Right now

Right now... (an occasional meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current")


April was our first full month under self-isolation. I have been out of the house exactly 5 times in the 50 days since March 12 -- once on April 2nd to drop off Great-Nephew's Easter goodies, and four times for short walks. Sadly, while the weather has started to improve a bit, it generally hasn't been particularly co-operative -- it's still been pretty chilly out there (highest recorded temp was one day that was around 15C), and even on milder days, it's often been raining or windy (which adds a chill). :(  Dh has been out slightly more often... about once a week or so for groceries/prescriptions and to pick up the mail from our box downstairs.

Reading: My COVID reading drought continues. :(  Well, it hasn't been a complete drought, but I certainly have not been reading as much as I thought I would. :(   I read 2 books in April (both reviewed on this blog & tagged "2020 books"):  

• The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John
• "Rilla of Ingleside" by L.M. Montgomery. 

So far this year, I've read 13 books.  I'm currently at 43% of my Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge goal of 30 books, and (despite slacking off this month) I'm still 4 books ahead of schedule, which is comforting to remember. 

Current read(s):  

• "The Death of Expertise" by Tom Nichols. (This one has been on my shelf for quite a while now... I would say it's even more relevant today than when it was published in 2017. Tom has a great Twitter feed too.)  

(Very) sadly, I haven't been inside a bookstore since March 12th  :(  but I have been buying e-books for my Kobo e-reader and Amazon Kindle phone app -- most of them older titles bought at deep discounts ($5 or less), but some recent releases too.  A few recently purchased titles:  

• "The Last Romantics" by Tara Conklin 
• "Recipe for a Perfect Wife" by Karma Brown 
• "Followers" by Megan Angelo (as recommended by Mel) 
• "The Immortalists" by Chloe Benjamin 
• "The Authenticity Project" by Claire Pooley
• "Weird:  The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World" by Olga Khazan
• "Still: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Motherhood" by Emma Hansen 
• "Flu" by Gina Kolata (about the 1918 pandemic) 

(Dh has made up for my lack of reading by gobbling up books at a record rate the last while, including some from my TBR pile!  Also some Stephen King & Don Winslow novels he picked up before the bookstores closed.)  

Watching:  I started watching "World on Fire" on PBS Sunday nights, a British drama about WWII with a cast of what feels like 10,000 interconnecting characters (including Sean Bean and Helen Hunt, among the better-known names). The first episode was completely confusing, trying to keep all the different characters in Poland, Germany, England and France straight, not to mention how they all relate to each other. Once I started getting a handle on that, though, it started improving. We're about halfway through this season's seven episodes, and they will run through mid-May. There will be a second season. 

I also started watching "Mrs. America" on FX (I believe it's on Hulu in the States), a fascinating & well-done look at the 1970s battle to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, with an amazing cast:  Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly (!), Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem, Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan and a host of other familiar names & faces.  (Jeanne Tripplehorn plays Eleanor Schlafly, Phyllis's unmarried, childless-not-by-choice sister-in-law -- and so far, there have been more than a few "ouch" moments, both for Eleanor and those of us who will see ourselves in her shoes!)  

This is the era I grew up in, and while I was not as focused on the news then as I am now as an adult (and while I'm Canadian -- albeit with an American mother & grandparents that I spent a lot of time with, especially in the summer), I remember the ERA & the rise of the "women's lib" movement fairly well. (I remember Anita Bryant & her anti-gay crusade better than Phyllis Schlafly, though!) I actually did a paper in university (during the early 1980s/Reagan era) about Jerry Falwell (Senior) and the Moral Majority movement (!) & I actually READ one of his books as well as Phyllis Schlafly's book, "The Power of the Positive Woman," as part of my research. (I think I deserve a medal for that, lol.) Pamela recently blogged about "Mrs. America" and her own memories of growing up in this era, here.

(I have much clearer memories from a few years later, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau -- father of current PM Justin -- sought to "bring home" Canada's constitution from Britain, including a new, made-in-Canada Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There was much consternation when women realized equality rights were not included in the original draft of the proposed charter. Women from across the country rallied to demand the inclusion of equality rights and, ultimately, they were enshrined in the charter which came into effect on April 17, 1982. I was 21 years old at the time.) 

I like that both sides of the story are presented in various shades of grey -- the feminists don't always agree or get along personally (there was an awkward moment when an airline stewardess seats Steinem on a plane beside Betty Friedan, who had just publicly trashed her), and while I don't think anyone would call Schlafly a sympathetic character, she's certain a complex one. 

Listening:  I still don't listen to a lot of podcasts, but I have been catching up on some recent episodes of "Kidless" with Ashley & Eric,"Live Childfree" with Erik & Melissa, and "The Full Stop" with Michael, Sarah & Berenice. 

Following:  I mentioned in a previous post that I've been following a Facebook Readathon of "Rilla of Ingleside" by L.M. Montgomery.  One of the members there brought our attention to another Montgomery-related readathon on FB: (would you believe...?):  #Annedemic!!  

This article explains how the East Pointers, a band from Prince Edward Island, dreamed up #Annedemic to raise funds (as well as spirits) for East Coast musicians whose concerts and tours have been cancelled because of COVID-19.  Each night, one of the band members -- or a guest -- reads a chapter of Montgomery's classic novel, "Anne of Green Gables," on Facebook live.  (They even got Anne herself -- Megan Follows, who starred in the memorable 1980s CBC television adaptation of the book -- to read one of the final chapters.) I haven't actually listened in or watched any of the videos yet -- and I've yet to hear a note of music from the East Pointers -- but I made a donation to the GoFundMe, just because I was so tickled by the idea. :)  (Also by the photos of these long-haired young hipster GUYS with a copy of Anne in their hands!)

They've just finished reading "Anne of Green Gables" -- but will be starting on the next book in the series, "Anne of Avonlea," tonight!  All readings are livestreamed on the band's Facebook page, (videos of the AOGG readings can also be found there), and there's now also a separate #Annedemic group where fans can chat and share about all things Anne. 

Drinking: I actually cracked open my lone remaining bottle of wine (a Canadian chardonnay) during a recent Zoom chat with some fellow loss moms recently, lol -- dh & I actually don't drink a lot and aside from a few bottles of wine, we generally don't keep a lot of alcohol in the house. Our liquor & beer stores remain open as designated "essential services" (lol!!), but I'm not THAT desperate for a drink (yet??).  

Eating:  We've heard rumours of impending meat shortages, because of COVID outbreak clusters among processing plant workers in both Canada and the U.S. -- but so far, dh hasn't noticed any significant issues during his grocery runs.  We're not vegetarians by any means, but we do eat a lot less meat than I did in my youth. Dh grew up eating a lot of beans & lentils, and we have those several times a week, so whatever meat we have in the freezer compartment tends to last us quite a while -- and we're pretty well stocked for now. We have a couple of packages each of pork chops, chicken breasts and ground beef on hand, as well as some "convenience" foods like lasagnas (chicken in cream sauce for me, beef & tomato for dh), chicken pot pies, battered fish fillets and chicken strips/fingers for when we're feeling lazy, lol.  

Dh mistakenly bought veal cubes instead of beef cubes for stew a few weeks ago, but we just used them in our usual beef stew recipe for the slow cooker (with a few adjustments to the spices) and it turned out just fine.

Buying (besides books, lol):  Not much opportunity for shopping right now, other than groceries...!  As I mentioned in a previous "Right Now" post, I'm trying not to get too much in the habit of buying stuff online & having it delivered. ;)  But I couldn't resist ordering a few new pieces of sterling silver jewelry during a sale from one of my favourite crafters. (I was introduced to her work by a mutual friend and former blogger!)  Check our her lovely stuff here -- and get on the mailing list to get advance notice of sales and special promotions!  

(Now, to wait impatiently for the opportunity to WEAR it somewhere outside my condo...!)

Wearing:  My usual uniform of yoga pants & T-shirts. Number of times I've worn jeans and a bra since March 12th:  ONCE (on April 2nd, when we went to deliver little Great-Nephew's Easter gifts). Even then, it probably wasn't necessary -- we didn't go inside, didn't take off our jackets -- but it made me feel more normal to put them on. (The jeans still fit!)(then!...) 

(Not wearing (yet): a mask. Haven't had the need to do so yet... we don't need them for just walking around the neighbourhood. We have two N95s that dh has been wearing to the supermarket, but they're really supposed to be worn just once, and he's already worn them a couple of times.)  I don't have a sewing machine, but I've bookmarked a couple of videos showing how to make no-sew masks, and I've also considered ordering some of the ones that are for sale via the Internet. Many of those are either sold out or subject to waits for delivery, though.) 

Wanting:  More than ever, I want a HAIRCUT!!  lol  It's been NINE WEEKS TODAY since our last trims on Feb. 28th (normally, we go every six weeks, like clockwork) and we are both feeling pretty shaggy. I've taken to slicking back my bangs with lots of mousse so they don't hang in my eyes (drives me nuts...), but we'll see how long that lasts...  

Trying: Not to think too much about how long this might drag on...  

Missing:  Little Great-Nephew. :(  (And the dog, lol.)  Aside from that brief behind-glass hello on April 2nd, we haven't seen him since March 5th -- nearly two months!  :(  (Every new Instagram post from his mom or dad is a major event, lol -- and of course, there's never enough of them...!.)  

Despairing: That I'm going to get to see my family anytime soon. I'm hearing there are fears of a second wave of coronavirus in the fall that will be even worse than the first one. As a Facebook friend (and former blogger) said at Eastertime, "It's so hard not being with our families this Easter and Passover, but DO NOT MAKE ME MISS CHRISTMAS. STAY. HOME."  :(   

(I have never spent a Christmas away from my family -- this year will be #60!  (We'll also be celebrating my mom's 80th & my 60th birthdays in January at the same time.)  I know I'm lucky I've been able to do this. I know there's always a first time. I just always thought it would be after my parents were gone. :(  )

Loving: That we've been able to open the balcony door & let in some fresh air a couple of times lately. Progress...!!  

Feeling:  Sometimes bored. Sometimes a bit melancholy.  Sometimes tired (even though I don't DO much of anything most days). Often grateful, for my health, for my ability to stay at home in relative safety, with all the modern comforts around me.