Tag: stay at home

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HOW HAVE YOU CHANGED?

Have you ever been on a retreat?  When I attended parochial school years ago, we were often scheduled to go on retreat.  This meant maybe 3 days of silence and prayer. You didn’t talk to your friends.  kept your mouth shut,  studied the bible, listened to sermons, and prayed.  The purpose was to renew your faith, and refocus your life.  Covid-19 has sent almost all of us on another kind of retreat.  Away from the world you’ve known and the life you’ve always lived, you may end up with a new set of values. How Have You Changed during your Stay-At-Home Days?

Most everyone with a steady job enjoyed the extra sleep when working from home.  You’d forgotten how much better you feel when not sleep deprived. Now, instead of staying up late watching TV, working on a project, or partying, you may strive to get at least seven hours sleep each night.

Staying at home during covid-19 has been a retreat. How Have You changed
How Have You changed while staying at home?

Improved hygiene. Did everyone wash their hands as often as they do now? I suspect that long after we return to normal life, we will have changed our hand washing habits.  Which will lead to less sickness and fewer colds in the winter.

The pleasure of home cooked meals.    . Yes, you’re tired of all the cooking, but you’ve probably tried some new recipes and gained confidence in your own culinary skills.

Finding out what you really don’t like.   As an example,   you’ve played competitive bridge for years.  You thought you couldn’t live with out those endless bridge games .   Surprisingly, you find you don’t miss them at all: The self blaming when you bid wrong or reneged. The mean spirited competition.  No more sleepless nights going over a botched play, or a bad score.   When the quarantine is over, you may decide to play less bridge, , and find other ways to entertain yourself.  Like reading, or spending more time outside.

Hair styles.  Most of us had routine hair appointments,  wore the same style,  and applied the same color for years. .  You’ve almost forgotten  your natural color, and it might surprise you to see that you really like it.  Or you can try out a different color.  You may find that you look better with longer hair, too.  Many of us will look entirely different when we finally venture out into society.

How have you changed these past few months?  Have you found the real you?

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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.

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STAY-AT-HOME WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Yesterday was our 32nd wedding anniversary.  We were over 50 when we married, and certainly didn’t rush into anything.  Both of us had come out of long marriages and painful divorces.  We had dated for two years before we decided to tie the knot.  It wasn’t an easy decision, for various reasons. But here we are still together after all these years.  My husband is an incurable romantic, and he’s never missed sending me a card, taking me to dinner, and bringing me flowers.  But this Stay-At-Home Wedding anniversary was a challenge.

On Wednesday, while  checking my email, my husband asked me to give him a couple sheets of white computer paper.  I wondered what he was planning to write, but decided it was his own business.  So I didn’t ask. And he didn’t tell.  That afternoon, I went out to the yard and found a clump of daffodils in bloom.  I brought them inside, and arranged them in a vase on the coffee table.

Our Stay-At-Home Wedding Anniversary was sweet
A homemade card. Flowers from the yard. A perfect Stay-At-Home Wedding Anniversary

The next morning, my husband presented me with a card while we were having coffee.  He had made it himself, with the help of some pretty stickers on the front.  Inside, was a picture of us together during our younger days.  It was at a happy event—I think maybe taken at the Beef N Boards Theater in Indy. And he wrote me a love letter, which meant more to me than the most expensive Hallmark Card.   That afternoon, we found some old 45’s and his son brought us over a record player.  We spent a couple of hours sorting through his collection, listening to Broadway shows, and reminiscing.  With all the  restaurants  closed,  our usual evening out wasn’t possible.  Instead, I fixed his favorite Swiss Steak .

.A homemade card, flowers from the yard, music, wine, and good food.  Our Stay Home Wedding Anniversary was a good one.

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STAY-AT-HOME DIARY: WEEK 3

Recovering news junkie here.  I’ve always been a person who loves the news:  two newspapers every morning, 3 different TV stations for evening news .   That’s over.  There is absolutely nothing to read, see, or hear about except  the coronavirus.  I wake up in the morning, and my iphone has numerous updates which are repeated all day long and everywhere on the internet.  By the time 6 o’clock rolls around, I’ve reached the saturation point.   What will the media do when COVID-19 is over?  Surely, there are other things going on in the world.   Stay-At- Home Diary: Week 3

Looked in the basement for a jigsaw puzzle.   Threw them away during our de cluttering project last year.  Why would we keep something that hasn’t been used for decades?  But now, we were sorry.  Asked our son to pick one up at Walmart, but they didn’t have much left.  The puzzle has 750 teensy, tiny,  flimsy pieces.  The puzzles  I remember were much more substantial. Anyway, our living room is now filled with two card tables covered with puzzle pieces.  I helped my husband find the “straight” pieces for the border, but that’s as far as it goes.  He’s on his own now, and from the looks of it, he’ll be lucky if it’s finished by Memorial Day..

Washed all the curtains downstairs.  We’re talking  10 windows here.  When were they last washed?  Not sure. It may have been a couple of years.  They’re sheer and pale blue, so they don’t show the dirt.  But I knew that they were full of dust. Started sneezing as soon as I began.  Taking down, washing, drying and re hanging took about 4 hours.  At least  we’ll remember when we washed them last.  How could you forget the coronavirus activities?

Walked in the park a couple of times, weather permitting.  Sat outside  on sunny days for a short time. .  A little ultraviolet light is good for the immune system and raises your spirits.

Gained two pounds.    We’ve tried to eat healthy; and watch our calories.  But the lack of exercise combined with nervous/bored snacking is taking its toll.  Supposedly, it’s good to be a little overweight at our age.  It helps get you through sickness.  If that’s the case, I’m well prepared.

Consuming plenty of probiotics to boost my immune system:   fruit smoothies made with kefir and yogurt.   A hearty German meal of Bratwurst and sauerkraut.   Did you know  sauerkraut is a powerful probiotic?

A bar of fragrance free Ivory Soap would help: Stay-at-home Diary Week 3
Stay-At-Home Diary: Week 3. I’d give anything for a bar of fragrance free ivory soap for all the hand washing..

Hands getting red and itchy from all the hand washing.  I’ve tried different lotions, but nothing can help when you’re washing your hands about every fifteen minutes. Scented, tinted soaps don’t help.  I’d give anything for a bar of Ivory.

Spent two hours trying to revive my husband’s kindle.  The books wouldn’t download, and I couldn’t figure out why..  Turned out he hasn’t used it for years, and it wasn’t connected to wireless.  GRR.

The novelty of staying home is wearing off for parents. The first week, everyone said it was nice to sleep late and not push themselves.  But now, they’re missing the office and their old routine.  Working from home while taking care of children is a struggle.  I hope everyone stays safe and sane.  God willing, it will soon be over.

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SOCIAL DISTANCE DIARY: WEEK 2

Drove to the Dollar Store for a few things, simply because I’m getting cabin fever.  Only three or four  customers–unsmiling, looking tired and worried. Had the feeling the cash register clerk couldn’t wait to get me out the door. But it sure felt good to be out in the real world again.  Social distance diary: Week 2

My grandpa's outhouse was often out of toilet paper. They used Sears catalog, instead
When my grandpa ran out of toilet paper on the farm, they used Sears Catalog. Social Distance Diary: Week 2

Of course, they were out of toilet paper at the Dollar Store. We have plenty, but I was going to pick up some extra. It got me wondering about what people did without tp. There are alternatives. My grandfathers farm lacked modern plumbing.  Sometimes, there was a Sears  catalog next to the wooden seat in the outhouse.  As a child, I took it in stride, even though we had modern plumbing and toilet paper in our city home.

Found an old Tai Chi CD. Now, I practice with it every day. It’s not the same without my wonderful teacher and fellow classmates, but at least I’m not getting rusty, and it’s helping to calm me down. And, it does give me a bit of exercise.

Finally located a cousin who lives in LA. She’s like a sister to my husband, and he was really upset. She wasn’t answering her phone, and her mailbox was full. We were afraid she had contracted covid-19, and maybe even died. But yesterday we got a call from Mount Cedar, Sinai hospital. She’s recovering from pneumonia—not corona. We’re feeling much relieved, and moods have improved.

Talked to all of my children this weekend. Yes, actual conversations, not texting. Their lives in this modern world are much more complicated than when I was parenting. Living in big cities, they’re always on the run, juggling jobs, driving kids here and there. They have very little time to spend on the telephone. But this weekend, they had nothing urgent, and it was nice having a relaxing conversation.  So far, they’re healthy and safe.  Hope no one gets sick.

No mass shootings this week. Empty malls, churches, schools and restaurants mean that  evil people have no targets. I hope they can’t buy more guns during the crisis.

Sunday brunch at home, since all the restaurants are closed. Tried frozen waffles for the first time. They’re amazingly easy and good. Especially combined with sausage patties. And,  sugar free syrup is only 10 calories per serving.

I’m beginning to adjust to the slower pace. The introverted part of me enjoys the solitude.  At least for a little while.