Independence Day 2020

Happy Birthday to me!  Yes, today I turn 42 years old.  I always see a live fireworks show and spend time with my family.  As with everything else during this "unprecedented time" this year is a little different.  There will be a live fireworks show tonight, but since we're supposed to stay in our cars to watch it, I feel like we should just stay home and I'll watch the Macy's version on TV.  

Yesterday, we went to my brother's house and celebrated his birthday (April), my niece's birthday (May), my dad's birthday (June), and my birthday with an ice cream party and some small fireworks.  The cousins got to play together for the first time in over a month and we all got to have face-to-face conversations instead of text messages or Bluetooth phone calls while driving somewhere.  

Recent phone calls with friends have centered around the rapidly approaching school year (didn't one just end?) and what things may look like as far as distance learning and childcare goes.  While there is complete stupidity on the news with college students in Alabama having parties to see who can catch COVID 19 first, there is also unsettling local instances that the virus is at our doorstep.  

A team of workers at one library branch had to do home quarantine about a month ago, and now an entirely different branch has had to close because of exposure.  Last night, I found out that someone who works in my office building has tested positive for the virus, which made me very upset.  I don't think I have worked the same days recently, but how long are the germs lingering around?  Did I just unknowingly expose my entire family at our birthday gathering yesterday?  We were all outside the majority of the time, but we all hugged and ate together (saliva spreads it).  Should I stop going into the office and go back to only working from home?  Do I need to get retested myself to see if I am a carrier?  How many times will insurance cover one person getting tested?

My husband and I got tested a few weeks ago because of the "outbreak" in Hammond bars and one of his coworkers was ill for a few days.  Thankfully, no one actually had the virus at his work and our tests came back negative.  Our daughter has been going to summer camp since they opened in June and while young kids aren't the high-risk category you hear about on the news, there's no way to know how careful other parents are being at home even though the actual camp and counselors are taking lots of precautions.  

I hope this year has a sparkle to it in some way sooner than later.  Right now it's in the small things.  I had my birthday tradition of a custard fruit tart for breakfast with my immediate family.  Yesterday I spent time with my side of the extended family, and last night we started watching "Hamilton" on Disney+.  I slept pretty well, and plan on relaxing all day at home.  

Happy Fourth of July, everybody!

Hot Mess Mardi Gras

Two years ago, my husband and I both had food poisoning from eating bad prosciutto.  He actually went to the ER for it on Lundi Gras that year.  Last year it was pretty cold because Mardi Gras was early.  This year, my husband has been working the graveyard shift and I have a sinus infection and tummy issues.  I just want to be healthy, for him to have a flexible schedule, and all of us be happy and ready to parade at this time of year.

I've already got next year's plan made - which also means it will get messed up.  Nyx and Muses will be half days of work, and Flyday and Lundi Gras I will be totally off .  We'll hopefully have someone we can use as a babysitter for the night parades, and the rain needs to stay away.  Mardi Gras is going to be early in 2018, which I highly dislike, so it could be chilly.  Of course, with this whopping two weeks of winter we've had this year, it could just as easily be 80 degrees again - at least it's sunny.

Last Friday night, we ended up cancelling our open house party for Eve because of rain.  Actually, most people cancelled themselves.  Tonight we were going to do the same thing for Orpheus, but with my issues and my husband's schedule, we decided to call it off.  Plus, there's pretty major road construction on our street right now, which could prove to be a pain in the butt even for walkers.

It's just not meant to be for us this year.  If I feel better, tomorrow our three year old and I might join some friends heading uptown for a couple of morning parades.  Sunday we'll be at a friend's house with tons of food (but no parades), and Monday kind of depends on the weather, but could be a buffet lunch with some other friends.  Things aren't terrible, I just hope I can enjoy all this food, but next year I would really like to parade a bit more.

Happy Mardi Gras, Y'all!  Stay safe, and have a great time!