Observations on Life Outside

That is, life outside my walls! Like so many of you I have been "in" but that doesn't stop me from noticing what's going on outside!

I've noticed on my walks how respectful people are of others' space (and their own), crossing to the other side of the street when approaching someone coming forward on the narrow sidewalk. We yell, "Thank you!" and "This is weird, isn't it?" But we are all grateful.

I had my first Facetime with the Toddler Twosome and their family. All was well and it was so good to see those little Munchkins. Then Thing 2 hit Thing 1 on the head with a remote (or maybe a phone). There were tears, hugs, and a reluctant "sorry." Then time for bed. We'll try again! Alas, we'll miss this scene in a few weeks. Maybe I'll stuff the eggs and hide them in the yard and make Rick go hunt for them. That will go over well.
 

I have loved the email interchanges with many old friends and bloggers. Just checking in. There isn't much one can do from afar, but the check-in helps.

Rick freaked out after he saw the grocery store video, which I will share here and suggest viewing. He hadn't been doing any of this. I'd been putting things away that he'd bring with rubber gloves but not washing them down. We are now. The video is excellent. A little daunting but then what else have we to do with the extra time if we're home. (It's amazing how long that damn virus can live on surfaces!)

I am cooking though. We are somewhat at the mercy of what is in the market, but the pantry is pretty full. I'm thinking of sweet potato hash for dinner or roasted veggies. Or possibly soup -- we're still in cool weather, even though the days are warmer.

The birds are surfacing again at Lizzie's feeder. They seem to come and go in spurts, and I'm trying to figure out if Lizzie's Bar and Grill is "the boring but reliable restaurant," one that is thrown off for a period for some trendy new spot with better seed. Yet the customers return.

It reminds me of the place where I meet with old work friends periodically. It's not flashy but it's reliable. The food is perfectly adequate. Well, somewhat better than adequate. They treat us well and we always have fun together.  And where else can you go where you can get chicken pot pie, meatloaf, Greek food, pizza or an omelet at any time of day? When we have our dinner there at 5, the place fills up fast with old people. Older than us, that is. It was a bit of a shock to realize as the virus broke out that we fall into the "elderly" category of over 60 or 65 (depending on your source).

I am seeing cancellations at some of my favorite places, including Southern Exposure, where our Easter Basket workshop was canceled and others pushed back later in the spring. And, I have made the very difficult decision to cancel my trip to England in the fall. There will always be an England, they say. I just hope it -- and I -- stick around long enough to see.

For the first time, I have experienced telephone and tele-medicine appointments with my docs. The telephone ones are fine but I feel somewhat compelled to look decent and clean up the wall behind my computer camera for the tele-med appointment. Much like taking blog photos of cute vignettes when you know ten inches away is some pile you can't seem to put away. (Don't deny it. You do it too.)

And I finally bit the bullet and signed up for Acorn TV as most of the Brit mysteries I like on netflix have run out of broadcast rights and are back on streaming only. I may sign up for Britbox too, but there's only so much I can watch.

 We're all thinking of things to do -- some of us working through a long overdue list of chores, ramping up the reading or gardening. I am getting a big kick out of seeing the reporters reporting in from their own environments! Peter Baker's bookshelves -- I want to know what's on them! Phil Rucker has some really lovely yellow flowers in the background. Heidi Przbala has a gorgeous space with a lot of white -- how does she keep it clean? 

Are you saving money these days? I am. Without going out to eat, followed up by a stop at Home Goods or Michael's, not going to the theatre or movies or buying gas, I might be able to make an extra house payment. Well, not quite, but it will definitely bring down the principal!

But mostly I worry. I worry about the friends I don't hear from or see posting. I worry about other friends who are working and consequently meeting with others. I worry about those who are "the helpers," as Mister Rogers called them -- not just the medical staff on the front lines but the day to day people who will take someone to the hospital or a medical appointment -- and just hope that they don't get the virus.

I see bloggers and FB friends making masks to give to hospital workers. Others who post on the neighborhood page, asking if anyone has a stick of butter -- and someone does and says they will leave it on their porch for pick-up. I see parents working at home while minding their children and in many cases serving as their teacher. They are working two jobs at a time when some cannot work at all.

I try my best to imagine Trafalgar Square without loads of people. My friend in Paris sent me this photo of the Eiffel Tower from his grocery run. How strange there isn't a soul in sight. I watch too much news. I cry too many times a day.

I dream of my happy places, the summer to come and the ones after that and hope we will be able to enjoy them. I'm willing to stay inside as long as it takes. To keep distant when I'm outside -- even after they restrict the "rules."

We are never stronger until the moment we are in shared crisis. Somehow, no matter how hard and challenging it is, we rise up in ways large and small.

 I leave you with some beauty from Southern Exposure.

Blooms to heal aching hearts.