Wednesday, April 1, 2020
This is turning out to be a time when we are connecting with people we have not connected with for a long time. A few days ago, I had a call from Francine who is a teacher friend of Carol Hoovers but who Jon and I have become friends with over the last several years. They rent a place over in Clearwater for 3 months each year. This year they were only 2 -3 miles from David and Rolande. We had talked about getting them all together, but this virus has put a stop to that. They are scheduled to take the car train to Virginia the end of April but do not know if that will happen.
This morning Debbie Knott, a dancing couple from Bradenton, called to check in with us. We took dance lessons many years ago until they got to good, but we have always seen each other at the dances. It was good to hear how they are doing. They have two grown sons living with them who need to go to work but Debbie and Dave stay home and get all their food, wine and beer delivered.
I texted with Mary Ann, from Melrose and now the Cape, and she is expressing concern about the summer people who are coming to the Cape and concerned about not having the medical facilities or groceries for added people. They will be meeting their son’s family for a birthday/Easter celebration at some park between their places.
I also texted with our friend Linda Cummings who lives in Naples, FL. She was a friend from Minnesota and we usually get together with her and her friend John when we go to Naples for the Trinity gathering (our Minnesota church). This year we were only able to visit at the event. They are staying home and only going out for groceries.
This evening I had a long conversation, over an hour, with Marcia, a friend we have recently repaired our relationship with. It has been over a year and we are both glad to have it all behind us and looking forward to games, dances, dinners etc. as we use to do. We had made up just as the coronavirus had us Sheltering in Place so we are not sure if we will be able to see each other in person but it certainly felt good to talk on the phone and catch up. It is one of those friendships that it seems like no time has passed and we pick right up where we had been. It kind of makes me and, I think her too, sad that it took us so long to repair the friendship.
Thursday, April 3, 2020
Today started with Rebecca/Esme calling just as I was waking up. Esme has a report she has to do, and she is stumped, and they wondered if we could help her get over the hump. We helped and I think she got the report written. I was also having my own crisis because I want to make a blanket for a friend of Rebecca (we are also friends with them). I wanted to talk with Rebecca to figure out what yarn I wanted to order before they run out. I ordered the yarn from JoAnn’s for pickup, but it did not seem to go through. I called the store and they said it might take a while before I got an e-mail back. Still no e-mail at lunch so Jon helped me re-order it and I did get an email back, the first order had not gone through.
I did yoga, organ practice in the morning. E-mailed with Diane, a friend from aquaciser’s, who had written an article for our newspaper about her trip back from Canada on March 15th.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
It has been a week since I have written. I cannot remember all that has happened but the daily schedule of breakfast and lunch on the screen room, walk in the late afternoon before we make dinner has continued. I have done yoga several times and now have a video done by the instructor Teri whose class I usually attend. Jon tried it once but became dizzy and nauseous. He says it was looking up at the TV and then down that caused it. I have played the organ a couple of times and continued to work on scanning the pictures into the computer. I am now also putting the scanned pictures on my zenfolio site so anyone of the family can see them. I am working on the 1981 pictures and dividing them so Jeff and Rebecca can have separate photo books.
We picked up the yarn I ordered from Joann Fabrics on Saturday in Brandon. We left the yarn in the trunk for two days to insure we did not bring any Coronavirus into the house. I started the blanket on Monday evening, and I have 7 rows done.
One of the nice things about this shelter in place is that we are connecting with people we don’t usually connect with. People are texting or calling to just say how are you doing? We are all sharing ways that we are coping such as how we are getting our groceries. It helps all of us as we learn from each other. Marcia and Greg were picking up groceries at Walmart, so we have done it twice during this past week. The challenging part is when you place the order you cannot get a time to pick it up for two days. We place the order Monday morning at 7:30 AM and can pick it up on Wednesday at 6 – 7-PM. Wednesday afternoon they send a note telling us what items we cannot get and what items needed to have substitutes. This week we also discovered that Detwiler’s, our favorite grocery store for fruits, vegetables, seafood and meat has a drive thru service. It is about a half hour drive, but a drive is a welcome diversion. This was very slick. We drove up, filled out the form for today, and within five minutes drove away with the food in our trunk. It was quicker that going into the store and you are not tempted to buy other things you see in the store.
This week we had a nice phone conversation with Aunt Judy Merrill, Doug, David, Jeff and Rebecca along with FaceTime with all of the grandkids. We also had a nice phone call from Enrique, our friend from Spain. He was sick with the fever and lost his sense of taste. The doctor said he had the Coronavirus, but they did not test him. They are all working and staying home in Spain.
Yesterday, I had a text conversation with Pam and Joel who have a place in Maine. He retired in January so is spending his first winter here in SCC. Not the best time to be adjusting to retirement. They are working on projects around their house. They just finished putting in a new floor. We had planned to spend time with them as he is adjusting to retirement but that is not happening.
It is always amazing to me when I am thinking of someone and planning to reach out to them, and I get a call or text from them. It seems to be happening frequently these days. Yesterday I called Marilyn and she was going to call me. Today I was planning to call Jackie when I got back from my walk and she texted me at the end of my walk. It was the first time we have talked since the shutdown, March 15th. We had texted once. Her other house is in Ohio where her grandkids are. We share our love for our grandkids and being torn between wanting to be with them and wanting to be here dancing and in warm weather in normal circumstances. Today we talked about taking walks, safe ways to get groceries and when can we head north. She had friends that headed to Michigan on Tuesday. They communicated with them along the way. When they got to Georgia, they could get gas, but no restrooms were open, and I took it to be the case the rest of the trip. They had food with them, and it was a 17-hour trip, so they went straight through. They said when they reached Michigan the roads were deserted. They said it was really eerie. I am figuring it was the evening.
Yesterday I texted with Mrs. C., the Kindergarten teacher I volunteer for. She is not allowed to do anything like packets for her students. She said they have a template? She is enjoying her time with her own kids and a slower life. She sent me pictures of her kids doing the things they are doing. She mentioned that she needs to keep the kids quiet “when her husband is on conference calls about the new player on our Team, Tom Brady.” It turns out he works for the Buccaneers and Tom Brady has just left the Patriots to go to Tampa. Mrs. C. had told me the last time we were together she was considering being a Stay at Home Mom next year but was not sure she would like it. She seems to be liking it and I would say if she likes it without being able to take the kids places, she would definitely be fine.
I have also talked with Carol and had another phone conversation with Marcia. We are all looking forward to being able to do fun things with all our friends next fall. Hope this thing is over by then and does not come back.
Our neighbor, MV is making masks that you can put a filter (dryer sheet, coffee filter or paper towel) in. She made two for Jon and I and then she made two more for Marilyn. I had a nice phone visit with MV and they do not know when they will go to their cabin in North Carolina. They are bicycling in the mornings and staying home. (She has since made two more masks for Carol and Jay.)
Last night is the first time we have done anything with someone. When Marilyn picked up the mask we walked, at least 6 feet apart, on the golf course and then sat on the screen room at least 9 feet apart. It was nice and I really felt we were being safe.
Today is Maundy Thursday and we will be attending the service from our house. I have our crackers and wine ready. We have been having virtual services for a month now and they also put daily messages up.