A new chapter - coronavirus diaries

The long-term forecast doesn't show a temperature below 32, or even 39, day or night.  Does it mean it's safe to plant in the garden?  The lettuce I put in there two weeks ago gives me the hairy eyeball eavh time I enter the garden – why did you do this to us, they seem to be saying when they look up at me.  Today, though, there's new growth, and they were nicer.  Wait til I pick them, and eat them.

Spring has finally sprung up here, and while I wouldn't say it's worth the wait, it sure is wonderful. 

Coronavirus means, we're spending more time at home, so we're actually way ahead of where we normally are – with beds mulched, flower boxes planted, garden roto-tilled, lawn mowed, etc. 

That got me to thinking.  With no travel and with no visitors, what else has changed?  I notice we have a little more money in the bank account (hard when so many people are suffering, but we have more than spent our stimulus funding on charitable giving, both near and far.)  Speaking of money, we haven't gone to the ATM in quite a while, still having the same cash in our wallets from weeks ago.  We pay for everything with plastic, and that means that our Visa bill is higher each month.

The other day, I noticed a sliver of soap in the dish.  It was smaller the next day, and gradually got even smaller in the course of a week.  With visitors, we never would have allowed that sliver to remain.  You may remember Grandma Dickson, in a depression-legacy practice, used to bond old soap slivers to new bars. 

Other changes – with no meetings or classes outside to attend, I end up not putting my hearing aids in until dinner time, and sometimes not even then – living in my own little cone of silence.  We talk an awful lot more about haircuts than normal.  The electric bill is higher, probably due to more time on the computer.  And, I've figured out how to borrow books from the library, for my Kindle reading pleasure.

In addition, the social distancing has had a nice side effect for us – we have managed to avoid the colds we usually get this time of year.  In fact, Mary remembers that from January to March she had a long, lingering cough that has gone away. 

And one more thing, Mary and I our both taking on tidying up, cleaning out projects.  She has been going through her sewing materials in the basement, which has led her to start making corona-masks, using African fabrics (photo included.)  My project is to take up the digitizing of Pop's Weekly Letters, that I had started way back in 2005, before I ran into a brick wall since it was so slow and long.  It still is, but there's always wonderful nuggets in them.  Here's one from September 1990:  "The quote of the week belongs to Sean, who after walking too long at the zoo said: ''My feet are getting crowded.'"

Enough about us. Please feel free to add your own corona diaries, as Janet did last week.

Ooops; I almost forgot one more big corona-related family news item.  We have pulled the plug on the Poconos this year.  Mountain Springs was nice enough to roll over our reservations to next year – July 15-18.  Janie, Rell and Susan Pratt are all ready to join us next year.

Out in Illinois, Lur and Andrew are totally given over to taking care of her parents.  Her father is home from the hospital, and Lur has been sleeping most nights at their home.  Daniel came home, and has been social distancing with his high school mates.  Nice photo included here.  And, I hope all of you have seen Claire's macramé projects on Facebook/Instagram.  Beautiful work.

David, like many of you, continues to keep up his walking regimes, and has also been attending to spring gardening prep.

In DC, Simon is growing well, and beginning to fall into a manageable sleep routine.  In Brazil, Thomas is working hard at potty training, and Leonor is into her final weeks of pregnancy, understandably tired.  Out in Oakland, Annie is entering a new job phase with an undetermined length of time for working from home, any home, any place.

One final comment about our next generations.  Most of you fit the demographic of "knowledge workers" and are coping reasonably well.  In our conversations, you seem to have adjusted to the new realities, better than one would have thought.  My only hope is that these are not permanent; that we can emerge and give you the lives that you all want, for you and your families.

A few birthdays – Elliot, Sean and Matthew – a few anniversaries – Peter and Janet, Andrew and Margaret.  Anyone else? 

That's a wrap – stay healthy, love from up here