Being quarantined during the pandemic is a horrible drag, but you know, there are some good things that have come out of it. Like having time to work on something with few distractions, doing more gardening, cooking or home repair, more walks, hikes, or bike rides, spending more time with a spouse or family member, or reconnecting with distant friends using video conferencing.
Leave a comment about things that changed due to Covid-19, which made your life better, even if only a little. I’ll start by saying that I’ve re-discovered this wonderful device called the telephone. Now that most people are stuck at home, they actually answer their phone, and are happy to converse extensively with you, even if you haven’t talked for ages.
To get you in the right mood, here’s a sweet music video:
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I’ve been writing actual letters. Some people get a kick out of receiving them. Not getting too many back though, but quite a few promises. Been baking, and reading a lot more too. Yeah, these are improvements.
My world sort of opened up with the quarantine. I had just had surgery in January when I figured I’d better shut things down with the virus coming. But…….the computer opened up the world for me. I had a grandchild each year from 2001 to 2008. One graduated in June. Normally just the parents go, but I got to go by a beautifully done graduation on YouTube sitting on my sofa, cat on lap, pond in the background. Four are playing soccer…..on YouTube. One is playing basketball….on YouTube. Two bring me groceries and meds every four weeks. I can ski out to meet them and don’t have to worry about falling with no one here if I know they are coming. FedEx, UPS, jump on my John Deere with the chains, weights and wagon. Bring down the big order for all the pets. Ride the John Deere back up to the Car Port, walk back. Long conversations by e-mail, Facebook. Meeting new friends on Facebook. I think I’m up to 26 now. Very selective. Very bad eyes so I shouldn’t be driving. Don’t have to. I have mowing mowing mowing when May comes, gardening, gardening gardening. Don’t use washing, dryer or dishwasher so I’m busy. Watching the icicles form, the snow fall. Glued to the inauguration on YouTube. Electoral-vote.com. PolicalWire.com PoliticalIrony.com APNews. Did I mention Naps?
Eva, thank you for the absolutely wonderful post. It really brightened up my week!
There was lots of time to write letters and postcards to get out the vote. There’s been more time to read and no need to feel guilty for not being busy 110% of the time. Time to bake and distribute cookies just for the fun of it and sew masks for people who needed them. Just feeling lucky to be healthy and solvent through all this.
Covid social distancing requirements, especially with my COPD, forced me to rethink how I lobby and protest. Lobbying is via zoom and for protests I built large signs on the back of my truck. I’ve been changing the messages at least weekly.
I tried doing this on my IPad and it evidently did not take.
Early in 2020 we decided to sell our house of 28 plus years to downsize. We had a pretty nice sized house and it was big enough with the lower walk out to house my daughter and her, then, boyfriend, as well as our grandson, (when he’s not up near Chicago staying with his girlfriend). I’m a collector. Some on purpose some imposed by having all the old stuff from both my side and my husband’s side. So packing was a nightmare. We put the house up for sale and in spite of it needing a lot of work, it sold in 4 days. Not at all what I expected to happen given the price I was asking. Only three couples looked at it and we had two offers.
That created a big problem. We had to get out and had no place to go. The housing market has been just crazy since Covid. Houses go on the market and sell the same or the next day. So if you can’t get an appointment to look at them and decide immediately that you want the place, you are out of luck. I’m someone who hates to be rushed. There was also the issue that we all wanted to stay together, so the house had to be right for more than just my husband and me.
My son had just bought a house he was going rent out. It was about a third of the size of our house, but we moved in temporarily. Temporarily turned into about 8 months.
During the summer my daughter married her guy at the courthouse and we were not allowed to attend.
All the months glued to Zillow and the other real estate sites. We lived in west St. Louis County and we were looking in most directions, up to 30 miles from the airport. I had spotted a house that had the ugliest and awful pictures and thought it odd that they would list it with such bad pics. It was still there a month later while everything else was snapped up. It was not exactly where we were hoping for, but I was curious so we went to see it. Dated but good bones. Good layout and not a much work as I thought it might need.
Those lousy photos kept everyone away and we got a nice house in a good neighborhood. I’m still surrounded with boxes and still lost every time I leave my driveway and we are in Illinois now instead of Missouri, but it’s working out. In the middle of all this my brother died unexpectedly. He lived in North Carolina and I was his only sibling. That has been a challenge all by itself. My daughter, furloughed from the airline she worked for, was able to fly out there several times and get his house ready to sell. It needed a lot of things done and then of course all his crap…er stuff, had to be dealt with. It has taken over 6 months to be named executor and I’m so glad my husband has a head for stock accounts, and my daughter so willing to get yet another house ready to sell. I don’t know what I would have done with all the help everyone has extended this year. I miss my brother terribly. I keep thinking I should call Jim and see what he thinks about something and then it hits me all over again.
There’s a funny story about his funeral that I might write about some time. It’s the only thing that makes me laugh lately. But I’ve rambled on long enough and to anyone who has made this far…kudos.