Done with my Pity Party

Thank you for the kind words on my last post. Things are looking up so far.  My daugher and her toddlers will leave quarantine in 2 days. She will be headed back to her crowded classroom and my grandbabies will come back to us during the day.  They did not develop any symptoms from the exposure to the co-teacher who was "positive with symptoms" and were monitored by telephone by her county's health department for 14 days. Due to 35 teachers in her district either ill with Covid or quarantining at home, she has been providing video lessons daily in math and science as well as creating worksheets she emails to the school for distribution. Somehow she still had to use her sick days for this (despite a teacher's union which somehow did not include procedures during a global pandemic) but is hoping to have them reimbursed with an application to the Cares Act. (I have no idea what all that means). 

November 2019: We attended my nieces wedding at a plantation
in New Orleans. 

After a rough few days, my strong and healthy young son who is a police officer is doing really well and will return to work next week. His wife and three preschoolers managed to put up 3-4 Christmas trees already despite her district moving her virtual teaching to her home during the duration. 

You may remember I spent the first months of the pandemic when we did not have our grandchildren sitting in a chair. I fell in my kitchen in early March and sustained a displaced spiral fracture of the humerus which I do not recommend to anyone. Between surgery, recovery and rehab, it was summer before I was functional. 

 Noveember 2019: Coffee and Beignets at Cafe du Monde
in the French Quarter

This time I have been taking advantage of the alone time.  My living room has a huge built in bookcase (thank you dear husband for fulfilling my dreams) where I basically move piles higher and higher out of reach of my 16 month old grandson. We were surrounded by mountains of paper and stuff. I have sorted 90% of the piles and it is a new room!

I also went through our 18 toys boxes (two module units of nine) and disposed of broken and outgrown toys.  I really think we might have room for a Christmas Tree.  

Since we can't celebrate Thanksgiving as a family, I am planning a romantic dinner for two. Or perhaps ordering pizza on Wednesday and eating leftovers on Thursday. We will see what happens. Either way I'm not decorating for Thanksgiving or getting out my Autumn Dishes.  We are going straight to Christmas. 

November 2019: Some people go to Bourbon Street to drink. '
Others find a hidden book store.

I have already started replacing artwork on my walls and hung the stockings. I have decided to do red and green in my living room and a pink Christmas in the dining room.  Since I won't need all the leaves in the table since no one can come, I am going to put up the pink tree I bought at least ten years ago and have only used once. 

As I decorate, I will be sharing more photos!  And I am looking forward to seeing your ideas, too.  I already have inspiration for next year when I am planning a peppermint kitchen (Thanks, Debbie at https://adebbie-dabblechristmas.blogspot.com/ ! 

November 2019: St Louis Cemetary, New Orleans

P.S.  Prayers for all those suffering with this horrible disease right now.  I just got word this morning that a former co-workers husband is in ICU with Covid pneumonia. My very best friend since junior high's husband had open heart surgery on Monday. The hospital closed today (Wednesday) to all visitors so she will be relying on phone chats. The staff is being so accomodating despite working 60-80 weeks with staff shortages due to infections in our hard hit area. 

So Scared for Our Country and Our World

 My county has been averaging 1-10 cases per week. My state had numbers under 1000 a day.  This week we have sky rocketed to 20-30 cases per day and over 5,000 cases state wide. Today we were at 6508 cases in one day.  Today's death in my county included a girl a year behind me in school. She was healthy and fit and contracted the virus two weeks ago. In my daughter's county, deaths included a 4 year old. 

Two of my sons have lost their jobs when their positions of over 15 years were "eliminated" along with their pensions. 

My youngest daughter was sent home from her teacher position to quarantine for 14 days (with my grandchildren) as her co-teacher has tested positive. Our state has limited testing so her health department is calling her daily for a temperature check and symptom report. 

My youngest son, a law enforcement officer, has tested positive with symptoms. He and his family are quarantined for 14 days with his children out of school. Fortunately his wife is already teaching virtually. 

My oldest daughter, a nursing professor, has been recruited to help administer a vaccine if one should be found. Tonight I heard that the good news on the Pfizer vaccination is that it lasts at least a month and doesn't hurt you even if it doesn't work. 

Here is one of my quarantined grandchildren social distancing shortly before becoming housebound. 

Book Reviews for Enforced Isolation Reading

Since my 2020 Holiday Plans are traveling from the teapot in the kitchen to my reading chair in the living room, I am going to start posting book reviews. Although I am a dedicated child's storybook and cozy mystery reader, I have jumped into biographies.

Truevine by Beth Macy. True story of two brothers, a kidnapping and a mother's love. This book reads like a documentary. Two albino brothers in the Jim Crow South are kidnapped or sold by family into the traveling circuses of the era. The book is full of history and interviews. I kept flipping to the many referenced photos to familiarize myself with the people, the location and the conditions. I found the book very thought provoking and fascinating which made me spend much more time carefully reading every word than I normally do when I am reading light fiction. This will go on my reference shelf to read again.

Shopgirls by Ellee Seymour is a much lighter read. Ms. Seymour introduces us to several young women who leave school as young teens following WW2 to work in a posh upscale department store. We learn the workings and history of the store and follow each of their lives through family life, dating, marriage, children, sorrows and later life. No deep thinking required. I would call it cute and feel good and I am keeping it on my book shelf. This book includes some photos, too.

Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of the First Lady of Food by Susan Marks. I am waiting for this book to be delivered. It is the biography of a fictional character created in the 1920's by General Mills and traces the culinary and marketing history of the women of the home service department who signed her name. I am looking forward to reading this one.

While I am waiting for it to come, I am reading this "Noir Mystery" which is a little more gritty than I usually read. I found the author at the Zoom "Noir at the (Virtual) Bar: Mystery Writers of America, part of LitQuake, San Francisco's Literary Festival that went virtual last month. 

I have a feeling the story is not going to end well and I might be wondering about it for a while. I think it might be part of a series and I will have to decide whether to continue to see what else happens or move on to something happier. It is riveting.