A Busier Week

For the most part things have been moving fairly slowly around here.  Last week did seem to be busier for a variety of reasons.  I finally made us some masks to wear when we buy groceries.  Since I make quilts, I have lots of fabric scraps to choose from for making masks and I wanted to make a special one for my husband, Tom.  He has always been a superhero fan having grown up on Marvel and DC comics.  Even today he never misses any of the movies about those popular characters.  So, I made him a mask from some Marvel characters fabric. 

                                                                                                                             

We were also busy getting my old Honda Civic cleaned up to loan to my granddaughter, Annika.  She was in a car accident recently when someone ran a stoplight and hit her and then drove off.  Luckily, she was okay although I know she had to be pretty sore as it totaled her car.  It makes me so mad that this was a hit and run accident!  I just don’t understand some people.  Annika is still working despite the pandemic and has to have a car to get to work and back home.  She was hoping to buy one and looked at several but could not find what she wanted that was also in her price range.  I have a very old Honda Civic that I had not been driving much since we usually use my husband’s Toyota.  Despite the age of the Honda it is still in good running condition.  I spent a little time getting it emptied out of my belongings and we cleaned it up inside and out for her.  She still wants to get a newer car but this will give her the time she needs to look for one and also save up a bit more money.  I was happy to know I could do something to help her out as she has had a run of bad luck recently.  My son Chris (Annika’s Dad) brought her out Sunday to pick up the car.  It was such a treat to get to spend a little time with them both as we had not seen any family since the pandemic started.  We stayed outside and followed social distancing because she has been around many people in her job.  But let me tell you, it sure was hard to not be able to give both her and my son a big hug!      

  

We finished the week off with another trip to the grocery store.  You know I always have hated buying groceries but I swear, since this pandemic started, I now hate that job even more than before!  It was our luck that just when we came out of the store with a cart full of groceries it started pouring rain.  By the time we got home and got everything in the house every bag was soaked. 

I’m glad last week is behind us now and because I’d like to end this on a happier note, I will leave you with a couple of pictures of my two sweet cats.  They each send you lots of purrs and cuddles.

Zeus

Sophie

Motivation

Boy is this a loaded word.  The dictionary definition for motivation is:  the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way, or the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.  I’ve always had a little trouble with getting my energy going to get things accomplished but usually once I get started, I’m good.  However, since all this isolation and staying home has been going on for over a month now I have developed a new fear.  I may be turning into a sloth.  Sloth definition:  a slow-moving tropical mammal that hangs upside down from the branches of trees.  Wait, not that sloth definition but this one:  having a reluctance to work or make an effort; laziness.  Yep, that one. 

Is it just me or does anyone else feel the same way?  I always have plenty to do and I’m never bored.  There are many household “jobs” I need to do each day such as laundry, cleaning and cooking.  I am getting most of those done but only because they are necessary to living.  I do like to have clean clothes to wear and it is nice to have meals once in a while.  But I have an unending list of other things I would like to get accomplished and it’s just not happening.  I mean this is the perfect time to clear out excess clutter in the house or to work on one of many hobbies I have, but I’m not doing it.  Oh sure, I’m doing a few things such as reading or watching an occasional TV show.  I’m just not getting anything done off my list of things I need and want to accomplish.  At the end of the day I like to be able to say I got something completed other than a few of the necessities of life. 

This blog is a perfect example of my lack of motivation.  I started this the first of the year and made the decision I wanted to enjoy it and not push myself.  I knew I would never post every day, but I thought even I could post once a week.  I have managed to post once a week – barely.  Of course, I never expected a world pandemic and all the crazy changes to our lives to hit us three months into the new year.  I suppose when you consider all the changes we have dealt with in our lives recently we could be forgiven for an occasional lack of motivation.  Still, I am hoping I will be able to kick myself in my butt and start getting a little more accomplished each day.  Any suggestions?  Anyone else feel similar?     

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has an enjoyable Easter.  It will be different this year for most of us.  But that doesn't mean we can't celebrate what this day means to us personally.  Those that wish to can still attend virtual church services.  We can visit with family by phone or some form of internet FaceTime.  And the young ones that are in isolation with their parents can still have Easter egg hunts in their home or yard.  This is a good time for us to appreciate the many blessings we do have in our lives and to realize that maybe we are each a little stronger than we thought we were when we first got hit with this pandemic. 

When I was growing up Easter was special church services, baskets filled with treats and of course Easter egg hunts.  I always got a new outfit to wear to church on Easter Sunday.  Back in the 1950s that outfit included a hat, white gloves and sometimes even new patent leather shoes to go with the dress.  I didn't get new clothes very often, but I always did for Easter Sunday. 

Easter 1956

Many of my Easter traditions were continued with my two sons and then later with my two grandchildren.  The children would have Easter baskets and of course many egg hunts both inside and outside.  We would all share a big dinner and enjoy a day of family time together.

My Granddaughter Annika

My Grandson Gavin

My sons and my grandchildren are grown now so even if we were able to spend the holiday together there would not be the egg hunts and some of the other activities we enjoyed when they were young.  But we will talk on the phone at least and I will make sure they all know they are loved and cherished just as much today as when they were little.  We may be living in this crazy pandemic world of isolation but I hope we will all remember that what really counts is what is in our heart and we can still reach out to our loved ones in different ways.

Happy Easter to all my very special friends and thank you all for being there!   

So How's Your Isolation Coming Along?

I feel like we are all pioneers in a new world with this Pandemic Isolation leading our lives at the moment.  There's been Pandemics before but not of this level in our life time.  There is a lot that is extremely sad and frightening of course but we still have to deal with our everyday lives.  I don't know about you, but I find the most common question most people have is simply "What day is this?"  Even those of us that are retired still had certain schedules that marked our days.  Maybe a class, a meeting or an appointment on certain days each week.  For many, Sunday was marked by weekly church gatherings.  Tom and I had a senior exercise class every Tuesday and Thursday morning and that helped to mark our week.  No more.  All of those designators of days are gone now.  Except one, very important day - for us that is Wednesday - Trash Day.  I am so grateful that these hard workers are still doing their jobs and I am equally grateful that service is giving us some method of designating at least one of our days.  Now for us, all the rest of the days can be a guessing game but we've got Wednesday covered.

How are you doing with maintaining your food and necessary supplies these days?  A simple trip to the grocery store has turned into a venture into the unknown.  It's a bit nerve rattling to shop for groceries not knowing if you'll be exposed to the virus from another shopper or if it is really safe to touch and pick up that can of green beans.  Now here in the U.S. the CDC has recommended we start wearing masks when we go out.  The last time we bought groceries we did wear masks and it just felt strange.  I've never worn a mask to the grocery store - what is happening in our world?  Of course the other shoppers had masks on too and that made it feel even more weird.  Yes, I think we've landed on some new planet and we are pioneers trying to tame and settle it.  We were buying groceries once a week and now we are trying to do it every two or three weeks.  And then when you get home you have to deal with all those groceries.  Are you trying to wipe them down in any way?  Here it has been recommended that we do that so we've been going over everything with a sanitizing wipe and hoping that is enough.

Are  you finding new things to do around the house now that you are staying home all the time?  How many jigsaw puzzles have you put together so far?  Okay, I know not everyone likes jigsaw puzzles but there has been a big rise in their popularity.  I read that puzzle sales in the U.S. are up nearly 400% in just the past two weeks.  And that is just in one country.  They said the surge in the demand for jigsaw puzzles is similar to what it was during the Great Depression.  That is something to think about.   

A puzzle I worked on recently

We all live in different places, big cities, small towns and even different countries.  Do you think where your home is located has much effect on you during this isolation?  If you are in a big city do you feel safer or more at risk?  And of course the same can be asked of someone living in a small town.  I live in a small suburban town of about 15,000 and for me I think it is easier.  Everyone pulls together for the most part.  Today we had a parade of all the school teachers drive around town honking their horns and just letting the kids know they are still here and still care about them and miss them.  Tonight at city hall the city officials will be passing out a free disinfectant cleaner/hand sanitiser to any citizens that need it.  And yes, many of us are still keeping those Teddy Bears in our windows for the kids to see and sometimes even count.  This morning a father and small son were walking around our neighborhood with a piece of paper noting and counting all the Teddy Bears in the windows they could find.  I love that.

I hope I don't sound like I'm trying to write a downer post because I don't really mean to do that.  We are all going through pretty much the same experiences and at least for me, it helps to know I'm not alone in all this.  Everyone take good care of yourselves!