AsterSeed of Trill

We slept really late today--10 hours in bed, more or less, resulting in over 8 hours of sleep. It seems ridiculous to have to stay in bed that long to get 8 hours, but it includes all the wake-ups in between sleeping. And we also took a nap later! I was grumbling that I hate being still in my pjs at noon, because it makes me feel old. But then it occurred to me that old people generally get up early and get dressed--at least my parents certainly did for years and years. What we're really doing is reverting to the indolent youth that we never had a chance to be, because when we were young, we were constantly working working working. (With the possible exception of those hours I spent in the Sparrowhawk's spartan rented room in college, reading his complete set of Silver Surfer comics instead of doing my Greek homework.) I guess it's okay to have some time in our lives when we don't actually have to work hard. We're socially distancing like champions. A conference I was going to attend in April was canceled. Then a concert we were going to attend next week was canceled. (We decided to donate the ticket price we'd already paid--it was a fundraiser for a local music organization.) Now our UU church has decided to cancel live services for the time being. Choir rehearsal was already canceled because the director doesn't feel well. I hope she's sick with something entirely different and not COVID-19!

I keep feeling I should call my parents and make sure they're okay! Obviously, they are beyond worrying about, and I'm grateful for that. Because I was thinking about my mother's birthday yesterday and wanted to check on when certain things happened, I looked back through some old entries yesterday. There was a whole lot of crazy going on then, for sure. I didn't even mention the half of it here. Many things were left in a merciful obscurity. I am seriously impressed with myself for surviving as well as I did, and not surprised that when the dust settled, I was sick for a month. It's not too surprising either that a year later, I still have some signs of being traumatized. I think I'm doing pretty well, considering. My father's birthday is near Thanksgiving, so every year when the kids are all together, I make a cake in honor of Grandfather. This past year, Angelbaby made the cake, and it was delicious. I think next year I might make a cake to enjoy in honor of Grandmother. This year was too soon, but maybe later . . . .

I was also reminded of how kind all of you readers were during that awful time period. So many virtual hugs and kind words! Please know they were all deeply appreciated and meant the world to me. I learned from that and have passed it on to others in the form of a word or a hug where I thought it might help. I hope you all will be safe and well in the coming days.

Brook of Trill

I tried the evaporated milk today, to see if it would actually work. It seemed fine with raisin bran. It was better than my memory of reconstituted powdered milk, which we used to use when we were poor and the kids were little. I think it will be acceptable if necessary. If it turns out we don't need it, I can use it in baking.

We were up too late last night because of anxiety about the national situation, so we slept late again. The weather was surprisingly pleasant, and we took a walk. It was a very slow walk, because the Sparrowhawk's knee is still hurting a lot. We surveyed the creek, where the giant willow tree fell over last summer, and wondered when or if they'd ever finish removing the fallen trunks. The Sparrowhawk had just observed, "Michigan spring--it's very brown" when we took a few more steps and he saw a big patch of lovely snowdrops blooming by the path. What a surprise! It was so great to see green leaves and flowers.

Although we've been isolating ourselves for days, we did go out for dinner tonight, to a restaurant that advertised German Night on Thursdays this month. They use recipes from a German restaurant that was pretty much the only game in town when the Sparrowhawk was young, and he really wanted to try it before everything closed down. We washed our hands before and after, and cleaned them with wipes as soon as we got into the car. The restaurant seemed to be taking extra pains to clean everything. They were using paper menus while they sanitized the laminated ones. People were behaving more or less normally. Nobody is wearing a mask. I hear that the big stores are all out of toilet paper, but they still have some at the grocery store down the street.

We had beer in glass mugs, and schnitzel with sauerkraut, red cabbage, mashed potatoes, AND spaetzle. It was delicious and sad/happy, reminding me of many dinners with Queenie and the Fireman and our parents at the German restaurant my father favored. I don't think we'll go out again for awhile, though. It was probably foolhardy to do so tonight, though I don't expect any ill effects at this point. There are only 3 confirmed cases in Michigan, but I'm sure it's spreading stealthily and will soon show up here as well.

Edited to add: Yep. As of 11 pm, three cases are now reported in our county. It's here. The self-quarantine is on.