Tonight the Jewish New Year starts at sundown. Serious Jews have begun to consider their sins over the past year in lead-up to Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement.

In contrast, I am looking at the pile of papers I should have cleaned off my worktable so I could start the new year with a clean slate. The guilt. Oy veh!

For those of us less religiously inclined and slightly eating disordered, the big new-year question arises: Will I mend my eating ways after the Yom Kippur fast to continue past this single day of weight loss? My answer is NO. I will eat something fattening right after the fast so I don’t have to concern myself with breaking a perfect record. (Every Jewish holiday has a food aspect, even a fasting holiday. Oy veh!)

I haven’t blogged at Girl Born in 51 on ChicagoNow for quite awhile. I was working 25 hours a week at the local library as a computer aide and studying library stuff on the side in hopes of a better job in the future. Then I unexpectedly quit because of covid and the library mandating they would not require patrons to wear masks. Furthermore, staff has to devotedly serve these clients. Nope, that’s not for me.

So I haven’t renewed my membership in the American Library Association. I don’t expect to ever work in a library again.

I’m deciding what to do next. This kind of introspection is a constant thread in my life.

It is looking like I will write about and coach people of retirement age who want to start a freelance business that is right for them. People who want to do what they want to do in a way that works for them. No, we don’t have to “think big” because capitalism believes there is something wrong with us if we don’t.

Wayne and I now have three beautiful granddaughters. (We have six children, none of them jointly.) Would love to visit them in person but that’s on hold.

Wayne and I have started socializing with others outside our home more. During the summer, we have isolated to a very high level. Now as winter approaches, we are socializing with small numbers of people in the open air. Yes, our timing stinks.

During late March, I started phoning people I haven’t seen in years. Now that has fallen by the wayside. I don’t have much to say. I could talk about what I am watching on TV but I don’t even have the discipline to binge watch.

When I started this blog, I identified myself by age (born in 51), female, and Jewish. Now that I was eternally self-employed, I didn’t have to worry about hiding my demographics. Then I took a library job. Coming out as to my demo was not a good decision in retrospect.

Well, it’s out. Nothing to be done. So I am free to be me.

I am aware that the title of this post is, “Where are you? Where am I?” And I am also aware that I have blabbed on about me without really writing about you. I guess that’s my point. My contact with other human beings is limited.

In closing, have a happy new year. May we comfortably put off our end-of-year desk cleanup until December 31. We’ve got another three and one-half months.

Northbrook’s free speech zone. Come to count the deaths. (Google maps)

In north suburban Northbrook, a triangle of grass where Shermer Rd. and Walters Ave. intersect in downtown has become a free speech zone, following  a fight years ago over whether religious messages can be posted there on such holidays as Christmas.

The dispute was settled by allowing free expression, which brings us to today’s bonehead award:

“Coronavirus Death Scoreboard To Be Unveiled In Northbrook”

As reported by Northbrook Patch:

NORTHBROOK, IL — With the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States rapidly approaching 200,000, Lee Goodman, of Peaceful Communities, is looking to make a statement regarding the deadly disease. On Friday, the “COVID Death Scoreboard” is set to be unveiled at Triangle Park, corner of Shermer Road and Walters Avenue.

“This display is a reminder of the continuing need to take precautions. Schools and businesses are reopening, but the disease is still spreading and people are still dying,” Goodman said.

Well, not so much anymore in Northbrook. None in the eight weeks since July 21. As the Patch reported, of the 42 earlier deaths, the bulk (residents and staff) were in nursing homes, of which there are seven. The age breakdown is:  80+ (28), 70-79 (6), 60-69 (6), 40-49 (1) and 30-39 (1).

In other words, no children and no young adults. Yet children and their young parents will be constantly reminded of death and dying–exactly the kind of fear that we, as a nation, don’t need to be fueling.

The news of the death tally prompted a flood of comments on a Facebook page, Reopen Illinois Schools. They’re worth reading. They range from noting how Goodman is a serial protestor (true) to some very angry ones about the damage this will to kids. As Kati Byrne Spaniak (my daughter) noted: “We cannot be scaring our children like this. This perpetuates the idea that our children will die if we send them to school.”

Well, you know, we have to make sure that the kids know how dangerous the world is and our work isn’t done until we’ve scared the hell out of every last one of them. All, of course, in the name of peace. Way to go, Lee.

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www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

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COVID-19, death scoreboard, Lee Goodman, Northbrook

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    Ken Dietz

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    Thank you Dennis for reminding folks of how were are being manipulated by the powers who want to control us.
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    Ken Dietz

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    The facts that no one has died in Northbrook since July? ? Or the fact that of the 42 total…
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    BillDCat

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    BillDCat

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Whether you’re fundraising for your child’s sports team or your work’s nonprofit initiative, it’s not always easy. There are several factors to consider. From budgets to locations to donors, you likely have a lot to manage. But if you employ a few tricks, you’ll be able to ensure everyone has an enjoyable time — and you meet your goal.

Here’s a look at how to host a fun and lucrative fundraiser.

1. Develop a Clear Budget

Your fundraiser will require a budget for a venue, catering, decorations and more. Talk with other parents, co-workers and members to see what event you can throw with your budget. You won’t need to set aside too much cash, but you should allocate for unforeseen expenses. Your organization can talk to various vendors and businesses to work out estimates as you make your budget.

Try to talk to multiple vendors before you commit. You’ll be able to find cheaper options for items that don’t need to be pricey, like balloons and confetti. You can also get in touch with connections that you may have to donate tables, flowers or other necessities.

2. Consider Ways to Earn Money

You need to think about how you want to lay out your fundraiser. You can require people to buy tickets, but you need other revenue streams, too. Consider a raffle, an auction or another activity your guests will enjoy. You could even think about events that revolve around a season, like autumn. How fun does a harvest dinner sound? Your goal should be to provide several opportunities for your donors to contribute.

3. Ensure a Comfortable Experience

Try to consider how to keep your guests comfortable, too. Your decorations may look amazing, but you shouldn’t forget about more basic needs. Will there be enough restrooms? Have you taken steps to control your venue’s temperature so that it’s not too hot or cold? Where can your guests sit when they’re not raffling? These parts are as important as any other component to your fundraiser.

4. Create a Vast Donor List

Your donor list should involve as many people as possible. You may already have a database that you plan to use. If not, you can use your organization’s connections to reach multiple individuals. Aside from clients or customers, you shouldn’t hesitate to invite family and friends, either. After all, you never know which person will be your most prominent donor. Do your best to market everything accordingly, too.

5. Follow Up With Every Attendee

After your fundraiser, you need to send “thank you” emails or cards to every attendee. This gesture may seem insignificant or tedious, but you’ll retain donors, as well as keep potential donors interested. In fact, 85% say they’ll donate again if they receive a personal note after an event. You can keep your message simple. A sincere follow-up with information about how you’ll use their money can work wonders.

Be prompt so that your guest list doesn’t have to wait. Your vendors, volunteers and other helpers will appreciate a call, too.

Use These Tips to Pull Off a Successful Fundraiser

With a little advanced preparation and attention to detail, you can host an outstanding fundraiser. Use these tips to put on a noteworthy event!

I’m only on page 227 out of 503 (before the sources and bibliography) in Erik Larson’s book “The Splendid and the Vile: a Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz” (New York: Crown, part of Penguin Random House, 2020). But even apart from the two times when I’ve laughed out loud already, I’ve found a chapter that I’ll remember throughout the book: Chapter 36, Teatime.

I read it with my late father’s voice in my mind’s ear. Especially in the last few years of his life, he told me often that the most comforting sentence in the English language is “I’ll put the kettle on.” With today’s cooling breezes reminding me that I’d like to warm up, it’s good weather again for hot tea, so I’ll be putting my kettle on more often after a summer of putting tea bags and water in the fridge to make “sun” tea.

A mention of the institution of tea rationing and the arguments over it sent me to my cabinet on Friday night. Cabinet secretary Frederick Lindemann, known as “Prof,” wrote to Winston Churchill in August 1940 opposing the limit of the tea ration to two ounces a week.

I have just tested a tin box of loose tea in my cabinet, which held four ounces of loose tea when I opened it. If I decide to put tea bags into it when I finish using the loose tea, I will have trouble fitting more than 21 bags into the four-ounce box. If I were drinking tea all seven days of the week, that’s one tea bag per meal, and if I followed the British system of having breakfast, lunch, tea-as-meal (around 4 p.m.) and a light, late supper, I’d need to re-use at least one bag. That’s with a four-ounce supply. The ration in 1940 Britain was half of that. 

Lindemann’s effort didn’t succeed, and tea was rationed to two ounces a week. As Larson puts it, “The tea ration, eventually raised to three ounces a week, would remain in effect until 1952. In the meantime, people dried their used tea leaves so they could steep them again.”

Larson describes Lindemann’s effort to get a larger tea ration enforced as “a caring for the common man’s experience of the war” and adds that “The one universal balm for the trauma of the war was tea. It was the thing that helped people cope.” (I see the point. I think I first heard Dad describe “the most comforting sentence in the language” after my mother’s death, when making tea together and drinking it were soothing rituals.)

“Tea underpinned morale,” Larson wrote — not exactly news to me. I can drink coffee, but I don’t make a habit of it, and when I do get into a coffee habit, it can be painful to break. (I like to keep my body guessing about just how much caffeine is coming.)

For me at least, tea is easier to use in different concentrations and varieties. I still like it with milk at times, although I don’t drink the “milk with a suntan” that my college roommate named my tea when I first took up drinking it. From what I’ve read about the soporific effects of warm milk, I think milk adds to the comforting effect of tea.

So I’ll be putting the kettle on as I continue with “The Splendid and the Vile,” whether it’s to remember family members, favorite places, or terrible events — it’s still a war story — or to get over style quibbles. (Fellow purists, look out: Larson refers to the prime minister’s residence as “10 Downing” much more than the U.K. style of “No. 10” or “Downing Street.”)

I think the book’s going to wind up on my list of Sustaining Books. If I had a list of Sustaining Drinks, tea would be high on it.

Margaret Serious has a page on Facebook.