Notes from a Self Quarantine

What was up with today?? I realize that it was the Monday after a holiday, and for my company, a Monday after a couple of extra days off, but there was just something about this Monday. It honestly just got away from me.

Now it started off perfectly fine – my alarm went off at 7 a.m., I’d pulled myself out of bed by 7:05 a.m., I didn’t even hit snooze! I did a little kitchen clean up and even got an intense workout in before work! I logged into my computer in my home “office” right on time and that is probably where the day started to crumble — and it’s not like anything out of the ordinary happened, no one lost a limb, no one cried (as far as I know, the day isn’t over yet), it was just normal work stuff to sift through.

I attended my weekly 9 a.m. Zoom meeting — and yes, I didn’t shower before, no one could tell the difference! Don’t judge me. I planned to do some weeding in my vegetable garden during my lunch break, there was no need to shower twice. I am saving water this way! And I asked you to not judge me.

I answered some more e-mails and then I called a co-worker just before noon. And how was it almost noon?? My husband ended up going on our lunchtime walk without me because I was still on the phone, but by that time it was totally my fault — my co-worker and I were chatting about the mounds of unfinished craft projects we both have in our spare rooms, although it seems like she is much more diligent in finishing her projects. I am now completely jealous of her as I sit in my home “office” surrounded by items that I have started and then completely forgotten about…I can’t be the only person who does this?!?

OK, so it’s now well past my lunchtime — I haven’t eaten, I haven’t showered (remember, there is no judging here!) and I haven’t been out in the darn garden to replant the spinach (which grew so much that I need to pull out all the old plants and plant new seeds, cause I am a pioneer woman!). So I choke down a sandwich, read almost four pages of my current library book (I was doing so well over the weekend too, that didn’t last long.) and then I go out to the garden to pull the past spinach, plant new seeds and try to save my sunflower plants from the neighborhood animal who just can’t seem to let them live. I have already gone through a whole jar of cayenne pepper spice and it’s just not deterring them. I am frustrated and my scalp is starting to itch — I need to wash my hair. You can now judge me.

I finally shower at 3 p.m. and then get back to my work computer. I’ve answered all those earlier e-mails and nothing new has come in, I’m starting to feel a little bit more relaxed. Until I check my personal e-mail — I signed up for a 5-day writing workshop this week, today was the first day. Well, the instructor has already reached out to the group, asking how we did on our first daily assignment. C’mon now, it’s only 3 p.m. folks, I have a full time job, how am I supposed to finish today’s writing project before the end of the workday — I haven’t even read this morning’s instructional e-mail!

I finally finish my work day, take the walk that I was supposed to do at lunchtime (it’s only 6 p.m., but who’s keeping track?) and then I sit down to do my morning journaling, and yes, it’s now 7 p.m., did I mention that today got away from me…

But even though today definitely kept me on my toes, I got a ton of stuff done, both personally and professionally. We had a nice dinner, I have spent some quality time relaxing with a glass (or two!) of wine. My blog is done and now I think I’m going to try to go read at least 4 more pages in my book. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, because it will be Tuesday, right?

I’m a big reader — I love books. I always have a bunch of books out on loan from the local library, a few on hold via my e-reader and I’m not even going to talk about the many, many books I own — let’s just say I have bookshelves filled with books that I am just waiting to read.

One of the things I have noticed during the COVID-19 pandemic — I am having trouble reading. It’s like I can’t concentrate long enough to read a chapter. Now as someone who would typically read a book a week on her commute to work, this is devastating to me. I am now struggling to read a 300 page book in 14 days, and most of the delay is that I have to keep going back to read a paragraph that I already read. It’s like I just can’t focus anymore.

This has been going on for months, and I am just so annoyed by it. I’l finally get an e-book from the library that I have been waiting months to read — I will be so excited, and as soon as I start it…it will take me two days to read 20 pages. And then if you quizzed me on what I’ve read…I’m not sure I could tell you. My local library gives you 7 days with an e-book, if no one else is waiting for it, you can renew for another 7 days, but it someone has it on hold, you have to wait for the book to come back to you. Typically I can read a 300 – 400 page book in 7 days, but the past couple of months I have struggled to read even 150 pages in 7 days. I can’t even tell you how many books I have slowly read for 7 days, lost them to someone else, then gotten a chance to finish a week later, and STILL couldn’t finish the last 150 pages in the next 7 days. It’s happened at least 4 times…and then I have no idea which book I am reading and what’s going on…

I started a new book on Thursday, an actual physical book, not an e-book. It was 240 pages, and I read a little bit on Thursday, a big chunk on Friday, even more on Saturday and I finished the last 15 pages this morning! I read a whole 240 page book in like 3 days! And I remembered what I had read from the day before and I enjoyed the whole book! Maybe it’s because it wasn’t an e-book — maybe I’ve just had too much screen time.

Whatever the reason, I finished it and I am so proud of myself! And I started another 350 page book this evening, another actual book, not an e-book. Maybe I am turning my reading problem around!

Today is the 4th of July and it was a perfect summer day. Typically, my husband and I don’t do anything special for the 4th holiday — our annual summer vacation usually starts the next week, so we usually chill out at home during the 4th, cook something on the smoker and start packing for our vacation.

Our annual summer trip isn’t happening this year — that’s not a big surprise! So we just hung out at home today. My husband had a hard time finding a good cut of meat to put on the smoker, so he marinated some steak tips yesterday afternoon in preparation for this evening’s meal. This morning, he went back out to check the grocery store one last time and came back with a huge rack of ribs! He made his own spicy dry rub, and those ribs have been on the smoker since early this afternoon. He just cut off a little piece for us to taste about 30 minutes ago, an appetizer he called it, and damn, was it good! Hot and spicy, my mouth was burning. It’s going to be a good dinner.

Oh, and this morning, I remembered to hang my red, white and blue 4th of July wreath on the front door! And I also found the two little red, white and blue decorations I found at Target last summer — I bought them thinking they were actually garlands that I could hang over the big window in the kitchen, but no, they are actually tiny wreaths. I hung them anyway. Maybe I will get creative and turn them into garlands for the window, but if that happens, it probably won’t be until next year. I am just proud of myself that I hung them on the 4th! I would normally hang the front door wreath on July 5 or 6…look — I am getting better!

Happy 4th, everyone!

It’s Friday evening again and that means one thing — we’re going back to outdoor dining tonight! But this time it will be a little different — we have FRIENDS joining us!! Hallelujah, it won’t be just my husband and me staring at each other, trying to make conversation. There will be other actual PEOPLE sitting with us! This hasn’t happened since mid-March, folks, and frankly, the way things were going just a month ago, I wasn’t sure if it would ever happen again. At least not in 2020.

I was so excited that friends wanted to join us for our typical Friday night jaunt to the local Irish pub, that I called the pub on Tuesday to make the reservation for 4 people at 8 p.m. I would have called Saturday, but didn’t want to seem too eager. I tried a bunch of times on Sunday, but the phone was either busy or just rang and rang. They were closed Monday, so I was finally able to make the reservation on Tuesday afternoon. The restaurant staff probably think I am a tad crazy, but I don’t care, we are hanging out with other people tonight!!

Of course, the weather is a little cooler and cloudy tonight — not the perfect scene for outdor dining. At least it’s not raining, ugh, that would just be awful under a tent in the parking lot in the rain… But I’m not even going to think those negative thoughts, because we are having dinner with FRIENDS tonight!! I hope my husband and I remember how to even interact in a social setting, it’s been a real long time. Do I even remember how to have an actual conversation with someone sitting in front of me that I am not married to? This isn’t a Zoom call, folks, this is the real thing. No pressure.

And the added bonus — I have made plans with ANOTHER friend to have dinner next Wednesday. And this outing will be just the two of us, my husband will be staying at home! Now I do care about that man, but we have been spending an awful lot of time together since March. I might not come back from the restaurant next week…

Well, cheers to a whole new chapter in this pandemic — socializing with others outside my home! I am so looking forward to this. And don’t worry, I’ll bring my mask.

This morning I went to my 4th outdoor yoga class. My company was closed today for the 4th of July holiday, so I could actually go to the 9:15 a.m. class, usually I am working during that time slot.

Today’s instructor is definitely my favorite — she brings a level of energy and sweat to a vinyasa yoga class that I have yet to experience from any other instructor. She used to do a Sunday morning class, and I would religiously go ever Sunday unless we were out of town. Unfortunately, she stopped teaching that time slot back in December, so it’s been MONTHS since I have been able to take an in person class with her. This studio did tons of virtual classes during the high point of the pandemic, and I typically picked her classes when I was selecting an online yoga class.

But there is just such a difference between a virtual class and an in person class. Maybe the in person class just makes me try harder, makes me more accountable. In a virtual class, no one knows if I decide to take a third child’s pose (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), but when I am in a live class, it’s like I feel the energy of the students around me and I want to do better. It’s like you’re more “in the moment” and taking the time to do the poses correctly allows you to get more out of the class. Or sometimes I might just zone out and go the exact opposite of the other students and confuse everyone in the class, but no one is perfect, right?

It was nice to be back today. The weather was beautiful — sunny, not a cloud in the sky. I was sweating like crazy, just like if we were back in the studio for a hot power class. And I forgot my little sport towel, so I had nothing to wipe my dripping face off, except for a little measly tissue that didn’t soak up anything! But I survived the sweat and felt so much better afterwards. Thank goodness for yoga! It’s making me fell less pandemic-y. (That’s not a word — I just made it up. You’re welcome.)

My office closed today at 12:30 p.m. for the 4th of July holiday. I don’t have to log back into my work computer until Monday. How happy I am! Sometimes it just gets so old sitting in my home “office” staring at the same walls…

I was so excited to log off today – the sun was shining and my husband and I thought we’d take a quick walk before we ate our lunches. He still had to work for the rest of the day (and Thursday, but who’s counting!?!), so we went for a quick walk first.

We got about a block from our house and it started raining. Not hard at first, but quickly it became enough to be annoying. But there were sunny skies up ahead, so after seeking shelter under a large tree, we continued on our walk. Now we pretty much do the same lap around the neighborhood everyday — it’s not far, but it’s enough to get a little bit of exercise midday. We’d done about half the normal lap and it just started to downpour. And there was a huge black cloud over our house and you could hear the thunder. So we came home.

Thank goodness, because after about 3 minutes of bright sunshine while we were eating lunch, the rain really started to come down and we were in the middle of a severe thunderstorm. Power went out on the west side of our town, taking out traffic lights and electricity to homes as well.

So I stayed inside this afternoon — still in my home “office”, but I didn’t work on anything business related, it’s a holiday break for goodness sake! Now the sun finally came out right when my normal work shift would have ended — I’m going to try not to take that personally. It’s supposed to be beautiful tomorrow and I plan on taking full advantage of it! Bring on the sun, I don’t have to work!

After almost 3 and 1/2 months, I think I have finally been bitten by the virtual event bug. And I am probably the last holdout!

For months, I’ve watched all of these amazing virtual events being advertised, thought that it would be cool to register and participate in the event, but then another event would show up on Facebook, and I’d want to do that one too, and then I couldn’t decide which one to do. So I wouldn’t do either of them. When faced with a choice during the middle of a pandemic, I chose nothing. And I did that repeatedly.

And it’s not like I didn’t want to join these events. An online yoga class with a famous instructor? Yes, please! A virtual class with an author I love? Of course! A virtual tour of a museum in Europe that I will probably never physically get to in my lifetime?? OMG – yes! But I just got too overwhelmed with the sheer volume of events being offered, the conflicting times and the fact that I was really supposed to be working normal business hours.

So I chose nothing again and again. I even tried to make deals with myself — I would do one virtual event a week. I’d keep track of the ones I wanted to do, and even if I didn’t do it “live”, I would go back and watch the recording when I had a spare moment. I started writing lists of events I wanted to go back and watch. These lists started becoming pages long…

Then something clicked this week. I am not sure how, but I have now participated in four virtual events this week — two were live and two were recorded. But I did them and it’s only Tuesday!

And I also bought the books from two of the live author events. Books I so did not need, because I already have a mountain of unread books in my house. And some of those I eventually have to return to the library…but I’m now doing virtual events!! This is progress!

Our local library opened back up at the beginning of June for curbside pickup only. So that means now when I want to read a new book, not only can I put in a request for an electronic book, but I can request an actual book from the library’s website! And then I wait to see which one comes in first!

It’s really simple — you find a book that you want to read on their website catalog (and I can always find new books to read!), request the book and if it’s currently in the library, the library staff will send you an e-mail the next day when your book is ready for you! All you have to do is call the library to schedule your curbside pick up — you drive up at your allotted time and the book is waiting on a table outside the library’s front door in a paper bag with your name on it. It’s so easy!

So easy that I have already used the pick up service twice in the past two weeks I picked up two books this afternoon. And I already have a ton of e-books waiting for me to read on the library’s online app. And I bought another brand new book from an independent bookstore this evening. Basically, I could shut myself inside my house for the rest of the year and have plenty of books to read. So many books that I would never be able to finish them all.

And when I log off of this blog, I’m probably going to go back on the library’s web site and find more books to reserve. This might turn into a problem folks!

We finally got some rain yesterday afternoon, and boy, did we need it! It’s been so hot and sticky here, which I honestly don’t mind, but the pollen is still coating everything with a dried up dust-like substance. I washed my car on Sunday and by Monday it looked like I hadn’t even bothered.

I left my car parked on the street yesterday afternoon, instead of pulling into the driveway, hoping that the forecast was correct and that we’d get a little rain. I was hoping for a little free car wash — if I leave my car parked in the driveway under the oak tree all I get after a rain storm is twigs and leaves from the tree on my roof and windshield.

Well, the forescast was correct and it started raining about 2 p.m. yesterday and continued until about 9 p.m. And it was enough rain that this morning I didn’t need to use any Windex to clean off my back winshield. The car wasn’t sparkling, but it was definitely pollen-free!

And this evening, thunderstorms have come through our area and we got a TON of rain. And a couple of really loud booms of thunder — one that even shook our house. But the power stayed on! Oh, did we need the rain. The grass already looks greener and I’m sure my plants are so happy right now. And my car? It might have just gotten a free power washing! I wish that I’d gone outside and left some soap suds on the roof before the storm started!

My local yoga studio has started doing outdoor classes the past couple of weeks. The classes are right down the street from the studio on a grassy lawn in front of an office building. This morning was my third class, and there is just something about doing yoga with other people. I just feel more engaged when I’m there in person and not doing it virtually.

This studio has hosted tons of virtual classes since March — they were posted on their Facebook page and you could sign up for classes using your regular class pass or just do the class through the page without paying. Back in March, I tried to keep track of the classes I did, and then I would e-mail the studio afterwards so they could use my class pass. I am never organized enough to sign up for a class before it begins, so I’d do the class and then try to remember to contact the studio. It worked for a couple weeks, and then I was just doing classes for free, never live, just whenever I had the time. I felt like a mooch, but I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one doing it.

Then they started doing in person classes out on the lawn. I still have to work during the week, so I don’t feel right scooting out to take a 9:15 a.m. yoga class on a Monday, but as soon as they announce the weekend schedule, I am probably one of the first people to sign up!

Today’s 10 a.m. class was in this outside courtyard, in the middle of a huge office complex. And because it’s a Saturday, there was no one around. And there were only 3 students in the class plus the instructor! I didn’t care at all — I was just so happy to be practicing yoga with other people, instead of streaming it on my phone while in my spare room. I must have been in a yoga state of bliss, because for the first 10 minutes of class, I went the exact opposite way of the instructor — he said left, I went right and then when I tried to correct myself, I just went the wrong way again. And I totally confused the other students and the instructor! Oh well, I finally got my shit together and played along. It was a beautiful sunny day, I even had the same sheen of sweat that I would have gotten inside during a hot yoga studio class!

It was a nice start to my Saturday, and just made me feel a little bit more normal. And that is so important right now.