We made trips to Costco, Hy-Vee grocery, Trader Joe’s and Aldi’s, stocking up on all the necessities of life, roasted chicken, steaks for the grill and freezer, boxes of wine, flour, sugar, etc. We tried to limit our interaction with people, hoping for the best. By Friday, we were hunkered down and receiving calls from our kids on a regular basis. Ed called to report that the test from California was negative, which caused a great sigh of relief from all. Jake, given his diabetes and previous heart issues, had already started working from home earlier in the week and he and Audrey were taking steps to shut down their successful pet sitting/walking business in Detroit. One of their greatest concern was for their employees, whose health and the loss of wages was weighing on them.
Ed and Meg are working from home, Abigail is working from home and also alternating into the office with others at her work site. Since all Omaha area schools have shut down and her Omaha Girls Rock work is on hiatus, Darcy is spending quality time with Norman, the American shepherd, and catching up on her reading. One of the biggest hits is Deb’s travel business. She spent most of the first week and a huge portion of this week handling cancellations, counselling clients on insurance issues, and lamenting the loss of future commissions. Although we are sure the travel business will eventually rebound, when or to what degree is a huge question. We still have a transatlantic cruise in the offing for December; our hope is that the world will be a different and healthier place by then.
St. Patrick’s day came and went this year. Our normal family celebration at our house, featuring five large corned beef briskets braising away, accompanied by boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage, Irish soda bread, and bottles of Guinness and Murphy’s Stout was cancelled in interests of keeping all safe and healthy. Maybe we will celebrate June 17th instead. In the meantime there is plenty of brisket sitting in the freezer, awaiting the braising pot.
So, how are we filling our days and nights? We walk, we hop into the car to drive around the park to look at the green beginning to peek out from under the new fallen snow that has blanketed our area twice since we returned (always disappearing in a day or two,) and sitting on our front porch in the warm afternoon, talking to walkers who happen by either alone or with their dogs. We enjoy a dirty vodka martini or glass of wine at cocktail hour and then practice our cooking skills. Two different types of bread have emerged from the oven; we have tried fried vegetables and rice, meatballs and spaghetti, and boiled that Costco chicken carcass after putting the meat to use as chicken sandwiches or chicken salad.
Binge watching television shows, catching up on movies and reading encompass the evenings. A beautiful and very tasty cherry pie made a brief appearance,
as have chocolate chip cookies that all seem to evaporate as the snow.
We continue to “shelter in place” as our own decision, call Darcy to bring any needed supplies, which she leaves on the front porch and converse, read and watch TV. So far we haven’t killed or maimed one another, but it has been close a time or two. We have downsized our home, but luckily, there is still room for us to be away from each other at times. We eat our evening meals as we watch the PBS Newshour, hoping Judy Woodruff and team will bring us some good news. Nightly we remember to toast all of our friends and family who are likewise enduring these strange times.
A week ago today we were practicing self restraint, today both coasts are under state mandated “shelter in place” orders. When we look back on these days in a few years, it will almost be as if we had lived through our own version of World War II. Maybe a better analogy might be the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. We can only hope this one turns out better.
