How are you passing the time during COVID-19?

[JaneB]

Things I am doing:

• Working from home 50 hours per week at the new job
• Exercising - daily cardio, 15 mins weights and stretching and Pilates once a week with @Abbi
• Cello practice and virtual lessons with my teacher in Seattle
• Cooking
• Zoom gatherings with friends and family
• Deep cleaning one room per weekend
• Laundry
• A big LEGO build of the London Tower Bridge
• A big puzzle build
• Journaling
• Sewing masks for the hospital... currently waiting for a shipment of elastic so I can finish them
• Posting affirmations and encouragements on facebook
• Binge watching youtube videos from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen - I LOVE those guys!
• Connecting with colleagues through LinkedIn
• We’re about to assemble a new kayak rack in the backyard... dock is in the water already
• Watching “The Good Place“ and “Mrs. Maizel” on Amazon Prime
• Cleaning groceries and mail with bleach wipes
• checking in on elderly parents and neighbors
• planning for our eventual build in Vermont
• ordering groceries and supplies for delivery

Things I am not doing

• Reading - Can’t concentrate
• Reading or watching the news
• Sleeping straight through the night

While it’s hard to be in quarantine, the reality of this situation is very, very real here. Both DH and my office locations are in a hot zone in Westchester, NY. There are 25 confirmed cases on the campus where I will eventually be working, some critical. Colleagues have lost family members and friends. The fact that I’m a little bored and stir crazy is hard, but harder for DH, so I am keeping a positive attitude and trying to bolster morale since he is struggling with the restrictions more than I am. I also doubt that we’ll be sprung by the end of May.

Impressive!

 

[JaneB]

I’m in the mental health field so I am doing telehealth from my office. No one is in the building so there is no risk.
Obviously, there is enormous stress out there.
I’m more exhausted using this format. But I’m grateful to work.

 

[marzNC]

Not my story, but this seems like a good thread for sharing this story from Australia. Tasmania is a large separate island off the south coast. The family adventure to capture the lost sheep happened because they are sheltering-in-place at their farm and went to a back pasture for a picnic where they don't normally need to go. Fun read . . . pictures too. The audio interview is even more entertaining.

April 16, ABC News (Australia)
Prickles the sheep returns home to Dunalley farm after fleeing 2013 bushfires
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04...en-years-after-fleeing-dunalley-fire/12150052
"Prickles the sheep ran for her life from her Dunalley farm at the height of the 2013 Tasmanian bushfires.

The fleecy fugitive has been on the lam, or run, ever since.

Now an isolation expert after seven years in the bush, Prickles has been caught.

Farmer Alice Gray told Helen Shield on ABC Radio Hobart the merino was a sight to behold after missing seven rounds of shearing.
. . ."

 

[BlueSkies]

@MaineSkiLady: Wishing you a quiet rest of the spring.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

@MaineSkiLady: Wishing you a quiet rest of the spring.

Kind thanks, @BlueSkies.
Alas, the hits keep on coming - and my silly woes have been minimized: I just found out this a.m. that 2 of my friends have each lost one of their parents.

The one friend lost her father 10/18. Her husband (61!) died 3/19. And now her mother.

That completely and totally minimizes my minor water and power issues - although the paper mill explosion, one of the largest explosions the state has ever seen, still looms large. BOTTOM LINE: NO DEATHS, NO INJURIES.

 

[Abbi]

Kind thanks, @BlueSkies.
Alas, the hits keep on coming - and my silly woes have been minimized: I just found out this a.m. that 2 of my friends have each lost one of their parents.

The one friend lost her father 10/18. Her husband (61!) died 3/19. And now her mother.

That completely and totally minimizes my minor water and power issues - although the paper mill explosion, one of the largest explosions the state has ever seen, still looms large. BOTTOM LINE: NO DEATHS, NO INJURIES.

Oh God!! That really does put things into perspective. I am so sorry for your friends losses, and yours as well.

 

[newboots]

I’m in the mental health field so I am doing telehealth from my office. No one is in the building so there is no risk.
Obviously, there is enormous stress out there.
I’m more exhausted using this format. But I’m grateful to work.

Hi Jane! We met at the Pico Takeover day. I'm glad to hear you are working remotely; it's a service to all of your clients who are doubtless anxious and maybe depressed!

 

[Jilly]

Well I guess I didn't say that currently my business is open. We supply fire rated or commercial doors and frames. So if a contractor is doing hospital work, security work or multi-residential they are allowed. One of the interesting events last week was one of my insulated steel door (think something on the back of a stripmall, not your house) with a residential window, for Dairy Queen...they needed another "drive thru" window...I don't care, keep it coming so I can stay open....

 

[Salomon]

Today is family cooking day . A few weeks ago my nephew asked if my husband would host a cooking class for everyone . He is not a professional chef but he was trained in the Ritz, Paris so he knows his way around a kitchen .
So every Sunday we have a Zoom session with my sister and her 4 adult kids plus partners . 3 locations in UK , NYC and here in Southern France .
It’s quite a challenge as we have vegetarians and dairy allergies . And we need to cook something together that is ready straight away then eat together .
It works really well and we love it .
Tonight they are making pasta from scratch with the exception of Northern England who cannot buy flour for love it money !

 

[ilovepugs]

Today is family cooking day . A few weeks ago my nephew asked if my husband would host a cooking class for everyone . He is not a professional chef but he was trained in the Ritz, Paris so he knows his way around a kitchen .
So every Sunday we have a Zoom session with my sister and her 4 adult kids plus partners . 3 locations in UK , NYC and here in Southern France .
It’s quite a challenge as we have vegetarians and dairy allergies . And we need to cook something together that is ready straight away then eat together .
It works really well and we love it .
Tonight they are making pasta from scratch with the exception of Northern England who cannot buy flour for love it money !

This is a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Salomon]

This is a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing.

I have spent all day supervising this ( I am not a cook ...I just watch , prepare tables and clean up the mess afterwards ) . Lordy .
We are doing seafood ravioli as it’s the only pasta dish that doesn’t need cheese ( dairy allergy) , plus butternut squash and spinach & ricotta for veggie people .
No one has the same kind of shrimp . They didn’t understand that when I said raw I actually meant uncooked ( ? ....) . « keeping the shells » means heads and tails as well ....the list goes on .
I am exhausted and we havnt got round to rolling pasta . One household didn’t own a rolling pin !!!!

I think a very large glass of wine will be needed before the session starts later .

 

[MissySki]

I have spent all day supervising this ( I am not a cook ...I just watch , prepare tables and clean up the mess afterwards ) . Lordy .
We are doing seafood ravioli as it’s the only pasta dish that doesn’t need cheese ( dairy allergy) , plus butternut squash and spinach & ricotta for veggie people .
No one has the same kind of shrimp . They didn’t understand that when I said raw I actually meant uncooked ( ? ....) . « keeping the shells » means heads and tails as well ....the list goes on .
I am exhausted and we havnt got round to rolling pasta . One household didn’t own a rolling pin !!!!

I think a very large glass of wine will be needed before the session starts later .

I think this still sounds like so much fun as well!! Though a large glass of wine may help too!

 

[ilovepugs]

This is how I’m passing the time on Sunday. I’ve already espoused the joys of Costco margarita wine to many... $9 for a delicious bottle of pre-made margarita. Now I would like to add the Costco pre-made sangria to the list of delicious Costco beverages. That plus frozen fruit in a pitcher makes for one very happy party pug!

 

[VickiK]

How about a wine bottle as makeshift rolling pin?

 

[Jenny]

Pulled out the stove and fridge today. Under the stove was fine, according to DH (I didn’t see it before he cleaned it) but there was quite a colony of dust bunnies under the fridge. We also found Rascal's favorite toy, Flat Mousie, who has been missing for quite some time. Now just need to clean the cabinet baseboards and mop the floor and the kitchen is done.

Spent about 2.5 hours scrubbing one of the bathrooms today, just need to mop the floor in there, too.

And if you’re wondering how someone can spend that long in just a normal sized bathroom, there are three levels of cleaning I do. Tidying, cleaning, and scrubbing. Scrubbing is the rarest level, and will not be seen again for a while!

In related news, I need to start checking everything I buy for nooks and crannies, and decorative little spots that dust can settle in/on. Sheesh!

 

[Abbi]

The view for two of my friends yesterday. Amazing to have a private plane in this position.

 

[MissySki]

The view for two of my friends yesterday. Amazing to have a private plane in this position.

View attachment 12812

Wow, nice!! My future brother in law has his pilot’s license and a small plane, but I don’t think they’ve been up recently. Nice way to get out of the house!

 

[RachelV]

The view for two of my friends yesterday. Amazing to have a private plane in this position.

View attachment 12812

Wow, I am ridiculously jealous. My dad had his pilot's license when I was little (he let it lapse due to cost when I was... maybe 8?) and I used to LOVE to go up with him. We just flew around suburban CT though... can't imagine getting to fly over the metro area.

 

[RachelV]

I made hooks! This is about as handy as it gets around here. Coming later today or tomorrow, depending on how long it takes for the stain to dry: shelves for the cat.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Amazing to have a private plane in this position.

Equally amazing to have Liberty Island be totally empty!