Gee, you’d think with a two year pandemic, a lay-off, and general lack of focus, I’d have found some time to write. Well, you’d think wrong. Let’s see here, where to begin…

How about a quick catch up:

2018 – I remember nothing after April. Nothing.

2019 – Bought a house! Be thankful you missed all my complaining about packing and moving right at Christmas. Around that same time we were hearing about a virus in China that was wreaking havoc. I continued unpacking, not even mildly concerned.

2020 – In March, that Covid nightmare started in Texas. By May we were sheltering-in-place and washing our groceries in the sink. In June, I decided to buck the trend. Instead of joining the Covid-club, I came down with West Nile.

Very similar symptoms. Slept almost a solid week. Fever, hallucinations, no appetite. Brain fog and exhaustion continued for MONTHS. I do not recommend West Nile, in case you were considering it.

During the time I was a mosquito zombie, my mother decided she needed to be entertained, and so fell down. She didn’t want to wake me during my recovery and was afraid if she called 911 they would break down her front door, which she was quite fond of, so she just hung out on the floor until she was discovered later that day by my brother. Thus followed MONTHS of hospitalization, rehab, assisted living, and yelling at caregivers who had a laissez-faire attitude about masks. I’ve never been so disappointed in the medical community in my life – and that’s saying something.

2021 – Covid, Covid, Covid… a new job! Yes, I interviewed and was hired for a job without ever setting foot in a room with anyone I would be working with. It was BIZARRE. This was happening at Christmas time (of course) which led to an interesting discovery. You see, I was stringing lights on our real tree one evening in preparation for decorating the following day. That night, my eyes were incredibly itchy. Shrugging it off, I fell asleep. The next morning, I looked in the bathroom mirror and gasped as Rocky Balboa post-Apollo Creed fight stared back at me from the glass. I cannot believe I am including this photo – but you have to see it to believe it. I guess I’m allergic to certain trees now.

Luckily, I had the full day to stuff Benadryl down my throat and use ice bags before my second interview. By wearing glasses, I was able to disguise the remaining puffiness.

From the safety of my home office, I, like every other American at the time, huddled barefoot and wearing clothes that had neither zipper nor buttons. The first two weeks were filled with Zoom meetings, Teams meetings, and enough training to make me reconsider. It was six months before I went into the office for a meeting in one of the conference rooms, where we all wore masks and tried to figure out how to interact with each other in person. It was another month before I visited my desk and tried to find my way around the nearly empty office. To date, I think I can count on both hands the number of times I’ve been there. In fact, my desk remained so totally un-personalized for so long, I walked in one day to find one of my monitors had been taken, along with my office chair. Nothing says “Welcome!” like having your desk pilfered. Honestly, it’s been a challenge to bond with people and feel like a part of the team or to understand and embrace the culture. Strangely, one of the co-workers I’m closest to is in another state.

In the summer of 2021, my mother’s house sold, we held an estate sale that nearly killed us all, and she moved into a lovely independent living apartment. My mother is generally pleased with her new home, although tales from the scene make it sound like a middle school, where around each corner lurks someone annoying, manipulative and/or gossipy. I think there is serious potential for a Golden Girls-type sitcom that Hollywood is missing out on.

2022 – Covid, Covid Covid… Wedding! Derek, my stepson, is getting hitched this summer after a two year pandemic delay. We couldn’t be happier for Ashlea and him. If a couple can survive in a one bedroom apartment through lockdown, the rest is going to be easy.

The rest of 2022 holds way more plans than I can shake a stick at, which I hope will be a nice change. I must confess though, this introvert was pretty content to remain at home with her husband and dogs, feeding the backyard birds and reading for two years.

Speaking of which, remind me to tell you about our first adventure out into the world after we’d been vaccinated. It’s highly entertaining.