Friends and Technology April has become the month of tech connecting! In March, there was a surge in texts and emails. Everyone was baffled over quarantine worries and we all seemed anxious to reach out and check on each other. In April, everyone seems ready to see faces! This whole world of Zoom, Skype and FaceTime, is exploding. Early in April, my friend suggested a FaceTime call. I stressed a bit. Video chatting with friends is new to me. Yikes. I'm not exactly looking my best these days... nor is the house. But I ran a comb through my hair and set up the phone. CJ and her girls suddenly appeared and what a treat, to see faces along with voices! Those girls made me smile! Zoom Host A couple days later, I connected with 2 college buddies on FaceBook. One suggested we set up a Zoom Meeting and next thing you know I was volunteering to host. Why did I say that? I don't know what I'm doing. I'll mess this up! But I need to being learning new things... it's the least I can do. I figured it out and sent my invites, then I worried all morning that it wasn't going to work. Then of course I wondered how odd this would be to chat with Marla and Martha! Martha and I have reunited in recent years, but I haven't seen Marla in over 40 years. This is crazy! It was awkward for only a split second and then we were all laughing and reminiscing and catching up and carrying on... It's odd, because we could have done this years ago. Old friends have been re-connecting through social media for years. But it's odd how Coronavirus has brought people together. We all have this Pandemic in common. We share about our worlds and compare. Marla described her world in Chicago... teaching her students from home... dealing with the complications of being married to a doctor who is trying to keep from contaminating their home. Denver Martha described her neighborhood in Denver, where residents come out at 8 pm each night to howl. She was able to show us her yard and her sweet pups. It feels good to connect our worlds.
After 1.5 hours, I got off exhausted and giddy and lifted. What an amazing thing.
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Vulnerable Age I usually don't fret about getting older. Well, maybe I did at 50. But this Covid-thing is being extra evil, with the old folks. That's me. People over 60! But I pretended I wasn't 63 today. I got up early and ignored my aching joints, on my run. Then, Don made me coffee and a yummy breakfast sandwich. Both tasted even better with my happy dishes. All Day Don and I had all day together. Nothing new about that. We worked on a puzzle and played our ukes. We're getting better! And I talked on the phone with a few special people. Surprise! In the late afternoon I got a surprise on the porch, from my neighbor. She happens to be quite an amazing Italian cook! She even made birthday flags! I've never had birthday flags before! Southwestern Dinner and Zoom-time! After opening some birthday goodies, Don and I had an enchilada dinner. Then it was time to spiff up a little, for our Texas-Style Zoom Happy Hour... at 8:00 actually. The kids in California and Oregon, wore cowboy hats and bolo ties. We toasted with margaritas and after lots of chatting and laughing, I got a very special video surprise. Kermit Plays Happy Birthday! Kermit Ruffins played his trumpet from New Orleans and added a "Happy Birthday Mama Beth!" at the end! After Kermit's Happy Birthday, Don and the kids sang me another. What a treat! Don's Birthday Creation Later, Don sang all by himself, when he presented me with a fine sweet treat. It's not every birthday that you get 2 birthday "cakes" or 3 birthday songs. Not everyone will be able to say they celebrated a Coronavirus Quarantine Birthday, either.
It was a good one after all! I Love Picnics I've been known to choose a picnic over a restaurant, for many birthday celebrations. It seemed like an extra good plan for this year. Since rain is expected on my big day tomorrow, we packed lunch and chairs and headed to Pecan Park. We already knew the picnic areas and playgrounds were shut down. Which is good. We are allowed to use the park paths, if we keep social distance. We stayed away from the paths and tables and ate our lunch, overlooking the lake. But we're supposed to be staying home... but we're encouraged to get out... it's confusng. Animals These ducks are cute. I didn't get pictures of the aggressive ones that kept invading our picnic, looking for handouts. Even the turtles were lifting their heads like evil serpents, in search of treats. A lone squirrel kept inching towards us... Were they just hungry or were they giving us a creepy message that we weren't supposed to be there? I didn't enjoy the animal encounters. The Gazebo There were a few people on the paths. One or two wore masks, to remind us what's going on, these days. One family of 6 was lined up, fishing. They were like us, sort of breaking the rules. We were using the park, not the path. Oh my. There were lots of rules being broken. The gazebo was taped off, but a hot plate was plugged into the electric socket. I guess it belonged to the tree trimming crew that had stopped to have lunch at the one table, that wasn't taped off. There were 7 of them squeezed around the table. (I didn't take their photo) The workmen were playing cards. Have they heard of Coronavirus? The workmen left and some other people arrived to use that table. They unloaded a hookah pipe and went back to the car to get another. What is going on?
I promise, we stayed far away from others. My Nikon's zoom makes it look like we were breaking social distancing rules. We didn't linger long, before we headed to our car. I don't know what rules we broke, but I felt guilty and weird being at the park, watching activity. This was my first and last Coronavirus picnic! Well, I don't know. It is my last Coronavirus-Birthday Picnic. Forced to Clean Junk can be interesting and curious, but I don't like it filling up the garage. But at least our self quarantine time, has forced us to face the chores that we love to ignore. Today we worked in the garage. We haven't parked a car in this garage since we moved here 20+ years ago. So it's a mess and today we made some good decisions. We found lots to get rid of. But what do we do with it? Our city's recycling and bulky trash pick ups, have been put on hold indefinitely. Treasures But we did make some progress. We've been storing lots of stuff that belonged to parents... and we unearthed some surprises. We found a book with 55 patents, that Don's dad is responsible for! I had no idea!
And we found a framed Calder, that I for some reason didn't remember we had! It was in my family's house, years ago. We found no spiders or mice. Yay! So being trapped at home can lead to some fun discoveries! Signs in Sugar Land We've been staying home, so I haven't been aware of local changes. When Don drove me to the (off hours) post office the other day, I studied the world around me. I saw closed stores and long drive-thru lines. I spotted a couple drivers wearing face masks. I looked at cars and license plates and wondered, "Where is everyone going? Are we really supposed to worry about where people are coming from?" When I saw this sign, I cringed. I get it, that each state has their own rules and that some states are more affected than others. But when our country is hit with a Global Pandemic, it seems creepy that our borders suddenly have new meaning. We seem so divided. Will they really start having checkpoints at state lines? Smart Financial Centre This sign is 1.5 miles from our home. Usually the gigantic beast of a sign, announces upcoming shows that are coming to the mega venue. Today, the sign wasn't luring us to buy tickets to see The Celtic Woman- Celebration or The Bachelor Live on Stage! Those shows are cancelled. Instead, the parking lot at Smart Financial Center, was set up with tents for drive-through testing. I've seen this on the news, but didn't realize this was happening, so close to home. Will I be one of those people someday... rolling down my window to welcome a swab in my nose? Signs I Like There are other signs that I like much better. They are the ones that people have made, to cheer one another. My sister-in-law saw this one in their New Orleans neighborhood. My brother and sister-in-law in Boise, ID saw a few chalk messages when they walked their dogs. Evidently a young neighbor wrote messages to his friends, in front of their homes. What a sweet thought. Our Neighborhood On my early morning run, I spotted a new sign, that cheered me up. I returned and added my own ribbon. I used a Sharpie to write positive words, before I tied it to a branch.
Thanks Neighbors! Should we wear masks? Two days ago, our son called from California and offered to send us some masks. He and his wife had bought some in the fall, when the California fires made the air dangerous. It was a sweet thought, but 2 days ago I didn't think we needed them. In fact we were discouraged from buying masks, since the supply was needed for healthcare workers. Most of the focus was still on hand washing and social distancing. Mask Making Scott was right. Yesterday, CDC recommended people begin covering faces, in public. They are asking people to make their own or use scarves or bandanas. I learned the other day that the bandana thing is a mess. Today I decided to think about sewing. My sister-in-law in Oregon, sent me instructions for making masks. The ones she made look impressive. But everything Kate sews is impressive. I stressed over the directions and put the task aside. Generous Neighbor An hour later I got a text from my neighbor, who happens to be a quilter. She was making masks and wanted to know if Don and I wanted one. A while later, she was on my sidewalk, wearing her own mask. She stood about 10 feet away and held up some fabric options. She returned later and left these beautiful, pleated masks on the porch.
I am so touched, by how others are reaching out in whatever ways they can. I'm grateful and relieved to have masks at the ready and Becky seemed genuinely happy to be able to offer her services. I think we all want to find a way to help. With a few exceptions, most of us care about others right now. It's also healthy, to feel useful! Now I need to find a way to pay it forward. Those Alone I'm of course the most sad, for those who are dealing with illness. But I also worry about the mental health of all. Especially those who are quarantining alone. My dad has been isolated in his assisted living space, for weeks. We talk on his landline daily. I can't see him, but he sounds well. We talk about the simple happenings in our worlds. I always bring up some happy memory from the past. But what effects will all this isolation have on him? Dad's facility put photos on FaceBook. Dad thought the sign thing was sort of silly. I told him he needs to come up with a good joke or an impressive poem, for the next time! Isolating With Good People Don and I watched this movie the other night and it was the healthiest escape ever. The old poster claims, "You'll Love Them All for giving you the swellest time you've ever had!" I did have a swell time! I love the nutty family and all their housemates! As I watched I chuckled to myself, "Now this is a my kind of Dream Quarantine Home!" I would love to be in a giant old house, filled with dancing, music, fireworks, feasting, banister-riding...! I will always associate this movie with our own Covid Quarantine. The movie made me laugh. It was fun imagining myself trapped at home with kooky characters. But it also made me stop and think about all the less fun or ideal quarantine situations, out there. How many divorces will result? How many couples or families were already dealing with huge stresses and tension, before quarantine and illness worries. I think about the Women's Shelter where I volunteer. How many more calls are they getting now! My Quarantine Buddy I've been thinking a lot about how fortunate I am to have Don as my Quarantine Buddy. When we married 40 years ago, my sibs gave us a canoe. We laughed that if we could handle canoeing together, we would be fine. Quarantining is a much longer test than a canoe trip. But I can't complain. In our Team Don & Beth, I am getting the better end of the deal. Don may not be a Team Rubicon member (just a fan and supporter) but he was a lifeguard in his young years and he's taken numerous wilderness first aid classes in recent years. He can play Nurse Don if he has to.
On the other hand, if Don gets sick I can entertain him, with about 3 songs on the ukulele. That's a horrible thought. We better just stay well. Cravings Don's done a good job of keeping food in our house. He's the one who has gone to the store and ordered grocery delivery. He wasn't able to find my favorite cheese popcorn, but he has made sure we don't run out of coffee. A lot of us will be putting on pounds during this Home Time. We'll see. I'm all for comfort food, but I'm at least trying to eat smaller portions of it. I realized today, that lots of cream and lots of sugar and cinnamon on toast, does the trick for me. But even better, I serve myself on some mighty fine western dishes! Cooking For Others Nestles Tollhouse Cookies have always been my choice for Crisis Cooking. Today I baked a double batch. I wanted to send them to our kids in California and Oregon and to my dad in Missouri. I eventually got them packaged up. The Hard Part Then Don drove me to the Post Office. I wore a scarf and gloves, just to be on the safe side. The P.O. was closed, so I had fewer people to laugh at my appearance. Then I spent about 20 minutes fumbling with the machine, that didn't want to work with my gloves. My scarf kept falling off and my glasses steamed up. Then I discovered the swinging, drop off "drawer" was jammed and had to drive to another post office.
Oh my! I hope these cookies are appreciated. Bleak News on Bright Days Today the world hit 1 million infections. 6.6 million in the U.S. have applied for unemployment... and my dad tried to walk out of his lockdown assisted living facility in Missouri. There's so much to stress over, but the window near the TV lured me outside. Texas is under Stay-at-Home orders, but at least we can get out. Spying on our House Don and I feel lucky. We aren't in a high rise apartment. There's no blizzard keeping us inside. Yesterday, we took the canoe out, behind the house. It felt like a vacation. It felt like cheating. For some reason it felt odd to see our house. Why? It felt strange to paddle around the lake, knowing that everyone was home. I felt like we were intruding on everyone's quarantine-at-home-time. At one point I saw my neighbor in the yard. My dear friend is from Italy, with worries so much bigger than mine. We waved to each other. She took our photo and texted it to me. It was nice to feel a connection. Ordinarily, I would have shouted out, or pulled over to chat. But we are all in our private worlds, figuring out what the new rules are. Mrs. Kravitz Later today, I played Mrs. Kravitz. I heard voices and looked out to see 5 cars parked near the bridge. There were at least 5 young people, fishing. If you came in 5 cars, you don't live together! Don't you know Texas has Stay-At-Home orders? I guess if they drove separately that's better. And they were standing apart as they fished. Later, I noticed a dad and 2 kids in a yard across the lake. That actually made me happy. You don't see families doing yard work much. In the evening, I spotted a couple, across the lake. They were literally walking laps, back and forth in their backyard. They reminded me of caged tigers. Very serious and proud. That made me laugh. I promise. I wasn't trying to spy! Rear Window I have not pulled out any binoculars, but with all this time and all these windows, I was inspired to watch one of my favorite Hitchcock movies! Oh, how I love this movie! What a perfect escape for Coronavirus Days!
It does kind of make me worry about what people will see if they're bored enough to look in our windows! I have a lot of cabin fever dance moves, that come out in the evening when I cook. Maybe it's time to start pulling the shades! New Month I usually love April. This year, the month includes Easter and my birthday. But this first day of April doesn't feel very festive. My favorite little bewildered-bunny decoration, seems to fit the mood of the season. March was the longest Month that I have ever known. I think back to the first week, when I was still volunteering and going in stores and seeing friends. March 1st seems like 6 months ago. Sad Calendars I still use some good old paper calendars for trip planning. The only thing that's not crossed out in April, is Easter. Easter isn't going away. Our visit with Heidi and Jamie In Austin was supposed to start yesterday. They are of course still in Oregon. I can't bring myself to cross off all our plans in May, that revolved around visiting Scott and Chali in Sacramento. Our October & November trip to Italy? Weeks ago I thought, surely it will be fine by them. I refuse to crumble these calendars up! Census Entertainment So today we did our duty and hunkered down to do the 2020 Census! We put aside hobbies and chores and got ready for some fun questions. We turned the job of Filling Out The Census, into an activity. We were a little disappointed to realize it would only take 1 minute. We were expecting to have more fun.
It actually did make me ponder a little bit about how people will read these records one day. Will people (who care to examine) picture the people of 2020 Census, quarantined together in houses and apartments and trailers? Will the 2020 Census have a big, glowing spotlight on it? Or sadly, how much of this household info, that was due on April 1st, drastically change in coming months. Oh dear. |
Not-So-Happy List
Cancer, Covid & Coronary... I started this complaining list/blog, in May 2016. I posted 200 gripes about my breast CANCER and then I was done. On March 13, 2020, I started venting all over again, when another disease (starting with a C) interfered with my life. This time it was the invasion of COVID and it affected every person. I ranted for a year, until I got my COVID vaccine in March 2021. CORONARY Artery Disease was the reason I restarted this blog on September 26, 2021. This time it was my hubby Don, who was dealing with a worry that started with the letter "C". Coronavirus and Cancer, Coronary Artery Disease! All are evil, but none can totally get me down... if I vent! I usually end up feeling a little more positive at the end of each post! Navigating This Mess! The most recent post is at the top, from coronary posts in 2022, back to cancer posts in 2016. To find past posts, look below the "Archives" section, to find "Categories". Archives
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