Posted By Kathleen David on April 12, 2020
Day 28 of the Homebound Saga
This morning I made Eggs Benedict for brunch and managed to achieve that miracle of getting everything ready at the right point and all the eggs held together.
Today I kept what I was doing light because I wanted some time to me to think and reflect.
I am grateful for how we have adjusted to this situation.
Posted By Kathleen David on April 11, 2020
Day 27 of the Homebound saga
There is tentative good news that the curve is flattening, because we are doing a better than expected job of keeping to ourselves.
That does not mean we are out of the woods or our houses or wherever we are self-isolating. If anything, we need to be more vigilant about social distancing and taking precautions. We can’t let up on the gas now and allow the virus to catch up and pass us.
Every person we can keep health is a good thing right now.
Yesterday the weather was wacky. Caroline and I took our usual walk and it was very breezy but sunny. As we walked, clouds started coming in taking away the sunshine. We got down to the docks only to have it start snowing so, rather than sitting and watching the water, we turned and headed back as the clouds went by and we had sunshine again for a short time followed by clouds more snow then rain and then sunshine by the time we got home. I told Caroline that I felt like I was in Seattle.
Today I have to go out to the pharmacy and pick up medication along with a few over the counters that we are running low on. I am carefully planning when I am going to do this to try to avoid having to stand outside. Something that use to be so easy to do now feels like I am planning for the invasion of Normandy.
The cats are behaving like cats. I woke up with Phoebe on me asleep. Not the first time she has done that. If I am on my side, she has a position she tucks up into and this morning I didn’t wake up when she got there. I had to corner Inky and cut off some matted fur that looked like she had a fifth leg. She was happy afterwards but not too happy during.
I have Easter brunch and dinner figured out. In the family tradition, I will be making Eggs Benedict for brunch. I like that I no longer feel panic when I make hollandaise. I would like to thank my parents for the kitchen tool that makes it easy to do.
There are a lot of articles out on the Internet about how to cope with the rollercoaster of emotions this isolation brings forward. There are a lot of reminders to check in with people. People living alone are stuck alone and might need a call or a video visit or some sort of connection to other people. Helping those who really should not be out there is encouraged.
I have continued to check the CDC site for updates and the like. The NY site is very good too, but it is also very localized.
I have stopped watching the evening news. It is for my mental well-being. I know there is a lot going on out there but right now I just can’t. I am still watching the late-night comedians and getting the gist of the important stuff. I know the death rate and the comparative numbers to other disasters. I have Cuomo to give me a good idea what is happening in New York and Facebook for other areas where my friends and family are. I am aware of what is going on politically, however it is not important to me right now.
I do feel mentally shaky these days. Running the gambit between being OK to being in a total panic as things swirl around me. Trying to find ways to ground myself since a lot of the old tricks just aren’t working. I have a therapist appointment on Monday so that should at least get me going the right way.
Remember that we will make it through this. Remember the kindness you are showing others and they are showing you. We are all in this together and I don’t just mean the US but the entire world. Think about that. This is global and, if nothing else, proves that push comes to shove we can work on a problem together. And that gives me hope.
I am grateful for kindness done for others.
Posted By Kathleen David on April 10, 2020
Day 26 of the Homebound Saga
Today is a day of reflection in the Catholic Church. Good Friday is the day, according to the church, that Jesus was crucified. It is a fasting day if you can.
It will be a pretty quiet day for me.
Caroline and I have already worked out when we are going to walk and where so we can have the quiet of the water and the birds to meditate on the day.
I am shifting gears to get some stuff done before Sunday including something I have promised Caroline to finish for her by Easter along with some social distancing masks.
I am feeling a bit mixed about everything right now. I am not watching the news because nothing has really changed and the numbers are depressing as each represents another person who was taken from us by this virus. The number of people I know who are either infected or people they love are infected and all that entails. The number of people who have died that I know is still climbing. Those who died were not allowed family or friends to comfort them. I am sure the staff is doing its best but that is not the same.
And then there are my friends and family on the frontline who I worry about constantly. They are very much at risk to get this virus. Until we have testing in place so the people who have the antibodies in their system and, therefore, are safe to be back in public as they cannot pass around the virus anymore, we need to stay in place and continue to not give the virus new hosts.
It’s not comfortable for me.
Last night there were reports about the divorce rate climbing as people have spent about a month in close quarters. For some, apparently, the job outside the house was the buffer that kept the marriage together. I do know that a lot of people are finding out things about their significant other that they might not have known except for this time. And those who were heading to the lawyers are finding themselves there faster.
Peter and I had the advantage that we have been in the same house at the same time day in and day out for a while now. Anything we were going to discover, we have discovered. Adding Caroline to the mix hasn’t really changed anything around here except I have more help with things during the day than I did when she was in school.
I am grateful for a solid relationship with my husband.
Posted By Kathleen David on April 9, 2020
Aka Day 25 of the Homebound Saga or Thursday if you prefer
Caroline told me the other day that the week is now three days long. There is yesterday, today and tomorrow and then you are onto the next week. She’s not wrong. If you wanted an idea of how it is to live in the now, I think this is a shining example.
Today has a little more of a feel as a day of the week because Peter and Caroline have Doctor’s appointment which were scheduled before all this. I can go in with Caroline because she is a minor, but Peter is on his own.
Yesterday I cleaned up from the last puppet blast and got together my materials for mask making and Caroline’s Easter gift. Today I start to make things. Tomorrow is a bit of a toss up.
I have no idea if we are getting our walk in today. We did yesterday between two rain showers but today looks a little dicey. Maybe we will put on our kickboxing gloves and do some drills.
Now I have Oogway from Kung Fu Panda stuck in my head, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” I think that is going to be my philosophy for right now.
Living in the now is what is keeping me from running screaming into the dark. If I focus on that, I don’t worry about the next day since it will be mostly a rerun of this day.
I did have to take a time out yesterday as I had my first migraine in about a year. I can feel the stress manifesting in my body. I have been stretching to counteract. And we are all stressed right now one way or another. It is a stressful time. Don’t not dismiss it.
Hope you are safe and sound. Wash your hands. You know how I worry. And a virtual hug if you need it.
I am grateful for ways of looking at time.
Posted By Kathleen David on April 8, 2020
Aka Wednesday April 8, 2020
Also the first night of Passover.
More people are talking about their days blending together. There is a white board in the kitchen that I put the date and the day, so we have some point of reference. All our normal cues do not exist.
Wednesday should be bowling in league with our friends. Wednesday should be a gym day. Wednesday should be a lot of things but right now it is just another day in the house working through projects.
We had some kitty politics this morning after they had their breakfast. For some reason Figgy is in a mood and challenged for a box that normally holds Phoebe and Mewlan napping. Figgy won and the other two cats are displaced to other spots.
Caroline is up in her study working on her assignments for school. She likes to get to it early so she has the afternoon to do whatever.
I have no idea if we are going for a walk today as it is raining then drizzling then stopping before going back to rain. It does look like the afternoon is going to be better than the morning so we will see.
Today is going to be two sewing projects. One of them is harder than other one.
I have what we need for this evening’s dinner. I am making matzo ball soup later this afternoon. Caroline is making dessert.
I find it interesting that Anime is something quite common rather than the rare happening it was when I discovered it. I would say that people my age know what it is and probably watched some. For Caroline’s generation, Anime is part of her cultural landscape as it is for her friends as well.
In fact, a lot of things that I shared with my friends is now part of the cultural landscape. I never expected to get a mainstream magazine to give me articles about Doctor Who or what is going on at San Diego Comic Con. I can wear a t-shirt that is one of my fandoms and other people will comment on it outside of conventions.
Or as I put it at conventions, “We won.”
I was having a discussion with a friend of mine that has also been presenting costumes at various conventions. Once I started working the puppet angle, I stop making outfits for me until I did the 12th Doctor from Doctor Who. And when I did that, I didn’t have to make some of the items of clothing like I had to in the past. The materials that are available now I would have killed for back in the day. That is true for puppet and prop building as well.
Take care of yourself. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. And be kind.
I am grateful for the materials I have on hand.
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