If Not For Coronavirus, Part Deux

In Part One of this unintentional series, I talked about a cancelled Columbus Symphony Chorus concert. Since then, I also should have sung in a Columbus Symphony concert which included Verdi's Stabat Mater (which I've never performed) and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (which I've performed many times, but is still always a joy - see what I did there?).

Immediately after that, I was to travel to San Antonio for the national Craft Brewers Conference. And upon return, I would have gone to see Wicked with a friend.


But also, if not for coronavirus, I would not have experienced this curbside concert a couple weeks ago (or maybe it was just a week ago, I have no idea anymore):

If you're local, check these out here. There are many local artists covering a range of musical tastes.


I also wouldn't have enjoyed the pop-up concert that happened this week in my neighborhood with several local musicians. It was definitely a highlight of this quarantine.


Let's check in on my hair, shall we? I'm now more than three weeks past my appointment date. Ohio doesn't yet have a plan for reopening salons and barbershops, but it's safe to say that I'll be missing my May appointment as well.

I put on some makeup for this photo. Curly hair disguises
roots to an extent, but things are getting rough around here.

And, the short side view.
I will not color my own hair.
I will not color my own hair.
I will not....

At least my nails are fun:

Color Street - the flowered pattern is called Daisy Me Rolling, which I love!
The other two fingers are Oslo and Steady, topped by Dripping in Diamonds.

Until next time, I leave you with this meme that couldn't be more appropriate.

Getting Fit During Quarantine

If you didn't know, last December I fell while crossing a street near my house and broke my humerus (upper arm) into four pieces. This led to a two night hospital stay and surgery, and I am now the proud owner of a plate and 10 screws in my arm. (At the end of this post, I'll have a picture of my most recent x-ray, so if you're squeamish about that kind of thing, just be aware.)

So as you might imagine, fitness wasn't really happening for a while. Just before the great coronavirus shut down, I had returned to my local gym and got back to work with my trainer. I think I had gone about twice. And then the gyms were closed.

Luckily, my gym offered virtual training sessions, so I now meet with my trainer once a week for an hour using whatever equipment I have in my house.

That's all well and good, but what about cardio? I've never been a runner, and I don't even really like to walk. And the fact is that since my fall, Aaron is very nervous about me walking. Like, anywhere.

About a year ago, we purchased a Peloton bike. We used it a little, but not nearly like we had intended. With being at home all the time I figured it was a good time to get reacquainted with my Peloton.

Hello, bike!

At first, this was just to keep me moving in some way. Then it kind of became a necessity because thanks to various friends and family members, I'm eating more sweet stuff than usual. But I'm not complaining about that!

Pie for breakfast? Yes, please!

Be careful what you wish for! But also, yummmmm.

Now it's becoming a bit of an obsession, to the point that Aaron looks at me and says "who ARE you?" (Stay tuned for the post in which I bake bread when he REALLY wonders who took over my body.)

The week of the 6th I had to take a few days off
due to major leg work with my trainer which left me s-o-r-e.

If you have a Peloton, follow me - I'm GilaTick! I do mostly low impact rides, although I'm starting to get into Power Zone Training (!!!). Christine is my favorite trainer - she's inspirational and she drops f-bombs, which is a great combination in my book!

I have not been compensated in any way for this post, I'm just a fan. And now, I'm off to ride.






Now for the x-ray:

I was actually disappointed that I didn't set off
any metal detectors at airports.

Showin' My Books - April '20

Settle in, friends. The last time I wrote about books was three months ago, and even before Coronaquarantine I was reading more than I have in a long time, so I have plenty to talk about today. As always, linking up with my girls Steph and Jana.

When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal - You guys, this book. I can't recommend it enough, and if you don't like it, sorry in advance, but I loved it so much. I guess I'd call it a family drama. It's not a romance, though there are some romantic elements. It's not a mystery, but there are secrets to unravel. The writing is incredible; the characters are complex and tragic in the best possible way. This book just spoke to me.

Two places in particular that I won't forget - not spoilers. 

Kit and Javier are in a bookstore and he pays for her book.

"At the counter, he sets his book down and hold his hand out for mine. I think about arguing that I have the money, but it's a small kindness, and I don't have to push it away. 'Thank you.'"

I loved that. Why do we so often push back on someone who just wants to do something nice for us?

And then when Kit is remembering a time in her life when she watched the soap opera Santa Barbara.

"My life and family had exploded, but everything was the same in the soap, where Eden and Cruz were still living their up-and-down life."

I watched that show every day that I could, and I ADORED Eden and Cruz (or maybe just Cruz). So it was a lovely shout out to my own teenage years.

If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can get this book for free right now. 5 stars, obviously.


I promise the rest of my reviews won't be nearly as long...


The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware - For much of this book, while I enjoyed the story, I wondered why it was written the way it was. And then I knew why and totally understood. 4 stars 


No Exit by Taylor Adams - It’s been a long time since I started and finished a book in the same day. Full disclosure: I was on vacation so had nothing else I had to do, but this was a quick read and I couldn’t put it down. 4 stars


The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - This was a delightful palate cleanser. I don’t know if I’ll read all 20 in the series but I would definitely pick up another when I need something lighter. 3 stars


If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman - I could almost give this book four stars but at times it was so frustrating! I was so angry with Jess for much of the book but then wept for ten-year-old Jess. Still, how about some communication, people?! And Lily’s husband was such a cliche - who didn’t see that coming? But I loved Mia and Phoebe, and I’d love to follow Audrey’s lead of “you’re never too old to pursue your dream.” 3 stars


An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - I liked their first book, The Wife Between Us, better but I liked this one well enough and I'll read more of their books. 3 stars


The Grace Year by Kim Liggett - Handmaid’s Tale meets Hunger Games with some Lord of the Flies mixed in. There were some infuriating things about this book, yet I couldn’t put it down. 4 stars


If I Had Two Lives by A.B. Whelan - I liked the plot of this book, but it was a little "twist-heavy," and a couple side stories were left hanging and I wasn't sure why they were even introduced. I received a copy of this book for free from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars


Everyday Lies by Louise Guy - I really enjoyed this book. It has hints of Liane Moriarty (and not just because it's set in Australia). The ending was pretty tidy, and it worked for me, but I wanted to know more about how Lucie's relationship with her in-laws turned out. I loved the found family aspect of the book, and I cried (happy tears) at the end. Also available from Kindle Unlimited. 4 stars


Did Not Finish - The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - I know this book was on a lot of people's "best of" lists from 2019, and my real life book club chose it for January (but let it be known that it was not MY first choice). This book just didn't do it for me and I couldn't get into it.

This month in Romance

I've recently gotten back into romance reading. Here are a few of those.

The Perfect Dress by Carolyn Brown - I found this book from the link up, but I can't remember who recommended it. A really sweet book - romantic but not steamy. This easily could have turned into a series featuring each of the three best friends, but I actually loved that it didn't. I would, however, read a book about the twin daughters. Another Kindle Unlimited. 4 stars

Idol (#1 in the VIP series) by Kristen Callihan - Now this book is steamy. A rock star meets small town girl romance. And it's written in alternating points of view of the two main characters. 3 stars

Managed (#2 in the VIP series) by Kristen Callihan - So this book focuses on the manager of the band from the first book. Who would have thought that a book about the manager could be even hotter than the book about the lead singer? But it is. 4 stars



If you made it all the way through this, thanks! Also, Steph and Jana are having a Show Us Your Books Readathon this weekend on Instagram. I'll be there - hope to see you too!

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

A week ago, I declared to Aaron that I intended to dress up on Easter. I bought a new dress a couple months ago and I wanted to wear it. And it happens to go well with a hat that I bought in New Orleans last fall. So Easter morning I got all dressed up, which shamed Aaron into putting on a coat and tie. We had a friend take pictures outside between rain sessions.

I spent a lot on that hat and brought it back in a big hat box as a carry on. (I did not, however spend as much as the price of a ring I tried on in NOLA that ended up costing -- no lie -- $10,000.)

This week's nails:

We had a virtual gathering with our friends with whom we would normally spend Easter, then changed back into comfy clothes and binge watched "Brockmire." Because nothing says Easter like an incredibly crass half hour comedy.

I braved the grocery store on Friday, while wearing a make-shift mask. I had quite a big list and one of my personal priorities was Reese's peanut butter eggs. Peanut butter isn't my favorite, but the eggs are the bomb. I was devastated when I couldn't find any. De.va.sta.ted. Apparently I should have bought them in February. So I went to the cookie aisle thinking that maybe there would be some carrot cake Oreos. Alas, no. But I did find this delightful surprise:

"Family Size" -- oh, that's so cute

It was strange to not go to church on Easter, although my hat wouldn't really have gone with a choir robe.

I hope you all had a good weekend (though, what ARE weekends anymore?) and I hope you're all staying safe from coronavirus and tornadoes and whatnot.

Hair and other thoughts on this week in quarantine

I know I'm not telling you anything you're not all feeling as well, but DAMN, is time dragging or what? Here in Ohio, we have at least another three weeks of staying at home and honestly, while I love my home and I even love alone time, March was the neverending month so April will probably be infinity. But shout out to Ohio's governor Mike DeWine, who actually listens to his director of health, the amazing Dr. Amy Acton, when making decisions about what to do during a pandemic. What a concept!

Just to be clear (Treehouse sisters, you know what to do), I can't complain. People are still allowed to buy beer, and they are buying beer, so I'm still working - from home. Aaron's business is also still able to operate, and he goes to his office every workday, which is good for all involved.

But while I can't complain, if you know me, you know that I'll find something to complain about, and it will be silly and vain. So let's start with hair.

Many years ago, I did a post about my hair evolution as an adult (you can also find links in there to posts with pictures of my growing-up years *shudder*).

I follow a pretty strict schedule of getting my hair cut and colored every 5 weeks. My last appointment was March 2nd. So when the salons were shut down in Ohio on March 18th, I was still in good shape. I should have had an appointment last Monday, April 6th. And so begins the documentation of "just how grey will my hair get."

This is Wednesday (or Gwensday):

I made this my new profile pic on the Facebook. I like it. There's a hint of grey that is visible at my forehead. But the real test will be on the other side:

This is where the grey will eventually get really noticeable. It's certainly not bad just yet. And I can't wait to see how the asymmetrical cut will grow out. Stay tuned. (Also, as I was writing this post Aaron took the clippers to his hair because I told him I wouldn't do it. Hmmmmm...)


I'm super happy that I quit acrylics a while back so I don't have to worry about that. I'm now obsessed with Color Street nail strips (and if you're interested, I got a guy -- well, girl). And since pretty much no one will see my nails in person but I'm still going to do them, here you go:

Other stuff this week:

Fox Sports Ohio has been re-airing last year's first round of the NHL playoffs, in which the 8 seed Columbus Blue Jackets swept the 1 seed Tampa Bay Lightning. We've watched every game, and on Gwensday for game 1 we donned our CBJ gear.

We've been doing well making some yummy meals. Friday night Aaron made these chorizo and potato tacos (and he made the chorizo himself because we already had ground pork). Delish!

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Happy Easter / Passover / Saturday ... It's been so strange this week to not be singing at church every day and twice on Sunday.

#ifnotforcoronavirus

Hello friends!

Long time, no see. How's everyone hanging in during Coronavirus? I plan to post more to allow myself that creative outlet, regardless of whether anyone else reads the blog. But tonight I'm asking the question:

What would you be doing right now if not for Coronavirus?

I would be getting ready to sing a concert with the Columbus Symphony Chorus Chamber Choir. It would have been so good, y'all. The program was called Songs of Hope, Comfort, and Love, and here's just some of what we were to sing:

Maurice Duruflé Requiem
Stephen Paulus "The Road Home"
Eric Whitacre "Home"
Jean Berger "My True Love Hath My Heart"
Bernstein/Sondheim "Somewhere"

As an encore, we were planning to sing an arrangement of "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the musical Carousel. One of our chorus members took on the task of asking us to record ourselves singing, and then he synced it all together. A link to that is here.

So that's what I'd be doing #ifnotforcoronavirus.


Stay safe,