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Quarantine Tuesday Reading Kaffeeklatsch: 4/7/2020
I just wanted to say hello to Robin. I all the chaos I didn't get to add my welcome. Its refreshing to have a new friend to gab with.One thing I notice about all the therapy, and i am reminded of being a therapist in 9/11, is that each of us really gets it about humanity and the world and the common suffering, but we each have our own lenses that this hits. Many people are struggling with the same kinds of things that they were before the global pandemic. Some just want to connect, and some were isolated and alone long before the world went mad. Some, trauma survivors and the highly anxious - have come into their element, and are leading the way. Its a new humanity, and everyone is indeed in it together. I do teletherapy now in my bedroom, and I am lucky if one of the hoodlums isn't playing basketball in there. I used to do it in my son's rooms. I wander about the house on the telephone and take my FaceTime patients to the woods or the park. We play a lot of Rummy Q, and are hanging out a lot with our young sweet dying dog. I am doing the Yale Course with my oldest son, for whom I am still trying to launch and make literate, only if he was 93% of my energy before, now that we are around, my talents have been put to use. I am in Harry Potter World with the other two. I am preparing for Passover, and I still haven't done my damn taxes or cleaning even one closet. I have yet to see a Broadway show online, although I did manage to bake four challahs in a live challah bake, and took a quick virtual tour of the New York Botanical Gardens. I miss singing. I loved that I got to sing and perform one to two times a week, and am acutely aware that the women I sing with are all in the highest risk group. Two friends have lost parents. A third friend's mother is sick with COVID. My parents, 79 and 85, are so far safe, but I miss them and worry about them. They live in an expensive hamlet, and are taking extremely good care of themselves. My biggest interruption to launching the illiterate one, is to try to teach my mother how to get on Zoom so they can join us for the Seders.
What else? Books I don't lack for, but the time to read them absolutely. I am less productive with reading than I am at any other time. Mood wise I am ok - but like everyone else, I have my moments. I love the walks and the fresh air, and the artistry that has evolved from this time. I love how people are showing their kindness and humanity and that moves me. These are unprecedented times, and they require us to love harder and live more boldly. I do love watching both happen. My blessing for us all is that we get through this as swiftly and with the least amount of losses and suffering and that we take the transforming opportunity of reset and live better. And that we continue to be "together" as a nation and world. Our group has been a wonderful example of that, and I think it energetically helps. My friends, be well and healthy. I hold you all in my heart.
My biggest hope from this pandemic is that kindness returns. There has been so much discord these past several years, and I hope we regain our humanity after this is done. It’s horrible that it takes a global pandemic to renew hope in humans, but maybe everyone will emerge from their homes with fresh eyes. And, after they shower and brush their teeth, fresh smells and fresh breath!
I saw this yesterday, and I love that there are people like this in the world: https://youtu.be/oilZ1hNZPRM
Stay safe, stay well, and stay home! Thanks for reminding me that most people are good!
Tracy, Thanks for posting the video. I just watched it and it made my day! I especially loved seeing the cast from Hamilton, a play I have not seen.
Oh, how I liked reading your posts! They've made my day.I am working from home here in Germany as well (teacher) and have been for a little more than 3 weeks now. 2 of those weeks I have been staying with my husband (who has recently started a new job in a city about 5 hrs. from where we used to and I still live) in his one-bedroom studio appartment. Yes, one room, two people, both working from home. Interesting. Actually, it is working out really well. We are not at each other's throats, we both still take time out alone, going for walks, bike rides, my husband for a run, I tune out with an audio-book. And then we are so happy to be able to be with each other instead of alone like so many others at this time.
This week, school vacation has started officially, which takes of a load off my shoulders, on the one hand, since I don't have to work so much, any more, only some marking and correcting to do as well as reading some books for preparation purposes, on the other hand, it takes away structure, purpose, organization, contacts.
Since I am with my husband in his studio, there is not so much cleaning I could do (since it is his appartment, he keeps saying 'that's my job'), and I also don't have so many things here to occupy my time with.
So, Theresa, I totally see myself in the same dust mouse situation if I were in our regular home. The dust mice will certainly have a party, there, though. It so relieved me and relaxed and loosened my perfectionism to read about it though, Theresa. Thank you!
One thing I brought here, is my e-reader, thankfully. However, I have had a really hard time concentrating and finding the time for reading in the first three weeks, but it seems since vacation has started (so basically since yesterday or the day before ;-)) I have gotten to reading more again and am actually thinking about tackling some other kind of book apart from the mysteries I've read in the last three weeks.
Amy, thank you for your post, too. I actually copied a few sentences from your post to write them in my bullet journal (which I am still not keeping regularly, quarantine or not) to help me keep and/or regain my sanity on days I feel I might lose it.
And, Tracy, I checked out the good news immediately. Thank you, you're right, it is good to see that people are focussing more on being human again.
It is good to feel that physical distancing doesn't really mean social distancing!
I loved reading all your thoughts this morning. Things here are OK. I give thanks that the 3 of us living here are still healthy. My daughter and I have finally reigned my husband in: He no longer goes out looking for toilet paper on a daily basis and he has stopped trying to convince me that we are in need of something, anything, that he can run out and get. I was finally able to get a firm pick-up date for grocery's, so he went out yesterday to pick them up. We made sure he was masked and gloved up , which he still did not think was necessary. However, when he came home he admitted that everyone out there was uniformed the same way. I have never ordered grocery's before, so the delivery aspect was new to me. Tell ya what, I could get use to that!
I am not watching "the briefing" -all it does is make me angrier. My daughter, as some of you know, is a reporter. Her office is her bedroom, which is on the other side of the wall where I sit at my computer. So, whether I want 15 minute news updates or not, I get them! I have become her "office" BFF, and more than once a day I get to host her in my work space as she explodes at her boss, her fellow lackluster co-workers or anyone in the world who she has spoken with and pissed her off.
@ Theresa-In the name of transparency, I will say I have never been a great housekeeper. Our home has always had that lived in look, with the exception of the kitchen and bathrooms, those I always kept clean as a whistle. Dust bunnies and dog hair however are materializing now in greater numbers. I had told myself, after day 2 of lock down, that I would start on some of those "projects" that need doing-hasn't happened yet. But today I am making a list of them (that's progress, right?) and posting it on my computer desk, figuring I will guilt myself into taking one on. I will let you know how that goes.
@ Amy I love this These are unprecedented times, and they require us to love harder and live more boldly I too am writing that down, just as a reminder. I hope that it will become a mantra when the "new normal" comes out the outside of this.
@Tracy, thank you for the link. That made me smile and will be sure to watch the next episodes.
@ Miram-hello, I don't think we have met. It is nice to hear a new voice here. Thank you for being a teacher, one of the toughest jobs out there. I am glad that you and your husband are able to be together during this, it would have been awful to have to live separate lives during this.
I want to say, I know have said it before it is true: I am thankful for all of you wonderful people here at PBT, you are all making this pandemic a bit more bearable. I wish you all peace and serenity.
So nice to check in with all of you once a week (or more!). We are both still working and healthy. In fact, I don't personally know anyone who has COVID19, any no one I've spoken in person with personally knows anyone with it either. Now- let's keep it that way, and STAY INSIDE! We live on a golf course, and I cannot believe the amount of groups golfing- groups of 6-8 men, all in their 60-70's golfing together?!I also have not done any cleaning. We put our Christmas tree (fake) back up, so it's nice to have the lights up in the living room. I know I'm home 1-2 days more than normal but cleaning is honestly on the last of my to-do list right now. I have been gaining some cooking skills though! I've got the time to go more full-out for dinner, and have been cooking WAYYY More than normal. One new meal I've mastered is bone-in pork chops and couscous (from pearls, not preboxed).
I also have been following the 'Some Good News' Youtube page, this is the second week, so if you really liked it- go back and watch the first episode also! Might want to get tissues ready for the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5pgG...
I've been focusing more on how to fill time with fulfilling things, as well as ways to keep working out. Yoga, running/walking, things to clear the mind. I'm planning on going on my first solo hike today (hubby and I have done this hike 4-5 times, but I'm always wary to go by myself).
UPDATE: I bought the tap shoes! I got them on amazon yesterday, luckily was able to buy a kids size so they weren't too spendy. I now need to locate some sort of flooring to practice on. My kitchen floor takes the taps well, but it is super slippery so not the safest.
@JoAnne - lists are definitely a start. @Joi - I am thinking of putting my Christmas tree up too as it never did get put up for Christmas and it is still in its bag with boxes of ornaments piled in the corner.
And go girl for that tap dancing!
I have so much catching up to do in this thread, wow a lot of activity!I immediately checked the video link though so I had to comment that I am watching Some Good News, thank you ☺
I don't know how I missed these threads before now. This is great! I've been wondering how everyone in PBT has been doing and it's so nice to read all of the great posts above. We started our quarantine pretty early since we are in the county where it started and WA shut down pretty quickly. This is week #6 for us. I quit my job before everything so that's been pretty hard. Not being able to work or go out for weeks... the drive to be productive has led me to be antsy or sad at times. I've applied to a ton of jobs but Microsoft and Amazon are basically the only companies hiring.
My old company has been begging me to come back so I decided to help them out as a consultant for a specific project. It gives me something to do, but not as much stress. And plenty of time to continue to read :)
I personally don't know anyone who has COVID19 (thank goodness) but I am friends/next door neighbors with a guy who is an ER nurse at the first hospital that had patients and deaths in the US. He and I have texted a bunch and he hasn't gone into detail on anything other than to say that he is just so sad. Or rates of infection and death have gone down the last couple of weeks but our state is still shut down until at least May 4th.
I still need to read Quit Like a Woman (I got it right before the library closed and so now it's mine indefinitely, thru May 30th according to the library website) but between my BOTM, cheap books on kindle, libby, and my overflowing IRL bookshelves... I have plenty to read, it's just finding something to hold my interest. I'm so thankful it's sci fi month!
Charlotte wrote: "I don't know how I missed these threads before now. This is great! I've been wondering how everyone in PBT has been doing and it's so nice to read all of the great posts above. We started our qua..."
You then are the same place as my niece. She works for Nintendo USA whose headquarters were just a couple miles down the road from COVID19 Ground Zero there. Nintendo shut down the building and sent everyone WFH immediately and that's where she has been ever since. Safe and healthy thank goodness, as is her husband who works for Microsoft.
My good friend who I was in Peace Corps with and then we later taught at the same high school in the Bronx had Covid-19. He lives in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. He actually appeared on the CBS evening news about it. Also my colleague's sister living in France has/ had it. Luckily both have recovered or are recovering and managed to do so at home but it sounded pretty dire and terrible. At 42, I'm one of the youngest in my apartment building so I'm trying really hard to be responsible with the precautionary guidance and limit even my grocery trips. I enjoy cooking so it has been fun to be able to do more of it. I've enjoyed lots of virtual happy hours and with some friends that I haven't seen in ages which is really nice. I've even participated in virtual group trivia events and author discussions.
I haven't managed much of the many projects I need to do in my apartment. Work has been intense with re-evaluating that everyone is safe and strategizing how to accomplish our work in a new way and be responsive to crisis. Lots of work calls and meetings. I try to end the day with a nice walk and cook dinner but that is it for the energy. I do manage to read but I'm behind on the reviews. :) I am so thankful though to have a full time job, a safe space to be and to still be healthy. Glad everyone in the group is managing!
Theresa wrote: "You then are the same place as my niece. She works for Nintendo USA whose headquarters were just a couple miles down the road from COVID19 Ground Zero there. ..."
I am near her. I'm about 30-45 min northeast of Nintendo and Microsoft and about 15 miles from where the epicenter was here and the start of it all. The first guy lived in Everett which is in my county, Snohomish.
I'm very grateful for all the tech companies here, so it was really easy for a big portion of the population to switch to working from home really quickly.
@Joi-We need to see a video of you and those shoes tapping away! So glad you got them:)
Tracy wrote: "My biggest hope from this pandemic is that kindness returns. There has been so much discord these past several years, and I hope we regain our humanity after this is done. It’s horrible that it ta..."
That video was great. I sent it on to my daughter who is a big fan of The Office.
As far as housekeeping, I used to say that I would never clean my house if I didn't have people coming over. That has now been proved true. Well, I am cleaning the kitchen and bathroom but as far as picking up papers and miscellaneous stuff, not so much. My husband said he would use this time to go through his many boxes of papers, etc that are the biggest part of them but he hasn't made much progress.
My local Jazzercise instructors have found a way to do a live class on Facebook and I am looking forward to it. I also belong to Toastmasters, a group for public speaking and leadership, and we are planning a Zoom call version. And we have done FaceTime with our adult kids in 2 other cities to play games. So yay for technology, which isn't something I would usually say!
Theresa wrote: " Only the kitchen is reasonably kept. Except for the floor. ..."I am such a terrible housekeeper! I have done a few things (things I do anyway, just not often enough), but mopping never even occurred to me! Good idea, though. LOL!
Joi wrote: "So nice to check in with all of you once a week (or more!). We are both still working and healthy. In fact, I don't personally know anyone who has COVID19,..."I don't know anyone in person, but a couple of shelfari friends mentioned on facebook that they have it. :-( (Or did, may be recovered now.) Sorry, I don't want to "out" anyone here, so I won't mention who; neither is around very often, if al all, anymore.
Joi wrote: "UPDATE: I bought the tap shoes! I got them on amazon yesterday, luckily was able to buy a kids size so they weren't too spendy. I now need to locate some sort of flooring to practice on. My kitchen floor takes the taps well, but it is super slippery so not the safest..."Yay! Have fun!!
Cooking... I feel like I'm doing more of it, but i live alone and most of what I cook (because I'm not a fan), makes lots, so I have tons of leftovers (on purpose!). I haven't really tried anything new, so I have all those leftovers. Which is still nice. I guess I did more cooking in the first week, anyway, and am still living off the leftovers! LOL!
LibraryCin wrote: "Cooking... I feel like I'm doing more of it, but i live alone and most of what I cook (because I'm not a fan), makes lots, so I have tons of leftovers (on purpose!). I haven't really tried anything..."Think of all the electricity you save by cooking enough for leftovers :) Plus the water for cleaning the pots and pans, etc.
LC - I'm living off a lot of leftovers also, LOL!
Hello from the suburbs of NYC. I am mostly retired so I have few work responsibilities to deal with. I haven't gone into NYC in almost a month. My husband works about half time from home so his routine has not changed much. Luckily his office is in the attic, so we don't have to be in the same space for most of the day. I have not had my cleaning people here for 2cycles now, so 1 month. My husband and I seem to be doing a decent job and sharing the cleaning. The other day I had to go to youtube to learn how to clean stainless steel appliances. Still all streaky but I don't care! A dirty house won't kill you.
I have been doing lots of food prep and cooking. I have been keeping it all reasonably healthy, and with no junk, alcohol, or sweets in the house, my husband has lost 7 pounds! We are now out of fresh veggies but I am not going to the supermarket this week. I will work with my freezer stash. Or take-out. Today we ordered big salads from Panera!
I try to get outside as much as possible. I alternate between riding my bike and walking. Walking has the advantage of audio books! I had a total knee replacement in Sept and the fact that I can ride my bike or walk 4 miles is pretty terrific. I have also been zooming with friends and family. We did a family zoom on Sunday when the working people had more time. It was our version of Passover seder. My mom lives in Florida and she is not tech savvy so I could not get her involved. But I speak with her every day and have minimal concerns about her safety. She is 90 and super sharp and has transformed her home into a bunker.
I thought I would be reading more than I have. It's not time, I have the time, its more like ADD. Reading e_books makes it easy to be distracted by other apps, like FB and the NYTimes and even Goodreads! I had a similar problem after 9/11. But I am working on making more time for reading
This pandemic has made it even more obvious that there is so much inequality. I fear that the gap is going to widen, it might become an abyss. I am reflecting on how much I have and being grateful.
So there you have many weeks wrapped up in one post! And now a few pages before bed.
Theresa wrote: "As we start year 3 of NY on 'Pause'....oh wait, I have only been WFH and staying in for about 2.5 weeks! So how is it that the dust bunnies are threatening to devour my numerous TBR Towers in that ...""YEAR" 3? It does feel like that. I haven't left the house since Friday the 13th of March. I don't think I'll forget that date.
I just cleaned (a little) because someone was coming over to get my mom's blood sample, but she didn't show up. I was annoyed first because I cleaned, then because of the test. We have certain things we're fussy about, so some things get cleaned regularly, but our dust bunnies have hair. We call them dust puppies. Some things never get done unless we have guests coming. When that happens, my son is my cleaning lady. LOL. He'll stop by to do the ceilings and floors. We have high ceilings and the sun shows all the cobwebs and dust on objects that are too high to reach without a ladder. I can't vacuum without sneezing like crazy, so I'm grateful when he helps.
My husband will do a lot more now that he's unemployed. He lost his job yesterday. My mind is reeling due to all the uncertainties, but I shouldn't complain, because I know we're better off than all the people worried about making this month's rent payment. I'm also relieved because I was worried that he might have to go to New Jersey or Long Island for a few weeks for the company. He hasn't had a summer off since he was a kid (he taught sailing during summers in college), so he deserves a break. But it's still very emotional. He lost his dog and his job just weeks apart.
I really like having him home and he's talked about retiring early, but he's not the retiring type. He likes to be busy. He's rehabbing our old house, so that will keep him busy for a while. The only other time he lost a job, he had a new one within a week or two. He's already received calls from colleagues about potential leads for jobs or consulting work.
I've known a lot of people who lost their jobs in their 50's or 60's and had a hard time finding a new one, so it worries me. One of my hubby's clients sent him a text yesterday offering to sign a deposition to help if he sues for age discrimination. Wait, what? This was based on something his new boss said on the phone to her. Hmm. I've seen this happen to people before, especially after mergers. A 60 year gets a new boss whose perceptions are impaired by stereotypes, and he doesn't really understand the job, or what said 60 year old can accomplish. The new company (post merger) has a pattern of age discrimination, and he's already heard from former coworkers with tips about lawyers.
Shelly wrote: "Hello from the suburbs of NYC. I am mostly retired so I have few work responsibilities to deal with. I haven't gone into NYC in almost a month. My husband works about half time from home so his rou..."We've talked about getting out the bikes, and taking more walks soon. I heard something about a snow forecast for Friday! 40 years ago today, I was in a car crash on the thruway involving 40-50 cars. We suddenly had no visibility due to high winds and snow.
I like what you said about inequality, gratitude and ADD. I like that Trump is sending money to a lot of people who are living paycheck to paycheck, but it won't really ease the gap. I hope the corporations and executives who received huge tax cuts will use some of that extra money to continue paying workers.
I'm having a hard time picking books that I can stay with for more than a chapter or two. I have a big pile of books (and ebooks) that I picked out just for the state poll tag challenge, but they're not appealing to me right now. I've been stuck in the middle of an audio book for the last two days. I have to keep rewinding to the same spot, because I haven't really absorbed anything.
NancyJ wrote: "Theresa wrote: "As we start year 3 of NY on 'Pause'....oh wait, I have only been WFH and staying in for about 2.5 weeks! So how is it that the dust bunnies are threatening to devour my numerous TBR..."On the age discrimination...he definitely should consukt an experienced lawyer. While it probably won't mean getting the job back, especially in a company with a pattern for it, a nice settlement should result.
Karin wrote: "Think of all the electricity you save by cooking enough for leftovers :) Plus the water for cleaning the pots and pans, etc.Oh, I love leftovers! Mostly because I don't like to cook (but then, that's mostly because I don't want to take the time to cook). Somehow, I do seem to have more dishes than usual to do, though. More baking? I didn't think so, but... Might be because of a bit more cooking at lunch (which I would normally never be able to do).
Theresa wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Theresa wrote: "As we start year 3 of NY on 'Pause'....oh wait, I have only been WFH and staying in for about 2.5 weeks! So how is it that the dust bunnies are threatening to devour ..."Yes, especially since they're asking him to sign away his right to sue. They included a list that might be used to calculate adverse impact against those 40 and above, but it only included people terminated on that day (a 29 year old and a 60 year old). Other people over 40 were terminated on different days, so the list is meaningless. Most other employee's objected to the waiver of health and safety rights, since they're all exposed to toxic chemicals. Is that even enforceable?
I know some employment law attorneys on the employer side, and maybe they can refer me to lawyers that work with plaintiffs.
NancyJ wrote: "Theresa wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Theresa wrote: "As we start year 3 of NY on 'Pause'....oh wait, I have only been WFH and staying in for about 2.5 weeks! So how is it that the dust bunnies are threat..."I know lawyers in NYC if you end up needing someone. PM me if you want a name. Don't need to be local to you just licensed in same state. I seem to recall you got a NYPL card based on bring a NYS resident...
Plus having a NYC lawyer rep'g your husband against these a**holes does not hurt in the least.
Theresa wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Theresa wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Theresa wrote: "As we start year 3 of NY on 'Pause'....oh wait, I have only been WFH and staying in for about 2.5 weeks! So how is it that the dust bun..."Thanks Theresa, that's a great idea.
Here in Wisconsin the birds are singing, the turkey flocks are running around (love watching the toms display their tail feathers to impress the hens), our maple tree is budding out. But we're expecting snow on Sunday ...
Hubby and I remain healthy (relatively speaking) and in decent spirits. I've stopped watching the news, except for the 10pm local news (mostly for the weather forecast). Hubby still is obsessed with it. I think it's stressing him out, but he can't seem to let it go.
I got a lovely note from our house cleaning lady. I had told her not to come in April but I sent her a check anyway. We're fortunate we can afford that, and I'm sure she's much closer to the edge of financial disaster. Ditto for my hair stylist, who's an independent contractor. I paid her for two sessions in advance when the "safer at home" order started.
Put in a large order with my Indie bookseller last night. I had gotten an email that "with the projected peak coming soon" they had decided to stop the curb-side pickup effective this Saturday. They'll still fill order for delivery via USPS media mail or UPS, but they can no longer afford to do so without a fee. All the books I ordered were listed as "in stock" so I expect a call later today telling me my order is ready for curbside pickup.
Going out later today for a major grocery run ... I've been keeping a list arranged in order of the aisles ... faster and more efficient. I have a mask (thanks to a neighbor who made masks for all the seniors in the area - for FREE) and gloves. I happened to stop at our local gas-station "gourmet grocery" (I kid you not, it's a gourmet grocery store) earlier in the week and found both toilet paper and flour! I was so excited I nearly forgot the eggs and tomatoes, which are what I went there for in the first place. (I find it is LESS crowded that the big grocery store ... go figure.)
Book Concierge wrote: "I'll be watching this video ALL Day Long.Enjoy!"
That was a great pick me up-thanks!
Yes, that was delightful. There are a bunch of videos with new words like "You Gotta Wash Your Hands" to the tune of I Want to Hold Your Hand, new words for 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (Don't ride on the bus, Gus, etc.) and Neil Diamond put out a version of Sweet Caroline, where "touching hands" changed to "washing hands".My daughter found out today that everyone in her large company is getting a 20% pay cut. A lot of their business is arranging travel and conventions for other companies so it's understandable. Better than being laid off and she really needs the health care. But this sort of effect may not even be counted anywhere. On the other hand, she has saved money not going out the last few weeks!
Theresa, I also ordered from my local bookstore, A Room of One's Own here in Madison, and they are shipping from a warehouse. I tend to not purchase fast-reading fiction books new because I go through them so quickly but got some nonfiction I will probably use for my talks: Free Thinker: Sex, Suffrage, and the Extraordinary Life of Helen Hamilton Gardener, The Life and Loves of E. Nesbit: Victorian Iconoclast, Children’s Author, and Creator of The Railway Children and In Our Prime: How Older Women Are Reinventing the Road Ahead. I think the last one will go well with No Stopping Us Now: A History of Older Women in America, which I purchased earlier this year.
I have figured out getting groceries for pickup by putting in an order for 5 days out. They put the groceries right in the trunk. Takes some getting used to, especially for my husband who was always running out to the drugstore, grocery, office supply for one thing.
It's interesting to read this thread. I can't bear the obituaries and the 'plague count' but checking in here makes me feel that we are all adjusting and coping as best we can. I like the idea of this becoming historical documentation of 'the way it was'.I'm angry for you and your husband, Nancy. Best thing I ever did for myself was to take an early retirement. But that was by choice, although there was some definite 'pushing' in the form of age discrimination going on. I hope you get a good lawyer and make the bastards pay.
Yesterday I went out early, masked and gloved, to make a Trader Joes run during the 'senior' hour. I can't say enough about the great job they are doing to protect their customers and their employees. It was less crowded and more controlled than the major grocery chains. Employees were cheerful, concerned, polite and firm about keeping everyone at a correct distance.
The only problem I had was that I had to leave my glasses behind. They fog up when I'm wearing a mask. This had me peering near-sightedly at the shelves and holding products at a distance trying to read labels. I never realized that Joes had so many very helpful and young employees.... and one of them is the mother of a former student.
Big excitement when I got home. My dog was frantically beside himself. Major emergency in the backyard. Or just beyond the backyard fence. There were two bobcats stalking bunnies on the chaparral hillside behind my house. A very good thing my dog was inside, because they can see right through my wrought iron fencing and they can jump over it. They hung around for at least 20 minutes weaving in and out of the scrub while my terrier went crazy in the house. Life became blessedly quiet again after they went away.
Book Concierge wrote: "Here in Wisconsin the birds are singing, the turkey flocks are running around (love watching the toms display their tail feathers to impress the hens), our maple tree is budding out. ."Our local turkeys are also out more than normal. They live around here, so are present year-round but they have been super active since the sun is out this week, and we see them impressing the lady turkeys.
We're going to the grocery store once weekly, rotating stores- local, Costco, and Trader Joes. Trader Joe's had a line to get in probably 40-50 people deep last week, so we skipped it in favor of the "regular store". We've also been shopping for our upstairs neighbor, as he is in the immunocompromised category, and I have no idea how old he is, but I think it's safe to say he is "old".
I guess I spoke too soon last week, we actually had someone quit at my work- so I'll be back to full time. Happy to have the hours, and a closer-to-normal paycheck again, but damn, I was just getting used to having a 4- day weekend, haha.
Had beautiful Seder with zoom guests (friends and family) with double or triple the guests tonight. But just can’t seem to find any time to read! Thinking of all of you during this difficult time.
Book Concierge wrote: "I'll be watching this video ALL Day Long.Enjoy!"
I just LOVED this! I have to get my kids to watch this.
ETA just showed my son. He enjoyed it and said that girl is good. This is high praise from him, because he knows a thing or two about brass. And music. And he's rather fussy about what means someone is good.
Jgrace wrote: "The only problem I had was that I had to leave my glasses behind. They fog up when I'm wearing a mask. This had me peering near-sightedly at the shelves and holding products at a distance trying to read labels. ..."I went out today with a face mask for the first time. My biggest worry was foggy glasses. I really can't see well enough without them to go without (or to try to see through fog!).
I have a homemade mask (well, I've got a couple). A few days ago, I tried - at home - a couple of different designs I found online. One worked better for less fog than the other. I also tried two different materials - again, one worked slightly better (at least inside the house) than the other. That's the one I went with.
It wasn't as bad as I expected. I walked 15ish minutes to get there. It was worse inside than out (but I was hot and sweaty by then). I took my glasses off for a minute before putting them back on. Really, not bad, though.
Mask was super-hot, though! It was a warm day (for us at this time of year at 14C), plus I think the better fabric for the fog was also the warmer fabric!
Anyway, hopefully it will be a while before I head out again, but that mask is, of course, in the laundry, and I will use the other mask next time.
Joi wrote: "I guess I spoke too soon last week, we actually had someone quit at my work- so I'll be back to full time. Happy to have the hours, and a closer-to-normal paycheck again, but damn, I was just getting used to having a 4- day weekend, haha..."LOL! Pros and cons...
Happy for you, though. That's good news.
Jgrace wrote: "It's interesting to read this thread. I can't bear the obituaries and the 'plaque count' but checking in here makes me feel that we are all adjusting and coping as best we can. I like the idea of t..."Thanks. He’s getting a lot of support from his clients and colleagues, and we all feel safer because he doesn’t have to travel. I’m really grateful that everyone in our family is still healthy.
I had the same problem with my glasses and a mask. Some ideas:
*Anti-fog solution on your glasses.
* The n95 masks have a flexible strip to pinch around the top of your nose. The strips used to seal a bag of coffee grounds looks similar. (The strips on Newman’s Own coffee are loosely attached so I thought It might work in a cloth mask. The middle might not work. Idk.)
*Double sided tape. The cloth or bandaid type of tape. That’s what women use to prevent wardrobe malfunctions when wearing low cut dresses on TV.
*goggles over the glasses.
Bobcats! Yikes. My dog went nuts over red foxes, but she was very quiet when she saw a deer in the backyard protecting her newborn.
I’m still waiting for good weather. We had snow this morning. The skiers were all texting the good news, but it didn’t stick.
Joi wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Here in Wisconsin the birds are singing, the turkey flocks are running around (love watching the toms display their tail feathers to impress the hens), our maple tree is budd..."NancyJ wrote: "Jgrace wrote: "It's interesting to read this thread. I can't bear the obituaries and the 'plaque count' but checking in here makes me feel that we are all adjusting and coping as best we can. I lik..."
So that's what that metal strip is for! ( I think I was wearing my mask upside down) I did have some n95 masks, purchased after the Tick fire, but I donated those a couple of weeks ago. I hope they were used where they are needed most.
I saw a local woman on tv who made masks with a nice shape to go over the nose. It looked like she used a flexible wire to keep it in shape. She made 100 so far. I wonder if this is what is meant by the term
cottage industry.
I went into my office yesterday as there were things I had to do and pick up. It was supposed to be an hour or so but I ended up working several hours! I so much prefer going to and working in my office! One other lawyer was there for a while. Only other person I saw in the building was the security guard and he was unusually chatty. After several hours I headed home, stopping at a small local grocery to pick up a few things.
I was masked in street, on bus, but took it off in the office. It was hot and made my reading glasses and sunglasses fog (I was wearing contacts - can't imagine how bad it would be with my glasses).
I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and my office is next to Penn Station/Madison Square Garden. While my home area is generally very quiet (dead end street at Central Park, restricted to car traffic except deliveries and MTA buses), my office area is the opposite. Well, I had to keep reminding mysekf that it was a Wednesday afternoon and not some major holiday or just an early hour because the area by my office was deserted. It was familiar but the closed up shops, restaurants, etc. and the deserted streets were also not. I can't really explain it other than to say it looked off but not strange.
I am fortunate that I can take a bus between my apartment and my office. The bus was not crowded at all, with everyone being respectful as much as possible as to distance. The ride is free as MTA roped off front to protect drivers. We enter from back and since the card reader is next to driver... no pay.
People on the bus were quiet, most reading on phones. No one was talking and I think the masks contribute to that. The ride itself went by a couple of major museums, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and through Times Square. Except for the dearth of people on the street, lack of taxis and delivery trucks (although still some), it could have been one of those holidays like 4th of July or Christmas Day when everything is closed.
I wil also mention that the tulips are out everywhere adding a touch of color and beauty to the empty streets. My faves however were the bright orange ruffled ones in full bloom in front of an aparment building about a mile from my apartment. Tbey perfactly complemented the adjacent bright orange work barriers, traffic cones, construction webbing, and port-a-john.
NancyJ wrote: "*Double sided tape. The cloth or bandaid type of tape. That’s what women use to prevent wardrobe malfunctions when wearing low cut dresses on TV...."I had a couple of people suggest this, as well. I have some somewhere, but I'd have to dig around to find it!
I don't drink coffee. Some cookie bags have a similar strip, but I bake, so don't buy cookies, either.
Jgrace wrote: "So that's what that metal strip is for! ( I think I was wearing my mask upside down) I did have some n95 masks, purchased after the Tick fire, but I donated those a couple of weeks ago. I hope they were used where they are needed most...."Good for you for donating them! I'm sure they were used and very much appreciated!
I was just thinking to share with you guys - remember the days when I used to be a reader? Miss and love you all. Stay healthy,Amy
In light of our Disney tag, here is another fun video song which is a parody of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins (didn't bother to check the spelling, but close enough). I still love the one Theresa posted the most, but this is rather clever.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykieE...
Karin wrote: "In light of our Disney tag, here is another fun video song which is a parody of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins (didn't bother to check the spelling, but close enough). I still..."That is wonderful! (and I think you spelled it correctly ...)
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Free Thinker: Sex, Suffrage, and the Extraordinary Life of Helen Hamilton Gardener (other topics)The Life and Loves of E. Nesbit: Victorian Iconoclast, Children’s Author, and Creator of The Railway Children (other topics)
In Our Prime: How Older Women Are Reinventing the Road Ahead (other topics)
No Stopping Us Now: A History of Older Women in America (other topics)
Still a safe place to talk, laugh, cry, share, and just talk.
I am failing miserably at housekeeping. Only the kitchen is reasonably kept. Except for the floor. I have not met my mop yet. Am I waiting for someone to formally introduce us? I think I need to face the fact that I need to be Mr. Collins and simply sidle up to it as he did to Mr Darcy and start babbling about how well my kitchen and bathroom floors will look after we take a refreshing turn around them together.
I did pull the vacuum out of the closet to clean up something in the bedroom. It now is living in the foyer awaiting its use through the rest of the apartment. Probably should vacuum before mopping, ya think?
I have now done sufficient laundry that the mountain range has shrunk to one relatively tall peak and a foothill. Although the towels washed today still need to be folded and put away.
The garbage and recycling do get taken downstairs regularly. That counts, right? No more alien life forms or science projects in the fridge either.
My mother is rolling over in her grave. After all, my sisters and I were her cleaning ladies, and we were taught well. I guess cleaning skills aren't like riding a bike....which by the way I discovered a few years ago is a lie because I no longer have the skill to ride one. Guess I should not be surprised by the loss of cleaning mojo.
Didn't someone write a cozy mystery series featuring a house cleaner as an amateur sleuth? Maybe I should read those for tips on housecleaning, but only if they have a useful tag for Poll Tally or fit my Bingo Card.
Goddess Rosa, cleaning lady sublime, when it is safe to come back to clean, bring a backhoe.