Strange Times We Live In!

Well, what can I say? Chris's family was here last week and after they departed for home, she and I got together for the F-word (falafel sandwich!!).  In the week that we were not in touch, we have been besieged by the coronavirus! People are going nuts and those in charge (government) are playing it by ear day after day! That pretty much sums up the last three years of the trump administration - you leave home for a two-hour meeting and return to something atrocious, dehumanizing to some group, or just plain immoral and unethical. And now we have a pandemic on top of it all and a government that refused testing kits when offered by the World Health Organization!! Don't get me started!

And there is the travel ban - I have just emailed Eileen, who was to arrive from the UK in early April, to find out what she is hearing there and how it affects her plans. As of a week or so, Melodee was still planning to come (driving) at the end of this month. Her plans might not be impacted as much as Eileen's but who knows?

This weekend was to be busy - Liberal Ladies Luncheon on Friday, Precinct Reorganization meeting on Saturday morning, and Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate art exhibit on both Saturday and Sunday from 4 - 6 PM. Everything was cancelled, so I went from too much to do to nothing to do, not that I'm really complaining. For a while, I've felt that I needed more home/downtime and I hope I use it to get some things done around the house. My plan is not to remain totally isolated but to continue to get together with friends at home or in uncrowded places. I do really feel for those who have no choice but to work, children who will go hungry or unattended because they aren't in school, etc. And this is happening here!! At the moment, I'm working on the Liberal Ladies newsletter but once that is complete, I hope to have more non-committed time than I've had in a long time.

I'm happy to report that Rosie has finished her 15 days of steroid treatment. So far, all is well. I emailed the neurologist and gave him a report. As it turns out, he is no longer at CVRC but a surgeon got back to me. He said everything I am doing is good but wants me to take her off Gabapentin in a week. I am concerned about how she will do without it, but we have to know. It also makes me sad to see her have days when she looks like she doesn't feel well, though she hasn't had a shivery, panting episode after going off the steroids. David came over to see her after Drinking Liberally last Wednesday and she was just beside herself...... because that's who she is and she just goes full-tilt (unlike me! Allan used to say that I peaked at 2:30 in the afternoon for 15 minutes and that was it! So true - and that was when I was younger!)!  Anyway, I'm still hoping for the best and doing all I can to keep her safe, healthy, and happy. She has done something I never thought possible. She's learned how to get on and off the bed using the ramp!! Keep in mind that I have chairs backed up to one side of the bed and I sleep on the other to keep her from jumping. Once the chairs are removed (not in the near future!!), all bets are off! She was so funny when I first tried to get her to use it. I put treats at various points on the ramp, thinking she would sneak up to get them. She would put her front paws on the ramp and stretch as far as she could to get the treat....but keeping her back feet on the floor!! Eventually, when she wanted to get on or off the bed, I would put her midway on the ramp so she could get used to walking up and down it. Eventually, it just happened. I credit it to her smarts, not mine!

Before the craziness began, I did have a fun thing happen. My neighbor invited me to see Emmet Cahill, an Irish tenor, who was appearing at the Arts Center. It was raining like crazy and it didn't seem like my thing, but I didn't have a good excuse not to go! Surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed it. He had a fantastic voice and made it look so effortless. He was accompanied by Shamus, a very impressive pianist, and a string quartet, which was perfect. I was amazed that the pianist's music was on a tablet! He would play and then touch the screen for the music to move forward!! For the second portion of the concert, he took requests. Most were traditional Irish songs, but someone asked for Brown Eyed Girl! He took the request but said he'd never sung that song in his life---don't know why! The same happened with New York, New York!  So, the pianist made a note (on his tablet) of the requests, arranged them on the spot, and off they went. When we get to Brown Eyed Girl and New York, New York, Emmet reaches for his phone, finds the lyrics, and sings from his phone!! I was amazed! The other thing that was quite impressive is that he gave a verbal tribute to the part immigrants have played in making America. From someone who is not a citizen, it was touching (and made me wonder why others find it so difficult to see the value of diversity). Then he sang Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears, which was beautiful. Another one I really liked was Raglan Road. In spite of the rain, it was a pleasant evening.

Yes, rain! We had two days on non-stop rain and this was my backyard! You can see that I get a lot of drainage from the golf course. This was right before Lynn picked me up for a Liberal Ladies' Steering Committee meeting. I had no idea what to expect when I got home. Thank goodness, it finally stopped and we've been having wonderful weather since. It feels and looks like spring with azaleas blooming and mild temperatures. I hope it lasts a while before summer arrives.

I'll wind this up and hope this finds everyone well. Please take the necessary precautions so we can get through this pandemic as quickly and painlessly as possible. Wishing everyone good health and happiness in these strange times.

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