The New Normal / Weeks 07, 08, 09, and 10

[magnetic_pole]

Folks, I owe comments on my last post and need to catch up with the flist, but I wanted to say hello and write something here before I fell too far behind.

Weeks 07, 08, 09, and 10 have been very quiet.


I might have had Covid. I started feeling sick during the week of May 4th, hit that flat-on-my-face-in-bed, oblivious-to-the-world state during the Week of May 11th, missed about ten days of life, and started feeling better this past Friday and Saturday. I'm not quite 100%, but I'm definitely on the mend. I talked to the doctor via Zoom once but never had any of the most serious symptoms, including problems breathing, thank goodness. In any case, I'm happy and grateful to be feeling better now, whatever the illness was. (My health insurance group has a testing site in DC, but it's only accessible by car in a distant part of the city, so, after a conversation with the doctor about the risks and effort involved in getting a test and how a result it was unlikely to change my behavior, I decided not to get tested. Perhaps it was something else entirely.) Unfortunately, now R seems to be coming down with something. Fingers crossed it's just a cold. She's a lot tougher than I am.

In part because of the above, there is not a single thing of interest to report from this end, unfortunately. The semester has wrapped up and the summer research and writing period has begun. I continue to be ridiculously, childishly disappointed about the lack of swimming opportunities, but that won't last forever. In the meantime, I'm going to get walking again as soon as I feel better. (I'm getting to know the three-mile radius around my apartment very well, including the paths and trails leading into the large public park nearby.)

Let me offer a few goodies before I sign off:

*** I'm almost embarrassed to make a baked goods recommendation here, because I didn't do the baking myself and I know so many of you are excellent bakers in your own right, so who am I to recommend anything to you? But this is a truly extraordinary simple chocolate cake I recommend wholeheartedly:

King Arthur's Original Cake Pan Cake (There's an icing recipe, but the cake was heavenly even without.)




Are these peonies? The color was so striking in person-- a bit darker than what you see here.





*** Thanks to therealsnape, we're having a final week of discussions over at covidcoffeecorner--please come join us!

Hope you are all well, folks!

Comments

[magnetic_pole]

Thank you! And I hope the flowers brightened the start of the work week for you. Only wish I could pass a slice of cake through this comment, as well. M.