This is 99

This is what 99 looks like.

Yesterday, May 30, was a beautiful day for celebrating the beautiful 99 years (and many more?) of my grandmother.

6 children, 18 grandchildren, 40 great grandchildren, and 10 great, great grandchildren. So far.

To me, "Love and Prayers" sums up my grandmother. She signs every card with those three words. She makes every quilt and afghan and doily and everything else with those qualities. She has been known to say that she has made it through life with just love and prayers.

I look up to my grandmother and value the time God continues to give us with her. 

So it was a privilege to celebrate her corona style with people parades...

car parades...

banners...

and music.

Victor was the self-proclaimed videographer for the occasion.

We have some great videos of the musicians' knees.

She had a list of her favorite songs. 

We got through as many as we could.

Of course, "Because He Lives" is at the top of the list.

But maybe we shouldn't have given her so many flowers. Her living room was starting to look like a funeral parlor.

Well, she has always said that she thinks it would be better if we honored people by telling them how we feel about them while they are alive instead of at their funerals.

We hope she felt all of our love yesterday.

And the "99" balloons that ended up in the tree,

will be her daily reminder that she is loved.

Of course, depending on the wind, she could be "6" or "9" or "66" or...

She graduated!

Graduation was supposed to be yesterday.

So we prepared for our own version of Marymount Manhattan's graduation for one.  But then it rained (of course). And it was nice of Tom to move us to yellow just in time for graduation. He really does care.

Plan B a day later was just as fun.

Cap and Gown and Socks and Mask. The new normal graduation uniform. Everyone's doing it.

The most obnoxious Pomp and Circumstance we could find and a lovely processional

The Pledge of Allegiance with the flag holder (Victor) in absentia because he declared at the last minute that he was not participating.

The singing of the alma mater.  It was beautiful even though no one knew the tune. We didn't know the words, either, so we just used the words from the high school alma mater.

Special music by one of the seniors, remotely, of course, but the technology never did work.

And a senior speech, remotely, of course, but the technology still didn't work.

And another senior speech, but again, the technology didn't work.

Some people dressed up more than others

The president decided to forgo the usual president's message since there wasn't much of an audience in attendance.

But the guest speaker was absolutely amazing. The best graduation speech ever. Very relevant for these unprecedented times.

“Thank you to Reverend Dr. King, Provost King, Dean King, and all the Professors King in the audience today. 

These are unprecedented times...

Imagine if you will…a world where Cinco de Mayo falls on Taco Tuesday
only to be ruined by a virus named after a Mexican beer.

The new normal

We’re in this together

Alone together

We’re stronger together

Even though we’re not together, we’re here to keep you connected

To all the heroes keeping everyone running.

For all new moms in quarantine, you’re not alone.

These are extraordinary times and there are extraordinary people
working in the healthcare industry.

So to all our graduating health care workers and teachers,
who are about to be on the frontlines, we salute you. To everyone else…

…...Where was I?

...Our world has changed drastically, but you know what hasn’t changed?

We’re all in this together!

Being on your side means staying home.

The challenges are what motivate us. We’re doing everything
we can to get you what you need.
And we’re doing everything we can to keep you safe.

While not able to touch each other, there are still ways to touch each other.

Connect with friends and family. Have fun. But stay at home.
We will help you get through this.
But stay at home.

Because now, more than ever, being a good neighbor means everything.

It’s been a crazy time, but we’re all in this together.

In closing, I’d like to thank all of the corona commercials
and memes for the inspiration
and words needed to make this graduation speech possible
and my apologies for all of the copyright laws broken
in the making of this speech.”

And then the part that gets so long...the reading of the names...

Aaron Adam Anderson, in abstientia
Babbette Beatrice Beardsly-Brown, in ababsientia
Christopher Camron Christianson, in acksentia
Davida Danielle Dennis, in absentiensia
Esther Evangeline Edwards, in absence
Farnsworth Frederick Funkhousen-Fritz, in abystentia...

Some of us did not graduate with theater degrees

and have just a little trouble staying in character...

and trying not to pee our pants

Justin Joseph Jones, also not here
Mariana Christine King - finally!

"To the graduating class of 2020, please stand.

Okay, Mariana, you stand.

As a symbol of your accomplishment, please move your tassel and throw your caps in the air."

She did it and we are so proud. And personally, I think the length of this ceremony was just perfect. Like you.

A birthday that wasn't expected to be this way

Well...this isn't how we had planned to spend your 22nd birthday.

We thought we'd be heading to NYC tomorrow for a combo belated birthday-graduation-break a leg in your show, weekend.

Instead you spent your last semester of college paying for an apartment in NYC while riding out COVID-19 at home.

I'm sorry.

While it's been fun to have you here, I know it's not what you had planned.

And wedding planning during a pandemic...meh.

Anyway, I love you a bunch. Thanks, Jake, for remembering that the mom did more of the work on the child's birthday than the child. I enjoyed my chai.

Socially distancing, of course

Have a great day! Love you lots.

Questions about corona

Shout out to Emily who says that it's been over 20 days since a King Zoo post (thanks for reading!)...

Q: What is the Corona virus? 

Victor: Oh no. It's a virus. It's a stupid virus. Sometimes it actually kills people. It started in China. That's all I'm saying.

Q: How many days have we been in quarantine? 

Victor: Seems like a thousand months. It really seems like a thousand months.

Q: Do you want to go back to school? Y

Victor: Yes! I like to see my teachers in person. Not 2D, electronically. It's just pretty bad. It means I don't get to hug them or anything. All I can do to hug them is hug the ipad. It's pretty bad.

Q: Who is the first person you are going to hug when lockdown is over? 

Victor: Mrs. Leister because she's a special teacher. Well, maybe Jake after Mrs. Leister. We'll see. 

Q: Where is the first place you want to go? 

Victor: Chuck E. Cheese and every arcade on the earth

Q: What do you think we can do to get rid of the Corona virus?

Victor: We should start thinking of cures, like medicines and pills. I don't know what. But we should just start thinking. Well, we'd need a lot of ingredients. 

Someone suggested Lysol.

Victor: Ewwwww. No. That is a burn going down your throat. No, it wouldn't burn. It would just really hurt.

Q: Is mommy a good teacher? 

Victor: Hmmmm. I don't know. You aren't a good music teacher. Totally not in the music department. You're an awful singer.

Q: How did the Corona Virus start? 

Victor: It started actually in China. In a laboratory, I think. I don't know how it happened. Viruses cannot be kept. They cannot be kept in a container or anything. Our body is a container for our organs and our blood. We can get viruses and they just make people sick like a cold. My guess is someone is just like, "Why is everyone throwing up?" So they went out and they were visiting their friends and .... that's my guess.

Someone mentioned bats.

Victor: NO ONE EVER EATS BATS! You know, speaking of bats, one time there was a bat on my windowsill.

Me: Where?

Victor (caught in a lie): Never mind.

Q: If you had to wear protective clothing to help you what would it be? 

Victor: I would wear a special uniform. You know what Darth Vader wears? His face mask. It's like a breathing apparatus.  I would just take Darth Vader's things off and put them on.

Q: Are you enjoying being stuck at home? 

Victor: NO WAY! 'Cause it's boring and there's nothing to do. Done. I'm done. I'm going on the swing.