Helllooo my pussy willows! How goes the War on Cooties? Two days have passed since last we met, and I have news. But first, let’s go to the email bag. Feeling a little cooped up and stressed out? Meet Heather, who is working from home with twin 3-year olds. Her husband is an ER nurse, and while she hardly sees him these days, she isn’t even sure that’s a good idea.

Cathy is very upset that she can’t visit her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and doesn’t understand why she has no visitors. Danielle is also working from home, as are her two roommates, all squeezed into a 2 bedroom plus den apartment, and we know that den isn’t really an extra room. Vicki’s grandson turned one this week, and the family celebrated on Zoom, sang Happy Birthday, and watched him eat his cake. Hil is annoyed that Michelle’s lemon biscotti recipe, which I posted earlier this week, calls for a package of lemon cake mix, which she doesn’t have, and she wants recipes based on what she has in her pantry. With respect, take a chill pill, Hil. And Erika writes that she enjoys this blog, especially with a glass of red wine.

 

Pour one for me, Erika.

 

Yes, Zoom is a wonderful thing … Better than Skype, or FaceTime, I’ve discovered. I have a Zoom cocktail party this evening with my dear friends John and Mike and Wendy and Liam. What will I wear, I wonder? One thing’s for certain: if this is the future, we won’t need pants.

 

As for my news, I’ll start with the best. My brother Andrew, as you may know, is in hospital outside Dusseldorf, Germany, where he is undergoing treatment for a tumour in his head. He had his larynx removed 14 years ago as a result of throat cancer, and now speaks with the aid of a stoma. He has had at least two recurrences, and several scares, but damn, like the cat, he keeps coming back. In the midst of this, he’s been divorced, married, fathered two lovely children, divorced again, gone bankrupt, started a new business, closed that business, and fallen in love again. He is, to put it very mildly, an interesting guy. Anyhow, this latest growth in his head is not malignant, but it has to be removed, and as he’s been radiated and chemo-ed up the wazoo, the doctors have turned to this incredibly precise giant cyber laser machine that goes to work on him every day to eradicate the tumour, and, by gum, it seems to be working. I mean, it’s early days, but they are seeing positive results, so Andrew may very well live to love again. He is, however, stuck in hospital, for at least another week, but given the current climate, that may be the best place for him. He reads this blog, so send him your best.

 

In other news, and I think this is good as well, Aidan and Jamie have postponed their wedding. It was set for June 19th, but that looms too largely in the near future, so they are moving it ahead … a year. Yes, an entire year, just to be safe. If this move is any example, 2021 is going to be busiest wedding year of all time, which will provide a lovely antidote to this lonely season, don’t you think? I can’t imagine what the world will be like a year from now. I can barely remember what it was like 4 weeks ago, when I was packing to go skiing in Quebec. Who knew that would be the last trip I would take for months (or … years? No.)

 

Enjoy the weekend. It may not feel much different from the week, but the weather is fine, at least here in Toronto. Open the windows, go for a walk, have a Zoom cocktail party, call a friend. Take a moment to take stock, and to restock (your pantry, if need be). We will live to love again.

 

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