Social distancing has changed the face of family and friend gatherings. What would have been a "Happy" party at my granddaughter's home in Virginia turned into a virtual one due to the Shelter In Place mantra in New York State. So to continue our tradition of celebrating birthdays, we turned to a virtual party bringing together family spread over four states.
All seemed to be ready. A "Happy" party invitation was texted to the family. The cake sat on the table on its usual crystal platter. Everyone stood by their phone or computer. Then, a glitch happened. The communication system froze. Determined to continue the festivity, I attempted to restart the video connection but the screen remained frozen. We could actually hear each other so the birthday song was sung and on the count of three, the candles were blown out. A still picture of our granddaughter Sierra appeared on the screen and by a stroke of luck, our baby Aurora popped up. The cake was described and tasted as goodbyes were said.
This is a birthday never to forget.
Each year since March 2015, I have engaged in Two Writing Teacher's Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. Slicing allows me to ponder life, literacy, and learning, capturing small moments poetically through writing, photography, and digital art. Welcome to Day 26 of 31 days of writing with Two Writing Teachers.
Luckily in this age of technology this virtual meetings are possible. Maybe a belated get together is in the works for when this is all over. On a light note, I got an invitation from one of my friends yesterday. It read: "I am having a quarantine party and you're not invited."
ReplyDeleteI love the invitation you received. That brings back humor to the picture of what being quarantined means. Thanks for joining me this morning.
DeleteOh, yes, I had one of these too. It's a bummer of a year for birthdays. Not nearly as much fun to celebrate in quarantine. But, maybe a later date will work. Hope it does for you too.
ReplyDeleteAmy, both you and Arjeha suggested another party later and I can't believe that I did not think of that. Thanks for the suggestion. Baking for a party is always fun. Have a great day.
DeleteThat is definitely a birthday to remember! Next year's birthday will have to be an extra special celebration!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteWe've had a few Christmases like this, with daughter in Japan. She is nice enough to wait fourteen hours into her holiday so we can open gifts together! I'm glad the audio worked, at least. Technology is a saving grace in this social isolation event!
ReplyDeleteIt is good to know that others experienced this new phenomenon for us, Chris. Social Distancing has made us become more creative in connecting with those we love.
DeleteI love that you gathered virtually and that the audio worked, even if the picture froze. Technology glitches are challenging. We may be celebrating Robby's birthday next month the same way. Did each household have a cake?
ReplyDeleteRamona, since each household did not have a cake, I laughed when Sierra noted that. She does love her "happy" cakes.
DeleteWhile other industries seem to be downsizing, the pet care industry is on the up and up. A large chunk of this industry belongs to pet bakery business ventures and pet treats. The market for the production of pet treats is still very much open. hbd dessert cake
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