Hanging Out with My Grands During the Covid 19

A Letter to My Grandchildren

A Typical Day at Home during the “Stay at Home” Covid 19

I’m going to go through what would be a typical day during these days of Covid 19 so that I can remember when it’s all over, and so that you, my grandchildren,  and perhaps my great grands will know what it has been like.

I still like to get up at about the same time each day 7:00 to 8:30 depending upon when I when to bed.

Feed Maggie, take meds, let Maggie out, put in “ears” (hearing aids), drops in eye, get dressed.

Eat breakfast usually cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt or sometimes toast with peanut butter or guacamole

Run dishwasher (if full), wash clothes (if needed), straighten up kitchen, plug-in cell phone to charge it

Think about what I’ll prepare for dinner (lunch is just yogurt, or a sandwich, or soup, or something light) Sometimes this involves my checking to see what’s in the pantry and freezer and what needs to be used first.  Prepare anything that needs to be done in advance.

Check my email, answer mail, make telephone calls to family, especially my sister, and friends (I try to call PJ every other day) By this time it will be at least 10:30 or 11:00.

Work on some indoor or outdoor projects depending on weather and my inclinations for the day.  I much prefer doing something outside.  Weed my garden, trim shrubbery, sweep off patios, Because I have lymphedema in my left arm (breast cancer in 1990) I am not supposed to do heavy yard work and I have a yardman that comes about once a month.  Indoor projects will be housecleaning chores.  I miss Bea our wonderful person who kept our house immaculate. (Bea retired before this Covid 19 arrived, and my friend Boguska had been helping me with cleaning occasionally. I am in need of a regular cleaning service and that is one of the first things I shall do when this is all over.) Sometimes I get a real inspiration and tackle cleaning out a closet or straightening the pantry or the freezer, and of course, eventually, the fridge has to be cleaned. I have discovered that I really detest housework, except cooking.

I read what little there is in the N & O and then do some reading in general.  I find that I am now reading the New Yorker each week from cover to cover, and I usually have a book in progress that I am reading. I am currently rereading E.O. Wilson’s book Naturalist, his autobiography. Wilson was a friend of Dan’s when they both served on NSF panels in Washington. I remember Dan telling me about a joke that Wilson once told.  “A man is traveling and at the airport, he sees a hole in the wall with a sign that says ‘Your wife away from home’ The man decides to try it out, and ouch he gets a button sewn on his penis.”  Did I just share this joke? Why yes I did. Blush, blush.

Then I also do some writing either in the morning or in the afternoon.  Right now I am writing in the morning and it is 11:00.  Since I started writing letters to you, that keeps me doing something that I enjoy, in fact, writing you is really getting me through this cabin fever.  It’s fun for me to have to think hard and jog my memory about things.  There are certain things that have stuck in my mind for years, thankfully I can recall most of them. I am lucky that way and am glad that I have an opportunity to get some of them in print before I become demented.

Lunch will be something light between 12:00 and 2:00. 

I usually have a cup of hot tea either midmorning or early afternoon.  Dan introduced me to drinking hot tea, and I can have my tea and remember him.  It sure would be wonderful to have Dan with me during these days though.  I wonder if we would have begun bickering if we were cooped up together for days and days?  Maybe a little, but I’m sure not for long.

The afternoon consists of chores, doing my exercise, reading, or writing or sometimes playing WWF although I’ve taken a break from that for a while.  Maybe calling friends. I always take Maggie for a walk in the afternoon unless the weather is very bad, and she goes in and out during the day to play in the fenced backyard. By 4:00 I start getting things ready for supper, by 6:00 I will have supper ready.  These days I eat while I watch Judy Woodruff on PBS news for an hour.  This is the only news I try to watch or hear.  The news is so disheartening!!

 During the week Patrick comes over at 7:00 and we watch Jeopardy together and we play along.  He usually beats me because he is so well-read and he watches a lot of the History Channel, and he has a much better memory and is faster off the mark in answering that I am.  He is really good.  I told him he should take the test to try to get on Jeopardy himself, but he would be too shy to go. Interestingly I never was fond of Jeopardy until this “stay at home.” Then we may watch something else if there is something worthwhile like Vivian Howard.

I usually spend an hour or two in the evenings paying bills, updating my Quicken accounts, and trying to get my study in order.  My study is definitely not in order right now.  Maybe more reading or more writing or more calling friends.  Oh, I forgot, I do spend time on Facebook (too much time) and Instagram and usually take some photos of whatever during the day. 

Shower and bedtime between 10:00 and 12:00.  If 10:00 I usually have time to read in bed or sometimes I do watch Brian Williams from 11:00 to 12:00. 

This is kind of a stream of consciousness (I think. Omg that makes me think of James Joyce and Ulysses which I could never finish.  I should get that out and try again) or just what was going through my mind this morning.

Love you, GrandPat xoxoxo

April 15, 2020 (And I have already sent in my income taxes. Yeah.)