My customary come-and-go articulateness seems to have settled on gone for a good while, and I'm finding it harder to comment, far more easy to nod and scroll. So I apologize for reading and not holding up my corner of the conversation.

But I have to hug JZ, and Hec and Matilda, too. Your posts have been so eloquently spoken about grief as an unavoidable reality, experienced in the midst of the utter disorientation and constant low-level fear and trepidation of a pandemic. Bringing personal grief and love and loss into sharp contrast with the life we all expected to be living now, and the reality we're all picking our way through, trying not to touch anything. I'm so very grateful you shared your experience, hopefully let our small collective here support the three of you in some small way. Aside from real-world community, and family, and friends, here's another place where you are loved, your voice and experience treasured as you share it.

Thank you.

I can't say it better than Beverly and others have said it. JZ, I hope the love we have for you and yours brings some comfort.

Gud also replied to my email saying he was okay. I hope we hear more from him soon.

Finally got yeast, and naturally don't have quite enough flour to make bread.

My 92 year old grandfather and my aunt in her 70s are officially having Easter dinner with my cousin, the nurse.

Oh, sj. I'm sorry they are not being sensible. Maybe the nurse will be good about masks and hygeine?

I am so sorry for your family, JZ, but I'm so glad your father took the action he needed to do in advance: going through probate at any time is a nightmare, and right now! I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be. So with luck maybe your brothers can coast for a bit before they have to make any big decisions w/rt the business.

I walked the dog, made biscuits to share with the family (my sister is delivering porchetta to everyone), had a family Zoom session to sing happy birthday to my nephew, and now I am ripping Dad's CDs very slowly.

Oh sj. I'm sorry for the nonsense.

I have no idea how sensible they're being. I told my grandfather not to hug my cousin and he laughed a bit.

Meanwhile our ricotta pie is chilling in the fridge. The lab is braising, the lasagna is baking, and TCG is making the pilaf.

That sounds *delicious*, sj.

I'm so glad your father took the action he needed to do in advance: going through probate at any time is a nightmare, and right now! I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be.

It's an act of love to face your own mortality and spare your family that chaos. Not everyone can do it. This is your father actively present in your life, JZ. Nothing can make him all the way gone.

Matthew's sister dropped off left overs and since what we were going to have didn't defrost in time I'm not going to complain too much. I think she did it more because their mom called and was complaining about being isolated.

Yesterday she got it in her head she needed to get the grandkids Easter presents and was going to go out searching for them but we finally talked her out of it.