I’ve fallen into several rabbit holes during quarantine. No, not literally although some of you wouldn’t be surprised. I’ve been preoccupied with WWF (thank you to my WordsWithFriends friends, who apparently are likewise obsessed), baking, swimming, hiking, baking some more, and reading, reading, reading. Thus, no blog for a while. It was a beautiful summer with gorgeous sunny days on the lake (droughts will do that). Living in relatively remote Northern New York we were largely unaffected by the spreading viral infections. We did, however, watch with annoyance as out-of-towners inundated our town sidewalks and hiking trails and trailhead parking areas, fleeing here to alleged safer environs. And yet, we did welcome family and friends to visit as they also sought refuge, weighing the risk (assuming proper precautions) vs. the benefit. We also were very lucky to have had our kids visit frequently this year, often for weeks at a time, which has been a blessing.
A brief recap of Bebernitz-North Quarantine:
Quarantinis, sourdough, mask making, lurking American Girl dolls, hiking and kayaking, baking, a virtual triathlon and several virtual 5k’s, the #25pushup challenge, expanded gardening, swimming, reading, Dan and Anna’s wedding, a few family visits. Oh, and we built a barn. All catalogued below:
Speaking of ‘unprecedented’, we had a plague of mice and chipmunks this year. So I guess we’ll expect more fox, coyote, and fisher since food is plentiful (remember the circle of life?) Perhaps locusts, frogs, lice, boils, and rivers of blood are next? Damn you, 2020!
Quarantine seemed to bring out the need for people to reconnect, I suppose because we were all missing human contact. I’ve been lucky enough to work at various places where my colleagues have all been wonderful (well, most of you). There were a few Zoom meetings with friends from way back when: my volleyball/party crew in Warwick NY (the DSO’s), the Molecular Biology and Infection Dept’s from Lederle/American Cyanamid/American Home Products/Wyeth/Pfizer (also a party crew), and the ladies lunch group from AstraZeneca (again, party crew). Keep in mind, I haven’t seen most of the people from both the DSO’s and the Lederle-Wyeth group in 18 years! The attendance was outstanding for all and it was SO NICE to see everyone. Thank you to the organizers!
Our Thanksgiving was considerably smaller than usual. With 6 sibings and the requisite significant others and children, our normal holiday dinner would find us with a minimum of 12 in attendance at Mom’s in Buffalo. This year, we stayed home and hosted Christina only. My mom, now 88, has decided she’s done with the cooking and spent Thanksgiving with my sister. But we Zoomed and it felt good nevertheless. There was still too much food, so some things didn’t change.
Chocolate bourbon pecan pie cupcake
It’s meteorological winter now as the weather confirms: grey skies, light snow showers most days, and cold. The woodburning stove is warming the living room, the Christmas tree is up and decorated, and normally we’d be planning a trip for spring and next fall. We have a few places to visit in mind but nothing has been booked as we await the end of the pandemic. It’s crazy, the world just shutting down and changing literally overnight. I volunteered with the county Public Health department to assist with vaccine distribution so maybe an interesting blog will come from that experience. The vaccine can’t come soon enough! But in the meantime, I’ll keep on keeping on and hope you will too. Wear your mask, socially distance, and here’s a virtual hug from me:
Lastly, a shout-out to all of my science colleagues at every place I’ve worked. Each one of you has always had the patient in mind even if we worked in ‘big, bad pharma’. My brother-in-law was diagnosed 18 months ago with stage 4 esophageal cancer. He is now nearly tumor free since treatment with Keytruda and Herceptin, a cancer fighting combo recently approved at the time of his diagnosis. The results are remarkable and science (as well as his attitude) has EVERYTHING to do with his success. Please know your work MAKES a DIFFERENCE, even if you f*up the experiment once or twice. Whatever field you are in, keep fighting the good fight. Thank you, all.
My new reality 