Changing Plans

Life is changing around here.  We are a community of 60+ years and over. We have a bulls eye on us according to the CDC that if we get the coronavirus it will be much worse for us.  80+ years old have a 15% death rate from it, some sources are reporting.

Tomorrow is big meeting with the administrator who will likely tell us to restrict outside visitors.  We already have instructions that if you return from a cruise or out of the country you must be in quarantine for 14 days.  One couple returned from a trip to Costa Rica and another person from somewhere else and immediately were confined to their apartments.

We have no cases here in Howard County yet but its best to take the measures now instead of when someone has it in our community.  If that were to happen we'd all be confined to our apartments for 14 days.

We were to have friends for dinner and cards on Saturday and then again on Sunday.  Two different groups of 4.  It was a church auction item last spring.  I wrote to them all to indefinitely postpone it.

We have reservations in Boston at the end of the month for one night before going on to NH to see granddaughters in a ballet performance.  We will likely cancel the Boston reservation.

We have reservations in Wyoming in June to visit the Grand Tetons. We've rented a VRBO for the week. I put the date on the calendar when we can cancel with 100% return and that's April 8th. Don't know what we'll do with the United reservations.  They changed our flight going out to earlier in the day which means a longer layover in Chicago.  Don't think we'll want to do that.  Maybe we'll drive instead or just not go.

How is this threat impacting your life?

Old Cake Recipe

Baked Meringue Spice Cake

Last month I made this cake to celebrate my mother in law's birthday.

The recipe came from an old cake recipe book published in 1950 that my mother in law gave to me many years ago.

I didn't have cake flour.  I used unbleached flour from King Arthur's and it tends to be dry so I had to use more liquid.  I knew that one egg white wouldn't be enough to cover the cake so used two.

It turned out to be nice and light and super tasty.

A real hit with everyone.

Another Book to Read

I should live up to my blog title on at least one of the categories there.  Sorry it can't be birds or blooms but it can be books.  I try to keep a list in sidebar of the books I've read, which reminds me I need to update it after posting this.

Just finished this book.

Found it in the Free Little Library in the park near here.  I knew I'd read it before but didn't remember much of the story other than I knew it was a good one.  

And it was as good the second time especially since I had mostly forgotten the story.

Here's the blurb from the back:

"A.J. Fikry's life is not all what he expected it to be.  He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen.  But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over--and see everything anew."

If you are a book lover you'll like this book.  It's quite a believable story about the human condition and twists of fate.

What are you reading?

My next book to read is for my book club "Mama's Boy: A Memoir".  This is a book club made up of  now retired teachers.  I've been a part maybe 15 years!  Wow, but its beginning predates that.

The book group I was instrumental in starting here at Vantage House will read for April 9th meeting "The Ninth Hour". I've read that recently for my other book club.  I must go to the library today to pick up all the copies set aside for us and distribute them.

Idiocy Revealed

One of the blogs I read October Farm had this poster on her blog this morning.  You can read the whole blog post here.

I read it to my husband asking "Is this a real survey?"  He said yes so I went to CNN's site and searched Corona Beer and found the article.  In it it described the survey.  Now the survey was of 700+ beer drinkers, but yes 38% of them said that.

Here's the quote from the article.

5W Public Relations said that 38% of Americans wouldn't buy Corona "under any circumstances" because of the outbreak, and another 14% said they wouldn't order a Corona in public. The survey encompasses polling from 737 beer drinkers in the United States.

Are there really Americans who are that dumb? 

Now conflating these poor idiot beer drinkers with the supporters of Trump, there may be something to that.  I'll let you decide.  You know my opinion of that man.

Let me share one other poster from that same blog that has some good advice.