To-Do Lists and Whatnot in the Land of Covid-19

Happy Tuesday one and all. How you doin’?

I’m okay. This is the third day in a row I’m attempting to finish a blog. Let’s see if I can finally cross this off my To-Do list. {Flexes fingers in anticipation of some speed typing ahead…}

So here goes:

My Sunday’s entry was about how I had no motivation to do anything and all I managed to accomplish was a single load of laundry. Didn’t even put it away. Nor did I make the bed – and I’m a bed maker approximately 99.99% of the time.

I attributed my lack of motivation to the fact that Sunday was cold and rainy and dreary.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was warm and sunshiny and beautiful. And I was a busy bee scurrying about washing floors, polishing tabletops and cleaning glass. I washed, dried and put away three loads of laundry (plus the load I hadn’t put away on Sunday). And I cleaned four bathrooms.

Go me!

Vince also helped by vacuuming. I hate vacuuming. And when I do vacuum, I run the sweeper over the carpet like I’m trying to qualify for the Indy 500. I’m not even sure the wheels touch the ground.

This doesn’t, as you might imagine, make for deep cleaned carpet. Vince is slower and more methodical and picks up enough Jane hair to make me a wig and enough cat hair to build another cat. Well, if we had the other spare parts. And, heaven forbid, if we wanted a third cat in this house.

Which we don’t. Because then I’d probably have to help with the vacuuming.

So it’s good we were able to get some things crossed off our to-do list. Why? Well, because otherwise we’re going to let this house arrest thing with the current pandemic get to us.

And we don’t need that.

Worry these days is sort of par for the course. And, while I know worrying doesn’t really help matters any, it’s hard not to succumb.

I miss being able to spend this last little bit of time mom has left telling her in person how much we love her. And I worry I won’t get another chance. I also worry that her last hold on who we are will fade from her memory before we can see her again.

I worry about those who work in the health care field and I pray for their well-being as they take care of the sick and the elderly.

I am sad and frightened for those I know who have contracted COVID-19 and I pray for their return to health.

And I mourn with all those people who have lost loved ones during this time when they can’t even grieve their losses properly.

So we are adhering to the stay-at-home orders we’ve been given without complaint. (Well, without too much complaint, anyway!)

For the most part, I’m a rule-follower and try not to do things that will (a) land me in hot water, or (b) cause harm to me or those around me.

Yeah, I know. I’m a goody two-shoes from way back. What can I say – I can’t help it.

It wasn’t until I married Vince that I ever heard the saying, “It’s better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.”

What? This makes ZERO sense to me. Why would one want to live their life constantly asking people to forgive them for stuff they did that they could’ve avoided in the first place?

Yes, Vince knows he is supposed to have the
mask higher to cover his nose. We were in a selfie-hurry!

Fortunately, Vince is behaving himself and doesn’t need to beg for forgiveness for anything.

We’ve been on only a few grocery runs in the past six weeks, although we did venture to Costco last week wearing our masks. Ugh. I’ve gotta tell you, for me it was pure torture.

Besides the obvious health reasons we’re being asked to wear these masks, I think the covert objective is to limit our time out. Those masks are so uncomfortable I couldn’t wait to get home so I could take it off.

My ears hurt where the elastic fit around them. And my glasses were so fogged up I couldn’t see. I nearly bumped into an end cap of Pirates Booty popcorn and came very close to knocking the whole thing onto the floor.

I guess I would’ve been begging for forgiveness then, wouldn’t I?

Fortunately, the number of shoppers in the store was limited so I managed to avoid bumping into actual people. Heaven forbid I break the six foot social distance rule.  

As it was, I found myself weirdly holding my breath if anyone ventured anywhere near me. I’d scurry away from all humans and then take a deep breath so I didn’t pass out in the cereal aisle. This wasn’t a good thing as I started feeling like I was hyperventilating.

But we weren’t there for a casual stroll through the ginormous warehouse club and, really, once we were able to snag some fresh produce and finally scored our humongous case of toilet paper, we were outta there.

Since then, I’ve read of ways to reduce the amount of fog that wearing a face mask with glasses can produce by cleaning the glasses with either shaving cream or dishwashing liquid. I’ll have to give that a try before our next foray into the real world.

 

I don’t anticipate needing another Costco run for a while anyway. Our toilet paper shortage has been alleviated and we no longer have to ration our supplies.  

Maybe, in time, the “can you spare a square” line will fade from my memory.

And, maybe, in time, this whole COVID-19 pandemic will fade from our collective memory, too.

Probably not. But happy Tuesday to you all, anyway. Stay well.

How May We Be of Service Today?

So it’s Day 296 of the COVID-19 pandemic and we’re still shelter-social-distancing-in-place. I’m channeling my 9-year-old inner child and hoping everyone keeps their cooties far away from me.

What’s that? We’re nowhere close to the 296 day mark? You gotta be kiddin’ me, pal! (Now I’m channeling my old friend, Mrs. B!)

This stayin’ at home thing is a wee bit harder than I thought it would be.

But to keep myself occupied I’ve tried to find a few ways to be of service.

Some people – like my talented seamstress cousin – are sewing masks for hospital

and front-line workers. Some people are helping out their elderly neighbors by picking up food and supplies so the more vulnerable among us don’t have to risk their health.

And some people – like me – are trying to plant a few smiles.

I’ve been sending out cheery cards and newsy notes by the truckload. I’ve even sent cards to people I don’t know. I figured there must be residents in the assisted living/ memory care facility who are alone and lonely during this lockdown. So I’ve sent out cards to hopefully bring a smile to their face. At the very least, it might give them something to puzzle over:now just who is this Jane person and why is she sending me a card?

One day last week I was out at Big Lots and I was inspired to pick up a big yellow Easter basket. And then I quickly walked through the store filling it with treats for the residents at my mom’s memory care.

While I was at it, I also purchased some non-perishable food items and paper products for the staff at mom’s facility. Some of the workers there don’t get home until late and are having a difficult time finding the staples they need.

So Parkside sent out a note to our community asking for donations to their “pantry.” I happily filled a few bags, although – alas – I was unable to provide any of those much-sought-after packages of Charmin’.

But I felt good being able to do something to help.

And then a couple days ago a neighbor asked if we’d be willing to make twenty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a part of a church effort to feed the homeless. Normally, the group provides about 100 of these lunches, but the need has substantially increased so they were looking for 1000 bags.

So she put the word out and several neighbors stepped up to the PB&J plate, as it were.

While a thousand lunches sounds a tad bit overwhelming, twenty was nothin’ – so Vince and I got to work. We had an assembly line going the likes of which would have made Henry Ford himself proud. Well, if Henry Ford had needed an assembly line to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, that is.

We filled the paper bags and brought them over to our neighbor to distribute the next day.

And we went to bed that night feeling like we’d made a tiny little difference in someone’s life. Even if it was just for that one meal.

It’s never a bad thing to be of service to one another. And maybe we can even keep this effort going once our lives return to normal.  

In the meantime, I’ll be asking that question more frequently: how may I be of service today?