Okay okay, time to add some stuff. I started writing down a list of things that have happened that are noteworthy, weird, strange, or all three. Been a lot of those this year so far. I decided to create a new category called COVID Diaries to make it easier to look for these posts later.
But first, I have to come clean about my first trip to the supermarket after the quarantine started. I described it in a post titled “Daily Life” on March 27, 2020. Yes, I described how I picked things up with a bag, and wiped stuff down when I got home, but I left out the part where my hands were shaking with fear for the entire time I was in the store. It was nerve-wracking! And this was before we were told to wear masks so every time I passed a person I held my breath and turned my head!
Okay, moving on.
At the beginning, my neighbors would ask me if I needed anything when they went to the store. I had stocked up pretty well and was also doing takeout for dinner – I’d order a few dishes and then eat them over the course of a week – so my ‘need’ for food from the store wasn’t that great. Of course, I did take them up on the offer, but usually not for much.
And it’s funny – right before the quarantine started, I had bought toilet paper and paper towels, and had bought a little travel-sized hand sanitizer, which I usually didn’t use, because I had a trip to Chicago at the end of February. Talk about the virus had started but at that time nobody thought it had spread to the US yet. But, I used the sanitizer on a tissue to wipe down my airplane seat and stuff like that, which, I didn’t used to do.
And, of course, the first few times I went to the supermarket, there was never any TP. So, because I like Northern Bath Tissue, I went directly to their site and ordered TP online. I figured I’d do it early on because I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get the order. It took about 3 weeks, and it took me about 2 1/2 to 3 months to go through the supply I already had, so, I’m covered for a while. The funny thing is, I have friends in England and Switzerland, and they were experiencing the same TP shortage, and people hoarding it!
For exercise, early on, I had a couple options. I had joined a Pilates Club in November and they offered free video classes, so I started doing those in lieu of going to the studio, which was closed. After 2 weeks they started doing virtual classes with Zoom. I started off doing 2 classes a week and by the time the studio reopened a few weeks ago, I was doing it 5 times a week! I’ve been going to the studio twice a week now but I need to augment with some video work on the days I don’t do it live. I’ve gotten a lot stronger and don’t want to ‘lose it.’ And, yes, I wear a mask for the entire time I’m there.
And then, since nobody was really driving anywhere, I started going for walks from home. There are no shoulders on the roads here so it’s not normally conducive to walking, but with most people not driving, it was a lot better. Started walking with the neighbors on the weekend. I couldn’t believe it but we could get in 6 miles just walking through the various neighborhoods near where I live! I’d usually walk by myself during the week. Got a lot of good miles in!
Okay, I just had what I think is a good idea – I started looking through photos on my phone. That’s helping me remember what I did when. So, here are some things I did in March and early April: Art Class moved ‘home’ so I finished up my last class painting at home (see Art Class posts).
I took apart and cleaned the vacuum cleaner:
I made homemade tortilla chips:
I helped my financial guy do one of his son’s homework problems (answer is at the bottom of the post, and Aarush and Steve are the same person – there was a typo):
I tried one of the many ‘how to make a mask’ ideas, of making a mask from a sleeve from a T-shirt (not too successful – I never wore it out)
I painted a bunch of notecards to donate to a local neighborhood services place – SILO (Serving, Inspiring and Loving Others) – they send them to people who may be lonely. I’ve sent them 40 so far and need to make more …
I discovered a spot where some local deer were sleeping at night (not much foliage on trees and bushes yet) – I could look thru my binoculars and see them sleeping! Can you spot them?
So, now I think maybe I’ll post by month unless something particularly noteworthy happens. And below is the way I solved the homework problem. I won’t provide any explanation – see if you can figure it out!
Until next post, stay tuned and stay safe!
