all that's past is prologue...

So this weekend, we were able to escape to stay with our friends Elyse and Heath (and Teddy and Chester) at their amazing place in Gordon, Wisconsin — and it was just about perfect! They acquired the property last year — with the help of our friend Brian who really knows how to sell a place — "A junkyard along railroad tracks with a condemned bridge and unclear title; what's not to love?" But seriously, he knew it would be the perfect place for them and he was totally right, and I am so excited for everything they have done, and will continue to do with it. Someday I'll tell the whole story of it, because it's amazing. They are the perfect stewards for this very important, historic property. Just look at the adorable rooms we got to sleep in! Let's just say a weekend filled with cabin tours, hanging out along the river at their place and various other cabins, exploring historic properties, spending time with Heath and Elyse but also with tons of other friends ...

I have a pot of water boiling on the stove, and I'm making rhubarb simple syrup for rhubarbaritas. I'm mixing up this frothy pink syrup because I don't know what else to do. I don't know what else to do about lawmakers who actively pursue a forced birth strategy, yet vote against a bill allowing easier WIC access to formula when the shelves are literally empty and parents can't feed their kids. I don't know what to do about 18 young children — and two teachers — dead in Texas because we won't stand up and do something about this. I don't know what to do about the homeless person living in the tent at the end of our street, or members of my state legislature who are leaving the state work undone and refusing to even consider a special session, at least not right now. I'm worried about our kids. All of them. I kept my sense of smell when I had covid, only to lose most of it, maybe permanently, when I broke my nose. I can't smell the lilacs, or the ...

 Art always does its job. Truth be told, I did not want to go out tonight. My broken nose has hit me hard (no pun intended) and I felt crappy and I have a ton of STAR grants to read. But we had tickets to Moonlit Walk Home , created by Nautilus (and Jenn and Christina Baldwin), directed by Ben Krywosz and composed by Daniel Ness, based on Jenn and Christina's mother's poems. We had seen bits and pieces tin workshops, and had meant to go when it opened, but there were circus shows, and covid, and...well, life just got in the way. I love Nautilus, and Ben, and adore Jenn and Christina, and knew I would love it when we got there, so we went. And I could not have needed it more than I did. For a little over an hour, we could sit in a world of beautiful, heartfelt thoughts. An evocative set. And some of the most beautiful music I have heard in a long time. It was truly magic.  There are 5 shows, and a handful of tickets , left. If you are feeling overwhelmed by life right now, tru...

Except for a fingertip, I have never broken anything in my life (not even anyone's heart that I know of!). Apparently, I was saving it all for this year. Yup, this morning when the internet went out (because Xfinity was messing with our lines yet again), I decided to take a quick shower and then work offsite. Cue Tiger Lily, who is obsessed with the faucet, hovering around the tub waiting to get in. And me tripping on her as I got out of the tub, and knocking my head on the toilet, and my nose on the bathroom wastebasket. Cue blood like a crime scene (ugh, I did not have "clean the tile grout" on my task bingo card right now) and a ton of pain. And then a lovely trip down to the United ER (I really should just get a timeshare there) to be diagnosed with a broken nose. I have a headache so bad I can't see straight and my nose is kind of bent and feels like it has been stuffed back into my head. My nose has big scrapes and was surgical glue on it. I need to go in to get...

I am finally feeling well enough to sit up and write a little. It's been quite a ride! This variant of covid apparently comes on like a train. Last Thursday, Beatrix and I went to see Atacama by Full Circle Theater. Patrick and I watched This Is Us . Around 10:30 I started having chills and feeling pretty crappy, so I decided to head up to bed early. I staggered down to do a home test the next morning, which lit up like a Christmas tree within seconds (though I did throat swab, which probably helped). And there it was. From the beginning, I was like a textbook example of symptoms. Fever. Aches. Chills. Sore throat. A little cough and slight congestion. Headache. Nausea so bad that even with zofran it was 30 hours before I could think of eating. Dizziness. Low oxygen. Fatigue. A terrible, thick metallic taste in my mouth. My fever was so bad my nails got hot and my nail wraps bubbled (really, it's true). I could barely concentrate to answer emails saying I would have to get bac...

Some more about covid in general later. But for now, some very specific tips about obtaining antivirals should you also fall ill. The TL:DR is it's a very specific, difficult process. I started having symptoms around 10pm last Thursday, 4/28, but decided to wait until Friday morning to test because it came on so fast. So positive test as of about 7:30am on 4/29. But hey! There are antivirals now, I should be feeling better soon (because I could not have felt any worse). So I check the nationwide Test to Treat site and it says some CVS's near me are sites. So I call them and they have not heard of this. At this point, all I know that I want are "antivirals." I soon learn that what I am looking for is paxlovid. It needs to be taken within the first 5 days of onset, and there is some thought the earlier the better. So then I call my regular clinic, HealthPartners. It's now around 9 am. I am told I can have a nurse screening around 11am. So I take that. They call and ...