I should be doing real work right now. I haven’t written a Substack newsletter in several weeks and I need to do an introductory post for the February Community Canning Challenge (even if we’re already 10 days into February). But I feel so unbalanced by everything that is happening in the US government right now that I cannot focus.

This is the first Monday morning I’ve had to myself in weeks. The boys just went through a three week cycle illness that included strep throat, a regular cold, and then a virus we suspect was the flu that wiped them out with fevers, occasional vomiting, and listlessness. On it’s way out, it gave Declan an all-body rash that was so alarming that it had us emailing pictures to our pediatric team in a near panic. They wrote back a brief but comforting note that said, “not an ER rash. Make an AM appointment.”

The Eagles won the Super Bowl last night, which sent Philadelphia into a frenzy of celebratory joy and unhinged behavior. The fervor went well into early hours of Monday and I am certain that people all across the region are feeling rough but happy today. On the way to school this morning, we walked past drifts of white and green confetti, a pile of hollowed out hoagie rolls (meat and cheese gone!), several dozen broken beer bottles, and at least one puddle of discarded clothing per block. I am not a football fan, but I really do adore how Philly’s rabid fandom unites the city. It is entirely nondenominational and all are welcome.

I have been coping with the uncertainty and discomfort of these times with lots of knitting and soup making. We just finished a pot of chick pea, pasta, and veg concoction that lasted four nights and was endlessly soothing. Today I’m making a kettle of chicken and rice with what remains of last week’s Costco chicken and I hope it stretches for at least three nights. Neither Scott nor I mind eating leftovers on repeat and it makes everything so much easier.

Friday is Scott’s 48th birthday, which feels impossible. The first time I baked him a birthday cake, it was 2006 and he was turning 29. We weren’t even dating yet, just friends who spent a suspicious amount of time together. And now it’s been nearly twenty years and so much life.

I feel a little better now. Before I started writing this, it felt like I sliding out the right side of my body. I’m more grounded and centered in myself now. Here’s to a productive afternoon!