4/13/2020

The times they are a changing.  4-6 weeks ago a new term was being thrown around - coronavirus 19.  Covid19.  Something happening around the world, in China.  Braxton pays more attention to this type of information.  He may have been mentioning it but I wasn't listening.   He's a bit of a hypocondriac anyway.  But by early March he was asking me to not go to my grooming appointment at Merle Norman.    I went.  But I did not go to my hair appointment 4 days later.  I canceled.  Catherine understood.  It wasn't much longer before the state of NC closed salons.  Nail salons, hair salons.  Restaurants open for delivery/pick up only.  It really doesn't seems as if too much is changed.  As I sit in my home, up on the hill, I'm so far removed from the every day life that is happening just 1/4 a mile away.  Sure, there are enough signs that things are different.  Braxton has set up a remote office here at the house.  He's worked so hard at setting up remote work, remote Register of Deeds, remote filings.  Anything that might keep him, and his staff, out of the courthouse.  he struggles daily with keeping his office open and staying alive for his first grandchild, a granddaughter, Eleanor Emerson Kimball.  Ella. 

Ella doesn't know what's going on.  She was born 2/17/2020.  Today she's 8 weeks old.  Today we haven't seen her in 5 weeks.  Thankful for facetime.  Not the same. 

Today my sister in law is saying good-bye to her 94 year old dad.  Her mother and father have both been a very nice assisted living facility, although the Dad, after a few falls, was required to stay the night on a hall with more oversight.  His days were spent downstairs with his wife.  However, his wife passed away less than a year ago.  The dad was sicker all along and recently has been quite vocal about not wanting the kids to leave when they've come to visit.   Please don't leave me.  Please don't go.  If those aren't guilt-ridden words, I don't know what are.  The children have been very attentive.  They love their dad.  They know how lonely he has been with his wife gone.  He no longer goes downstairs for meals with his wife, spending the day with his wife, a normal day as they had been for the past 6 decades.  His kids were what was normal with this life he was now living.

So today they said good-bye to him.  Today was also the celebration of my brother-in-law's 60th birthday (my sister's husband).  A very nice affair, catered, bourbon bar, foods lovingly made by my sister.  His two children and their spouses in attendance.  Wonderful neighbors and friends.  Not much could top this party.

And at our house.... my single, never-been-married, childless brother-in-law (my husband's brother) was in town to celebrate his 70th birthday and his retirement.  And this evening was so stressful.  I so wished things were different.  I have prepared every birthday dinner/celebration for my husband's family and for our family for the past 38 years.  For my in-laws when they were living.  Holiday celebrations.   Not necessarily Thanksgiving/Christmas.  In the early years the older generation carried on the traditions.

Before children we spent our time between my family 6 hours away and his family for the holidays.  Very different types of family.  Christmas day was spent driving across the state.  Not much was open on the highways during that time.  If we were really lucky we would have a little snow.  His family waited on the Christmas meal for us to arrive.  Their traditional meals were different from what I had grown up with.  The turkey and ham were the same, but the side dishes, not so much.  I grew up with delicious dressing with Pauline's gravy.  Green beans.  Pecan pie.  Pumpkin pie.  Here I was confronted with mince meat pie, coconut cake and ambrosia.  I don't like coconut.  And has anyone every had mince meat??  They worked large gardens during the summer months and the sides were peas and corn.  Celery stalks.  (No dips.)   After the meal everyone stood around in the kitchen where one person washed the dishes, two or three stood around with dish towels to dry the dishes.  No dishwashers.