Wait. What day is it? Oh, yes, now I remember. Thursday...
Is that how you feel these days? Days just seem to run into one another without much difference from one to the next.
My feelings run the gamut. Hope, bewilderment, anxiety. I read an article the other day saying what we are feeling is actually grief. That is how I feel. Grief over loss of normal routine, grief over loss of events we were looking forward to that are now either postponed or canceled altogether, grief over separation from family and friends, grief over the many people who are sick and the many people who have passed away, grief over not knowing how.much.longer.this.will.go.on.
Anything that can give us a little respite is welcome.
So far we are not worried about having enough toilet paper.
A friend saw this in her local Safeway store, a cake that looks like a roll of toilet paper.
And my cousin's son is missing the start of his baseball season.
Photo credit: Deniele Van Leeuwen
This is my new reality. Although the truth is that I rarely make it til 9 p.m.Last Friday night, Mark and I grabbed a piece of sidewalk chalk and headed over to Aaron and Christa's about 9:30 p.m. to leave a note for the grandkids. Then it rained overnight, and the message was gone by morning. But his Ring doorbell had captured us on video so he was able to show them a video of our visit. And fortunately I had taken a picture. :)
We stopped by Jason and Jill's too, to leave a note for Ruby and Amelia.
We see family about every other day. We feel so fortunate that we get to see them in person. Even with a 12-foot distance. See that arrow? That is the barrier.
Charlotte giving us a virtual hug
Right now, this in-person connection means the world to me.Tomorrow is Levi's birthday. We didn't even try to surprise him this year. We just told him to choose something from Amazon and we would have it delivered to his door. A celebration will come later. I'm so looking forward to that day!
Sunday our church service was livestreamed and we watched it on the computer in my office.
One good thing that came out of it was that I finally got to do what I dream of--doing handwork during the sermon, with a cup of coffee nearby.
Unwashed hair, nighttime pajamas, and slippers...don't judge
Yesterday, Mark and I ventured to Target at 8 a.m. for "senior hour."Never in my life did I think I would feel anxious about going to Target. It was a weird feeling. We quickly made our purchases, and were able to get nearly everything on the list, and headed home, where it felt more "safe."
I also have mixed feelings about going through the drivethrough, although we have done that a couple of times. But each time I wonder about who has touched my food, my food wrapping and containers. It's a disconcerting feeling.
One of our favorite restaurants had this to offer, and we will pick it up tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m.
A good thing is that Mark enjoys cooking. And we are enjoying preparing meals together.
On an unrelated bright note, look who started following me on Instagram. Not. #spam
I was supposed to be at a quilting retreat in Texas this week. Canceled. And Mark and I were looking forward to a Canadian Rockies trip in mid June through Road Scholar. Neither of us feel comfortable at the thought of traveling in a plane, train and boat, so we are canceling. Maybe next year. This is what travel looks like to us these days.
And with my lack of concentration and focus, I have actually gotten less accomplished with the shelter-in-place order, with nowhere to go, than I did in a "normal" week before this all began. Maybe this is true.
In contrast, these are some wise words during these times.
Mark was able to finish a big project this week. That big storage unit picture I posted last week--this week it is done! And looks terrific.
This one made me chuckle.
For a confirmed homebody, I have been surprised at how unsettling these days are for me. While I normally savor days at home, now that it is mandatory I have a hard time not wanting to be somewhere else.
So we take daily walks to get fresh air, and appreciate the beauty that is around us this time of the year in the central valley, beginning with our own backyard.
I hope each day gets easier. I hope we pay attention to all the shelter-at-home orders in order to flatten the curve as soon as possible. I don't think life will ever be quite the same. But yet, I'm hopeful that better days are soon ahead of us. In the meantime...