A bit of company, a dreary day, and some work

 

These may not be my salad days,
but tonight was a salad supper night

.

. Today was gray and dark, as most of you know. Not a day to inspire great joy. But, yay! I got a bit of a break in my isolation. Jordan came out this morning, masked, and I quickly put on my N95 mask. She only stayed ten or fifteen minutes—I guess I’d hoped for an hour of conversation or some such—but she did many of the small chores I can’t reach to do. Putting things on high shelves, retrieving mailing envelopes from behind the couch where my walker and I cannot go. Christmas is still up, and she said since it will be for a few more days, I might as well go ahead, light the lights, and enjoy it. I was delighted for her company. And she came back out tonight, all dressed in her cowgirls duds, to show me her outfit as they headed out for the Grand Entry of the rodeo.

Burtons a Rodeo 2022

And there’s the rub. I figure if they go to the Grand Entry—I presume Christian’s company has a box—with 14,000 other folks, they’re going to be exposed to the omicron variant. Christian has said he won’t change his lifestyle, and he figures everyone is going to get it. In my early eighties, I don’t subscribe to that philosophy. I feel quite healthy, but I know I have a couple of chronic conditions—age being one of them—that could compromise my survival of even this mild variant. I do not want to risk it, and if most people are going to get it, I am determined not to be one of them.

So I guess we are back to five days of isolation, asking them to test, etc. In some ways I am almost getting used to it; other moments, I am full of despair. Woke up this morning with a real feeling of dread—of what I don’t know, perhaps a dream. It soon disappeared.

Sophie had a bad night too—at 5:30 this morning she had a prolonged spell of coughing and snorting from her allergies. She wanted to go out, but I resisted that fearing she stay out, and I’d have to fetch her in the morning damp. Gave her a Benadryl instead—magic! She slept until 8:15. Early this afternoon, she had another bad spell, and I gave her another Benadryl—more magic! She took a longer nap than I did. I know about those people who overmedicate their dogs—and children—for their convenience, and I promise to resist. But oh my, it did work well.

Late this morning, I attended a Zoom session on plotting your mystery, taught by Hallie Ephron, who is a renowned mystery writer and teacher in her own right and the sister of the late and perhaps more famous Nora Ephron. It was good—not much I didn’t already know, but it’s good to hear some things again. As a result, I totally revised my thoughts on my work-in-progress and set about tonight reworking the paltry 5,000 words I have. Instead of losing words, I gained. Yay me!

And I baked the cranberry cake I’ve been wanting to make for days. It’s so simple, and so good, although a piece after dinner made me think it needed more oven time, and I baked it a bit more. I’ll try again in a bit.

And that was day—what? Seven of my isolation. An indication I’m ready for it to be over—I have a list of restaurants, new and old, that I want to go to. How soon, O Lord, how soon?

Stay safe, everyone. I hear reports from that great big world outside my cottage that few people are masking. Whatever is wrong with them? Please get your N95 masks and war them! Think of it as a kindness to your neighbor, if nothing else. We are all in this boat together.