I really didn’t think that I would go three weeks without posting a blog post, not any time during this (pandemic) season, anyhow. Alas I did go almost three weeks without posting or even maintaining the blog. What can I say? I was sick. Did I have the Covid? I do not know. I think—by the symptoms—it might have been a bad cold, though I was sick enough to spend a week pretty much in bed and then several more days recovering. I did have a low-grade fever. My school-faring nephew almost certainly gave it to me and my children were both sick and breezed through it. Even though I have asthma, I did not have respiratory issues. “They” advised me not to go get tested unless I couldn’t breathe or had a high fever. I guess we’ll never know.

Where did I disappear after the week/week-and-a-half of staring blankly at Rachael Ray (of all people! I usually don’t watch her. Perhaps this is a symptom we are overlooking.)? To the place where all house-keeping mothers go after they have been sick: buried underneath the pile of dirty laundry, house chores, work, and to-dos that accumulated while you were out of commission. At least my kids manage the dishes and some of the chores at this point, but I also had the blog backing up, a home school class to prep for and teach, a child to be homeschooled… not to mention work: writing and submissions and editing, oh my!

After I was back up to functioning level, which happened slowly and in fits and starts (and was interrupted by a nasty reaction to the flu shot (oh, bother!)) I spent weekend number one checking off the tardy things on my to-do list and continuing to rest (oh, and washing all the linens in sight). I spent weekend number two cleaning the house from top to bottom and batch-cooking. My thought is that this weekend, number three, I can catch up on home school, teaching, and work. That might be too much to ask, but home school is now progressing a little every day, anyway. Or maybe not. I feel like I’m treading water but at least I’m doing it in a clean house.

There really is no point to sharing all this, except that it’s my blog and I thought I might explain myself to someone. I was going to dive right into my review of Amal Unbound but then I was on my third paragraph and I thought, This isn’t much of a review. I’ll review Amal this weekend or, goody-goody, maybe even before. I do have a few books to share with you, though my pace slackened to a full stop during those hours I was slack-jawed, snuggled down in my bed, planning batch cooking with Rachael Ray, my new, totally obnoxious and misunderstood buddy.