It was a sad day when MLB called off spring training this year. We had tickets for our annual pilgrimage to see two games the following week. It doesn’t seem like spring without our trip to sit in the stands and enjoy the warm spring air in Arizona. There is something about eating peanuts, drinking beverages of choice, and talking baseball with random people that helps me find my place in the American landscape. It is my chance to scout out this year’s Cubs and, like my uncle before me,  predict postseason glory. I love to listen to the Chicago accents from fans shouting advice to the dugout. I love the beer guys making the rounds and joking with the crowd. I love the sound when the bat connects with the ball for a big hit. This loss was only the beginning. No Opening Day at the end of March. No obsessing over the starting lineup and the rotation of pitchers. No afternoon baseball naps to the comforting sound of the murmur of the crowd. A glimmer of hope this week when I heard a news report that MLB is considering ways to televise games in spring training stadiums with no one in the stands. So far this season, I have to settle for watching baseball movies. Stupid virus.

My choice for my pandemic binge is cozy mysteries. They are my reading comfort food. I picked up my surprise pack of 4 cozies from my creative local indie bookstore, and I am set to delve into a series of dastardly deeds to be solved by quirky investigators in interesting places. Here we go. What are you going to binge read during the Shelter in Place? Do tell.

  Breaking into that last package sent me over the edge. We were cooperating. Hadn’t been out of the house beyond our daily walks in the park for almost two weeks. When we finally did go out foraging, we found food. It was the empty shelves where the paper goods belonged that made me pause. I am not normally an anxious person but desperate times, etc. etc. Frustration dreams about not being able to navigate a familiar building. Awake brain at 3:30 am playing Doomsday scenarios. I finally got one package by standing in line with the other Geezers waiting for the grocery store to open for Senior Hours. Anxiety alleviated. A bit. Stay healthy, my friends. And stay in touch, but not tonight. I need some sleep.