STAY AT HOME DIARY: WEEK 6

The #stayhome isolation is giving me a case of Covid-19 related hypochondria. A pulled muscle, cough or sneeze is not something alarming, under ordinary circumstances.  But when I woke up with a sore neck last week, it had me worried until I realized I’d spent too much time reading my kindle.  Consequently, I looked online and found that I could order a kindle holder, but it probably wouldn’t come very soon.  Anyway,  I’d never use it once the lockdown is over, because I prefer hard cover.  Just wonder when that day will come.   Stay At Home Diary: Week 6:

The closing down of meat processing plants has me concerned.  Some of us lived through meat rationing during World War II, and it was not pleasant, unless you like Spam.  I guess it’s popular  in Hawaii, but to me it tasted like  a combo of salt, fat, and rubber.  I won’t eat Spam again, no matter what.  I’ll go vegetarian with beans, lentils and other grains.

One high point of the week was a teleconference with our local Mayor.  When people asked if all our city improvement plans were going down the drain, during the Covid-19 crisis,  he had a great response.  “We haven’t stopped, ” he said. “We’ve just slowed down.”   I liked that slogan….a combination of caution and optimism, striking just the right note.    Who said small town mayors from Indiana were dummies?  He  sounded far sharper than Trump, in my opinion.

On my weekly shopping trip, I noticed that fewer people are wearing masks.  I can’t imagine why they are beginning to relax. Guess they’re just tired of it. Some grocery stores are doing a better job of following CDC guidelines than others.   I won’t shop anywhere that  doesn’t provide their clerks with  masks and a Plexiglas barrier at checkout.

Major scare late Friday night.  Got a call from a tenant in a property I manage that he had a leak in his bathroom that was spilling into the downstairs apt ceiling.  What horrible timing! How many plumbers are available on Friday night?  What if they weren’t working at all during the pandemic?  Put in a call to my plumber, and had a fairly sleepless night.  But he texted me next morning and said he would be out to fix it.  Feeling fortunate to have a good relationship with this company,  who has been there for me many times over the years.  Plumber are first responders, too!

What would we do without plumbers during the covid-19 crisis
Plumbers are first responders, too. What would we do without them?

My oldest grand daughter’s birthday was Saturday. The night she was born seems like yesterday. Never thought I  would live twenty-eight more years after that.  I’ve been blessed with lovely grandchildren.  They will always remember the spring of 2020!

It’s been a great week for gardening.  Meijers had lilies on sale for half price, and I planted them right before the rain came down.  Tomorrow, I’ll try to transplant some Hosta if the rain lets up. Notice a lot of people out working in their yards.  We should see some pretty landscapes this summer.

Looks like we’ll have another week of grim statistics and politics, but as our mayor said. “We’ve just slowed down; we haven’t stopped.

Stay At Home Diary: Week 5

I thought we were weren’t too stressed about the lock down, but I think the anxiety of the coronavirus is causing  a few somatic symptoms.  I used to have panic attacks when I was a teen, so I remember what they’re like.  This week, I woke up and felt one coming on again.  Luckily,  my “Calm”  App was there to get me through it.   Just a few deep breaths and I was okay.   I’m having flashbacks to WWII and later,  the polio epidemic that paralyzed so many young people when I was growing up.   My husband is a diabetic. Now, he’s having problems controlling his blood sugar.  Although he seems outwardly calm,  the stress may be raising his sugar.  He will have to call his doctor next week.

Tornado in nearby  county this week. 70 mph winds here.  Blew our mail box down and broke it.   The mailman drove right on by without delivering our mail.  I called the post office, and the next day, we got a packet of mail tied with a string which said, “box down.” This is not a good time to install a new mailbox.

Venturing out once a week to shop  in my coronavirus gear.  Cap,  glasses, face mask, gloves.   Muslim women who wear burkas don’t have to worry about all that.  They’re already dressed for the pandemic.

Forgot it was Easter week until too late.  Got online to order Easter Crème Eggs from Fannie May for all my grandchildren, and it turns out you can’t have them shipped any more.   For the first time in their lives, my children did not receive any Easter candy from me.  I sure miss seeing my youngest grandson with a smear of chocolate on his face.  He does love those chocolate bunnies.

On Easter morning, my girls arranged a group skype.  We had never done that before and it felt very cool.   But then, they pointed out that Skype is so outdated that they almost forgot how navigate it.  Seems everyone uses apps like Zoom conferencing.  They think that’s probably beyond my technological capacity,  but I’m going to watch some you tube tutorials and surprise them.

Slim pickings in our daily newspapers on Easter Sunday.  No grocery store ads.  Reporters have been furloughed, and there are fewer pages to read. We used to spend an hour going over both papers, but this Sunday it took about ten minutes.  At least we can still read the funnies

Geese in park don't worryabout coronavirus
Geese in the park aren’t worried about COVID-19.  Stay At Home Diary: Week 5

Still walking when weather permits, and trying to get 15 minutes of unfiltered sunlight every day it doesn’t rain.  Geese in the park aren’t worried about coronavirus.  And a robin is building a nest in the bush beside our porch.

 Life goes on.