Remembering April's Quarantine I've been thinking about all the time Don and I have spent together, since March. We've been a good quarantine team, but I've envied friends who were "stuck" at home with their families. For the past 10 days, I feel like our family has sort of been "playing quarantine" together. It's as if we are happily trapped on a boat, or an island. I mean that in a good way. It's been so nice sitting together with no plans. Bundling up on one chilly evening and scalding our feet in spa water, another! Alone Time It's been nice being together long enough, that we can also be apart. Scott spent a couple mornings focused on work. Don kept up with the news, during breakfast. Jamie and Heidi played a little music. It's been nice listening to the sounds of guitar and piano, floating around the rental house. Chali did some puzzle work and Heidi actually colored in an old coloring book... at least for a little while. Chali set up the best meditation spot at the cabin. She's been our garden tender, at the coast house. Together It's been nice to also have some one on one time. Scott and Chali played... with juggling balls and skulls! The expecting parents looked through Heidi's old baby books. Don and Scott talked on the patio, as the sun set. Safely Together I'm realistic enough to know that our quarantine vacation has not been the same as a forced quarantine... with jobs or school stresses. But I will remember our isolated Oregon getaway, as the highlight of the pandemic!
0 Comments
Two Crazy Kitchens Our 2 week Quarantine Vacay has involved 2 rental homes. That means, the 6 of us have had to adjust to 2 kitchens. Not really a huge deal. The 2 homes have been wonderful, but also a little quirky. The kitchens have tested our patience, just a bit. Getting Groceries We've been doing curbside pick up, to keep things as safe as possible. It was over an hour round trip, for the first house. I miss the days of running back to the store for the thing you forgot! Then where do you put everything? The cabinets and drawers were stuffed. 4 can openers, 3 coffee pots, 10 different designs of eating utensils and about 20 shot glasses. We kept food on the counters, which pleased a tiny mouse who very much liked bagels! But our focus was on being together. The variety of forks was just amusing. The scenery from the grill, was amazing. And eating all together for the first time in 10 months, was incredible! Second House Now we're at the second house and we've been constantly amused by the dated kitchen. It took 3 of us to figure out the ancient convection oven. There are no cookie sheets or casserole dishes. Oh my. The trash compactor is comical. I thought it had exploded when Jamie turned it on. And the can opener needs to be thrown away. We made do with a Swiss Army Knife. Grilling & Carryouts But kitchen issues really aren't worth ranting over. We gave ourselves a pizza delivery one night and picked up a seafood feast, another day. Thanksgiving in August And since the months ahead are uncertain, we had an August Thanksgiving meal. 6 at a table for 4, was extra cozy! It's tricky finding things and cooking, in a strange kitchen. It's hard doing curbside shopping for more than 2. But oh how worth it!
I am so THANKFUL to be spending time with this gang! TV Off For the first week of our "pandemic reunion", we didn't even turn on the TV in the rental house. We didn't want to be reminded of Covid-19 facts... or elections concerns. Actually, one time we did put in an old DVD. Elvis Presley, in King Creole. Oddly entertaining. Window or TV Screen? At the second house, it was hard to get excited about the large TV and crazy tall speakers. The views of the Pacific Ocean were much more exciting. Actually, sometimes there were no views. The fog rolled in... a lot! Modern Love We did finally turn the on the TV and it was actually a pretty fun escape. My daughter-in-law introduced me to the "Modern Love" series! This is not your Hallmark Channel Chick Flick Series. What a delightful, creative, thoughtful escape! This may be my next TV addiction, for stuck at home days. DNC We did allow ourselves a little bit of reality at one point. After months of sharing political worries with our kids on the phone and during Zooms, we were able to watch some of the Democratic National Convention together. Pandemic Elections Suddenly reality hit, when I saw Kamala Harris in her mask and on a vast empty stage. It was during our travels that we learned about Harris being Biden's pick. Now things are moving forward rapidly and suddenly November 3rd is not so far away. I'm glad to get moving with this election, but it felt sad and worrisome watching the screen. Is this really how this election is going to be in the next couple months? I'm all for keeping things safe, but the empty space was eerie. The big screen with faces looking down, was not quite the same. But the words were positive.
It's going to be an interesting couple of months ahead. Secret Months I feel like the whole world has been mysterious and secretive, during the past half year. Many social media posts are vague. People who normally share and brag about dining and traveling, don't want to be judged. I get it. Good Secrets I'm a faithful keeper of good secrets, but I don't like it. It's hard. I've been keeping a happy secret for 2 months! In June, Don and I were out by the pool when we got a FaceTime call. This is how we looked when our daughter and son-in-law told us they were expecting! I squealed so loud that my neighbors probably figured out the news... about their neighbors becoming grandparents! Sharing with Family On July 31, we Zoomed with the parents-to-be, along with our son & daughter-in-law. Earlier that day, Heidi had gone for her first prenatal check up. She'd gone alone, because of Covid. But we were all together on Zoom when she and Jamie shared photos! We still needed to keep quiet for another week, until results of the NIPT test. We were driving to Oregon, when Heidi called with a good report on the test. Did we want to know if it was a boy or girls? I laughed and hollered back, "Not yet! Not on the phone!" Together! A few days later, Don and I joined the 4 "kids", at the Airbnb. We gathered around the table in the evening and Heidi and Jamie told us to pick a balloon color, to match our guess. Don and Scott picked pink. Chali and I picked blue. On the count of 3, we started blowing. I blew so fast and hard that my blue balloon inflated, despite the pin pricks that Heidi had put in the blue balloons. "It's a boy!" I shouted! Wrong! Heidi laughed and shook her head. I looked at Don and Scott holding inflated pink balloons. My blue one fizzled slowly. "A Girl???" I screeched! I grabbed one of the pink balloons and hugged Heidi. I have a history of baby reveal confusion. When Heidi was born the doctor announced, "It's a lovely little lady!" That was too subtle for me. "Boy or Girl?" I demanded. Happy! We celebrated that evening and shared news with more family. The next day we called my Dad, in Missouri. That call was the most fun of all my daily, Pandemic-Dad-calls, during his 6 months of room confinement. Social Media A few days later, Heidi and Jamie got clever with some kite decorating. It pays to have a lot of silly stuff packed up for quarantine entertainment! The Baby Hurst kite could be handy for revealing the fun secret, on Facebook!
I wish we all knew the secret about when this pandemic will end! I so hope things are somewhat... or ALL better, by February! Except During a Pandemic! We found Paul's Chalet, on the Airbnb website. We were looking for a house, away from people! We needed a place, somewhere between our kids' homes in Portland and Sacramento. This was our pick! You can barely see it in this photo. The nearest grocery store that offered curbside pick up, wasn't close. It was an hour round trip to pick up groceries, so that we could do all our own cooking. No restaurants on this trip. But we were only a 1-minute drive to this hike, on the Pacific Rim Trail. It was a little further to this location, at the the Mount Ashland Ski Slopes. We brought masks, but mostly had both trails to ourselves! Isolation never felt so good!
So Many Travel Worries For months, we've been considering this road trip, to meet up with our kids in Oregon. There have been lots of things to fret about and figure out. A travel ban was not one of them. We kept our fingers crossed as we headed off for Oregon on August 7. We hoped we wouldn't be turned away, with our Texas plates. Whew! This was a happy moment when we saw this sign and no barricades! Heidi and Jamie would have no problem, driving down from Portland. Scott and Chali were planning to leave from Sacramento, two days later. Their CA license plates could be even more unwanted than ours!
Lots of fingers being crossed, leading up to this reunion! First Hugs After days of driving, Don and I arrived in Sacramento. We pulled up to the new home of our son and our daughter-in-law. I grinned as we walked towards the house. Don and I haven't hugged anyone else in a half year. It always feels good to hug our kids when we haven't seen them in a long time. It's been 10 months, but seems longer. Our extra long hugs were in response to the last 6 months. The pandemic has made us all miss each other, so much more. No Masks It felt so good to be inside Scott and Chali's home, after days on the road. We've all been prepping for this no-mask visit. Scott and Chali even turned down moving help from friends, to limit exposure to others. They still had lots to unpack, but we had a great time enjoying their new home. It also felt wonderful to hug little Lola! I haven't snuggled an animal in all these months. All 4 Kids The next day, Don and I drove to Ashland, Oregon. We had booked a mountain-view house for a week. We couldn't wait for all to arrive. It felt amazing to hug our daughter and son-in-law, after 10 months. Best of all, I got to stand back and watch the 4 kids hug each other. Best Decision I'm so, very glad that we decided to make this reunion happen. After months of chatting and laughing and sharing on Zoom meetings, we 6 finally came together in person. A few months ago, we talked about how to attempt a gathering, during a pandemic. I remember Heidi saying, "We need to plan a way that we can safely get together, without masks." For weeks ahead, we all quarantined, but road travel, a surprise move and a doctor's visit, made things tricky. We did the best we could possibly do and now we're together!
The best hugs, are the ones that come after pandemic isolation! Pandemic Hotels Don and I rarely stay at chains. We love the fun of "one of kind" historic hotels and "quirky-retro" motels. But on this road trip, we were looking for safety with our stays, not fun. We made our route as direct as possible and Deming, NM was our first stop. At our Holiday Inn Express, I was glad to see the reminder signs for masks. There were cups for sanitized and dirty pens and there were bottles of hand sanitizer. The added plexiglass seemed a little random... some here, none there. Oh well. Uncomfortable Check In Our check in host wasn't very friendly, but maybe that was because her face covering made communication difficult. Or maybe I was frustrated that she didn't have a first floor room for us, after I'd requested. Or maybe her drooping mask made me nervous. Mask-less Staff I really didn't like it in the morning when I spotted 7 people checking out without masks. I stood way back and approached when they left. The 2 women behind the counter didn't pull up their masks, which hung below their chins. Asthma was the excuse of one. I filed a complaint later, but I'm not encouraged. In the Room The second night we were at a Marriott owned hotel in San Bernardino, CA. Marriotts have a good record for Covid protocol. We got a first floor room, so no awkward dances with others waiting for elevators. I was more skilled at "disinfecting" our room the second day. I tried not to overdo, but still needed to open windows and wait for the fog to lift. Then it was time for our hideous "picnic" feast. So lame! I guess we could have ordered pizza, but we were cutting down on people interaction. Third Night By the third night, we at least knew what to expect. Another Marriott owned hotel, in Sacramento this time. The parking lot was jammed with old cars. We noticed many of the guests seemed to be long term residents. Evicted during pandemic? There was an odd feel to the place and I was glad we were just there for the night. After 3 nights, I was sort of used to the signs. Seeing masked people in a hotel, no longer seemed so odd. I also no longer assumed every person would comply with the signs. I learned to steer clear.
People are ridiculous. Now I see why I've enjoyed being a hermit for months. It's an unpleasant surprise to realize how many people in the world just do not care about anyone but themselves. Road Trip Dining Don and I love the dining adventures when we travel. Roadside diners and small town cafes... Not this trip. Our Pandemic Road Trip has not been about the journey. The goal is to meet up with our kids. That means we cut down on as many people encounters as possible. That means lots of picnics. Don printed out a list of all the rest stops on our route, from Texas to Oregon. We wore our masks when we walked by people in the parking lot. I sprayed down the table before laying the cloth. Then of course I snapped a timer pic, to capture the fine memory... before mask removal. Hot Stop in Arizona In August, the weather is hot! We had a few very quick picnics! It was 108 degrees under this shady shelter. Next Time! We saw this fine place in California! Great sign, Tudor building and a windmill! Ordinarily, Don and I would gasp and slam on the brakes for a place like this! An iconic Pea Soup restaurant! It was even open for business! But we aren't taking risks. I put it on the list for post pandemic adventures. Date Shake Stop! We had only one treat on our drive to Sacramento! It was another iconic place from the twenties. Don and I remember indulging in date shakes 4 decades ago, when when we lived in Southern California. Sheilds was open and it even had curb side delivery!
We had a sweet, refreshing, drink-dining adventure after all. Good Fortune I saved this fortune from months ago, when we enjoyed a feast on Chinese New Year! I smiled when I read it back in January. It was a good one. Just a few weeks later, things got crazy and people were putting toilet paper high on the priority list. Facebook Memories We are 9 months into 2020. It's been a year of pondering and rethinking priorities. Family (not toilet paper) is probably on the top of most people's lists. Facebook keeps showing me old posts with family. It seems to know I'm missing our youngins! For the last few days, FB has bombarded me with these sweet "Memories". I don't mind at all. Don and I haven't lived in the same town as "the kids" for over a decade. But these posts make us crave time together. This is actually very odd. I've never had memory posts pop up so consistently, with family pics. But that's okay! We will see both our kids and their wonderful spouses, very soon! We're sick of being 2,000 miles away from our kids. We are on a road trip headed their way!
|
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
January 2022
Categories
All
|