Monday I got a call from my sweet friend, Connie. She was trying to locate a bedside type commode and wondered if she could get one from the Emergency Squad. I explained to her that the Squad can’t accept them (lack of space) but Nearly New often has them.

It then dawned on me that Michele had called me with one which she wanted to donate to the Squad. I called her and then took it to Connie.

Pat and another friend were already there when I arrived. Connie was in awful shape. You could see she was weak and not well. The chemo treatments have been adversely affecting her.

Yesterday, Tuesday, I got a call from Pat. Connie had gone for another chemo treatment but had been too sick so instead she was taken by ambulance to South Bay Hospital. At the hospital they tested her for covid and her test was positive.

A couple months ago, Connie had most of her colon removed when it ruptured. She almost died. Recently it’s been discovered that she has pancreatic cancer. She’s undergoing chemo and having bad reactions. Now she has covid. How much more can she take? To add to her problems, her house was struck by lightning Friday damaging several appliances.

Because I visited Connie, I’ve been exposed to the dreaded virus. I am self-isolating through the weekend. I won’t let anyone in and I won’t go out. Without knowing, I worked at the Squad yesterday. I’ve warned my shift captain and called Kathy, my partner. I plan to test myself in a couple days (earlier if I show symptoms). So far, I’m feeling ok. I’m not taking any chances so I’m in my closed condo and not venturing out. I sure don’t want to spread it.

This is part of a text I shared with a new on-line friend and fellow Quiet Room watcher, Alice. I really look forward to the Quiet Room. I said to my new friend:

I especially enjoyed “Ashokan Farewell” this past Wednesday night. My music club in Michigan (Saginaw Subterranean Strings) always played that one and it was the audience favorite.

We were a 50-member performing hammered dulcimer club. Usually we had about 20 or so playing with us at gigs around Michigan (with hammered dulcimers, fiddles, guitars, etc.) My husband was the lead instrumentalist (on hammered dulcimer) and I was the emcee, organizer and provided a beat with my autoharp.) It was fun. We played at two events for OVER 20 years — We had summer monthly free concerts in Haithco Park that drew hundreds of watchers and a February two-day (Saturday and Sunday) Sno-Fest event in an old opera house (Fischer Hall) during the national ice and Sno-Fest snow sculpturing and ice carving contests in Frankenmuth, MI.

When we decided we couldn’t do Sno-Fest any more (especially because we’d make the trip back and forth from Florida in February despite the weather) we passed it on to an excellent musician who has kept it going most years.

No one got paid, but we would accept donations from our audiences and that money went to the museum which was adjacent to Fischer Hall where we played.

It was a lot of work for us. We invited not only our club members but all the best traditional musicians from all over. We even had one player who came with his wife from Minnesota!

John and I would provide the sound equipment and feed the musicians for the two days. About a dozen who came a distance stayed at our house. It was fun but exhausting. We’d feed them a huge breakfast feast.

Eventually we realized it was just too much for us and John’s terminal illness was progressing.

That was when CDs were really popular and many of our musicians had their own CDs to sell.

I’ll tell more later.

I used to love to go out, but recently I’ve been happy staying inside. I don’t want to leave my condo. For one thing, it’s been too hot or rain is threatening. Once the South Club pool has reopened (it’s currently being renovated), I’ve promised myself I’ll try to go there at least once a week. I could go out to my patio and get a little fresh air, but even that hasn’t attracted me.

Today I need to pick up a ‘script that Dr. Marquez called in last week. It’s been ready and maybe it’ll help my back.

Being the President of Nantucket V has been a lot of work but the latest addition has me feeling totally overwhelmed.

I picked up directories to be distributed to each of my 57 resident condos. Now I’m delivering them and I’m filling in “my people” with lots of the upcoming items to be covered at our board meeting on Tuesday. I started two days ago but I’ve only scratched the surface. My back gives up before I get to many.