I gave a reading at a funeral in a coral dress. I have no idea if anyone took issue with it.....nor would I care. I had traveled there in a last-minute emergency overnight drive and did not have time to go shopping. I did the best I could with what I had available. I think my time was far better spent supporting other loved ones of the deceased than trolling the mall for something more "appropriate." It did not even occur to me that this would be a thing. I was too involved in that funeral to even notice/remember what others were wearing but the last one I attended locally had people in all colors and all level of formality (or not). That one was local and as a general rule, the culture here tends to less formal. The family was just happy for the support. I also remember wearing a maroon dress with a white jacket to my grandmother's funeral when I was 9. Again, we drove 24 hours to get there. My mom was not going to fuss with clothing. We wore what we had an all was OK.

We have been trying to pare down the guest list. We are not going to invite anyone that is not local, so that took a good chunk off. That means no extended family but I think everyone will understand. And we have knocked off anyone local that we feel we have any chance of not offending. We are still at 150.....without any of dd's actual friends. I would guess 100-ish have a good chance of attending. Even with staggered attendance, I cannot see this being under the 25 person limit at any point. Our closest friends will stay the entire time even if I ask them not to. So, we have to choose. Do this and own the fact that we are not following the state guidelines, cancel/postpone and hope the state does not continue to swirl down the Covid toilet, or take the indoor venue route. Looking at the list, I can say that every single person over the age of 16 has had at least one dose of vaccine. Given this is 6 weeks away, everyone should be fully vaxxed except for children. Our area only recently got the J&J vaccine so I suspect most everyone has the more effective two-dose vaccine. So, I feel the event will be safe, even if it does not follow the guidelines. I just have to decide if I have the guts to float the rules in such a public space.

It's really sad. Not tragic, but for sure sad.

How are you going to do food service? That is another big question. I am of the opinion that a food table is not likely to be a source of spread but of course, I could be wrong. We did get a lead on an indoor option. It is very large so our group would be well under capacity, even if every guest came at the same time. I still don't like it. I feel much more comfortable outdoors. We have not eaten at an indoor restaurant (or outdoors, for that matter) at all since this all started, so I cannot imagine holding this event indoors. The irony is that we would be within the guidelines to hold it indoors at this venue but not in my yard. Guidelines can change and a few weeks ago I would have been optimistic that they might loosen between now and then, but out state is crashing and burning right now so I think we might even get more locked down. Our local area has very low numbers, but again, that could change. There is also ease to consider. Having it at this venue takes any weather worries (it can seriously snow on the day we plan to do this) and takes the pressure off to provide the food, figure out how to serve it, gather all the tables, chairs, etc..... Even having it in my yard, while a much bigger job, is still easier than trying to do this elsewhere where bathroom access, food prep, and just moving everything back and forth, would add extra stress. Given that the vaccine rate of our guest list is very high, I am not worried about spread at the event. But I do want to be a good example in my community. Even when I don't agree with the guidelines, I follow them, knowing my state leadership is doing the best they can.

That was our first thought but we were clearly too late to the game. All are reserved with waiting lists. I got on those lists but even if I lucked out, I probably wouldn't know until well after we would have to distribute invitations. But I think my concerns are the same, except at a pavilion it would be within the state guidelines even though nothing at all would be different for actual exposure between actual people. We have a large garage we would use the same as a pavilion.....not big enough for everyone in bad weather but big enough to shelter some things like food and musicians, if necessary. Our yard is actually bigger than several of the shelters we inquired after.

Dd is graduating! Yay! Dd has been homeschooled from day one and many people in our community have taken part in her education over the years. We had always hoped to celebrate with all of them. We had an elaborate graduation plan that we have been brainstorming for years. Dd is a musician and plays in several local bands and groups. Our plan was to rent out a local music venue/bar/restaurant, have a "real" graduation ceremony on stage, then open the stage for walk-up picking, sometimes with dd, sometimes not. Breaks in the music for people to speak if they want. Food, cash bar, etc....... We figured about 200-300 people, coming and going throughout the event. Obviously, much of that plan is no longer possible. The venue we had in mind is technically allowed to be open at 50% capacity but the owner does not feel he has adequate ventilation to be safe for his staff or patrons to actually be open (I agree, FTR) and there are no viable alternatives. Even if there were, we are not comfortable with an indoor event. So, we are rethinking and trying to salvage as much of the original spirit of the plan as possible. Our entire family will be fully vaccinated by the date we have in mind and I would estimate that at least 50% of the guest list will be fully vaccinated with nearly everyone else having at least one dose. About 15 of the guest list are children who will not be eligible for vaccination at that time. I think that any adult who can NOT vaccinate would choose not to attend. What are others in this situation doing? The "right" thing to do is to not have an event. I know that. But, while I know that our family has been really lucky to have escaped any terrible disasters due to Covid, we have been hit hard and it has been a rough year for dd and our family. Dd has lost so many things she was looking forward to and if there is any way to do this one thing, I am hell-bent on doing it. I am eyeing my yard. We have the space to do much of what we planned outdoors. My state's Covid guidelines are non-sensical to me and I suspect they will not change between now and the date we have in mind. Outdoor residential gatherings are limited to 25. Outdoor non-residential gatherings are 300. I assume anything in our yard is considered "residential" even if we run the event as though it were "non-residential." Given that almost everyone involved would be masked and vaccinated, at least partially, I don't think the limits matter from an ethical standpoint in this case. But they would from a legal standpoint. We live on a very public lot in a busy city neighborhood so there is no hiding this event. I am struggling with the legal/ethical dilemma. Meanwhile, the local school is still holding prom, graduation, and senior lock-in night. I already have invitations to open houses that will be violating every aspect of our state guidelines. Not that multiple wrongs make a right..... Thoughts? Ideas? I'm wondering what others are doing.

What do you do with the buttermilk? Since it won't be cultured, I don't think it is useful as a levening agent.

Butter! I can make butter out of it! Duh!

How does one make creme fraiche? This would also be appealing as our local stores don't carry it.

Just make like normal? Do you keep them on the parchment or can they be tossed in a bag once frozen? Any thawing tips? This is the most appealing because 2 out of 3 of us are sensitive to dairy so we really can't eat creamy soups or ice cream. But the occasional dallop of whipped cream on pie is usually a risk worth taking.

I hate wasting food. We are watching a friend's house while they have to spend some time in the hospital. She asked us to take anything perishable from the fridge and either take it ourselves or toss it. There is a recently-opened, nearly full, half gallon of organic heavy whipping cream. I buy a half pint once in a blue moon for a dessert and really have no idea what to do with this. Any ideas on what I can do with it? Can I freeze it? Or can I process it somehow and then freeze it? We don't generally consume dairy in large quantities so it has to be something I can portion out and preserve somehow.

I'd be OK with it if everyone was masked. In your shoes, I'd simply poll the participants to discuss comfort level and make an option for anyone to sit out, no questions asked.

The answer to this is always a hard no for me! They potential cash lost in exchange for being able to just quickly get rid of things is for sure worth it.

We used the Trader Joe's tea, only because they is what friends sent in a care package. 6 boxes of it! We'll be drinking it forever! We also drank a lot of Fire Cider. Again, some local friends swear by it and dropped off a whole bunch. I have made it in the past but was out when I needed it. We use this as a supplement during cold/flu season: https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/fire-cider-health-tonic-and-homeopathic-remedy/ I try to always have some on hand and now for SURE will.

Dd was not able to finish the math section. She took the test cold with no prep (long Covid-related story) but at least knew to quickly skip the math problems she did not instantly know how to do (only because that was the last thing I yelled as she went out the door). So, she got through all of the problems but had skipped many that she never had time to go back to. She is a slow math processor so this did not surprise me at all.

We also really pushed the anti-inflammatories. Ginger-turamic tea was the staple beverage. It's anti-inflammatory, helped with chills, and contributed to hydration. I always had a fresh thermos of it left outside the isolation room door. I have no idea if it made any difference but our covid positive recovered quickly despite having a pretty miserable "mild" case and has so far avoided the rebound and/or loss of taste/smell that some people experience. The rest of the household also drank a lot of that tea and pushed the anti-viral supplements. I am told the ani-inflammatories are good pre and post vaccine too.

I also make 100% whole grain sourdough bread (50/50 rye and wheat) from home-ground berries. We have been eating it since well before my 17yo was born so she grew up on it. It is not really "bread." I'd say more like thinly sliced sour bricks. It's not for everyone, but we love it. I have been surprised at how many of dd's friends actually like it too. I do buy whole grain hamburger and hot dog buns and will use white flour for baking the very occasional cake or cookies, but in general we use whole grain for everything. Dd finds white bread odd and she will order whole grain or the closet she can find to it when out. But I would not worry if she preferred white bread. I would buy it as a "sometimes food" if anyone liked it. My family considers store bought whole wheat bread to be "white bread."

While we are ranting, can we also complain about the recipes that have 20 pages of descriptions and videos that you have to scroll through to get to the actual recipe?!?! Does anyone ever read that stuff or watch the videos? I too modify pretty much every recipe. I double the onion, garlic, ginger, and spices in most recipes. I don't even think about it anymore. I halve the sugar and will swap ingredients with reckless abandon. I also almost never use measuring devices. Luckily, I never leave recipe reviews!

Camping camping and more camping. We will all be fully vaccinated before the first trip. We did lots of camping last year too. Dh has to start flying for work by the end of the summer and dd has to fly twice this summer. We won't fly for a vacation any time soon.

We are in a similar situation due to unexpected job loss. Dd is a senior so we had to do some quick pivoting. I do work at a university so we decided pretty quickly that dd would pretty much have to go there in order to take advantage of my staff benefit. At our university, employees have to have worked there for 4 years before the benefit kicks in. That school was on dd's list anyway, but it was not her top choice. So, there was a compromise there. In addition to my staff benefit, dd also qualified for the top merit aid (another reason that this school makes the most sense at this time). Between the two her tuition is completely covered. She could live at home and commute easily but we told her she could live on campus if she found a way to pay for it from loans, working, or additional scholarships. She did not want to take out loans so she started applying for every scholarship she could find. Many are small but they add up quickly. There is a lot out there. The credit union we belong to has one, for instance. Alumni organizations, local foundations, etc..... She also secured a job. It looks like it's going to work out. Merit aid can be found for almost any student if you are willing to consider lower ranked schools. That might not be ideal, but better than nothing.

I called. It's a hard no. Luckily, they did let me swap her for dh so at least he can use her slot. There is no Pfizer available within two hours. Apparently our whole state is short on those. The nurse I talked to said they had no idea when or if they would be getting more. It was too good to be true. I wish we had not got our hopes up about visiting her grandmothers. Back to plan A.

I signed my whole family up for every vaccine waiting list within a two hour drive of our home. Our state will be opening vaccines for everyone within a couple of weeks so I wanted to make sure we were on the lists. My dd is 17. She turns 18 in late summer. We had to complete bday information to sign up for the lists. Some sites are grabbing people off the waiting list now because they have excess supply. Dd and I got an email that we have an appointment next week for the Moderna vaccine, despite the fact that they know her birthdate. That vaccine is indicated for 18+. Dd will not be 18 for 4 more months. The site is a two hour drive away. None of the sites in our area have the Pfizer, which is the only vaccine for 16+. Do I bother to drag dd to this appointment? Is there any chance they would give it to her despite not quite being 18? It could be some time before she would have access to the Pfizer vaccine. Dd has to fly on a multi-leg trip in mid-June. If she could get this vaccine now, we would all breathe a little easier. She could also see her grandmothers, which she has not seen in over a year. We had planned to leave her at home when we traveled to see them because we assumed she would not be able to get the vaccine. This would mean not seeing them for another year. But if she gets it, she can go too. I know if I call, they will say no. So, I am more inclined to just show up and hope for the best. Anyone know if they ever overlook age when it is close? Or is this a hard no? I'd just do it anyway, but the 5 hour round-trip means missing classes, which we won't do if there is no way they'd let her have it. I also don't want her appointment and dose to be wasted if we show up and get denied.

I'm guessing that there is but in this latest case, the phone number for the entire practice (two doctors and an NP) has been disconnected. The website is down and the last email I had for general contact bounces back. It was just over a year since anyone in the family had an appointment. When we moved to that practice, we sent a request to our prior practice to have our medical records transferred. After several reminders and no results, my "new" doctor ordered a new set of labs and everything so we didn't have to wait anymore. So, I don't even know that the scant new records I could get from the last practice is even worth the effort anymore. I can find one of the providers listed at a new practice in a different state. I could contact her there. But again, is it even worth it? I'd like to have a provider long enough to actually have a history! When I scan the "find a provider" pages for our local practices, I note that almost all general/family practice doctors that are accepting new patients (that's the important part) have very short local histories. It is rare to see anyone that has been here for more than 2 years.

The problem is that one is contagious 2+ days before any symptoms appear. And it is typically 4-5 days from exposure to symptoms. So, you could be on day 2 of contracting the virus, not have symptoms yet or a positive test result, but still be contagious right now. That is what sucks about this all. There is no way to know. I really struggled with this as we had to cancel a major milestone in dd's life even though we had no symptoms and an early negative test result. I was so tempted to go through the thought exercise you are. But then asked myself how I would feel if we did get a positive result on day 5. Would I be OK notifying everyone that would be affected by that decision? The consequences of this on your office is likely to be far worse than missing a few days. If you go with the bare minimum and test on Sunday, you could limit your quarantine period to 7 days total.

This could have been true for us had we not seriously isolated the second our positive person had a single cough and that we lucked out with the timing of our testing appointments. We ended up ending his isolation and our quarantine on the same day. But, aside from the misery of the illness itself, it is actually easier to do "the right thing" if you are the positive person. I was pretty irked by this, especially because our positive person was the least careful person in the house. Not because he did not believe being careful is important but just because he is the only extrovert in the house and was therefore unnecessarily putting himself at risk much more frequently than the other members of the household. Actually, I am still irked because now he can really let his guard down (for 90 days, anyway) and the rest of us cannot. Like he someone got rewarded.