing up was sardines. I honestly can't say they are still a favorite, but I do enjoy eating them. I like the mustard flavored ones. Beanie weenies I have enjoyed from the time I was real little clear up to today. I always wished they made them in bigger cans. Those dinky cans just don't hold enough. Stuff like this goes good in a help basket or encouragement basket.

My one sister did a bunch of baking and the way it sounds fed a good part of the little Nebraska town she lives in. She loves to bake, and her friends love to eat it. If'n I lived closer, I'd buy her some flour (ask what kind!) and shortening and see if she'd bake more. Marge made some bread for a friend of ours and traded the bread for some milk and eggs and flour. She has been baking wheat bread and just tried baking some rye bread. Pretty good. She has the recipe, and I'm sure she would share.

My wife and I finished planting 75 trees we got from the Conservation Department one day last week. Back when we first bought our place, we'd plant about this amount or even more every year. Oaks and spruce and cyprus and wild plums were some of our favorites. Some of them have died through the years, but many are 30 or 40 feet tall. Got an order from Gurney's this morning with some Saskatoon blueberry bushes in the box. More planting to do.

Call a friend. Share from your bounty. Stay busy.