It occurred to me today (Day 19 - feels like Day 319) of the "stay safe, stay home" chapter we are currently living through, that blogging might be a good outlet for me. Due to the coronavirus, we are in the midst of a global pandemic. Words like quarantine, social distance, isolation, and COVID-19 have quickly become part of our culture. I'm on my third straight week of working from home, church has been cancelled indefinitely, school is out until at least May, and we're asked/mandated to "shelter in place" except for essential work and grocery store shopping. It is a crazy time and, even a month ago, would have been completely unthinkable.
Jason was on his yearly Brothers Trip to Las Vegas when things went from "we're hearing a lot about coronavirus on the news - should we be worried?" to "absolutely, completely nuts." He sent me this eerie picture from a casino. The Pac-12 basketball games had just been cancelled mid-tournament, March Madness became March Sadness, and the NBA cancelled its season all in the same day. Jason was alone at the sports desk because, just like that, there were no sports. It was weird, and unsettling, although things really became real for me that night when Tom Hanks was diagnosed with the virus. Because if it can happen to Tom Hanks, it can happen to anyone.
So we spend our time (all our time) at home these days. I read books.
This was a surprisingly good one. Jill Biden is my new favorite.
The first few days, Rooney followed me around like (you guessed it) a puppy dog. It is his dream come true to have me home all the time. The novelty seems to have worn off some though, and now he spends most of his time pleasantly lounging wherever he pleases and letting me know whenever he'd like a snack.
Jason has been his usual, level-headed self. He's loved watching the crazies go nuts stocking up on toilet paper. His work routine for Fed Ex has generally stayed the same, although people seem to be buying more dog food and exercise equipment. He stays calm and (not surprisingly for anyone who knows us) I keep things interesting by behaving unpredictably from day-to-day. Sometimes I stick to a strict work-at-home schedule and make nutritious meals Sometimes I work out on our treadmill (which I've been so grateful for) and spend hours wiping down cupboards and cleaning out the fridge And then some days it's all I can do to sleep and watch movies and order take-out for Jason to pick up for our dinner. But all the days I wear pajamas and I've been proving my theory that my now naturally-curly hair really does do something dramatically different every time it air dries on its own. Fact: It is nice not to have to do my hair and makeup every day.
It is also super nice to get pictures of my adorable nieces and nephews.
Theo came to visit one day and I loved watching him play tether ball. I call this picture, "What Could Go Wrong?" Luckily, he did not smack himself in the head, too hard, with the ball.
Rooney, or my little earthquake buddy, as I now call him (oh yeah - on Wednesday of the first week of my stay-at-home adventure, we had a 5.7 earthquake. Things fell off the walls, everything was shaking, and I don't think I'll ever forget the sound). Anyway, Rooney has been loving this little bunny we got from an Arctic Circle kids meal on a much-needed milkshake run.
One last thought. The weirdest thing for me is that we don't know when the "urgent/isolation" phase of the pandemic will end, so for now we are home indefinitely. I have learned that puzzles are not a great substitute for work friends when you need a little break, but they do help. And I've been grateful every day for a comfortable house with lots of nice things and that I genuinely like the people who live here (which mostly is me, Jason, and the kids). So we'll keep on taking one day at a time and see what adventure is next.
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