Waving Hello!!!

Hello!

Zdravstvuyte!

Shalom!

Kanechiwa!

Hola!

Bonjour!

Hope you are doing well whereever you call home.

It's been awhile, but simply - I ran out of stuff to write about.

Life got pretty boring...

I can say that we got 62.3% of our To Do list done while we were sheltering at home.

Honestly, we will probably get to 69.8% with a few more things that I plan to get done in the next month or two. 

But - since it is starting to "open up" around us, I have some new #FridayFinds to post...

And - now that things have been delivered, I have some #CraftyTuesdays as well...

Hopefully soon.

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):

9,520,160 cases

   483,959 deaths

5,169,270 recovered

Namaste.

Life As I Know It...

So, I am still working from home...

I am still avoiding large crowds...

I am still unable to play pool or visit my magician...

But...

Hot tub has been set up...

Flower beds have been filled with rocks...

Friends have been able to play Euchre and Boulderdash (groups of 10 or less of course)...

Restaurant patios have opened...

Two birthdays were celebrated (many weeks late)...

And...

There is a quilt to finish...

There is another quilt to make (once nursery colors are picked)…

There are flowers to buy and plant...

And I am trying to stay busy and be productive.

Wish me luck.

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):

5,781,637 cases

   356,826 deaths

2,493,117 recovered

Namaste.

Hi!

So, I got busy with life... In quarantine...
Ok...So full transparency, I got caught up with being bored...

I haven't posted in awhile...
And there isn't much to post about...

I've made cards.
I've scrapbooked.
I've made quilts.
I've cleaned (but we've been quarantined so long, I need to do it again).

I also have to say goodbye to an amazing lady who was taken from us way too early for an unknown reason.  And in this COVID-19 environment, there can't be a public funeral.  And just let me say - that funeral would have been standing room only.  In fact, she was so loved - they may not have had a funeral home big enough for it in her town.

So now, I am just passing the time...
And reading some books...
And finishing some more quilts and scrapbooks...
And trying to forget what this weekend is.

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):

3,915,636 cases
270,683 deaths
1,341,059 recovered


Namaste.

Trying to Relax

Sitting by the fire...

Drinking a Moscow Mule...

Trying to chill-lax for awhile...

And then I remember...

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):

2,481,026 cases
170,423 deaths
646,675 recovered

Namaste.

Scrap booking Memories... (AKA Virus...Post 14)

I realized that my naming of "Virus...Post**" is getting old.
Before I know it, I could be up to Post 100 and that's just depressing.
So, I'm moving away from those names.
And honestly, I've been blogging about things other than the virus anyway.

I was working on scrap booking again today.
I am bound and determined to get as much done as I can this year...
With or without the Shelter at Home order!
When we move again, I'd rather move photo albums then lots of paper and stickers...
And as nice as it is to get the memories documented for the future...
Documenting those memories brings up lots of emotions: whether it be laughter, a smile a tear.

Tonight, it was tears.
I went through my mom's books and salvaged some of the pictures.
Some were destroyed by floods and some by the adhesive in the old photo albums.
I then redid parts of my albums to integrate the pictures that tugged on my heart that I didn't have.
And now, I sit here in tears still being overwhelmed with all of the emotions that I had from reliving some of the memories that I have of my mom and dad.

It is still unbelievable to me that over the course of three years, I lost both of my parents.
I guess in a sense - at 44, I became an orphan.
And though some of the memories should bring me happiness, it is still so raw that everything still makes me cry.
One of these days, I hope the memories are able to bring smiles instead of tears.

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):

2,248,891 cases
154,145 deaths
571,573 recovered

Namaste.

Virus...Post 13

It only took four weeks to get delivered, but I finally got my Shutterfly pictures.
That resulted in me finishing up my pre-2008 North American vacation pages.

I started to do a happy dance and then looked around my scrapbook room...
Mom's photo albums and some piles of pictures were just lying there...
So, I started making piles and now I have to check some albums to see if I already have these pictures or if I need to do some more pages.
SIGH

One of these days I'll get caught up on all of the scrapbooking.
Maybe while we are still Sheltering at Home.

As I was going through some papers, I also found an Amazon gift card.
No idea how old it is or where it came from, but I decided to see if it was still good.
Surprise, Surprise...
Glad I checked!

In the mean-time, I'll continue to enjoy the concerts on Facebook...
And try to stay centered in all of this craziness...
And dream of getting caught up on my scrapbooking.

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):

1,997,906 cases
126,600 deaths
478,557 recovered

Namaste.

Virus...Post 12

It's been an interesting time for you and for me...
Things are changes both at a micro and macro level...
And overall, I am okay with change (usually)...
I am trying to continue to be in the moment and just experience what life has to give...
But I am also trying to find different things to do to keep the boredom away...

I tried to read some self help books that I had piled up, but never had the time to read.
Yeah - I'm struggling with that one. Just not feeling those right now.

I've done some of my usual hobbies: I got quite a bit of scrap booking done and if my Shutterfly shipment ever arrives - I may get caught up completely.  I made some cards that are allowing me to reach out to some friends far and wide over the weeks.  I've been working on some quilts - some that were already planned and some that weren't.  I dusted off the blog to type my thoughts here a bit...  I've been enjoying our fire-pit and getting rid of shipping boxes that tend to pile up with our physical distancing.

I had stopped playing games on my phone awhile back to reduce the amount of time I spend on my phone or to use the time that I am on my phone in a better way (reading books, catching up with friends, etc).  But I regressed...  I downloaded a Euchre game. 
There aren't enough people in the house to play games and I was missing the interaction and people were talking a lot about Euchre. 
Not sure how long I'll keep it on my phone - don't really like the amount of time it is taking even though it is something different to do.

Those of you who know me, know that I absolutely love music. 
Back when I was single - going to concerts was a HUGE part of my social life.  I believe that the year before I met MBB, I had went to 13.  Unfortunately, that is not so much a part of my life anymore.
This break has been really nice to listen to artists playing their songs for those of us at home.  I believe that I have listened in on four over the last week or so. 
I'd listen to more if I could figure out when they were.

I am also a big fan of "To Do" lists.  I may have to step away from that a bit...
Sometimes, the lists give me anxiety if I don't get the things crossed off in a timely manner.
And as I am already getting too much anxiety from the virus situation, I need to stop looking at the ones that I have made...  I am on overload.

And speaking of overload...  A few days ago we lost 2,000 dear souls in the USA (and a big portion of those were in New York).  That makes my heart sad.  I try to focus on the recovered number, but our loses are getting high and the degrees of separation between us and those who we are losing is getting smaller and smaller. 

I don't say that I hope we get back to normal soon - because I don't think the old normal will ever return.  I think we will value friends, family, jobs and experiences way more than we used to. 
I think we were getting too complacent with the world the way it was. 
So, what I am going to say is that I pray that we find an end to this madness soon and the ability to find our new normal.

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):

1,780,271 cases
108,822 deaths
404,029 recovered

Namaste.

Virus...Post 11

We have entered our 4th week of this quarantine. 

I've lost track of when it switched from self quarantine to shelter at home order, but that didn't change how we were living anyway.  

I am hopeful that we are half way through this experience and that the end of April will start us back to a road of socializing. Though I have enjoyed working from home (more than I thought I would). 

Crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath. 

We've worked on a few projects and I am hoping to ramp that up a bit in the coming weeks. I'd love to seriously destroy the To Do list so that we can just enjoy life when we can get physically close to people again. 

We have continued with our 2020 plan to cook more.... but we also try to support some local restaurants during this "no dine-in" time (and we found some new places to eat):

Grubhub/DoorDash - Tekela, Piada Italian Food, El Vaquero, Shawmaholic

Pick-up - Rosie's, Handel's, Mr. G's 

Delivery - Jets

We have been enjoying the nice weather for some bike rides and working in the yard; however, mother nature decided that a 30 degree temperature swing (down) was appropriate today... So we might be transitioning back to indoor projects this week. 

I have tried to minimize my exposure to the news for my own sanity... If it was posted on Facebook, then I might have been exposed to it.  

The one thing that had kept me sane is watching Italy's numbers. I have hope that they are over their peak and are trending toward the end of this craziness. My heart still hurts when I see the deaths each day, but the numbers are slowly decreasing there. 

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):

1,604,132 cases
95,732 deaths
356,656 recovered

Namaste.

Virus...Post 10

Another weekend in quarantine...
Another few things checked off of the To Do list...

Hopefully, the grass seed takes...
I will probably burn through our wood supply quicker than normally as sitting in the swingzeebo is the highlight of my entertainment right now.

There doesn't appear to be any end in sight...
And for someone like me, who doesn't like watching TV, this is getting to be harder and harder.

STATS as of now (worldometers.info):
1,270,756 cases
69,376 deaths
261,210 recovered

Namaste.

Virus...Post 9

In the midst of this craziness, there are some times that you have to do things differently.
We are trying to celebrate a friend in a different way...
I'll share more on that later (after it's done)...
But that made me have to make a run to Walmart yesterday...
And I was able to get the food items that Kroger Click List never seems to have...

I was the only one who went from our household...

I took in a chlorox wipe with me to be safe...
I had a list of what we needed and went straight to those items and nowhere else...

Full transparancy:
I did get plant food which may seem frivolous to some - but it is to save my dad's plant (from his funeral).  Without it, the plant would not have made it through this - so yes, it was essential for me.
And if I hadn't gone "nowhere else", I could have eliminated the liquor store from my next stop...

Throughout the entire time I was in the store, I got just a little miffed...

Why...
Just Why...
Please tell me why do you need to take your ENTIRE family to the store?
(by entire - I mean five to seven people)

Now, I get it - if you are a single parent who has no one to watch the little ones, you may not have any choice (though call a friend - if they are like me, they'll get the stuff for you)...
But if there are multiple adults and teenagers - there is NO REASON why you all had to come.
(This was not just one family... I saw about five or six different families in this situation.)

AND THERE IS NO REASON WHY YOUR CHILDREN ARE ROAMING THE STORE BY THEMSELVES!

I'm not irritated or anything...

People - Please be smart... Please don't take kids out... Please don't have a party in the story...

Why you ask...
Well, keep reading...

STATS as of today (worldometers.info):
1,012,191 cases
53,180 deaths
212,036 recovered

Namaste.

Virus...Post 8

Still self quarantined (Day #14 me / #17 MBB) (full transparency... we did make one trip for housing supplies - but kept the 6 ft!)...

Still working from home (Day #9)...

Still climbing walls, though most are clean...

Still doing our part for the safety of all...

Bike rides (1 in rain, 1 in wind) ...

Click list orders taking 4 days...

Remodeling projects getting stuck...

Digital scrapbooks making progress...

Deliveries (remodeling supplies, photos) not priority (and rightly so)...

Record setting # of click list order modifications...

Stay home...

Stay safe...

Stay in touch...

STATS as of today (worldometers.info):
785,686 cases
37,811 deaths
165,585 recovered

Namaste.

Virus...Post 7

Another day and another small room got the "spring clean" treatment... Today: Utility Bathroom!

I keep putting off the kitchen and the main section of the living room as THEY WILL NOT BE FUN!

It was so nice outside (hard to believe we just had snow a few days ago) that we went on a bike ride.
I tried out my new biker shorts (under my jeans) and they did help a bit, but not near what I was hoping!  It was a nice ride...
We saw (from a distance) walkers, bikers, someone attempting in-line skates and a couple of girls on a mo-ped.  We all did pretty good to adjust paths to keep a distance and it was a really nice break from the house.

I finished up another scrapbook - 2014 is done! 
I have one more digital to do (2015) to be caught up for the 2008 - current time frame. 
I also just order some prints from Shutterfly to finish up the pre-2008 North American vacations book. Wish me luck!

I did look at the ole retirement fund. 
It was bad...
Not as bad as I thought it would be...
But it was bad...

Here's to another day of healing and prosperity for everyone!
I'm ready to put this virus behind us...

STATS as of today (worldometers.info):
468,905 cases
21,200 deaths
114,218 recovered

Namaste.

Virus... Post 6

As of midnight last night, both Michigan and Ohio are now "shelter in place" or "stay home" mandated.  Not really much different than what we were - except now it is required.

The big difference for us is that we cannot just go drive around anymore to get out of the house.
Well, we could.... BUT...

Essential workers are still out there - which is honestly, a pretty big list.
And we are blessed to be able to continue working from home during this time.

We utilized DoorDash tonight to give me a break in the kitchen and to support a local restaurant.  Delivery of food is still essential.  :)  And the delivery guy was very careful to open the bag and have me pull the food out.  It appeared that is how the food was put in (by the restaurant) and he didn't touch it AT ALL.  I was still careful and sprayed down the bag and washed my hands...

I was able to get new cutting blades from Amazon (prime delivery was five days - still worth it!), so I will be quilting again in the VERY near future.  We are also lined up to work on a few home projects this weekend... We'll see how that plan goes.

STATS as of today (worldometers.info):
421,413 cases
18,810 deaths
108,388 recovered

Namaste.

Virus... Post 5

So, Ohio has declared "shelter in place" starting tomorrow.
If Michigan follows suit, as they normally do, it is coming quickly this week.

I think we'll be taking another drive tonight since it will be our last chance for awhile.
For an extrovert like me, this not being able to see people is driving me crazy. It is even starting to get to my introvert husband.

I'm debating where we will be ordering dinner from tomorrow.
We have had Jet's delivered (the delivery guy wore gloves!) and we used Grub Hub to get take out from Tekela last week (no contact delivery rocks!).

I tried to get some quilts done, but my blade is too dull.
I am now waiting for my Prime 2-day delivery to arrive in the next week to get new ones.

STATS as of today (worldometers.info):
335,403 cases
14,611 deaths
97,636 recovered

Namaste.

Virus...Post 4

I have been trying to "spring clean" one small area of the house each day...
Other than the ceiling fan in the dining room - I've been doing pretty good.
I'll figure out to reach it without moving the table...

We are very quickly bored out of our minds!  So, we have been driving around town just to get out of the house - not coming in contact with anyone, but getting a change in scenery. 

I've ordered a few things off of Amazon and we are spraying the cardboard boxes with alcohol to make sure that we aren't bringing the virus in the house:

I am getting some digital scrap-booking done, so that yearly goal is way on track!  2012 and 2013 are now done!  Trying to get 2014 done, but to be honest - I am a little scrap-booked out!


Namaste.

The Virus... Post 3

Things are changing daily with this virus...
I am no longer taking PTO, but I am now working from home every day. 

Schools are closing all over the place...
More and more states are calling for social distancing and closing sit down dining...

Ohio is quick to take action and Michigan is usually one day behind.


Namaste.

The Virus...Post 2

MBB has not left the house since Friday night and I have now begun my self-quarantine now that I am home from the office.  My click list was cancelled, so I stopped by the grocery on my way home to make sure that we have some food for the next week.

The plan is for me to work remotely from home every other day and I'll be taking PTO on the other days.  My work office is taking steps to implement social distancing; however, there are a few who are not making choices that align with our wishes, so I am taking myself out of the environment.

In the end, whether they come north or not, our house must be a safe place for our grand babies... Just in case.

Ohio has shut down restaurants and bars... So we will try to balance home cooking with delivery or Grub Hub / Door Dash to help support as many businesses as possible.

My goal to reduce restaurant spending is going to take a break while we get through this craziness...


Namaste.

The Virus...Post 1

With all of the craziness that has invaded the world, I forgot about blogging...

And this is a time when I should be trying to document stuff for my memory, if nothing else.

So, I am going to put up a few short posts just to document our timeline.

This evening, we found out that the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in Lucas County, Ohio... Which is just a couple miles from where we live.

We decided that we needed to go into self-quarantine as much as possible in case our KY family decided to head north.  We have one grandson who is immune-compromised and the other two recently sick from the flu.  It is vital that we are not carriers of the virus and are unaware.

I still have to go to work on Monday to figure out that situation, but I am not planning on being in an office with other people who are not taking this seriously!


Namaste.