As a retired person and an introvert, the staying home more part isn't difficult, but the not going out to lunch or dinner and not seeing family/friends has been. Yes, we can still get takeout, but I've avoided ALL unnecessary trips outside of the house and, can't help wondering if the person who might be preparing takeout might unknowingly have the virus. We've canceled f/up doctors appointments, started having groceries delivered 2x a month, and hair/nail appointments are a thing of the past as well. (I'm seriously thinking that this may be the perfect time to stop coloring my hair and embrace my gray). Just when I thought I'd be reading more, I find it difficult to concentrate, reading 10-15 pages and then staring at the ceiling a lot. (I do have several reviews I've been working on). I am obsessed with the news (not a good thing, I know). I'm so happy we have pets to pamper and play with. The other day my daughter ran out of Tylenol and every place was out of stock, so we drove to her house and dropped it on her porch, waving to her and the girls from a distance. How sad is it that we can't even be with our own families (unless they are part of your family unit).
Typical Boring Day - I usually wake up by 6 a.m., have coffee, while we watch Morning Joe, then I make us breakfast (more coffee), check social media, do some chores, we go for a walk, have a snack/tea or light lunch while watching more news, check social media, watch our 401K's plunge, then we play cards/read/check in with friends/family or nap, think about preparing dinner, shower (sometimes this happens before breakfast), have dinner, some wine, watch a bit more tv and bed. Next day - repeat! Oh, and yes, I'm finding it difficult to sleep more than 5 hours most mights.
What's your typical day like in the midst of this pandemic?
Stay Safe!
I’m sick with a cold so I haven’t left the house at all for 11 days, My husband and oldest daughter are still working at their places of business. Hubby is in an office on his own and rarely sees anyone anyway so that’s not such a big deal, but my daughter works retail in a large store. My three other children are now at home doing school online so I’m back to being a full time SAHM though to be fair they don’t need much from me as teenagers so my daily routine is pretty relaxed. Get up about 9am, have breakfast, do housework/ dinner prep/social media checkin, make lunch, read, make and eat dinner, watch tv/read/blog, bed about 3am. Repeat.
ReplyDeleteStay well!
Hope you feel better soon Shelley. My daughter and DIL are also now stay at home and home schooling. Stay safe.
DeleteWe're hunkering down, too, but plan to reopen our business for contactless curbside delivery next week since the governor is allowing it temporarily.
ReplyDeleteI'm finding it difficult to focus on books as well. I keep telling myself to stop looking at the news but I haven't listened to myself so far.
I guess many of us are in the same boat Kathy. Hope the curbside service works out for you.
DeleteThe news - I think I've turned a corner with obsessively checking it all the time. My reading has been not so good, but I also think I'm turning a corner there. My husband is working from home and that has been OK between us. He's had some frustrations on the work side of things, but it's the first time his company has tried something like this so there are bumps in the road a bit. We have been getting takeout some and I usually pick it up. Local restaurants that are our favorites and which are and will be struggling for a long time. I take walks in our neighborhood and that's helped. You know, I'm a stay-at-home person normally as well, but this has been harder than I would have thought. I feel such sympathy for so many for so many reasons. This too shall eventually pass - things always do. I have a greater sense of admiration for earlier generations and the tough things they went through. I always did admire my parents, grandparents, and so on, but honestly, my life has been fairly easy in so many ways. And theirs had definite tough times - not exactly like this, but in other ways. They managed and maintained and went on. We will too. Take care, Diane!
ReplyDeleteKay, I was thinking the same thing about what our parents lived through - we don't have it as rough as they did for sure. Stay safe Kay.
DeleteI am working from home and it's been busy. Now, idiot trolls are Zoombombing Zoom meetings and flooding the sessions with pornography so I've been having to create preventative documentation for that.
ReplyDeleteMy work day is from 7am-4pm. In between I take a lunch where I stare at the open fridge trying to figure out what to make for my daughter and I. She does her online class and then I go back to work. So boring. Plus, it's so cold where my work set up is.
I can't read much. I read a chapter and then get lost in headlines. I need to take my daughter out to practice driving at some point. As long as we stay in the car we should be okay to do that. I can't schedule her driver's training anytime soon.
I am just glad to be at home. At boring as it is and as cooped up as I am, making the commute to go to campus would be far worse. We just moved all out summer classes to online so this is going to be the way of life for awhile.
Ti, your post made me smile - "staring at the open fridge" is relatable here. I'm glad u can be home with your family and sorry your son isn't able to be with you. Stay safe.
DeleteI think we are all in the same boat. Reading is hard....watching the news is depressing and hard to step away from. We have been socially distancing as well and are all at home except for my husband who is going to work every day. He does have his own office and there are only five or six other people there but it still makes me nervous. The days blend together, but I am hopeful that eventually we can return to "normal" even if it does look different than it did before.
ReplyDeleteTina, hoping we return to normal soon as well. Although I don't want a hot Spring, if it might kill the virus, I'm all in. Stay safe.
DeleteI have been surprised at how hard it is to concentrate for any length of time. Still reading, but in much shorter sessions because I realize my mind has gone elsewhere. The one thing that has helped in the last few days without rain has been the ability to get out and work in the garden. My husband goes to work, but he is the only one at his office, except for Belle, his office cat. I'm so glad he kept his office after retirement!
ReplyDeleteJenclair, yes, the outdoors does make me feel better as well. I guess I'm not alone with having trouble concentrating.
DeleteMy day hasn't changed all that much since we started homeschooling earlier this year other then my dining room is now my husband's office for the foreseeable future. We are still home schooling though the losing our co-op classes and library visits and other things has my son a little bit at loose ends which is keeping me from reading as much as I want to be doing!
ReplyDeleteVicki, I'm glad you have your family next door. I'm enjoying home delivery of groceries as well, and, just may continue afterward as well LOL Stay Safe Vicki.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, I miss my 2x/weekly library visits. Hope you and the family stay safe.
ReplyDeleteThe Mom and Dad miss going out to lunch and dinner too, carry out isn't quite the same for them, but we like it. Stay safe, healthy and virus-free.
ReplyDeleteBrian, I bet you and the other cats are enjoying the extra time with mom and dad.
DeleteLike you we're quite solitary so that is not a problem. But also like you I miss seeing my family regularly, it seems a particularly cruel aspect of this whole business. Keeping busy with books, jigsaws, knitting and so on, trying not to watch too much news as it's relentlessly depressing. Take cae.
ReplyDeleteCath, hang in there, it's all we can really do. Hoping our reunions with family and friends will be that much more precious.
DeleteHi Diane,
ReplyDeleteWe're being extra-cautious, too. Ken being older and having one of those underlying conditions means that I do errands, but only when absolutely necessary.
Thank goodness for Sandy, our golden who needs loads of walks and attention!
I wake up, (and although I'm sleeping 8 hours, I have been having nightmares about all kinds of things--wars, invasions, ridiculous stuff!), throw on clothes and walk the dog up and down hills a mile before my first cup of coffee.
Coffee with the New York Times digital.
Household chores.
A hearty breakfast then the big DOG WALKIE of the day.
More chores.
Then the best part! I "retire" for several hours each afternoon in my super-cozy places to read books, and also knit to soothing, calming cozy audiobooks. I'm reading a few thrillers and also a few crime novels as well. But my audiobooks are strictly cozy. I let the phone ring and don't answer. I let everyone know that I'm retreating into my safe space. And that's that until time for email at 5pm and a glass of wine. (or two).
Then dinner.
Still binge-watching Grace and Frankie.
Then bed.
And those damnable nightmares. Darn.
But I do love, love, love our governor Andrew Cuomo right now. As the New York Times said, "He's must-see television right now."
Oh, Diane, I forgot to add--You, too, take care of yourself!
DeleteJudith, I am having those bizarre dreams as well which make no sense. Being chased by a man with bulging eyes, purchasing greeting cards but, the envelopes don't fit the cards, buying shoes for my entire family which are way too big and not able to return them (I was looking at sneakers online for me LOL) Crazy stuff.
DeleteStay safe, I am happy your dog forces you outdoors. I like your no interuptions, cozy time idea.
I am doing my best to avoid most of the news. I skim the NYTimes each morning, but find that I just get stressed if I do much more. I am also having trouble concentrating on reading. We walk, watch 30 Rock, talk to each other and I work.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have been confined to home for a couple of weeks now at the insistence of our children who are concerned that we are part of the "vulnerable" population. Like you, we've both had follow-up doctor's appointments canceled by our clinic which is limiting appointments to emergencies or sick visits. Our younger daughter who lives about 30 minutes from us has been our lifeline for bringing in supplies and, of course, we depend a lot on UPS and FedEx. Staying at home is really no problem for me. I have my garden and all of the Nature that I share it with to entertain me, plus I have been reading quite a lot. Most recently The Mirror and the Light which I just finished. When I'm indoors, I listen to a lot of music - mostly the classical radio station. It is not an unpleasant existence, except that one is aware of all the suffering that is going on around us. Let's all do what we need to stay safe and to help "flatten the curve" and finally defeat this virus.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised at all that you are reading less even with all the supposed extra reading time added to your typical day. I've found the same for myself. I'm constantly, it seems constantly any way, wondering what I'm missing if the news is not on in the background. And, of course, that makes it impossible to concentrate on the book in front of me. I average 10 books a month normally, but I will be lucky to read more than 6 or 7 this month, first time that's happened in a few years.
ReplyDeleteWe are hunkered down here with our 17-year-old grandson who lives with us for the most part. He's busy with online schooling, but we are struggling not to let our situation get the best of us. I go out once a week to do a little scavenging based upon a list of needs we put together, and I come home put things away, etc. and get on with the next six days at home. One of my daughters is a school principal, so she's working at home exclusively, as is her husband. My other daughter is a school teacher but she's been working at Kroger for a couple of years to supplement her income, and she's still doing that. That does worry us a bit. My wife is one of those highly-at-risk people, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.
Let's hope we are getting close to peak cases and that this will all be over soon.
Stay well, friends.
The national disaster has reduced us all to virtually the same schedule: get up, worry, eat, worry, walk, read the news, eat, read the news, worry, worry, eat worry, go to bed, don't sleep. If there are kids at home -- do a few lessons with them. Worry.
ReplyDeleteBe Well! ... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I imagine it is hard to not be able to hug your family and spend time with them in person. I really wish my mom could have been with us, so I could have her close, but she seems to be doing okay at home. She has a strong support network and her friends have been looking out for her while she's been sick. How are your grandkids dealing with all of this? The teachers from my daughter's school put together a car parade and drove through the school's neighborhoods, waving to the children. It was really sweet.
ReplyDeleteI have not been able to concentrate much on reading either. Or blogging, for that matter. Most days I don't even open my personal computer. I get home from work and all I want to do is sit and cuddle with my daughter on the couch. I hope you and your family stay safe and well, Diane.
I am doing a combination of remote work, going into work, trading off homeschooling duties with my ex husband and wondering WTF I've gotten done at the end of the day when Im exhausted with nothing to show for it. I'm glad you're safe though.
ReplyDeleteI think too much news is a bad thing,especially before bedtime. We know what we have to do, we must self isolate if we want to get through this thing. Unfortunately here in Blighty the message has not yet got through to everybody, which means that the death toll will rise. Keep well and keep safe.
ReplyDeleteWe're doing (and not doing) pretty much all the same things as you are... interesting times for sure! Both daughters in NYC came here before things got really bad. Our house is full and I'm cooking more than reading. My only book time is a walk with an audiobook these days, but I'm hoping to get back to a more regular reading routine this week. Stay well!
ReplyDeleteLike you, my routine isn't all that different from normal retired life, but I do miss getting together with my girlfriends for mah jong, pickleball and yoga. We're doing a lot more FaceTime than ever before, which is a nice way to connect with friends and family. Thank goodness this didn't happen in the 80s (pre-Internet!). We aren't ordering any take-out food and I haven't been anywhere in over a week, other than my daily walks in the neighborhood. I am so grateful to live in such a beautiful place, even more so now than before. My concentration level is off, too. I usually only read for 20 minutes at night now. At least I'm caught up on my book reviews! :) I enjoyed reading about your typical day and may do a similar post (I did something like this, with pictures, several years ago and it was fun.) Your day is very much like ours, although we do not turn the tv on. All our news comes from trusted online news sources. I don't think my husband would enjoy hearing the news broadcasts and I don't need the additional anxiety. Take good care, Diane. xoxo
ReplyDeleteWe are in total lockdown/curfew mode which is rigidly enforced for which I am very happy because we have jokers here who like to roam the streets for no valid reason. Like you strangely reading is not as smooth as it should be, and though I have several clearing out cleaning out tasks on my list it also does not get done. I just seem to drift. This situation for us is on till the 11th of April so we have to just wait it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm not looking at stock numbers. Everything will rebound after this is over with. I keep remembering the 1920s.
ReplyDeleteI'm also trying to ignore the news. Watching the news constantly keeps me in a state of high anxiety, and that seems pointless.
The other day friends texted that they were driving past our house. They stopped on the other side of the street and we had a conversation from our porch. One of the highlights of my week!
Keeping you and your family in my thoughts, Diane.
Our typical day is much like yours. I give thanks every day that I am not home schooling kids. Somehow I got my reading super power back after the first week of staying home and I am on a roll. Because, you know, at least it is somewhere and somewhen else! Stay well. You are doing the right thing for all.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to attempt to comment a second time. I'm not sure where my first response went! :) Anyhow, as a retired couple, our lives haven't changed too much other than the obvious lack of social activities with friends. We spend more time reading online news (no tv news here for us - can't handle watching it!), working on puzzles, going for walks along the bluff, reading nonfiction (I can't concentrate on novels right now), watching Netflix series or others on Hulu and Acorn (currently watching Prime Suspect, which is a bit dated), and playing a variety of games. My husband isn't a fan, but he's a good sport and doesn't mind joining me and my mom, especially if it's during cocktail hour. :) We play Quiddler, Qwirkle, Chronology, and Trivial Pursuit. We're also using Facetime and Zoom quite a bit now; something I was not a fan of in the past, but it's wonderful to see our friends and families, if only on screen. Our two month road trip was cancelled, but that gives me time to finish posting all my pictures/notes from our previous trip. Always a silver lining. Be well and stay safe. xoxo
ReplyDeleteYes I guess most of us are all in similar boats ... staying home & trying to keep busy with work or home chores. I too miss doing errands, seeing friends & family, or traveling to do so ... but I'm willing to do what's asked to flatten the curve. I agree that pets help a lot -- my dog is getting me out on walks etc. Online exercise classes help and projects around the house. Hope you stay well.
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot of people/bloggers say that they've had trouble focusing long enough to read anything. I'm not having that problem at all - I read novels instead of the news. Other than reading and blogging, I sleep in, do household chores, hang with the kiddos, take walks, cross-stitch, bake, etc. I'm going to my physical therapy appointments, but that's it. Not very exciting.
ReplyDeleteTake care! Stay safe and healthy!
I'm right there with you on finding it hard to read. I'm obsessed with the news as well which is probably only making me more anxious. I am sure my husband is tired of me saying I wish we could go back to normal! Stay well!
ReplyDeleteMy days are similar to my pre-virus days. I love being at home, I love reading and seem to be able to read no matter what. But I do miss my reading groups because the members are among my best friends. One of them held a meeting on Zoom last night and it was so great! Another one of my groups has been texting back and forth since the beginning of the pandemic. Then I have so many family members to keep up with. Sometimes I feel busier than ever! Sometimes I am grateful because I feel less hurried. We will get through this!
ReplyDeleteFocus is hard. The news and social media need to be consumed because this is all so new and scary. This past week I have checked in with the news less and that has helped but sitting down to read a book is more difficult that you would have thought before all of this started.
ReplyDelete