During this embarrassingly farcical exile period—house arrest imposed on us illegally by Colorado's communist governor and his comic-relief slave-legislature—with nothing but the same corona virus garbage on TV, hour after hour, day after day, I have discovered two ways to survive. At my advanced age, stuck as I am in this wheelchair (don't get me wrong, it's the best damn office-chair I've ever owned) I can write, or I can drink. My heart doctor tells me that the latter is good for me and I try to do a little of both, every day.

I drink beer, mostly, Guiness and Budweiser's Chelada. But a cocktail I sort of semi-invented is pleasing me enormously, lately, and I hope it pleases you, as well. It's on the desk beside me as I write this. I have been tempted, since it belongs, essentially, to the same family as the Bloody Mary (vodka and tomato juice) and the Bloody Maria (tequila and the same), to call it a "Bloody Mermaid", but, somehow, that sounds icky. Call it whatever you will, this is what it's made of….

Start with a tall glass of Mott's Clamato over ice. Many people can't stand the idea of tomato juice enhanced with sweet clam juice (and some spices), and I won't try to sell you on it, here. But if you relish it the way I do (I used to buy it by the gallon), then bon appetit! Throw in a healthy shot of tequila—mine is Cuervo Gold, but your mileage may vary. Add a fat slice of lime on the edge of the glass, a slice of lemon, and a slice of orange. The citrus really dresses it up. These are all ingredients I like very much, and together, they take the edge off a day I spent writing 1000 or 2000 words (my record so far is 3200) and let me relax.