Greetings from Ipswich -- from another Queen-of-Quarantine!

Hello, all you Queens and Kings in Lockdown Land. Hoping this missive finds you all well, relatively sane, and happy. Keep safe, my friends. This won't last forever; nothing ever does.  

Although I'm a bit of a hermit anyway, this lockdown is different. I mean, I like my own company most of the time, but honestly, I do like to go out occasionally, be with friends, and have some fun. Overall, though, I'm a stick-in-the-mud for the most part. Been told I'm a "very friendly introvert" (oxymoron, perhaps), but I do like people; yet, weirdly, I can live without them for periods of time---but not so much now, during this time of COVID-19. In other words...

I miss the helloutta you guys!

Of course, my Facebook friends are fabulous, but what's missing is the companionship of "being together": chatting over coffee, lunch, dinner — my place or out —and, of course, the grape. 

I miss going to the movies, lectures, live theatre, trying exotic foods in restaurants and greasy spoons; I miss my writers' meetings, DAR luncheons, and the library cuz I love the smell of books! But it's the hugs I miss, probably more than anything. Though I may be a human hermit, I still love the touch of an arm, a double European-style kiss on each cheek, walking arm in arm, a warm handshake, and that feeling of being one with humanity. It's a great feeling, isn't it?

Well, when this crisis is over--I mean all over--can we vow that when we do see each other again, we'll hug each other warmly in friendship and "love in the time of Corona"?

Love you all. God bless, let's hang in there and keep safe for the duration. As Vera Lynne sang during the trials of World War II, encouraging the English people:

"We'll meet again."