Life in Lockdown...

Well...here we are - I guess 2 full weeks into the Lockdown/Quarantine Life.  It fucking blows.


2 blogs back I wrote about COVID-19 and now we're now over 600K cases and over 30K deaths worldwide.  US having over 130K of those and almost 2500 deaths.  It's growing every day.

Along with all the other shut downs I mentioned before - we are now only to leave our houses for essential stuff like if you work still at the office (I go in once a week right now), grocery shopping, pharmacy, healthcare.  That's basically it.  We can go outside and walk but pretty much just in your neighborhood because all state parks, playgrounds and courts have shut down.  We shouldn't be visiting our loved ones in person.  I can't go hug my mom.  This is destroying me.  Tuesday I'm going to go pick up a box from her that she'll leave outside for me and I'll say hi to her through the screen door from 6 feet away.  Social Distancing.

The grocery stores now a bit more prepared are only letting a certain amount of people in at a time, some have latex gloves for you to put on before you go in, you wipe down your cart.  There's cones in some stores to keep you 6 feet apart when standing in lines.  The checkers have all had sneeze guards installed.  It's fucking weird.

I got gas yesterday and they have latex gloves attached to the pumps.  One per person but you have to wear them when pumping gas.  The liquor store we went too has a hand sanitizer you have to use before and after you deal with the checker.

When we walk on the sidewalks we are always stepping into the street or falling single file to allow for passage of each other but not too close.  People are cool.  Nervously laughing and saying hello as they pass.  We're all in this together.

Many restaurants are now selling grocery like items.  Meal kits.  All have take out selections of course but they're getting creative.  Pat and I are trying to order from local restaurants a couple of times a week to make sure we support them.  Some places will even sell you booze to go.

It's so weird our neighborhood streets are full of cars all the time because everyone is home.  When you do drive somewhere there's never traffic.

We now do meetings at work through Zoom and Microsoft Teams.  I've started Facetiming with people rather than texting and calling so I can see their faces.  Tonight I'll have my 1st group virtual happy hour.  This got me through yesterday:

Love!

I never in a million years thought I would see us as a country, hell the world, be in a situation like this.  It's taking such a toll on us, on our economy, on our world.  When my anxiety is too much I rely on my family and friends to help me through it and it now has to be through a computer or phone screen.  We can't touch each other and human contact is so important.  Our society thrives on interaction and that's been taken away.  The nurses and doctors are going through so much and my heart goes out to them.  Grocery store workers.  So many folks who have lost jobs.  Unemployment has hit millions. People are dying.  People are scared.  People are losing their minds.

This is a horrible piece of history but we need to document it.  I'm an empath so my documentation will always be from my heart.  But I know I need to write.  I'm going to try.  We are all trying our best but damn is this so hard and it's only week 2.  We're probably in this for at least another couple of months.  It changes every day though so who knows.

For now - I'm trying to capture "Quarantine Life".  So here we go:

I am lucky to live across the street from Weir Canyon Hills - so we have some beautiful hiking and walks we can still do:

Pat and I were already starting to enjoy cooking in our huge kitchen but now even more so.  We have to get creative sometimes because it depends on what is available.  Our shopping trips usually now consist of if they have xxx we'll make that but if not we'll make zzz.  One shopping trip when meat was low he was able to score some steak!

Heart Shaped Steak

We got a random Rib Roast one night

Taco Fixins

Pat and Betty Crocker are becoming very close

I'm officially working from home now except one day a week and luckily my mom had an extra desk/chair set.  It's already killing me after one week so yesterday I did have to order an office chair that I'm hoping arrives this week.  Going from 2 monitors at work to a little laptop is really difficult.  My job is not meant to work from home and there's a lot I can't do, but hopefully we can make do for now.  If this thing goes on too long I may need to talk to Chapman about setting me up with more equipment but let's hope that's not the case.

These 2 are pretty stoked we're around more though:

Lots of walks/hikes happening.  Pretty sky sometimes and it seems some folks are taking to "Chalk the Walk"

We found ourselves doing a whole lot of nothing.

Pat got a Family Adventure Challenge Book (He got us a couples version too) but sadly we can't do many of them because it's going out and to places - but - there are a few that are like "rainy day" ones and one of the family ones was we had to pick songs that the others had to lip sync and perform.

When I went to work my one day last week it was so sad and desolate when I walked to the cashier.

To the right are the dorms.  This is usually a bustling intersection

Working from home is still taking alot of adjusting.  Tabitha is actually venturing downstairs more now that she knows I'm here and Seymore paces all damn day.  These Zoom meetings are also such a trip!

Why aren't you petting me?!

Whatcha doin?

Face Off

Were you trying to work?

This conference crew wanted to do a sunglasses group Zoom Photo

Did I mention we take lots of walks?

My mom had picked up a random clearance item one weekend months ago saying "Maybe you could do this with Elise or something?"  Welp - we did.  Tye-Dyed some stuff!

Elise's came out the best!

There's also a really cute thing some folks are trying - it's called "Find the Bear" or something...and basically you put a stuffed bear in your window so all the littles that parents are dragging around the neighborhoods now can have something to look for and count!  How adorable right?  Of course we had to partake.

Spotted my 1st bear!

I dug out my pink bear and put him in our Laundry Room Window!

Pat and I baked together.  Today we made Apple Cinnamon Muffins!

He smiled after this I swear..

Shane and Danelle gave me a puzzle for Xmas.  I was flattered because it's a Women's March puzzle but I hate puzzles.  Shane and my mom have always been the puzzle folks.  Danelle said you can do it with Elise, well she hates puzzles too.  So does Pat.  I thought...well...we're stuck at home, why not just put it out and we can all sort of work on it when we feel like it.  Pat and Elise are totally into it. Ha!  I'll have to post the finished product if we ever make it there.

So there it is for now.  I have a feeling this is going to last awhile and I'm sure I'll post another Life in Lockdown Blog with updates and random crap we're finding to do at home.

It's a really sad and scary time and I don't know what's going to happen with the economy, with my friends jobs, with mine, I don't know.  It's all very unknown and terrifying.  I hate that I can't see anyone, hug my family, go out.  We're all grieving together and yearning for normalcy again.

But I am so very grateful that my friends and family are all healthy.  That my mom has Stacey and Stacey has my mom.  That I have Pat and we're navigating this together.  That I'm not alone in my caboose.  That Pat and I both still have jobs.  That grocery stores are still open and restaurants are trying to stay open with take out and delivery.  I'm super grateful for internet and social media and the ability to see and talk to my loved ones.  I'm grateful we can still walk around outside and I'm near beautiful trails.  I'm grateful.  I'm freaking out and I'm terrified and my anxiety is crazy and I'm sad.  But I'm grateful too.

Hang tight my friends.  We're all going through this together.

This is a hard one but I can't give up hope