Sunday, May 10 (Day 60): Mother's Day flowers from my sons! Younger son delivered them Saturday evening, and stood on our deck in the freezing cold. We saw each other briefly through the window. It nearly broke my heart when we both put our hands up on either side of the window.
That's all I'm saying about Mother's Day.
Monday, May 11 (Day 61): Spent a few hours working on line edits. I'm getting more and more excited about my novel in verse. I know the world has changed, and we're in a crisis, but the fact that this is still happening has me giddy. I won't be at all surprised if my book launch in Summer 2021 will have to be virtual, as all the books coming out this spring/summer have been and will continue to be. But it will still happen. (Early on, in mid-March, I had a meltdown and thought we were all going to die and nothing would ever be the same, including publishers and books. Now I'm calmer about the whole thing. Does this mean I've reached the Acceptance phase of the Five Stages of Grief? Not sure.)
Chicken and roasted vegetables for dinner. Roasted vegetables have become my new favorite food. If my mother had cooked them that way when I was growing up I would have loved vegetables instead of hating them.
Started reading, The Year We Fell From Space by Amy Sarig King. It's middle-grade and totally absorbing. Twelve-year-old Liberty Johansen tells her story in present tense. Her parents have decided to separate, and her world is falling apart. Liberty makes star maps, and sees new constellations that no one else sees. With the author's signature splash of magical realism, this is a fascinating read.
Watched a few episodes of Cheers on Netflix. Yes, we've seen them all before, probably twice, but it's been years and we've forgotten most episodes. Most importantly, it's making us laugh, sometimes uproariously.
Tuesday, May 12 (Day 62): Woke up with a headache. Should have known not to spend so many hours on the computer yesterday. Luckily, it went away on its own during the morning.
Long walk this afternoon. Rhododendrons are blooming! And dogwood trees. I love this time of year.
Wednesday, May 13 (Day 63): Spent nearly two hours on line edits. And I'm finished! Woo hoo! I'll go through the entire ms again next week, but for now I'm taking a break.
Crab cakes for dinner, and homemade potato salad (haven't made this in years!). The potato salad was much better than the crab cakes. Should have known not to use canned crabmeat. Ick!
Read several chapters of The Year We Fell From Space. I feel so fortunate to be able to buy books from Bookshop.org. I hope you do the same thing if you can afford to buy books. It benefits local indie bookstores, instead of, you know, the behemoth.
Read a fascinating article from Vox on how to beat Covid-19 and save the economy at the same time. The people in charge should read this!
Made pancakes for breakfast for the first time in ages. This pandemic is forcing the cook trapped inside of me to come out and play. I miss being able to go out to lunch once in a while. But we have yet to try take-out food. Soon, I think.
My husband is finally beginning to realize we might be living like this, unable to visit our family and friends, for another year of more. Why did I sense this back in March?
I'm also making an effort to stock up on non-perishables. Seriously. Some people hoard TP. I'm starting to build up a supply of canned goods. If this virus is still with us in the autumn, we'll need provisions.
Tuna salad for dinner.
Friday, May 15 (Day 65): Spent hours skimming through the entire manuscript on my laptop. I know, I know, I was going to take a break!
Rain in the morning but cleared up by afternoon.
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| Our rhododendrons are finally blooming and the bumblebees love them! |
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| More azaleas. Last week I showed you the red one that's our best. This white one is in good shape too. It's close to the house. |
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| These azaleas, on the other hand, have been attacked by those bullies, the deer herd! They love the flowers. Must taste like a gourmet salad to them. |
Saturday, May 16 (Day 66): Just when I think I'm handling this pandemic, thriving, even, I wake up in pain. An aching jaw, so bad that even with massage, it hurt like hell. It went away after breakfast, but I still couldn't stand to read. This is the same jaw pain I've had before, and it's undoubtedly from anxiety over Covid-19.
Talked to my mother on the phone for a long time. She admits she doesn't really read books anymore, just the daily newspaper (she subscribes to the Inquirer and it's delivered to her door). She says by the time she reaches chapter two she can't recall what happened in chapter one. I remember when my father was at that stage. And it makes me sad. But after all, she is 92. If I'm still alive at 92, it'll be some kind of miracle.
COVID-19 World Stats as of May 16 (from WHO)
Confirmed cases: 4,525,497
Confirmed deaths: 307,395
US Stats as of May 16 (from the CDC):
Confirmed cases: 1,435,098
Confirmed deaths: 87,315
How's your week going? Are you continuing to stock up on food and supplies? Are you venturing out of the house more?
Glad you've finished your edits and are excited for your release next year. So happy that it is still happening. And yes, we're both lucky our mother's are still alive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natalie! It's still happening as of now. And yes, you and I are extremely lucky.
DeleteCongratulations on finishing line edits! I'm sorry about all the stress of publishing a book during a pandemic! All the plants around your hour look so beautiful—I especially love the rhododendrons. I love dogwood trees as well, although I'm unfortunately allergic to them. Thanks for the wonderful post, as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Completely! I shouldn't complain about the stress of publishing a book during a pandemic. I'm grateful to have a book deal at all.
DeleteOur rhododendrons make me smile. You're the first person I've ever heard of who's allergic to dogwoods. That's a shame!