Massachusetts, unlike many parts of the country, is in pretty good shape Covid-19 wise. Cases and deaths are diminishing; people are wearing masks, washing their hands and keeping (mostly) six feet apart. Things are starting to reopen, and while nothing feels ‘normal’ right now we’re doing the best we can to see friends while trying to be safe. So we decided to attempt a Fourth of July barbeque, heeding the experts’ advice on not just social distancing, but on food, utensils, even the bathroom.

Rule #1: no common utensils. Okay, so everything has to be in individual servings so people can help themselves but not be sharing a serving spoon or tongs. 

First off, BYOB. Don’t be touching anyone else’s bottle…

Appetizers? Mozzarella and tomato shooters, individual shrimp cocktail, and tiny dishes of rosemary almonds. I hate that so much plastic will be thrown away and that I can’t use my reuseable grocery bags yet, but I beg environmental forgiveness for the sake of my friends and our health. 

Main course? Kebobs it is, chicken and steak with red and yellow peppers, Vidalia onions and crimini mushrooms. Potato salad and fruit salad in individual cups. Grilled garlic bread that can be picked up with the hands. Hands? Okay, hand sanitizer next to the plates, which are stacked so no one has to touch the whole pile. And 6 feet apart in the buffet line. 

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Dessert? My friend Jinx made ice cream and packed it in individual cups; coffee caramel and pina colada. For those from New England it was like having adult Hoodsie cups. Denise brought Klondike bars, Mike made brownies and Cheryl brought mini brownie bites. I sense a theme. Pandemic? Ice cream and chocolate to the rescue.

Rule #2: Social Distancing. Folks brought their own chairs, and we were spaced far enough apart (outdoors) to be safe and not have to yell at each other. Thankfully we have enough long tables that end-to-end we could keep couples and solos six feet apart. It was quite civilized.

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Rule #3: Safely allowing people into the house for bathroom breaks. The only doors that would be touched by everyone were the slider into the house and the bathroom door itself; everything else was open. Hand sanitizer was in abundance, as were disinfectant wipes, soap and paper guest towels. 

So, do I think any of my friends are infected, the so-called ‘silent spreaders’? Probably not. They’ve all done a good job of following the rules. And a couple of us have actually been tested. Am I willing to risk it? Oh, hell no. I thought long and hard about how to keep everyone safe from harm, and I sanitized that bathroom at the end of the day to within an inch of its life. Bleached all of the door handles, too. And if that’s what it takes to spend a lovely afternoon with friends I’ll keep doing it. But I do miss hugging. For us huggers the struggle is real.

I think our old normal is a long way off, if we ever get back there. But our new normal, slowly expanding our ‘bubble’, safely entertaining, and still zooming and FaceTiming long distance works for now. 

Pass the hand sanitizer.

Deborah