Good day everybody. It’s been more than a minute since my last blog entry. Not sure why that is - if you know me you know that I always have something to say - guess I just didn’t take the time to write it down. Feeling like I am supposed to jump back in though, so here goes.
Life sure has changed in 2020. As I write this we are in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s the disease often referred to as “The Rona”. The Rona has come in like a steamroller and flattened our lives in many ways. Lots of people have lost their jobs. Many are trying to work from home. If your job was considered “essential”, then you had to mask up and get yourself to work. My Bill is one of those.
We now go out in public with masks (if we have brains we do) and always carry hand sanitizer and disposable gloves. If we can find them, we carry sanitizing wipes as well. You just don’t leave home without this stuff.
Large gatherings are a no-no and that has affected everything. Most schools are closed and kids are staying home and being taught online. As I read about this happening, I was dismayed at how many parents found this unacceptable. It seems we have lost our ability to live daily with our family. Don’t get me wrong - I know there are other factors at play here. If parents are fortunate enough to still have their job, no school wreaks havoc on what to do with the kids. But a lot of times I heard parents complaining just because they had to spend time with their kids - that's what I am talking about.
Many sports events go on, but have cardboard cutouts in the stands in place of real people. As we shop we must stay at least 6 feet away from our fellow shopper. Lines are long because checkout stands are limited to allow for social distancing. If you are going out to eat, they say you should be sitting outside to be safer. Fine for us Cali folks, but what about places that get real winters?
When this thing started in early 2020, people lost their minds and started hoarding everything in sight but particularly toilet paper. Costco made a policy that you could not bring it back for a refund it got so bad - I mean, Costco said you can’t return something? Now that's serious. Stores started “Senior Hours” that meant you had to be 60 or over to come for that hour they set aside. During one of the “senior hours” at Trader Joe’s (yes I am a senior) I was ready to wrestle an old man if in his illegal walking of the aisle (they were one way when this started - read the damn signs!) if he even thought of reaching for the limited supply of flour that I was patiently standing six feet away from as the customer in front of me took their time shopping. Thankfully, he was going the wrong way for another item and no scuffle ensued. Oh, those were some of the worst days when everything was in short supply. Sometimes I would come home and have a mini anxiety attack from being out among people possibly infected with the Rona.
One of the most distressing closures were wineries - horrors!!! I live in a part of the country where vineyards and wineries are plentiful and its wonderful to sit in view of this beauty and have a glass of vino while doing it. Gathering there with friends and family is a favorite thing. After many back and forth restrictions they are open again with social distancing in place. Whew! Some order has been restored.
Shelves are fairly well stocked some 8 months after this started, but you can barely find some of the sanitizing wipes. No matter, I slather sanitizer over everything. Stores usually have cart wipes available, so we are covered. At first, they were out there spraying and sanitizing carts for you. They even paid a staff member to mind the carts and make sure you got one that was freshly treated. Most stores have stopped that and you now have to do it yourself.
So, in this time of Covid-19, things have changed. We are home more. Our travel plans were canceled. We usually have visitors on the regular, but visitors pretty much ceased. A few family members came to visit and I was so glad to see them, but they were asked to isolate and be extra careful for 2 weeks before coming in order to protect not only Bill and I, but his 93 year old mama. Two of our visitors were so conscious of this they triple masked up on the plane AND wore a face shield. Now that is commitment to safety and we appreciated it.
I have taken to mask making - serious mask making. My mom was a very gifted seamstress so I grew up sewing. I am no Eleanor Crabill (my mommy) but I have done pretty well with my masks. After much research and trying out several patterns, I settled on the one that I am cranking out now. I have made so many, I no longer need to refer to directions. In the past couple weeks I have mailed out 24 masks to family and friends as well as given away more to some local folks. Bill has enough he can wear a different one each day to work and there is always a stainless steel bowl on the kitchen island for his used masks when he comes home. Yes, we usually wash them after every use.
Masks have become so much a part of our routine - and in my opinion will continue to be well into 2021 - I overhauled my office space to accommodate a sewing machine so I can continue to sew them. At first, material was hard to get - Joann Fabrics had a line half a block long daily at their local store. I tried ordering online but got messages that what was ordered was no longer available. I had little usable material around, so took to cutting up old shirts and sheets. Turns out they were perfect because they were nice and soft on your face, plus they were 100% cotton as is recommended for masks. Eventually while shopping at Wal-mart, I found bins of seasonal material in 1 yard lengths. My stock of masks include spring, autumn and Christmas materials. I have become a mask making Queen.
Cooking has always been a part of my life, but in these times its front and center. I have also started making bread again to ensure we have it. Bread is well liked in our home and having it on hand is essential. Making a quick store run for one or two items is something I avoid these days so once I could find flour (that was a difficult task at the beginning of this) I started stocking the freezer with bread so I would always have it on hand. Bill and his mom are pretty happy about it - home cooked meals and homemade bread - sometimes they wonder what all the fuss about having to stay at home is about. LOL
The Rona has introduced more than just masks and sanitizer to us - I now know about “Insta-cart” and “Door Dash”. Back when this started and no one knew how it was spread, stores were off limits to me. Thankfully, Costco and Insta-cart came to the rescue. We only used it a few times, but it was awesome. Since I was cooking so much, my mother-in-law Mariana blessed me with take out once a week and so we became acquainted with Door Dash. Insta-cart is no longer needed, but Door Dash remains. It not only helps me not to have to cook every day, but we choose to order from local restaurants to help keep them thriving.
Life in the days of the virus are challenging, but we are alive and well. Not all can say that. So we are very thankful for staying healthy. When you get bored looking at the same walls every day, you can just turn on the tv and listen to stuff about the election - that should get you going. These are strange times we are living in. God is certainly trying to get our attention. My hope is that we give that attention right back.
My hope for you all is that you are well and looking forward to 2021. I'd love to hear how you are getting on in this time of Covid-19 so leave some comments.
