A Virtual Tea Party

During this prolonged time of stay-at-home orders, it's easy to get cabin fever.  Many of the things we enjoy doing have been temporarily suspended, so I thought I'd begin this 'check-in' post by telling you about a virtual tea party I signed up for.  

I was bummed when our governor, Gretchen Whitmer, extended the stay-at-home order thru May 15th [even though I understand the need for it], because it meant not being with my children and grandchildren on Mother's Day. But on April 23rd, I received an e-mail from the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, MI extending an invitation to their virtual Mother's Day Tea with Mary Kuhn, their Tea Director.  

Mary's job at the Royal Park is what I do at The Whitney, with some modifications.  The virtual tea party piqued my interest, and since I can't be with family, I signed up.  The tea is from 1:00-1:30 and is free, but I had to register through Eventbrite.  A link will be sent to me on Saturday.  I'll be sure to report back to you.  If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know I've blogged about Royal Park's Afternoon Tea several times.

[Mary Kuhn]

The Whitney's Mother's Day promotion is a $100 gift card for Mom with a bonus card for a complimentary Afternoon Tea when the restaurant reopens, or a Brunch Box for Mom [delivery or pick-up] serving up to four guests and a special gift for Mom included.  

A virtual tour of the beautiful Whitney mansion was posted on their Facebook page on April 25th, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a picture of me serving tea to my sweet friend, Lori.

I don't know when the restaurant will reopen, but I had a 3:00 o'clock appointment today for my COVID-19 test in preparation for the reopening.  The testing center was at the old Detroit State Fairgrounds.  It was very organized and efficient, and I took a few pics to share.  The first pic was just before leaving home wearing my face mask - the new normal! My girlfriend said I should have some cute tea-themed masks made when I return to work, and I might if they're a requirement. Why not combine fun with regulations?

Jerry and I go out walking for fresh air and exercise, but he's done most of the grocery shopping, so it was nice to be out and about again, even if I didn't get out of the car.  The pics below are approaching the testing area.

All the testing was done at individual tent stations inside Joe Dumars Fieldhouse.  A doctor's prescription or an authorized code number assigned to a business is necessary for a person to be tested, along with a pre-arranged appointment time.

In the photo below I was getting test instructions.  The swab was about 5 inches long, and was shown beforehand so I'd know exactly what to expect.  I'm guessing the discomfort depends on a person's tolerance and the skill of the person administering the test. I wouldn't describe it as painful, but I had a burning sensation for about an hour afterwards.  I involuntarily teared up as soon as the swab was inserted, and she said that was normal, as well as continued tearing after the swab's removal.  I'll call for the results in six days.

On April 24th I received a marketing e-mail from Darren McGrady, the Royal Chef to Queen Elizabeth, II and Princess Diana and her young sons.  He had a fabulous culinary trip to London planned for May 13-20 which has undoubtedly been rescheduled due to the Coronavirus.  His e-mail contained a great YouTube tutorial on how to make the Queen's favorite scone for teatime. You can watch it here.

The people from Devon in southwest England spread clotted cream on their scones first, then top with a dollop of jam.  But the Cornish tradition [region of Cornwall] reverse the application with jam first, topped with clotted cream.  Darren says the Queen follows the Cornish tradition of jam first.

Speaking of the Queen, she quietly celebrated her 94th Birthday on April 21st, in lockdown. Her official celebration was scheduled for June 13th, but that's been cancelled due to the pandemic.  So many plans have been cancelled due to the virus, but life moves on in spite of disappointments and change.

Happy belated birthday Your Majesty, and best wishes for continued health and happiness!

I've gone as far as I can go with my childhood/youth photo scanning until I have negatives copied at the photo lab, so now I've switched over to scanning family Christmas photos.  I think these albums will make very nice Christmas presents this year for my kids.  Below is the first album cover I designed.

Below is one of the first pictures in the album - our first-born child, Lori.  She was four months old, and added SO much joy to Christmas 1967.  My mom used to host all family gatherings in her basement [where there was more room], which is the setting for the photo below. We were home on Air Force furlough when Jerry was stationed in Altus, Oklahoma.  He was wearing cowboy boots he purchased there, in case anyone's wondering!  ;-)

You don't realize how quickly time has passed until you start looking at old pictures.  Mother Nature changes appearances through the years, but it's still a fun walk down memory lane.

We had our weekly hour-long family Zoom gathering last night, which is the next best thing to seeing everyone in person.  I'm happy to report everyone is well.

Until my next post, be safe and stay well!