No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on March 16, 2020

The larder is stocked.

 We have a number of projects we want to do and now have the time to do them. 

The Y is open but limiting things a lot. I wear gloves when I lift weights and we have a wipe the equipment down policy that has always been enforced. 

Now we figure out the new norm for us for the foreseeable future. 

And that is a little be scary because it is not like anything we have lived through so far. 

I am glad I have mental health help to get me through this with minimal panic. I just have to get out of my head and stop worrying about things I have no control over.

I think to help I am going to give myself some structure to my day. Caroline and I have agreed a schedule for the gym and driving lessons. There are the daily tasks like dishes and then the weekly tasks. I also have a list of projects I want to do that now I have the time to do them because there is no pressure to be anywhere. 

I am checking my temperature every morning because I am currently the one who goes out of the house. So far I have been my bit on the low side body temp. I am really hoping to stay there.

Caroline is feeling better having recovered from her bout of laryngitis but I can tell her allergies are starting to act up as the flowers start to bloom. She is not getting a break this year from the sniffy nose.

Peter is feeling fine. He is only leaving the house when absolutely necessary because he is in the demographic that the virus is really bad for. 

I feel like we are waiting for another shoe to drop. I have no idea what that is but right now it is hard to get milk, eggs, meat, and bread at the store. I think by next Friday the panic shopping will calm down a bit. OK maybe I am being a bit hopeful about that. When it takes me four grocery stores for a box of saltines and I can only find the off brand, that tell me something.

So today is a regrouping day to figure out the new norm. Then we continue to live the best we can.

I am grateful for people who were reasonable shoppers.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 15, 2020

The Information and Mis-information that is spinning around the globe faster than Sputnik is kind of amazing.

Our plan is to stay home and keep our social distance from the world at large.

We have that option that a lot of people do not and we are very grateful for it.

Caroline currently has school on Monday. That could change with an email or phone call but right now she is ready to go and has her homework for the first half of the week done.

Heliosphere was cancelled which is a bummer for me because I managed to get things done that I kept swearing I would get done including business cards for Peter and me. Next was going to be the Patreon flyer for the family Patreon account. Also the puppet flyer for my work.

This gives me some more time for other projects and I plan on keeping to my calendar.

A number of plans we had we put on hold until we know what is happening in the bigger picture.

And that is what it is for a lot of people. Lives on hold until we have some idea what is happening with the virus and when we can congregate again. It is an eerie feeling.

We don’t know what is going to happen next or how we will deal with it.  And that doesn’t sit right with us. 

The run on toilet paper might actually have a psychological component. I was reading about in times of crises people try to find something in their control to help them feel that they are in control so buying supplies is something they can control and it calms them. Profiteers aside. Really don’t like them but they have been part of every pandemic back to the stone age. 

We have food for us and the cats for the next several days. We have crafting materials. We have our word processing. 

We are good to go.

Then we will see what the next couple of days brings and sort out life from that.

I am grateful for screen cleaner.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 14, 2020

Today was busy.

Took Caroline for her driving lesson. She has a good feel for it.

I am grateful we had a nice day to practice driving.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 13, 2020

I think Churchy LaFemme had the right idea this year. Hiding under the bed feels safe right now.

There is a lot coming at us right now. There are events being either postponed or cancelled both small and big. A number of my friends are working from home but even more are finding freelance jobs vanishing. The kill fee is being paid which is a lot less than what they were supposed to earn. Some are being told that they are cancelled or that their venue will be closed when they were to perform. 

The loss of income through out the world is going to have far reaching consequences. This is reminded me a lot of what happened post 9-11 were I was downsized from one of my favorite jobs as an associate editor at Del Rey. And I have concerns for my friends who might find themselves in that position. It still hurts a bit.

Then there is the ‘social distancing’ that is the healthy thing to do but makes everyone feel a little more disconnected from everyone else. My introverted friends are having a field day with this.

Last night we tried to watch Late Night with Stephen Colbert but we could hear the pain in his voice as he tried to push through the monologue. The audience is as much of a player for these types of shows as the talent. There was nothing for him to play off of. They might figure out what they can do during this time but that was not it.

Today on ESPN there is a lot of talk about the cancellations by the NCAA of all student athletic events for the foreseeable future. But more than that today there are no sporting events to watch. First time in a very long time. They are scrambling to figure out what happens next.

Caroline Is bummed out because all afterschool activities, as are all field trips, are cancelled. Which means her Robot Team is dead in the water for this season. There will be no more Model UN or Art Club. Her friends who have been practicing very hard throughout the year for sports or music have been informed that everything is cancelled. 

We are going to just hunker down here at the house and ride this through. We all have work to do. We will make this an opportunity rather than a detriment. 

I am grateful for people being smart about this pandemic and not creating situations where more people could get sick.

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Posted By Kathleen David on March 12, 2020

Today is International Girl Scout Day

My mother is a Girl Scout. I am a Girl Scout. Caroline is a Girl Scout.

Three generations involved in the same organization.

We are all proud that we are Girl Scouts.

Scouting taught us a number of skills that we would not have been exposed to.

I still have my badge sash somewhere. Caroline’s vest is hung up in her closet. 

I went from Brownie to, eventually, being Scout Leader. I really enjoyed working with my troops and figuring out what they were interested in that I could use for a badge project. 

I learned how to camp and wilderness skills that I have used since then. My ability to make knots helped me in theater. I can make fire starters with wax, sawdust, and paper egg cartons. I know how to pitch a tent and how to figure out where is a good place to pitch a tent. I can find my way by the north star or with my compass. 

One of my favorite items was my Girl Scout pocketknife which has served me very well over the years. It is dinged and the facing is cracked but it still works like a dream. I remember getting it and my uniform at Sears.

We sang at the old folks’ home for Christmas and did community trash pick-ups.

Then there were the cookies. I did pretty well as both my parents would take the sheet in with them to work. Caroline did great because she had the bowling alley to sell to. A number of people would only buy cookies from her until she stopped participating in scouting. Once there was an online option, Caroline did very well with those sales thanks to her dad’s website and fanbase. Thank you to everyone who did buy cookies from us. It is appreciated.

Girl Scouts helped us to become the women we are today. It has helped so many girls become young women with a drive to be their best. It has opened possibilities that were not there except for Girl Scouts in that area.

I am grateful I am part of the Girl Scouts.

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