Jeopardy and the blog as a book

Monsieur Cardinal taking his bath, again:

The cold wing of Covid has brushed close. Had dinner on my deck Wednesday with Cathy and Monique. Cathy had been with her daughter who later tested positive. Cathy had tested negative and felt fine but was careful; we distanced. At midnight, she felt sick and tested positive. Monique and I are hoping the outside air will spare us, but are waiting to see. In the meantime, I cancelled a date today with a friend going through cancer treatment. This thing is so contagious, and still very much with us.

Did go for the usual Friday walkabout with Ruth, who told me about her trip to Stratford with our friend Merrijoy; they got the bus there, saw a matinee of Chicago that she says is fabulous, and got the bus back = a very long day. Ruth is 83 and Merrijoy is 94 1/2. Inspiring, as always! Ruth and I rejoiced in spring - a profusion of daffs and tulips and this magnificent magnolia by the Necropolis. 

I'm watching Jeopardy every night for the first time in my life. How does that young Canadian Mattea Roach know so many arcane facts? One question: In 1864, what Shakespeare play did John Wilkes Booth and his brother perform? She replied Julius Caesar. Correct. Phenomenal! Tonight, I'll have to juggle between Mattea and Upstart Crow, the wonderful satire starring Shakespeare, both at 7.30. 

Exciting news. My friend Jean-Marc said he felt there should be a printed copy of my blog. "In a hundred years," he said, "someone studying middle-class women in Cabbagetown in the twenty-first century will be able to consult your blog." Okay, why not? JM came on as project manager. It has cost more than anticipated but it's worth it; there are four bound books containing one million two hundred and fifty thousand words. That's just for ten years, 2007, the start of the blog, through 2017! Five more years to go. The fourth volume wasn't ready but I picked up three today. Extry extry read all about it - middle-class woman in Cabbagetown won't shut up! 

I've been working obsessively, getting an essay ready to submit by a May 15 deadline. I started with a piece that was 16,000 words, but the limit for this magazine is 10,000, so had to cut over 6000 of my precious, beautiful words. A valuable exercise. CUT.

Too bad I didn't do that for the million-plus-word blog. LOL.