The last Palmer handshake

Perhaps it was a month ago. Do you remember the last person whose hand you shook, by way of introduction or greeting?

Try very hard to remember—because that person might have been your very last handshake with someone—outside of your pod. This very thought is heart breaking to me.

I have always loved to shake hands. It was a welcome extension of trust and a symbol of equality and acceptance.

But we are realizing how human hands can be vectors of viral contamination. Hand-shaking isn’t necessary, I guess. Perhaps if one is gloved, it will still be okay. Likewise, indiscriminate hugging is off the table for some time. I was never a huge hugger, but I know many that are and they turn a simple hug into a joyous and authentic connection. But the hugging must cease for a while, until we resume a level of safety.

We can touch our hearts or our foreheads in greeting. We can bow. We can wave. We can curtsy. We can blow kisses. We can make funny faces. We can touch elbows perhaps. But I will miss the Palmer handshakes with everyone.

For years I taught my students how to do a respectable handshake. It was important, I felt. I didn’t think about the cootie contamination at all. Fist bumps were unacceptable. Extending one’s arm to shake hands was a balanced act of shared faith. (Historically, It also proved you had no weapons, at least in that outstretched hand.)

The Accidental Palmer CoronaVirus Bake-Off

This is another accidental thing, which was not planned, but it is happening. So much cooking and baking has been a comfort activity in the last few weeks. And Palmer people are generously posting pictures of their homemade dinners and their crazy desserts. So it just happened. It isn’t competitive and there are no timeframes or prizes. But it is a huge activity and the submissions easily make one drool. This might be one of the reasons flour is hard to find right now. There are hundreds of entries but I will only list a handful to give you an idea.

Eight types of cinnamon rolls; bacon and cheddar beer bread; banana breads; Toll House cookies; homemade dumplings; Grandma Patsy’s Chocolate cake; Easter cakes; Disney Main Street Bakery cinnamon rolls; chocolate strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting; tator tot tortilla nachos; homemade sourdough; cornbread; apple pie; quiches; strawberry brownies; cheeseburger pie; beef pot pie; carrot cake; almond baklava; ricotta cookies; homemade mac & cheese; Heath bar pecan cookies; soft pretzels; chipotle steak pizza; cream cheese stuffed pumpkin muffins; cinnamon raisin bread; bunny cakes; hot cross buns; New York cheesecake; tiny pies; and carrot cakes.

You can see the submissions in glorious color on the Palmer Alaska Buzz group page under the file: Palmer Bakes.

Have you noticed the New Levels of Silence in the Palmer area?

It is a noise we don’t hear much in Palmer—total silence. There are still some motorized noises. But this is nothing like what we expect. Further out in the neighborhoods and the hills and mountains, surrounding Palmer, there is a tremendous silence now. There is very little traffic noise and little else. The occasional chainsaw or dog bark is heard. But there are very few planes and very few sirens in a distance.

Easter Sunday was the exception; traffic noises resumed and the gun ranges—up against the mountains- blasted all day long with the largest booms and accelerated explosions.

Perfecting the Plmer Howl at 8pm

Howling is a thing during social isolation. Some people exhort prayers or sing with purpose. Some people shoot their guns. Some people race their screaming dirt bikes loudly in the dark. Everyone has different reasons.

To howl properly, cup your hands around your mouth. Start with a low, slow note and then quickly increase your pitch from mournful to echoing. It might be a primal scream. It might be a howl of frustration.

It might be an identifying communication voice. Some people are howling out of sadness. It is important to keep your throat hydrated, before, during and after, so drink lots of water.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff in the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz Column in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Her “Palmer Buzz Community Calendar” is available at Palmer shops and the Palmer museum. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222