Our Strange New World

I’ve started and stopped writing this post so many times. Should I be upbeat? Should I lay it all out there? And even as I write this I’m not sure where I’m going.

I backtracked through emails to see how the pandemic unfolded for me. March 4^th I took my daughter shopping and we had a great time. After we went to the grocery store and we stocked up on a few things — just in case. My March 5^th post for the Wickeds was about the Kensington Cozy Con that was supposed to be this weekend. By March 6^th I was pondering if it was safe to go to a book fest on March 20th and wondering if I should cancel. It was canceled. March 7^th I realize the CDC thinks I’m elderly – what???!!!! March 8^th my husband and I went to the winery where our daughter works. March 12^th I saw my friend and neighbor Mary – I haven’t seen her since. By March 13^th I’d started self-isolating. Our daughter was laid off on March 15^th. My husband started working from home a few days later.

So here we are. Our strange new world.

But there are upsides. It’s spring and we can be outdoors. I’ve seen way more families outside together. Last weekend the Wickeds got together via Zoom and it was fabulous to see their faces. I’ve seen lots of people saying they haven’t been able to read, but that hasn’t been a problem for me. I just finished Mimi Lee Gets A Clue by recent guest Jennifer J. Chow and just started Julie Hyzy’s Virtual Sabatoge. (I confess to a little whiplash from going from one genre to another, but love both books.) Writing on the other hand – that isn’t happening. But I know I’ll work through that too!

I gave my neighbor’s daughter (she’s seven) the first four books in my favorite childhood series by Maud Hart Lovelace and got this sweet note back.

My twenty-seven year old daughter has taken social distancing seriously and isn’t out running around. She’s sad that she doesn’t have a job right now. But there is a bright side — she likes to cook so we are having excellent quaran-eats.

Shrimp, mushroom, and spinach pasta:

Nachos with leftover steak:

And when she ask what to do with the extra blueberries, I suggested scones. She’d never made them before but they were delicious! Blueberry scones with a strudel topping and icing!

And since she misses her job she set up a wine tasting for us! It’s a Petit Manseng — the grapes grow well in Virginia. It has a floral nose, fruit flavors. It can be sweet but the three we tried were made in a dry style.

A last minute update. Yesterday before I set out on my late afternoon walk with Lily, I sent Mary a text and asked her to meet me outside her house in a few minutes. It was great to see her face from an appropriate distance.

Readers: How are you doing? What’s pulling you through? What’s making you grumpy? (Barb’s daughter-in-law had an “it’s okay to be grumpy” post on Facebook the other day and I loved her philosophy of yes there are many misfortunes, but it’s okay to be grumpy too. Trust me I contributed to that post.)