I’m baking today my stress level off the charts even though physically I feel fine even though I landed on my side on my deck yesterday and my right shoulder feels achy and sharp coded for the first time ever in my life I smothered myself in Tiger Balm which still resides in almost any store and cleared off the top of one of my bookshelves moving the plants that winter there to the front porch I ate breakfast with Jupiter at my side lolling about in the sun on my brand spanking clean tablecloth because she is a cat who parks where she wants and I let her because it would be folly to believe she isn’t on the table when I leave I heard a story once on This American Life about an elderly woman whose garden and yard grew wild and there was a mouse problem the neighbors all met up and decided to help her but she didn’t want their help she just wanted them to leave I am becoming that woman except I have three cats who are fierce mousers especially Jupiter She Who Lolls on the Tablecloth

the corona virus is now in Stanwood the next town over the governor of Washington said today that we might have to quarantine ourselves something for which I’ve been practicing my entire life