Day One

Happy New Year! True to my word, I’m posting for the second day in a row, in an effort to blog more frequently this year. Some days I might only share a photograph or a few paragraphs. I don’t have any big blogging goals or even New Year’s Resolutions. I just want to keep writing because that’s what I enjoy doing. If you enjoy reading and engaging with me, that makes me even happier.

2021 has started with a bang and I haven’t even left the house! I’m not referring to fireworks or anything festive. After dinner on New Year’s Eve I received difficult news. I was informed by the HSE that someone in my household has tested positive for Covid-19. It didn’t exactly come as a surprise since other family members outside of our household had it at Christmas. We haven’t seen any of them face to face, but the entire town is riddled with coronovirus at the moment. I bet most of West Cork will soon be infected at the rate it’s spreading.

Fortunately, our other family members had mild cases. They are making a quick recovery despite one of them being elderly with underlying conditions. We were dropping shopping off to their house, but now we can’t since we must isolate too.

For the sake of privacy I won’t say who has the virus. What I will say is that symptoms have included sore throat, blocked nose, loss of appetite, and taste and smell are being affected. Not a loss of either, but a sense of them being “off.” For instance, chocolate tasted disgusting. Go figure!

So far there is no fever or cough. Our patient feels sick but is in no serious danger at present. Everyone else in our household is healthy. All of us have been advised to stay inside of the house until my birthday in mid- January! It’s only Day 1 and we’re already starting to crack up.

I’ve been very anxious about catching Covid-19 since I found out a couple of months ago that my underlying condition puts me at higher risk. As a result, I have limited my social interactions even more. I’ve been taking Vitamin D since then and continue to have a pretty good diet. I haven’t been exercising other than going for walks. Maybe I’ll get motivated to resume my yoga practice while we’re isolating. It could help me cope with anxiety about the situation. I just hope that we’ll all get through this without any medical intervention required!

Apparently baking is therapeutic, so it made perfect sense to indulge in a bit of comfort eating today. My daughter loves when I make homemade cinnamon buns on New Year’s Day. It’s become a tradition. Blessing had fun kneading the dough and made it into animal shapes as 3 year olds are inclined to do. He helped me with every step, which proved quite messy.

These rolls are a bit time consuming but totally worth it! I used Joanna’s recipe which you can find here. If you want a quick recipe, try this one by Kevin and Amanda. While the rolls are baking the house smells divine! Serve warm with a steaming cup of tea. Even the most mundane day becomes a little special. Enjoy!

How did you spend the first day of 2021?

Yes, they taste as good as they look!