Ack, how did it get to be the second week of May? I feel like we are living in some weird time loop. We have been home for 60 days. 60 incredible, hellish, strange, boring, irritating, scary days. But somehow, I think it should still be March. Why? Because the day we went into SIP is the day my internal clock shut down.
Days and weeks are running together. It doesn’t help that I have nothing to set my day by. No appointments, no school schedules, no volunteer hours, no nothin. I get up and do a few things around the house and suddenly it is 4pm and I am exhausted. Probably because I stayed up far too late the night before binge watching Father Brown.
My sad blank month of May. I can’t quite bring myself to delete the trip that may never be.
I have been going to bed at ungodly hours. Hours that I have rarely seen since my college days, out dancing until dawn. Hours I only saw afterward to nurse a newborn or catch some insane flight out of South America (why are the flights out of SA so odd?). It wouldn’t be a big deal if I slept in but alas, sleeping in is waking at 0700 at best.
As we are well into the month of May the weather should be warm and I should feel summer coming. But that too is stuck in limbo as the temperatures have been in the 50s most days. I think mother nature must be in the time loop too. I lost almost every vegetable I planted to a frost I didn’t see the warning for. I guess when they say don’t plant until May they must mean May 30.
Yesterday was Mother’s Day. I was sad about not getting homemade gifts from the boys but my sweet husband not only had them both paint me something, he did too. We got up early made breakfast and relaxed until the boys woke up. We played games of my choosing and watched Anne of Green Gables all evening. It was wonderful. I also got my yearly gift of Mark taking the Christmas tree down. What can I say, he really loves Christmas and I indulge him, until ‘my’ holiday.
My boys with the Mother’s Day artwork they created just for me.
Several states are opening back up. There is much hubbub about the timing and methods each is using. In Illinois, our governor has set a plan for opening regions in phases. The state is divided into 4 regions, 3 more or less horizontal bands across the state with the north being divided vertically to separate Chicagoland from the western part of the north third of the state.
There is a lot of animosity in many towns with very few cases. Several have sent in propositions for creating smaller regions and opening more quickly in places with few cases. Some businesses are just defying orders and opening anyway. Some can’t afford not to. So many have already gone bankrupt.
There have been protests in other states calling for faster openings. Many people are questioning the constitutionality of some of the mandates that have been put in place. So far as I know this hasn’t happened in Illinois. Though, there have been a few lawsuits filed on similar grounds. I don’t really have an opinion on any of it at this point. I will continue to stay home, leaving only as necessary but, I will yearn to do those simple things that were part of daily life before covid. I will also pray for the many millions of Americans and others who have lost their jobs due to this epic shutdown of the world.
Breadlines in NYC Photo Credit: AP; Gene J Puskar, creator
I saw a statistic today that said 1 in 5 American families do not have enough food to eat right now. When this SIP started, I thought, it will be like the Great Depression. Liam said, there will be revolutions. I prayed neither of us would be right. I am afraid if things don’t change soon, if people cannot go back to work, if people continue to go hungry, things will become unconscionably worse. What can you do? Open town by town based on number of cases? Hope for herd immunity? Make masks mandatory for the foreseeable future? Each and every limit affects the outcome of the disease but also the livelihood of so many. How can we feed everyone if huge corporations and small businesses are all shutting down?
There are no simple answers it seems. I wish this damn virus had never come to be. I wish science could come up with an effective treatment. I wish misinformation would wither and die. I wish I could go spend a week with my and Mark’s parents. Maybe soon, probably not. I am grateful we are not hungry, yet.
First, let me say, may the fourth be with you. As I say that I wish there were such a thing as The Force. Wouldn’t it be lovely if someone or, many someones, could push this stupid virus away—banishing it to the outermost region of the galaxy to die in the frigid nothingness of space?
This week I made the mistake of reading some news articles. I read a few from several ends of the news spectrum and from various parts of the world. Whoa. Not a single article agreed on any aspect of the virus, its treatment, nor its containment. Shoot, some even questioned the veracity of the virus itself. I will keep from speaking any more on that subject except to say, I will refrain from reading any news related to the virus for the next 500 years. It is too depressing.
This is the last week of limbo-school for the kids. Thank God because, if it doesn’t end soon I may completely lose my marbles. Mark has been taking care of the schedule, they respond better to his way of setting out assignments than they do mine. I have been buzzing in and out helping them through those questions that stump them. But mostly I have been telling them to git ‘er dun. Which they completely ignore.
I think Dad has had it.
The boys are presently annoying the crap out of me with their inane discussions on any random thought they have, so as to avoid any actual use of brain power. The most recent argument was whether or not any country could (now or in the future) claim ownership of the moon. There were many hypotheses submitted but all were invalidated by my telling them to stop. Then by my telling them to stop louder. Then by my flat out yelling, STOP. Finally, Mark had to come sit in the same room with them to keep them quiet. They are still not actually working. The theme of our home school is apparently, Work for 5 minutes, Goof off for 25. Do my children really not understand that if they only just put their noses to the grindstone today and do their last few assignments, they can have summer earlier than ever before? No.
The weather here is beginning to be more consistently warm and that is glorious and also concerning. I spent several hours outside this week planting my few little seedlings and prepping containers for flowers. With the warmer weather people are having a harder time isolating themselves. This weekend three sets of neighbors stopped by at various times to chat. We of course were all outside and sat well away from one another but it was tough not bringing out food for everyone.
Beer with a disinfectant chaser.
As we sat on the patio, 6ft away from one another, in place of our usual centerpiece of food was a (precious and limited) container of Clorox wipes. I am physically incapable of having people at my house and not offering them a drink or food. Circumstances being what they are, I offered bottled or canned drinks and set them down with a wipe on top so that our guests could wipe them down before imbibing. What the actual heck? Quarantine sucks.
Update, as I have taken 3 whole hours to write the last two paragraphs, Liam finished his last 2 assignments (will wonders never cease)! He has officially finished third grade work, praise God. I mean it. I am far more ecstatic now than I ever have been at the end of the school year. Is this how teachers feel? Now, just one more child to get through 5 more assignments and we are DONE! Does my excessive use of !!! properly convey my excitement, no.
School’s OUT!
This weekend is Mother’s Day. This is a day of contention for me most years. Mark’s university always (I mean Every.Stinking.Year) has graduation on Mother’s Day weekend. As if moms don’t give up enough all year long, they have to give up the ONE day dedicated to them for graduation. This is probably joyous to the mothers who are celebrating their child’s graduation. To mothers of university professors—not so much. Instead of brunch and making memories with family we moms married to professors get nothing. The day is given up every year to students I have never met. But this year is going to be different.
I am going to miss those sweet Mother’s Day gifts from school.
Don’t get me wrong, I feel for those seniors who don’t get to walk that stage and take their diplomas with their left hand while shaking with their right. I hate that they don’t get to flip that tassel to the other side. Not hearing Pomp and Circumstance played after 4 years of hard work is almost heartrending. But I get to have a Mother’s Day. And I am thrilled! What I will miss are those beautiful handmade projects from school that were made with love by my sons little hands. I will miss those smears of paint and collages full of more glue than paper. Maybe I can take a 4 hour walk and Mark and the boys will think to make Mama something that will make her tear up with joy and love.
Yesterday I went out. Those four words are like a triumphant anthem to me. It had been more than 40 days since I left my house for more than a walk in the neighborhood. I took SIP to mean, stay home if you can and I could, so I did.
I finally left the house because I have been getting 3-4 migraine-like headaches a week for the last few weeks. They have been debilitating. I knew it had something to do with my neck and so I made an appointment with my chiropractor. He fixed me right up, thank God, because I wasn’t functioning very well. I told him it was my 1st time out since mid-March and I was thinking about going to the grocery and Target. He laughed and asked, so is it like a diet—you cheat and eat ice cream so you may as well eat the whole container? I said, exactly!
Pre-covid, I was in and out of my house a hundred times a day. I went to the kids’ school, the gym, the grocery, hardware stores, and anywhere else I wanted without a thought. Some days I took myself to lunch with a good book and a glass of wine just because, other days I would meander through the book store for literally hours, I volunteered, I took my work with me to any quiet public space and never thought, I should really just do this at home. Now, it takes debilitating pain to make me go out. But that is what Shelter in Place is, I think.
Far less traffic than usual.
I was a bit apprehensive and also curious to see how our little corner of the world had changed in the last 6 weeks. The first thing I noticed was less traffic, obviously. By my own unscientific estimation there were probably less than half as many cars on the road as there normally would have been. The other crazy thing I noticed was that people were driving much closer to the speed limit than usual. You know how in some towns, the general speed of traffic is at or near the posted speed limit and in others it is well over? Our town happens to be one of the latter with people regularly driving 5-10mph over, but not yesterday. Everyone was driving the speed limit or maybe 5 over. That was unexpected.
My chiropractor is located in a cute little shopping center in the middle of town. It has a few specialty food shops, several ladies’ boutiques and a men’s store, a home design boutique, and a couple of eateries. It also has notoriously small parking spaces and is generally well populated. I pulled in and had my choice of parking spots well away from others so as to avoid door dings (seriously, I’ve gotten half a dozen dings in that lot in the last few years). That was pleasantly new but also sad. Many of the shops were closed due to covid. Others were open but with just one or two cars in front. The lone Open sign that was lit seemed to be to be a sad little beacon in a desolate landscape. I’m making a point to order something from those open shops this week.
Inside the office both of the assistants were wearing masks, as was I. Most of the chairs in the waiting room were gone and the ones left were sitting 6ft apart which reinforced that lonely feeling the shuttered stores had given me. As I waited for the doc we girls chatted amiably, but muffled, through our new face fashion. They said Mark and I had the most fun masks they had seen, mine has a cartoon bear’s mouth and Mark’s has a handlebar moustache. Not a usual compliment but, it made me laugh. Between clients they sanitized the room, wiping the adjustment table and counter where clients set their keys etc. I think I saw her wipe the door handle too, though they always open the door for you anyway. So, even a place I have always thought of as immaculate is being wiped with disinfectant every 5 minutes.
From there I drove, more leisurely than normal as we have all picked up the habit of driving the actual speed limit, to Target. But along the way I saw that big orange Home Depot sign and thought, oh some potting soil! And maybe a few herbs! As I drove in the lot, I was struck by how many cars were parked with a space between them. Seriously, it was like all the sedans, trucks, and SUVs had decided they too wanted in on the social distancing. I attempted to go in through the garden center entrance but it was newly marked as, Exit Only. They had strung together grills as a means of controlling egress. Apparently, one entry/exit prevents spread?
Mask fashion is now a thing.
Most of the people I saw there had masks—except the employees. Weird. You’d think Home Depot would have masks for employees, as a home improvement store and masks being one of the things they sell. Anyway, the clientele in the garden center was the usual demographic for this time of the year, about half retirees and half childrearing age like me, but there were far fewer of us than usual on a sunny, 75degree day in late April.
Only half the shoppers had masks, and I’m not counting the sweet lady who chatted with me about strawberries whose mask was hanging off one ear protecting absolutely nothing. I did take a big step back from her as she kindly told me the best berries for jam—I felt like an absolute ass in doing so, but fortunately she didn’t seem to notice. In other social news, I got hit on. Seriously. I haven’t been outright hit on in a dog’s age but this guy tries to pick me up in the garden center, during a global pandemic, wearing a mask. Mark and I had a good laugh about that later.
I went on to Target with the sole intention of roaming those comforting aisles for an hour. I did that successfully and ,believe it or not, only bought 2 things I did not need; a new cheery doormat (you know, for all those people coming to my house during the Shelter in Place order), and a face mask (the kind you smear on for 15mins, not the kind you wear) that promised relaxation. I’m pretty sure a Tequila and Cranberry juice will give me more relaxation but, at least I only blew 2 bucks on it. I needed 15lb dumbells and went to get those to no avail, the whole flippin exercise section was basically bare. I mean there were some foam rollers and a couple of other things I have no need of but not one weight in any size. I can’t wait to see all these buff people after the covid is over!
Not a dumbell to be had.
Out of curiosity I peeped the TP and cleaning aisles. The toilet paper aisle actually had a few rolls. Just 2 months ago my boys would try and ‘scare’ me by hiding in ‘forts’ made behind the mass of TP at Target. Now there isn’t enough TP to build a fort big enough to hide a chihuahua behind let alone two boys. As for Lysol or Clorox wipes, you’re out of luck at my local Target. Not a one to be found. But there are plenty of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. I guess if it doesn’t specifically say, effective against coronavirus, people aren’t buying it? I noticed several other areas had low stock too, video games and accessories as well as children’s books. They have them, just not as much as pre-covid.
As to my fellow shoppers, there were significantly less than normal! Far fewer of the Target aficionados were wearing masks no matter their age. Less than half had masks but at least most of the employees did. There were noticeably more young people, early 20s, than there were moms. Usually Target is full of legging-clad moms with kids in tow. I only saw 2 moms with children yesterday.
Unusually low stock in several areas.
The most positive thing I noticed was people were more friendly than usual. Having lived in the South, I have been used to everyone speaking to everyone else. In the South, you never pass by someone without a ‘Hey’ or a smile and you damn well better strike up a friendly conversation with the cashier and people in line or you’ll spontaneously combust. Where I live now, people aren’t unfriendly, they just don’t generally strike up conversation with strangers and kind of look at me funny when I do. Well, they did yesterday. I thought for sure being my first time out I would be rather more chatty with strangers than usual like, maybe I should have had a t-shirt made that said, ‘Excuse my chatter. It’s my first time out of quarantine’. But most people spoke to me before I spoke to them. Pretty sure that has never happened at my local Target before.
I drove to the grocery in record slow time and passed our local nursery and garden store which was packed. Packed as in, the whole lot was full. I can’t imagine how un-social distanced people would have to be in that store. But then I felt guilty for having gone to a chain store for my potting soil rather than a local business.
The coolest thing at the grocery store was the guy wiping down the handle of every cart. They used to have wipes for you to do that yourself but now they are doing it for you. I actually felt relief at that. I got what we needed in my usual meandering fashion. I am never very efficient in that store as they tend to rearrange the store once a year so I have to hunt and gather. I almost ran into a guy at the end of one aisle and said, excuse me. He replied, no problem, I was going the wrong way in the aisle. My eyes must have bugged out of my head when I looked down to see blue arrows on the floor of every aisle directing traffic. I practically shouted, oh my gosh, I had no idea! He and the other 2 people nearby laughed at my ignorance. No wonder the guy stocking things looked at me funny when I tried to pass him in the last aisle—I’d been going the wrong way. Oops.
No wipes or Lysol and little TP was the theme at the grocery store along with very little white rice. Loads of wild rice and aborio (the rice for risotto) though. There were a few other areas that were markedly more bare than normal but the sign limiting you to 2 dozen eggs that Mark had seen recently was gone. I have been used to bare sections or semi-bare shelves in grocery stores around the world. It isn’t that unusual outside of the United States but, here it throws you off a bit. I wonder about the supply chain and how things will look in the future. We Americans are so used to having everything we need, or frankly want, at our fingertips I wonder how that will affect us in the future.
So normal is so many places and so odd in the U.S.
Overall, yesterday was awesome. It felt good to simply get in my car and do normal things even if things weren’t quite normal. Face mask fashion is becoming a thing, people are slowing down, and most everyone has a new personal space of 6-8ft. I felt like my normal self, minus the mask, and thoroughly enjoyed my leisurely 3 hours alone.
After a wonderful startto the week, things calmed down and we fell back into the doldrums of life in quarantine. My days are pretty much the same; wake up, fritter away an hour on my phone (for which I have an immense amount of guilt but continue to do regardless), shower, wake the kids, make breakfast, feed kids, tell the kids to start schoolwork, do dishes and some housework, get dressed and put my face on, tell the kids to do schoolwork, read email, check social stuff, tell the kids to do schoolwork, make lunch or tell the kids to make lunch, take a walk, prep dinner, do dishes, tell the kids to finish schoolwork, make dinner, watch a movie with the kids, waste time online, put the kids to bed (theoretically), go to sleep, rise and repeat.
At least I have made a few meals.
After more than 6 weeks of this, I am getting boooored. When the governor announced this mandated SIP would go on until May, 30 my get up and go, got up and went. I should be doing something productive but productivity, like Elvis, has left the building. I am riddled with guilt about that as I watch Mark work his tail off conducting two courses online and putting out 3 new videos a week. So, last night I made a decision to get my rear in gear. Starting Monday. I need today to adjust to the idea of ‘doing’.
I am turning off social media unless it is for Wolters World. I waste an enormous amount of time reading inane crap online. I have read articles from a gazillion news outlets and every one of them says something different; stay home, create herd immunity, wear/don’t wear masks, social distance is 6ft or maybe 10ft, sitting 6ft apart to spend time with someone is not actually social distancing, we should absolutely sit 6ft apart and spend time with others, covid numbers are being altered to the plus or minus, more than 60% of us have it, only 20% of us have it—it goes on into infinity. What I do know is that I have the power to shut down all that noise and that is what I am going to do.
I am going to walk, write, workout (Lawd, I haven’t done that in almost 3wks!), read, call family and friends, and clean something everyday. One week of being a sloth is far more than enough but, it is a deep hole I have sunk into on this couch. I know energy begets energy so, off I go! If I write next week and it isn’t full of energy and productivity, I hope someone reaches through their screen and shakes some sense into me. Though my intentions may be good, I will likely slip back into the pit of slovenliness as it is hard to keep busy when you are confined to the house and have a nice warm spot on the couch that fits you like a glove.
This is my spot. It is perfectly formed in the shape of me. No one else may sit here. Mostly, because I am not moving.
On the idea of confinement, I have found that many people have been taking confinement quite differently than we have. Apparently, some people are still shopping—like going to stores other than the grocery—I didn’t even know anything else was open for Pete’s sake. Mark did some filming in a friend’s field for a change of background, and decided to surprise us all with Chik-Fil-A. He said the traffic on that end of town was as it always is and the pick-up line was long, as per usual. Mark has been to the chiropractor and the grocery store two times in 46 days, I have been absolutely nowhere except on walks around our neighborhood.
Other people are going about their lives in a semi-normal state. Why am I not doing that?! I would relish wandering the aisles of Target alone for an hour (I sorely miss alone) in a mask or even a full hazmat suit, I really couldn’t care less. I am so jealous of people who are out. I also cannot blame them, our county has had 102 confirmed cases with 81 recovered since March, 5. It is hard to stomach another month of lockdown when your county has so few cases. As far as I can tell, downstate Illinois is being mandated based upon numbers in Chicago and the suburbs and we are all going a little bit nuts. I’ll stay home, keep towing the line but, I won’t enjoy it and I understand how others are not.
I did do a couple things this week. Mark and I each read a bedtime story for a local mom’s website called Chambana Moms. I read one of my favorites, The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell, illustrated by Jim Harris. It is a take on The Three Little Pigs set in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson where I lived as a child. It is also a Reading Rainbow Book, I miss Lavar Burton. Mark read Liam’s favorite, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site while sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. It was fun, we do enjoy bedtime books in our house so sharing that was natural for us.
Hmm, I said I did a couple things this week. Truth be told that may have been the only thing I did this week other than talk to friends and family via video or phone and host a couple live feeds with our followers. I mean, I did housework and cooked but, Mark probably did near as much as I did. Seriously, I am a sloth. Oh wait, I cut Liam’s hair. It turned out pretty well and as his hairdresser is shut down until the end of May it will be so grown out that my mistakes won’t be a big deal. I just couldn’t handle the 1986 mullet look any longer. Oh, and please, tell me how in the holy heck hairdressers are supposed to pay their rent with no customers.
Me, pretending to be a hairdresser. Liam pretending to–he’s not pretending, he is that happy.
So, that is it. I am a bored sloth with scissors and a spatula, occasionally a mop. I pray the governor doesn’t extend the SIP longer. I’m really going to need a therapist if he does. And a whole lot of people are going to be destitute. Grrrrr.
Today I feel human again. I feel alive, like all my synapses are firing at full capacity! I have so much to say. Yesterday was the best quarantine day, to date but, past week was the most hectic to date. However, when you have ADD and all your synapses are firing fully that means all that information comes out all tangled so, I will try to get it in order for you and share the most amazing week we have had in quarantine.
Yesterday may have been the best quarantine day yet but, the last week has been nuts (that is why I haven’t posted in a week). So to begin with, Mark did this crazy Marketing Marathon last Tuesday. He taught his entire semester-long Principles of Marketing course in one day to raise money for the Emergency Deans Fund to aid students at his university. It was 15h and 43m of lecturing live on YouTube. It was nuts. It was wonderful.
15h 43m is a looong class! But it was all for a good cause, and raised over $1600 for students in need.
Mark had people from around the world logging in, some even stayed on the entire session! YouTube put it on their home page—which pushed more people to watch, especially trolls. It was hilarious, Mark and his viewers would put the trolls in their place saying, put your money where your mouth is. A few actually donated or stayed on to watch. We have trusted followers who moderate our Live chats, they did an amazing job that day. I helped a bit so our Mods could do their daily stuff too. I also made Mark lunch and dinner, supplied snacks and drinks (lots of hot tea for his voice and caffeine to stay awake). I chatted with viewers when Mark had to take toilet breaks too.
The best part of the marathon was that over $1600 was donated by these wonderful people. Right now, given the economic climate, there are more students who have emergent needs. There are also less people who are able to donate. The fact that so many gave speaks volumes to me. People really do pull together when needed.
Last week was also Holy Week for me as a Greek Orthodox. Normally, that would mean at least daily liturgy of some sort. I was trepidatious about having the most important week of the church online. I have to say, though I don’t want to do it again there were some beautiful things about it.
I was able to explain a lot to the boys about what things meant during the different liturgies and why we did them. Usually, when they have questions during church, I have to put them off until later and half the time we forget to address them. When church is on a laptop in your living room you can answer those questions in full without disrupting anyone else, which is brilliant.
The Easter Vigil is my absolute favorite moment of the church year. It is so beautiful with so much meaning and deep emotion. It is also rather long and late at night which makes it difficult with children. Liam was so in tune this year. Maybe because he could wear his comfy clothes (aka pajamas) and wander as needed during the 2+ hour service. It was sad, not being with everyone, celebrating in our own homes. It was wonderful being online with people around the country, celebrating with people we would otherwise not see.
Easter liturgy at home with candles but sans incense and Church had some hidden blessings but, next year I want to be in the church.
We watched the liturgy with dim lights as the first half of the service is conducted in almost complete darkness. At one point Father comes out with a lit candle to share with the church symbolizing Christ rising from the dead. It is a powerful, beautiful moment as we share that light with the people around us. I had candles at the ready and we sat there with them lit for the rest of the service. For the first time ever, my kids didn’t intentionally spill the wax on their fingers and make ‘wax fingerprints’. Liam asked that we go outside and sing just like we do at church so, we did. I am glad we went out in the cold night and sang Christ is Risen to our neighborhood. I missed hearing the choir sing it in their lovely voices but, I loved hearing my sweet sons voice singing what our church has sung for 2000 years. In all, it was a dichotomy. There were silver linings and it was lovely but, next year I want to be in the church not online with the church.
A big chunk of last week was spent working on something that has been on Mark and my minds a lot in the past 40 days. We see the economic downturn happening in our online business. It won’t affect us greatly as it is only what pays for our travel, Mark has another job. However, there are so many musicians, artists, churches, dancers, creators, restaurant employees, hairdressers and many more that have been cut off from most or all income right now. It has weighed heavily on us as we have friends who work in every one of those professions (and many more who are in jeopardy) so we have been looking for a way to help.
We launched Pause for the World, last week. It is an initiative that allows organizations, small businesses, the self-employed, or those who work in those jeopardized professions to earn money. The concept is simple. Pause for the World is an online store that sells a bevy of fun, quirky logo’d t-shirts, hoodies and sweats. When a business signs up on the website, they get a referral code/link to distribute among customers, friends, and family. Each item sold through their referral earns them $10. They get paid through PayPal weekly. That is it. I told you it was simple. Mark and I have designated any sales without referrals to benefit our local Meals on Wheels. I wish it would go viral so loads of hurting people and businesses could profit from it.
Liam turned 9 yesterday. At the beginning of quarantine, he cried one night lamenting not having a birthday party with his friends or his family. He said he thought he wouldn’t get any presents or see anyone. Well, we were forethinking when the idea of quarantine loomed. We don’t do a lot of presents; our priority is giving our kids the gift of travel but they do get a few gifts. Before SIP began, we went to Barnes and Noble and got him a Lego set and a terrarium kit for carnivorous plants. I ordered a throwback 80’s game for Caleb to gift his brother a few weeks ago too. Liam’s face when he saw those wrapped presents sitting at the breakfast table was a beautiful sight.
One very happy 9 year old!
I sent out an invitation to a surprise drive-by birthday party about a week ago and almost two dozen families came to celebrate Liam ‘with’ us. Some came with signs, one with a bullhorn and another blowing bubbles. It was like a parade in his honor.
He received several phone calls, video calls, and even a Zoom meeting just for him. People from around the world called him or sent messages—they made Liam’s 9th Birthday one to remember always. At the end of the night I asked if it had been a good day. He replied, it was GREAT! So, so much better than I expected.
Zooming with the Grandparents.
So yesterday was the best quarantine day we’ve had. A few of those people who drove by stopped to talk, 6-8ft apart of course. The kids managed to play some game of their own making by running far away from one another in some sort of race but where neither is next to nor near the other. It made me laugh to see these new games pop up out of this odd necessity. It was a little sad to see the kids back up when another came too close—how they have adjusted to that is beyond me. But no one had hurt feelings, not one kid got closer than 6ft, actually, they were definitely further apart than that as they do not recognize spatial distances so 6ft to them is more like 8-10ft.
We adults stood and talked across a 6-8foot invisible wall. And while that should make me sad, it didn’t. I was elated to have a face to face conversation with friends minus a screen. Only a few people had left their houses in the last month and at that, only for groceries. I thought for sure there would be some social awkwardness but there wasn’t. There was just this deep need to see people; to share some of portion of our lives with one another.
Airhugs from 6ft or more may not be as good as real hugs but, seeing friends in real life is!
Everyone misses friends—no, check that, this isn’t missing others, it is Saudades. Saudades is a Portuguese word that more or less means, a deep and sad longing, one that touches your inner self. We are all experiencing this soul-wrenching longing for companionship, for time spent with loved ones, for our normal lives. But give us 5 minutes of standing across the street from one another to talk and that Saudades is quelled enough to call the day the best day of quarantine.
The day ended with a massive amount of handwashing—as if the germs could make great leaps of space, but, just in case…
I’ve had it. I am sick of this steaming pile of horse crap. 32 days of being in my house with my three wonderful men has me at the end of my rope. I know in my last post I was explaining all the wonderful coping mechanisms for being in isolation. Well guess what, those work really great when most of the time you are by yourself and there aren’t people (I swear, intentionally) irritating you.
This is who we usually are.
My workload has doubled, no tripled. And most of it is not even work I like. It is work Mark likes. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing and I take great joy in our Live streams but I don’t love being tied to a computer. As a matter of fact, I may be the only Gen X/Xennial that hates technology.
I like working with people. I thrive on having conversations, figuring out solutions to problems. I like being creative in finding those solutions. I am finding fulfillment in one part of my work right now. We are building a new initiative called Pause for the World. It is cool, small businesses, schools, churches, and other organizations who are struggling financially can share a referral link and for each Pause for the World t-shirt that is sold they get $10 straightaway. This is the one bit of work that is satisfying to me right now and I am grateful for it.
This one can make me laugh like no one else.
I have mentioned this before but, if one more person leaves a glass, plate, bowl, fork, knife, or spoon on the counter I might make them eat it. If it’s dirty put it in the dishwasher. If the dishwasher is full run it. If the dishes in the dishwasher are clean put them away and then put your used china and silverware in it. If you drop something pick it up. There are no flipping, magic elves that do those things you neglect, there is only me. If you wake up, brush your teeth. If you smell (or I tell you, you smell) take a bath. I could go on ad nauseum or at least until the cows come home. Actually, cows can come trade places with the boys in my house, they’d be cleaner.
Truly, we have more days laughing than not. I just need to remember that on the bad days.
When you see me working, join in. If I am typing, be quiet or interrupt with an, ‘excuse me, mama’. Stop washing all the laundry you can find and then leaving it in the washer. Stop putting things in the dryer and leaving them there too. And if by some miracle, you actually remove things from the dryer Fold Them. We currently have a pile of clean clothes the size of a baby elephant on the laundry room floor. Oh, and our laundry room is about the size of a closet so, I literally cannot open the door fully, nor shut it.
Grace. I am doing my absolute best to give a good measure to each of the people in my home. I do not feel two of them are giving me one ounce of grace. The biggest one, he is giving me grace but, it’s not enough to make up for the smaller people.
This one always extends me extra grace.
The worst of all of this is that it is Holy Week for us. As Greek Orthodox our Pascha (Easter) is a week after Western Easter this year. Usually, this makes me happy because I get to celebrate twice. I love Pascha/Easter more than any other holiday both liturgically and secularly. It is just a beautiful, fulfilling time of year for me. But somehow, with kids who are doing absolutely nothing or whining to high heaven when made to do anything it is less than fulfilling this year. Mark loves Christmas. He loves it so much that I let him keep one tree up until Mother’s Day. But my favorite holiday…I get eye rolling and fussing.
Seriously, as I am writing this, I asked one child to brush his teeth and put the puzzle pieces away that have been untouched on the coffee table for 4 days and he forgot (actually forgot) what the second thing was. When Mark told him to put the puzzle away he came to my room in tears, real live tears, because it was going to be too hard and take a long time. It’s like 40 pieces, you open the box, swipe them in and close the box. 25 seconds, max, if you drop one.
This one has the most tender heart.
I am tired of cajoling my children into everything. Why can’t they just do what I ask without question, just once a day? I could live with perfect obedience if only just once a day. I swear I am losing my voice some days. Today one of my children came into the kitchen with a whole bunch of marker tattoos all over his face, neck, chest, and arms. Every one of them was spelled backward as he had done them in a mirror. At least I got in one good belly laugh today.
This is usually the time of year when I go on a girl’s trip to anywhere just to be surrounded by women who understand what motherhood is like. On days like this when I have had it with being surrounded by boys I bust out the Delta app and find a cheap flight to somewhere, call my best friends and see who can go with me. Now, I can’t even call my friends and see who can go to lunch.
I am yearning for some time laughing with other women.
I am trying to remember why we are doing this but, I am losing sight. I am sure tomorrow I will remember and be in a better frame of mind. Oh wait, maybe not because Mark is doing a marathon tomorrow. Not a real marathon. He is teaching his entire Principles of Marketing course online tomorrow starting at 8am to raise funds for his university’s Student Emergency Fund. I am so glad he is doing this, there are a lot of students who really need help right now. But tomorrow, trying to get the boys to do their schoolwork and keep the volume to a low roar, keep the dog from barking at every human he sees, get my own work done and do all of it without being able to talk to him—well, that is going to be a challenge.
After writing this and adding a whole bunch of pictures of who we usually are has made me feel so much better. I love these stinky, messy, obnoxious men more than words.
Today’s post is driven by a Facebook memory that popped up in my feed this morning. That memory was; I WALKED TO THE PARK! I cannot convey my happiness at being out on this beautiful spring evening escorted by my boys. <3
You see, I had been on strict bedrest for four months and this was my first walk outside our apartment in that time. Oh, I had been out of the apartment but only to lie in the back seat of a taxi (yes, I had to lie down) to go to doctor’s appointments. And then there was that excursion to the hospital where I landed myself for a full month. Obviously, I had a rough pregnancy. On top of being bedridden, we were living in Portugal and home was 5k miles away, Mark was teaching and finishing his PhD, Caleb was in creche all day (similar to preschool), and my two close girlfriends in Lisbon had both moved away, one to Madeira and the other to England, so I was lonely often. My sole job was to keep baby Liam in and baking until he could survive in the outside world.
I learned a lot about how to cope with being isolated and cut off from my loved ones. I found ways of combating the blues that set in often. I learned to acknowledge the stress and then kick its tail. I learned a whole lot that prepared me (and consequently) my family for life in Quarantine. So much of what we are doing to handle this time, to keep our sanity and our positive outlook stems from my time on bedrest. I thought I would share some of those mechanisms in this blog so that my someday descendants can grasp not only what daily life looked like but also, how we coped. Below you’ll find my and Mark’s list of Do’s and Don’ts for Quarantine.
Don’t just watch the news. The first thing I learned was that, generally speaking, news programming is the devil. Nothing could bring me down faster than the doom and gloom of news broadcasts especially when I was in no position to go and make a positive difference. The same applies to Shelter in Place (SIP). Don’t just watch the news and read social media all day. It will make you depressed and overrun with anxiety. In normal circumstances one can go out and DO something good to counteract the bad stuff but when you are homebound…it’s not quite as easy.
Take a break from social media and have a little fun.
Do take a break from social media. The same goes for social media outlets. So many people are posting things that, while well intentioned individually, en masse can create serious feelings of dread. Take social media like you would really hot coffee, in small sips. Taking breaks for whole days can take your mind off the overwhelming things you cannot control. Find other entertainment. Read a book, do a puzzle, make some music, write a blog for your descendants.
Do get your information from reliable sources. Listen to the experts not the armchair physicians. I had several well-meaning friends who had home remedies for treating my pregnancy condition. I know they just wanted to help but, I also knew that my doctor had spent many years studying and training to be an Obstetrician. Trust the experts, not the random posts from the internet. You can find a group to support any kind of crazy conspiracy and, if they are good writers, they can make it seem so very logical. That doesn’t mean it is factual. In the case of covid-19 the CDC, your doctor, and your local health department are your best bets for information. And remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And on that note, for Pete’s sake, don’t forward ‘cures’ or, well, much of anything else, it’s annoying.
Trust your doctor. She knows what she is talking about more than Aunt Sally and Facebook.
Don’t go out and visit your friends and socialize in person. Ok, so this is strictly SIP related but it is what caused me to learn so much about isolation. Staying in and not seeing people is harder than it sounds. When you are told, don’t shake hands or God forbid hug anyone, do not to stand closer than 6ft from people you have known your whole life, or to whom you are related—it goes against something deeply rooted in all of humanity. We humans need contact. We need socialization. In those 4 long months of bedrest I found mine on Skype, calling home and seeing family was such a joy. I cherished it even more for the month I spent sans internet, alone in a Portuguese hospital room. To combat that utter loneliness, Mark and I are doing live streams on our channel every Wednesday at 8p and Saturday at 9a to help build a little community for all of us. (this blog may be for my descendants but, I know people are reading it now and I want anyone reading it in April 2020 to know you are welcome to join us and ‘hang out’ for a bit of normalcy—click here for our YouTube channel).
Don’t horde the toilet paper. While pregnant I absolutely yearned for popsicles. American popsicles are a rare thing in Lisbon but my darling husband found some for me. Every week he bought me a new box to ration in my own way until he could get another box-full of frozen goodness. The same applies to us living in quarantine—get what you need for a week or two, not 6 months. Do be practical and know that there are others out there who cannot afford to buy a huge stock of anything, leave some for them. Above all do not horde N95 masks, just in case you need them. Our frontline people who are absolutely being exposed to this virus definitely need them. Staying home does not necessitate an N95 mask, a simple cotton one will be sufficient for the little exposure you’ll get while walking your dog. Be rational and ration things. When you horde things it creates more panic in your mind.
Don’t gain the Quarantine 19. Listen, I could gain loads of pounds while pregnant but still not too many. There is healthy weight gain and unhealthy weight gain. It is tough when you are stuck at home to not balloon up like a zeppelin. Right now, our health is of even more importance than normal. We can still workout at home—there are a gazillion and two bodyweight workouts available on the internet. We are still able to take walks and run and ride bicycles.
Sometimes you really do just need a break.
Don’t just lie around all day. This was the biggest lesson I learned on bedrest. Being unable to do anything normal is hard. Like really freaking hard. When I say I got the blues, it wasn’t some pregnancy induced hormonal imbalance. I was sad, borderline depressed the second and third weeks of my confinement. The first week was no biggie, I lazed around and watched tv and enjoyed being a sloth. But then the blues started to creep in.
At some point I realized I needed something to keep me going. I found the little things helped so very much. I woke up and ‘made’ my bed every day. (You should try making a bed while you are lying in it, it is hilarious.) It was something to accomplish straight away. I got dressed in fresh clothes. I walked to the bathroom and, while I was only allowed to stand for a shower once a week, I washed my face and took my makeup with me to the sofa where I perfected the art of putting makeup on in a prone position. Being put together put me in a better frame of mind. I read lots of things, books, articles online in random journals, I researched places I wanted to visit after the baby came, I educated myself. That felt good!
Do something for yourself. While we are stuck at home under SIP mandates there is a whole world of things to do and to learn. We should all hope to walk away from this time better people. But start with getting dressed. There is so much research out there showing that the way we dress sets a mental tone for our activities. I know we as a nation will never get the chance to rest like this again so, have lazy days where you do not shower and are the epitome of a couch potato! But when the doldrums start and you feel yourself slipping into depression jump up and take a shower. Things like that literally saved my sanity and preserved my hope.
Don’t forget to stay in touch. Today, it is even easier than ever. You can have a meeting, have a virtual happy hour, you can even have dinner with people on another continent. So, do it. Just don’t take your live video social media connecting app into the toilet with you. No one needs that kind of staying in touch.
Keep your loved ones close and treat one another with Grace.
Don’t forget to treat one another with grace, understanding, and compassion. This is not easy on anyone. We each have our moments of panic, fear, anger, and grieving for the lives we suddenly had to leave behind. It is ok and expected that emotions run high and frantic, remember that when the people you are quarantined with lose it. Give them space and grace. Treat one another as you want to be treated.
Related strictly to SIP and Covid19 and having nothing to do with my time as a homebound (slightly nutty) pregnant mom; Don’t touch your face, Don’t sneeze or cough without covering it, Don’t go out if you are sick. Do wash your hands for 20seconds with hot soapy water, Do disinfect common touch surfaces often.
It will all be worth it in the end.
So that is it. This time has made me rather grateful for four months on bedrest. It taught me so very much. This time with my family is tough but also a treat in comparison. We are all (thankfully) healthy, we have a roof over our heads and food on our table.
This weekend was good. It started with a wonderful surprise after I finished my blog on Friday and continued with great conversations and a little less work for two days. The weather was decent and that always makes things better.
In my last Captain’s Log I talked about my old childhood neighbors and their influence on me. I have, in the past, looked for their obits online and never found anything of consequence. Friday evening, I researched some more and found that Mr. Brookens had written a book about his life! I cannot lie, I shed a few tears. As I thought about it, I remember going over there to find him hen pecking at a typewriter. He had loose pages scattered about and I remember him saying Beulah was good to put up with his mess. I am sure what I saw was him writing this book! I downloaded it and immediately scanned it for pictures. I found one of the two of them toward the end that made me bawl like a baby. It was so good to see those beautiful faces again! I am savoring the book, reading just a few pages at a time. What a blessing this was. Again, Mr. and Mrs. Brookens are influencing my life. Reading his book has solidified my drive to continue this blog for my descendants. Our words are important and live on forever. May their memories be eternal.
We zoomed with my sister and brother in law and my niece, my friend in Ohio, and did an interview with another traveling family (Growing Up Without Borders) who have found themselves, happily, quarantined in New Zealand. I had long phone chats with both of my parents and with my other sister. I miss my family so very much. Just knowing I cannot go see them makes it harder. Chances are without quarantine we probably wouldn’t be visiting them until Easter anyway—but it is mentally harder regardless. Despite the distance and time differences we got some good quality time in with good quality people. I find myself deeply grateful for access to technology that allows me to see my loved ones faces.
Mark and I did two live streams this weekend. Around 11k people logged in to our general live chat. The conversation was good and people were generally positive. There does, however, seem to be more worry about the financial ramifications of this (almost) worldwide quarantine. I don’t want to dwell on it but, I am very concerned about not only our national economy but the world economy. I just pray world leaders are honest and do what is in everyone’s best interest. It is a long-shot, I know but, miracles do happen.
Our second live stream was with our members and patrons. These people are such a supportive bunch. While the general live stream is literally 10 thousand people and thousands of questions, this stream is usually around 40 people and much less frenetic. We talk about travel and related subjects but we also talk about life, ours and theirs. It is a lot of fun and I love to see how so many of this group have become friends. They talk to each other throughout the stream and it is like being part of a lovely dinner party where everyone gets along. I always walk away from those chats with a light heart.
This past week I put in two grocery orders, one with Meijer and one with Sam’s Club. Normally, an online order would take hours to fulfill. These took days. But that’s ok, I am lucky to be able to order my family’s food online. The whole process should be rather simple but technology, being what it is, was a pain in the rear end this week. Things kept falling out of my cart or taking several minutes to load which means it took over an hour to get a weeks’ worth of groceries in my virtual cart, I swear that kind of shop would have taken me 45mins in person.
My shopper at Meijer was sweet. He texted often as they were out of several things and he worked with me to find replacements. They are still out of my dishwashing gloves—my hands are going to look 20 years older when this quarantine is over with all the dishes I am doing. But bless this man for shopping for my family. I have only seen personal shoppers occasionally at the store in the past couple of years, I have a feeling there are many more now and I am glad some people have found work in this downturn. I am concerned though for their health. On that note, I think it is important that those of us who are utilizing these services tip accordingly.
My Sam’s order was rather humorous. My shopper was fun, we texted back and forth and made jokes about the lack of some items—why for instance, are there no avocados? Do avocados boost immunity? Or does our town have an inordinate love of guacamole? She was unable to get the pork loin I had ordered so picked up a different one. I thought it was a different brand but still the usual 1-2lb tenderloin. Boy, was I wrong. When I brought the groceries in off the porch there was this colossal, half-pig sized piece of meat in my order. The substitute for my 1-2lb tenderloin was a different brand but still $15. It was also 9 pounds! 9lbs of meat for $15 is a deal. That is enough pork to sustain my family for months. Too bad I can’t have people over to share in the bounty. Anyway, I cut it into several roasts and whipped up different marinades inspired by some of our travels. Asian 5 spice, Georgia BBQ, Carnitas and German mustard will hopefully be well received by my men. Oh, I also though I was ordering 4 loaves of bread for two weeks, turns out I ordered 8. Several friends got an extra loaf or two which I left on porches because, social distancing.
We are still missing our family and friends, technology is wonderful for connecting us but Lawd, I wish I could hug me some friends.
This week has been a busy one. Pre-quarantine busy would have meant school functions, games, practices, lessons, grocery shopping, booking various aspects of trips to far flung places, packing and planning for said trips, and a couple ‘framily’ dinners with friends. Now, busy means something quite different… As I think on that, maybe we haven’t been all that busy maybe we have just finally become productive in a new way.
Working hard in between breaks.
Homeschool. This is what our day revolves around. What we are doing is truly limbo-schooling; we aren’t homeschooling nor are our kids ‘going to school’. (Have I said this before? Because it is constantly in my mind.) They work for a while then play outside if it is nice or if it’s yucky, they play some raucous game of their own making inside that threatens the structural integrity of our house. Mark and I spend about an hour a day saying, get to work and eventually they do. The lure of warmer weather, a ball to kick or throw, and wrestling one another are powerful forces. And you know, I can’t blame them. Being isolated makes the need to expend energy that much greater. It’s been rather nice out so, they are getting a lot of PE credits this week.
Mark’s live lectures via YouTube on his Professor Wolters channel have been well received by his students. I enjoy listening to him teach and I am sorta getting a free half semester of marketing classes out of this covid-19. There may have been a couple snafus though. Yesterday, the dog got out of our room mid-lecture and had a bark fest at the kids who dared to ride their bikes through his ‘territory’ (which means anything he can see), then a shirtless child ran through the kitchen while on his way to go play ‘HORSE’ with his brother. Mark is learning that working from home one cannot expect professionalism from children, pets, nor spouse because I sat behind his camera and made faces at him while I munched on crackers and peanut butter. We are a supportive bunch.
Nothing like your prof lecturing from his kitchen. Strange times mean strange lecture halls for everyone.
Our travel channel on YouTube is painful. If things had gone on normally, we were on target to hit a million subscribers this year. Instead, for the first time in many years we lost more subs than we gained in a week. Mark has poured his heart into building this channel to help people get the most out of their travels for over a decade and I know it hurts to see those numbers. However, being who he is, he is instead looking for ways to use our channel to help our subscribers and followers during this crazy time.
We continue to do Live feeds on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. Wednesday, we had over 12k sessions for our 2.5h stream. We have regulars (thank you, Michael, Mark, Terry, and many more) who join us every stream and who have become virtual friends with us and one another. There are new people commenting every week, and those people often end up in conversation with other people watching the stream. It reminds me of my bartending days. We talk and answer questions and foster a fun, positive atmosphere and the people watching fall into side conversations just like Norm and Cliff. This is what community is and I am so glad we have a platform from which to offer it.
Just call us Sam and Diane and join us for Wolters World Live Streams, where everyone knows your name.
When I was little, we lived across the street from an older couple, Mr. and Mrs. Brookens. Both of them were in their 90’s back in the mid-1980s. Almost their entire backyard was a vegetable garden. They grew everything! It’s where I first tasted rhubarb and learned to shell peas. I spent hours there soaking up the joy of working in good clean dirt. Those two beautiful souls made such an impact on me, I get tears just thinking about them. Ever since then I have wanted a garden of my own. I have never been home long enough to plant and truly care for one so, thank you covid-19, I am going to plant a garden. It won’t be much, just a few vegetables and some herbs but it will be mine and dedicated to John and Beulah. Maybe if things work out, I’ll get to can a few jars of pickles like Beulah always did—Lawd, she made good pickles.
photo credit almanac.com
I have the greatest memories of the Brookenses. Now, as an adult I realize that as much as I loved going over there, they probably loved having me over even more. I remember sitting at their formica and aluminum table learning to play Othello and eating Bugles. It was always hot in their house in summer because they didn’t have air conditioning and Beulah was always cooking or canning something. They had a TV but I never saw it on. They had a radio in the kitchen turned on softly all day. They were both born in the 1890’s—think of that, as I write this in 2020. They lived through the Great Depression and they never wasted a thing. They didn’t hoard but they did keep a stock of necessities. They never stopped working. They were both thin as whips but steel strong. My prayer for the world is that this time of quarantine and the subsequent economic downturn will create a generation of John and Beulahs. People who have seen hard times and know the value of hard work, people who are prudent and appreciate the time they are given.
I took a short break this weekend from everything and
I feel far more positive today. During this crazy time taking time off seems
like an oxymoron. Here we are all stuck at home thinking, I need to be productive,
I can’t just sit around! Well here’s the thing—just figuring out what life
looks like is hugely productive. It takes time. We are 2 weeks in and just now
getting into a routine of sorts.
Take some time to stop and smell the flowers. ~Keukenhof, Holland. photo by me
As a family we took this weekend to do a good measure
of nothing. We started a Harry Potter marathon, ate junky food, lazed around,
took a few walks and played outside, did a few zoom sessions with friends, and
had a YouTube Live chat on Saturday. It was like a vacation from this self and state-imposed
time off. Don’t get me wrong, Mark worked on slides and lectures and the boys
and I read and did a bit of study but we took the pressure off ourselves and it
made Monday and Tuesday that much better.
Mark is still driving me nuts being up in my business
being all lovely dovey…isolate they said, it will be good they said. Oy! Take a
step back honey, I need some space. Yet I cherish the time we get together more
now than ever. He is working hard for his students right now…actually as I
write this, he is giving a lecture Live on his Professor Wolters channel for the
capstone marketing class he teaches. On that note, it is hard to write when he
is lecturing energetically from our kitchen.
Well, it’s not quite The Shining bad. Photo credit The Shining dist by Warner Bros.
The boys are doing better with their studies this week. It is still not ideal but they are at least fighting us less. They are still finagling more breaks than we would like. When is it that we learn getting all our stuff done asap leads to more fun once the work is done? I still have misgivings about our ability to keep them on track but I really appreciate the efforts of their teachers. Liam’s teacher in particular has gone beyond what I expect. She is reaching out personally, asking for feedback from us parents and is very willing to change or clarify things based on how our individual students are responding to her new lesson plans. I am so grateful for her this year!
Caleb’s best friend had a birthday on Sunday. His mom (who is a dear friend of mine and also celebrated a birthday Sunday) arranged a surprise Zoom Birthday Party. I got everything all set up on our end and got online a bit early to say HBD to my friend. I had told Caleb to be ready to party when I got off. He was a little hesitant to get online. It was strange, he and his buddy are pretty inseparable (and incorrigible, just ask their teachers) and Caleb is used to doing videos and things for our YouTube channel. I would have expected him to be champing at the bit to see his best friend. When he got on it took him 2 or 3 minutes to relax and fall right in to his normal self. I think that says a lot about how strange this situation is for all of us socially. It takes a few minutes to ‘be you’ on a screen. It is great to have this technology during this time but there is still some kind of barrier not being with the person, in person.
I finished a couple of projects. After a year I finally got that shower curtain sewn for the boy’s bathroom. I painted a little plaque for one of my pieces of artwork. I spade the edges of all my flower beds and put the kids seashell treasures at the gutters. I tried a new ‘recipe’…that means I read a new recipe and ad libbed the heck out of it. I read a lot and did a few bible studies. Accomplishing a few things that were not work related but rather, things I enjoy and elevate me made it easier to ‘go back to work’ yesterday.
All those seashells the kids wanted to save ended up at our downspouts.
There are still gobs of ridiculous misinformation going around on social media and ‘news’ outlets. People are still going out like as if there isn’t a worldwide pandemic going on. Other ordinarily logical people continue to hoard toilet paper and hand sanitizer as if having a huge supply will somehow save them. Our hospitals (even locally) are running short on PPE (personal protective equipment). This infuriates me. Masks that cost .50c before cost over $5 now. Price gouging is happening everywhere, people trying to resell household items for 10x their normal cost. States are literally bidding against one another for masks that are at the base of our healthcare workers protection. But then, a few of my more talented seamstress friends are making reusable masks and donating them directly to nurses and doctors. Ford Motor Company and General Motors are switching gears to produce ventilators. Virgin has figured out a way to take manual vents and make them automatic. Everywhere you look there is some kind of new bs and someone else doing the right thing. I choose to focus on the good guys!
Life is very different now. We are falling into a new normal at home. I know one day in the (hopefully) not too distant future we will have to revert back to going to work and school. I know it will be another adjustment for all of us and I look forward to tackling that far more than I have tackled this. We are at once driving each other crazy and becoming closer. We are not spending time with friends and family in person but we are getting back in touch with people whose schedules prevented socializing before quarantine.
These are some of the people I miss most IRL. ~Sisters
Life has always been a dichotomy. It is more so now than ever
before in my lifetime.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
