This blog deals with Rooster and I social distancing week 4. At this point, week 4 is an adventure in making the best of a trying situation. #social distancing #Covid-19 #Stephen King #Desperation #Julie Smith #The Big Crazy
Social Distancing Week 4
Week three of social distancing was a little rocky. Rooster and I are committed to march into week four with intestinal fortitude and a new resolve to make the rest of our time social distancing a pleasant experience. The impossible has become probable. The horror storyline of fiction has become our new reality.
In late December, did any of us imagine what our future would look like by the middle of April? Rooster and I visited New York City to be with our son during Thanksgiving. We caught the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, went to Bushwick, and hung out in Queens. A pandemic wasn’t on anyone’s radar screen while we were there.
This morning we heard on a news broadcast what we are now experiencing as a nation might be our new normal. I have to be more optimistic than that dire prediction. Our situation might have changed, but we will find a way to adapt. I’ve decided to press on with these daily scanty blog entries to demonstrate how we are all enduring COVID-19 as a shared national experience.
Day one of week four of social distancing…
I got back on track with my cleaning routine. I’ll confess I let a couple of my tasks slide. It’s easy to get off track when you’re living in a quarantine routine as an inmate in familiar surroundings. The old adage, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” has never been more true than it is right now. I changed the sheets on the bed, dusted, wiped down counters, vacuumed, mopped, and cleaned the bathroom.
When I did my steps at work, I could always walk in the stacks of the campus library in rough weather. I’ve discovered the weather can bring a halt to my daily walks. A storm front moved in yesterday evening. It left behind tornados thirty miles to the south of us. It has turned windy and cold. I might get in some steps this evening before the sun goes down if the wind calms.
Day two of week four of social distancing…
Rooster and I aren’t the types of people who let fear rule our lives. We flourish when we are faced with a challenge. During this COVID-19 crisis, I’ve noticed we’ve become edgy every time we step out of the safe cocoon of our house. It has made us short with one another and has caused us to second guess every move we make.
I don’t like this feeling. I decided today I wouldn’t live in terror any longer. We had several errands we needed to do before we could get started on our routine. My refrigerator was bare, and there was real life stuff that couldn’t wait for the all-clear from government officials. I decided to push all thought of the virus out of my mind and get on with my life.
Don’t get me wrong. I wore gloves and did my first dry run of the masks I’d assembled. The bandana worked okay but slipped off my nose and mouth while I was shopping. The bra cup mask I made steamed up my glasses to the point I couldn’t see where I was going.
I wish I know where to get those paper ones everyone is wearing. The most frustrating part of this pandemic is getting the supplies the officials tell you that are necessary to fight the germ. I’m not talking about toilet paper. Hand sanitizer would be nice, and paper masks would be a bonus.
Rooster was careful how he handled the pump when we stopped for gas. We’ve been trying to keep a full tank even though we aren’t going anywhere. We did take a drive out into the country since we were out anyway. We figured it wouldn’t hurt anything since there were only the two of us in our tiny Chevy Spark.
Today, I finished the Stephen King book I pulled out of my secret stash under the stairs. Desperation was an interesting read. I picked up this book at the discount table at a local bookstore and stashed it in my secret stash under the stairs.
I promised myself I’d read it one day when I had a lot of extra time. One of the characters was a famous writer on a cross country motorcycle ride, so how could I resist.
I’ve concluded that what we are experiencing during COVID-19 is nothing like a Stephen King novel. His stories are so much more interesting. They center around a battle between good and evil, in which the supernatural malevolent force takes on some sort of human form.
The heroes of the story don’t sit around on the couch, watching the drama unfold on television. They go toe to toe with the wickedness, whether it comes in the shape of a clown, Randall Flagg, Vampires moving into Salem’s Lot, or someone you thought you know but who is now possessed. I guess we can be grateful this virus hasn’t taken a human form, but it would feel good to punch COVID-!9 in the face.
Day three of week four of social distancing
I ordered some computer printer fabric for my New York City quilt. There are pictures I want to add to the quilt plus the map of the subway system. I thought it would be nice to include a couple of pictures from our trip. It’s been a long time since I’ve made a crazy quilt because of arthritis in my hands. I printed the photographs and will sew them in by hand later.
I’m rewriting some short story I did for my NaNoWriMo project two years ago. I’ve been working on redoing them. There are about forty of them in the collection. I spent the month of November in 2018 asking people to tell me a story. Then I took what they told me, dropped in a little spice, and tucked them away to revisit later.
I managed to complete the first rewrite on the Salvation Army Prom Dress. I started a book on my Kindle. The wind calmed down, and I was able to do my walk. There is a pile of new trash in the abandoned glass factory parking lot, courtesy of gusts carry a trash bag from a local alley.
Day four of week four of social distancing
I feel extremely grateful today. Nobody in our family has caught this dreaded virus. Our son in New York City is in good health, but he believes he might have had it back in February.
At the time, he thought it was a case of the flu. He can’t know for sure because he can’t seem to find a place to be tested. His partner also believes he was infected. Other families haven’t been so lucky.
My heart goes out to people who have lost loved ones. Normal will never be the same for them after this is all over. We will all eventually crawl out of hibernation, but a big gaping hole will remain in their hearts. The rest of us have simply been inconvenienced compared to what they lost. I might have a bad case of cabin fever, but I will survive.
We celebrated the resurrection today. Rooster and I attended church via the computer. We’ve taken to calling the service Pajama Church. I decided to make all the food we would have if this would have been a typical Easter.
My oldest daughter and her husband stopped by the house. We sat on the porch, and she and her husband remained at the curb in their car. We had a six-foot social distancing visit. She called a little later to ask how to make my mac and cheese and baked beans. I had a difficult time describing the process. There is no recipe. I have never used measuring cups to create these dishes.
My mother never measured when she cooked. It was all done by guesswork but came out perfect every time, I hope the dishes came out for her. Even COVID-19 can’t bring a halt to certain traditions.
Day five of week four of social distancing
Rooster said this morning, “What are we going to do today.” I didn’t need to search long for the answer. “The same thing we did yesterday, complete with leftovers for dinner.” We are starting to deteriorate. It’s 1:30, and I still haven’t made the bed, and Rooster’s manner of dress today is a t-shirt and underwear. (There will be no pictures taken of his current outfit.)
He’s suggested it might be a good idea for us to run around the house naked. It would save water, laundry soap, and the time it requires to dress in the morning. I don’t think he’s interested in conservation as much as he has ulterior motives in making the suggestion.
Day six of week four of social distancing
We’re in the middle of a pandemic, but the state of Indiana wants its pound of flesh. We got our property tax bill in the mail today. Rooster decided to pay the fee right away to avoid the rush in May. Nervous energy engulfed us as we climbed into the car and made our way downtown.
One of the most frightening things we do nowadays is to walk out our front door and venture into the world. I waited in the car while Rooster went inside the building to pay the property taxes. I noticed a strange thing had occurred during our quarantine. The trees have started to bloom.
The weather has been cold for the past week, but spring doesn’t seem to mind. Rooster wasn’t happy when he came back to the Chevy Spark. The clerks were in the office, but they weren’t taking payment. We drove home so he could pay online.
When Rooster discovered they were going to charge him an extra thirty-five dollars to make payment online, he about blew his top. We all know he’s a frugal man. The property taxes are going to have to wait until the county treasures office is back in business.
Day seven of week four of social distancing
The weather has turned nasty. A cold wind has blown the entire week. This morning we are experiencing snow. I haven’t been able to get in my walks because of the weather. It’s creating a feeling of being incarcerated for a crime I didn’t commit. I guess you can say we are all COVID-19 prisoners on lockdown at the moment. The nasty weather has prevented me from getting even an hour in the exercise yard.
I finished reading Julie Smith’s book, The Big Crazy, today. Years ago, I found one of the books from her Skip Langdon Series in a used bookstore. I picked up the book and noticed she was a writer from New Orleans, so I decided to give the novel a read. (New Orleans is our favorite playground.)
I’ve been a big fan ever since. I might have waited until COVID-19 was a dot in the rearview mirror to order the book on my Kindle if I knew the storyline of this novel occurred during hurricane Katrina (I should have studied the front cover. There is a picture of a hurricane boldly displayed).
It appears we as a nation have learned nothing during the years between the storm and 2020. Every community I know of has an emergency management organization, but we ran short of supplies and floundered as a nation on how we should respond to this virus.
Week four is now in our rearview mirror. We are still alive and haven’t any symptoms of the virus. In a way, it was better than week three. Rooster and I have become accustomed to our quarantine routine. We’ve found some creative strategies, which help s navigate the day. Rooster still isn’t wearing pants, but what’s a woman to do about the situation. As reflect on week four, I have to admit this is turning into the longest adventure I’ve ever been on, and I haven’t even left home.