Covid, Creativity (And One Last Mother's Day Gift)

Before we skip to the covid news I posted over the last week, I want you to know I had one of the quietest, and yet productive on the creative scale, weekends I've had in a very long time.

I wrote one new chapter in The Phoenix and one new chapter in Lycanthropic Summer  (both new titles in the BryonySeries) and reworked several in each over twelve hours on Saturday and part of Sunday, all the while listening to the rain.

Then I spent Sunday afternoon going through a good deal of my work email that has built up to the point I couldn't find anything pertinent anymore, all the while listening to the rain.

Towards evening, Jasmine dropped off one lat Mother's Day gift (an oversize T-shirt tribute to the fact I'm mother to a few four-footed creatures)

and a really dark (mmmmm) dark roast coffee from Brewed Awakening.

I know I'm a long ways from retirement, but...

...is this what retirement is like?


Food drive for Bags of Hope on Monday and Friday in Plainfield
Bags of Hope increases food services during COVID-19 pandemic

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/15/food-drive-for-bags-of-hope-on-monday-and-friday-in-plainfield/azfzh6c/


Plainfield Park District pool season suspended for summer 2020 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/15/plainfield-park-district-pool-season-suspended-for-summer-2020/abeh47v/


The Cancer Support Center in Mokena, Homewood held virtual telethon on Sunday
Reach out to the center to see how you can help cancer patients during the  COVID19 pandemic

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/12/the-cancer-support-center-in-mokena-homewood-to-host-virtual-telethon-on-sunday/az6oqgs/


Plainfield church helps give food to hundreds 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/13/plainfield-church-helps-give-food-to-hundreds/arx7z5q/


How to protect a vulnerable person in your house from coronavirus

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/12/how-to-protect-a-vulnerable-person-in-your-house-from-coronavirus/ansoya1/


Silver Cross in New Lenox 1st to enroll patients in clinical trial through Mayo Clinic 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/11/silver-cross-in-new-lenox-1st-to-enroll-patients-in-clinical-trial-through-mayo-clinic/a6qtg3p/


Plainfield middle school hosts 'remote' cooking class

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2020/05/11/2dbffdedfe834115a26b4a7f74e0d407/index.xml?page=1



40th Frankfort Lions Wurst Fest due to coronavirus outbreak

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/12/40th-frankfort-lions-wurst-fest-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak/as8rvb2/


Lincoln-Way marching band to be part of virtual 'Parade of Heroes' 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/11/lincoln-way-marching-band-to-be-part-of-virtual-parade-of-heroes/aeixjqd/


Nearly $700,000 awarded to Will County for food and shelter programs

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/12/nearly-700-000-awarded-to-will-county-for-food-and-shelter-programs/a5eowcr/


Electrical Workers Local Union No. 176 Joliet to hosted blood drive May 14

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/12/electrical-workers-local-union-no-176-joliet-to-host-blood-drive-may-14/a9f4q1b/


Lewis University in Romeoville partners with Illinois Virtual School on e-learning 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/12/lewis-university-in-romeoville-partners-with-illinois-virtual-school-on-e-learning/a9u24qs/


Will County awarded federal funds under the Emergency Food and Shelter program

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/12/will-county-awarded-federal-funds-under-the-emergency-food-and-shelter-program/az65lzx/


Will County Forest Preserve’s Stay-at-Home Backyard Nature Photo Contest winners announced 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/11/will-county-forest-preserves-stay-at-home-backyard-nature-photo-contest-winners-announced/af7hr22/



Walmart updates hours, days for drive-thru testing site in Joliet
Testing is available for all ages 

https://www.theherald-news.com/2020/05/12/walmart-updates-hours-days-for-drive-thru-testing-site-in-joliet/apm6q8j/

A Very Sweet, BryonySeries Mother's Day

A very tiny "throwback" today to Mother's Day this past Sunday.

On Monday, I shared the "bitter" part of the bittersweet. Now let's have the sweet - with most of the spoiling coming from Timothy's girlfriend Jasmine.

And when I say "sweet" I do mean actual items that were very sweet (and very delicious). So, yeah, I did ignore, somewhat, the prediabtes this week.

Also, Daniel's girlfriend Cindy stopped my the house on Friday to drop off A LOT of masks and hand sanitizer. We did a window visit and fake hugs. I haven't seen in her in a couple of months, so that was a wonderful surprise as she rose down from Chicago to do that.

The rest of the items gave a very lovely nod to my BryonySeries. And because we are still in the middle of the pandemic and are still social distancing, the rest of the festivities came in the form of texts, gifs, and snaps.

So here's the roundup. First off, this lovely purple box from Jasmine. And inside it contained...

A stunning "purple rose," very worthy of Henry.

A homemade mask, made with material that hinted at my made-up variation of bryony vines and little purple flowers that we'll pretend are roses - again, from Jasmine.

A variety of homemade treats: banana bread (most of which is gone), something with peanuts (which I shared with the rest of the family as I can't eat peanuts), chocolate-coffee macaroons (delicious!), apple scones (all gone), butter pecan Gloria Jean coffee (which I have not tried yet because I don't like flavored coffee - but it IS Gloria Jean's and it did come from Jasmine, so I will try it), and jelly cream cheese bars (also all gone).

Yes, these were all from Jasmine.

Now you're probably wondering why cleaning supplies are lurking in the background. Well, that's because...

...Jasmine also bought A LOT of cleaning supplies. Not the typical Mother's Day gift but very much appreciated in the middle of a pandemic.

And speaking of appreciation, Rebekah voluntarily assumed all of the cleaning since she was furloughed in mid-March. So she was also very happy to see them.

Speaking of Rebekah, she made these homemade chocolate chip cookies with homemade double chocolate mousse (white and dark), which chilled in the refrigerator on the tray because of the mousse.

As of this morning, only one remained. Even that may be gone now...

The real purple roses (and other roses, for John grew the other varieties at Simons Mansion) came from Timothy.

And finally my own mother texted me some flowers she has in front of her fireplace. She lives in North Carolina. I called her that day and sent her a picture of the flowers from Timothy.

A Bittersweet Mother's Day

Before I discuss all the great aspects of this past weekend, I'd like to share the bittersweet ones.

Yesterday a friend from high school lost her battle with lung cancer. We'd reconnected strongly over this past year, but she was given just a couple months to live just as this coronavirus broke out, which meant "no visitors" to those hospital visits and eventual move to nursing home.

However, we did stay in touch via text and phone calls, and I talked to her briefly Friday morning. I could tell, then, that the end was near.

Her name is Sue, if you'd like to remember her with nice thoughts and/or prayers.

Sue's mother died from the same cancer, so I'd like to think that, on Mother's Day, her mother was waiting with open arms on the other side, and they had a lovely reconnection.

Also, our "original" cat Frances is having some health issues. All blood work is perfect, except for a smidgen of anemia, but she's suddenly started losing weight these past couple weeks, nearly a pound, so she's seeing the vet for weight checks.

We're expecting a call today for the next step as she's lost a little more during her weigh-in on Saturday.

She had been a stray at the I and M canal near our former home in Channahon when she appeared at our back door on October afternoon in 2005, and Daniel fed her a can of tuna (all unbeknownst to me) while I was upstairs working.

We've often wondered if she abandoned or if someone lost her, for she was about nine months old at the time and wore a red collar with a jingle bell.

If she was lost and the owner is reading this blog and wondering what happened to her, please know she's loved and she's been having a wonderful life. In fact, we invested in a $3,500 invisible fence just for her.

Since the canal is Frances' favorite place to be, Timothy and Daniel took her down there the day the state parks opened back up.

Tomorrow, I'll be less gloomy since I otherwise had a wonderful weekend. I hope you did, too.