Thursday, May 28, 2020

RHYS THOUGHTS ON ISOLATION

RHYS BOWEN : How many weeks of isolation is it now? Since March 10 for us. Two and a half months. I expect you are getting as tired of it as I am. I really miss the freedom to go out when I feel like it, even if it’s just into Walgreens for a new lipstick. I really miss meeting friends for lunch. Actually I really miss eating out. I’m in Arizona that has now opened up again (unwisely in my opinion) but I don’t intend to eat in a restaurant until my doctor friends tell me that they are doing so!



The weather has now become uncomfortably hot so that outdoor activities have to be limited to early morning or late evening, unless I’m invited to swim in my daughter’s pool—which is a welcome break a couple of times a week. We’ve even dared to eat dinner at her house, sitting outside at a separate table at suitable distance. It felt wonderful.


I know I have little to whine about. I am in a really nice house in beautiful surroundings. We are in a little private community surrounded by mountains. There are palm trees and flowering shrubs everywhere. But I find that life is a constant battle against boredom. I’ve finished and sent off my latest book. I’ve sent out my newsletter. I’ve done endless interviews, podcasts, Zoom bookclub meetings. But the days seem awfully long. We have to take our morning walk before eight or it is unbearably hot. And it’s also too hot to walk before about eight thirty at night. By day I clean the kitchen at least three times.  I answer emails, plot future books, read, play my new keyboard, do some drawing and challenge the computer to Scrabble.

This latter has become a source of pride. I’ve dubbed my computer opponent Ivan since he’s terrible and I’m sure he’s Russian AND he cheats (and yes, I’m sure he’s male too). He seems to give himself the X, Q and Z all too often and if he gives me the Q it’s at the end of the game with no U to go with it!  And he comes up with words that I’m sure are not part of any English dictionary. Yesterday he had grrrl. Now that is not a word! And things like enigbo or swazoodle. (I’m making those up but some are equally ridiculous) But then he denies me perfectly good words that I’m sure must be in any dictionary. He wouldn’t let me have Zen or mitt or even fart the other day. Or even Jew. And yet he had opa and longer, unpronounceable words. I should have written some down except they annoyed me so much. But he doesn’t care if I shout at him. Or accuse him of cheating. He has become my nemesis (and I bet he wouldn’t allow me that word either!). 

However, recently I have begun to beat him. At least once a day. I can’t tell you what satisfaction that gives me. He retaliates, of course. He gives me IIIIEET for my opening letters and himself VOXESTY. I tell him I know he cheats. But it’s all the sweeter when I beat him!

Do you think I’ve finally become unhinged? Have I turned into the equivalent of those prisoners who befriend cockroaches? Or the birdman of Alcatraz? Or inmates of an asylum who chat with Napoleon?

On a more serious note, I find myself thinking about those who have endured real separation and loneliness. Nelson Mandela, for example. Twenty seven years in an island prison and yet he emerged without bitterness, not desiring revenge. That is true greatness.

And what about those women who were part of the Westward movement? Who marched behind covered wagons until they built lonely sod houses. For months on end their world was husband, children and endless prairie. No shops. No TV, probably not even any books except the Bible. And the awful knowledge that if their husband or children injured themselves there was no doctor within reach. That took real strength of character, didn’t it?  And even my mother, saying goodbye to a new husband when she was pregnant with me as he was sent off to North Africa and wouldn’t return for three years. Those women in WWII had to be tough too. They had rationing and the threat of bombing every night and yet they got through it.

So I won’t complain about boredom or not seeing friends. We have the luxury of TV and the internet and the phone. I can Zoom with family and friends. I can binge my way through Britbox. I have one job at the moment and it is to survive. I can get through it. So can we all.

79 comments:

  1. I agree . . . being isolated is difficult. Frustrating. Annoying.

    Since I cannot go to work, I have lots of time to read. But when I get too antsy, I need to do something so I try out new recipes and I bake. Bread. Cake. Cookies. Brownies. I discovered the chive blossoms in the corner of the herb garden are edible [and good in biscuits].

    But I miss going out when I want to run to the store or visit the folks down the street; I miss going to church. However, we are all well, so it feels disrespectful to complain about it . . . . I’m just going to read another chapter in my book . . . .

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    1. I miss going to my church, too, Joan. I do like our Sunday Morning Prayer service on Zoom, though - I get to see the faces of my community, but I don't have to get dressed up, put on makeup, and drive a half hour into Portland!

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    3. It's the same for me, Julia, but Zoom church doesn't feel quite like actually being in the sanctuary with my church family, so I’m looking forward to getting back . . . .

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    4. How neurotic is this? I can barely contain my excitement. Tomorrow morning, 10am, I drive to the nearby Safeway, call the designated phone number, and someone delivers groceries to the trunk of my car. Do you think anyone would notice if I shoved that person in with the groceries and took him/her home for a visit? Probably not a great idea. But living alone, working/eating/sleeping alone, I've become quite a conversationalist...with myself. A blow to the ego to discover that I'm not all that interesting...

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  2. Computers cheat as Scrabble. I am with you 100% on that. It's a conspiracy!

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  3. As you say, Rhys, there are many who have gone before us and many even now who are enduring real separation and sacrifice, so any petty grievances I have are just that. I have enough books to last years, lots of television and streaming choices, and I have spent lots of time cooking and baking. I have a word game I play on my phone. I have a jigsaw puzzle of the Van Gogh bedroom painting that my ten-year-old granddaughter and I are working on (she hasn't been here much, but when my daughter was helping with my MIL, they were here some). I work on the puzzle a little, but I don't mind it taking a year to finish, as I wait on granddaughter to help (she's very good at it). I'm enjoying watching our birds we feed and the little Phoebe bird out front with her nest on the porch light. She feeds her babies, and I can see them sticking their little beaks up out of the nest. I don't go out the front door now, as I don't want to disturb them, but I sneak a look by going around from the back.

    My husband is staying at his mother's four nights a week, but I'm okay with that, as we tend not to get on each other's nerves with a little separation. Rhys, I watched Dominic's video today on having time to yourself when you're in isolation with another, and I had to laugh when he said, "I can't miss you if you don't leave." My husband and I have jokingly said that to one another for years. Your son's videos are wonderful.

    I do miss going out to eat some, and I wish I'd gotten to finish out the Broadway shows series with my friend Jan at our local performing arts center. My husband and I had just started going back to the movies with a newly built theater that has the reclining seats, so that was put on hold. I so want to go see my son and visit my hometown and family and friends there. But, these are all things that will come around again, and I have great chats on the phone with my son and talk to my friends, too. I now have to make the decision if I'm going to get my hair done next week. I have to let my beautician know about an appointment tomorrow if I want to come in next week. I just don't know if it's worth going in, even with the safety precautions they're taking. I'm not really concerned about how my hair looks right now. I intend to limit my activities in the foreseeable future, just like I've been doing for the last two and a half months.

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    1. Kathy, space is so key (and I'm enjoying Dominic's videos as well!) I've been saying the reason we're doing okay here is because my old farmhouse is a) large and b) chopped up into multiple rooms, so we can scatter and not see (or hear) each other for hours on end.

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  4. Yes, isolation can be hard on us since we normally had the freedom to go out, meet people and do things together. Every day seems like BLURDAY (saw that word used by a news reporter).

    And I do sympathize about the heat, Rhys. It seems we have gone from wearing fleece to a heat wave in a matter of days. We were the hottest spot in Canada for the second day in a row...35C (95F) with a humidex of 40C (104F) is too much heat too soon!

    Our walking group is starting to do group hikes, physically distant with no more than 5 people (max allowed in Ontario). It is great to be walking and talking with friends but yesterday's hike from 8:30-10:30 made me a hot, sweaty mess!

    I participated in two virtual events last night: the penultimate Noir at the Bar Boston edition. Karen Dionne's new book, The Wicked Sister (coming out in August) was chilling and she did an amazing read. And I also cheered on Cynthia Kuhn and Nora Page at their FB launch party. So I am having fun and connecting with friends however I can.

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    1. That's great about being able to do group hikes even with the social distancing.

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    2. It is a little odd but hopefully they will increase the number of people allowed on an outdoor outing with us properly spaced apart. We are limited to 5 people in Ontario but 10 people can get together across the river in Quebec.

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    3. I’m so looking forward to walking with friends again when we get back to California

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  5. Mitt is a word! What does Ivan think an oven mitt is, anyway?

    Yes, it's getting old, very old. I love Blurday, Grace. I recently said out loud (to myself), "You expect me to know what day it is?"

    And there are blessings, too. Yesterday evening we were sitting on our deck and saw two friends walking by. We hailed them and the four of us stood ten feet apart on the driveway catching up - it felt wonderful to see them in person! And nobody in my close contacts (family, local friends) has gotten sick, which is very much a blessing. We can be as strong as those pioneer women, those mothers in wartime, and especially all the brave health workers right now. We'll get through this.

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  6. We’ve moved from Key West to Connecticut in the last couple weeks, which has actually been fairly stressful. Nothing about traveling is relaxing though we were super careful and I think we are going to be fine. And we are in the same group as the rest of you, all well so not feeling like we need to complain too much. But I too miss normal life! Miss having friends over to dinner and planning a visit to see our kids. Kathy, I’ve pretty much given up on the idea of getting my hair attended to until we reach vaccination day!

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    1. My hair person called and said she's open again. I asked about precautions, imagining she might describe plexiglass and stuff. She said there could be ten people in the room and they would stay six feet apart where possible. I told her to go ahead and help all the desperate ones and I'd call when I was ready. Like, in a year!

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    2. Lucy, did you fly or drive from Key West, Florida to Connecticut?

      Diana

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    3. I miss the planning so much too, Lucy. I need to look forward to something

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  7. Rhys, I'm impressed that you've accomplished so much. It's also good to know you and John are healthy and safe, even if you are bored.

    Since I've been unwell about half of the last ten weeks I've spent far too much time sleeping, but also have done a lot of reading. One of the best aspects of our isolation is that we have started to seamlessly collaborate on dinners. One of us gets an idea, and the other elaborates on it, and we each contribute something. I like this a whole lot better than me making all the decisions, and cooking the entire meal. I hope we can keep this up going forward.

    Talked to a friend yesterday who had knee surgery in February, and who had to stop her physical therapy about four weeks too soon. She was given the exercises and a schedule, but with all the dire warnings she got very lax about doing them. Now she can't straighten her leg, and the PT that has resumed is way worse than it should have been. Her motivation just wasn't there, thanks to her fears. I totally get that. Staying positive is taking as much energy as fighting with a computer over real words.

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    1. Karen, I hope you fell a hundred percent soon. I'm so unmotivated to take care of myself (except for my daily walks) my weight is creeping up. And when you're all of five feet tall, it has an impact!

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    2. Collaborations in all decisions sounds good, Karen. Hope your fatigue and cough eventually goes away.

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    3. Karen, your strange sickness must be so worrying. I know you tested negative. I wonder if the test was not accurate. I hope you are on the mend now

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    4. Karen, ditto what Rhys said. And I feel for you friend. I had knee surgery on February 5th, and was on my 5th week of six weeks PT when we went into lockdown. I was fortunate to have been that far along, but I have to admit I haven't kept up well with my exercises either. But I am back to walking my dogs every day, so that is huge improvement!

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    5. Edith: Five feet tall? That's amazing to learn, as I have been seeing you as a towering six-foot woman in my mind -- from your picture and the sense I get from your contributions here on JRW.

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    6. Rhys, only the chest x-ray was negative. I was finally able to take a Covid-19 test yesterday, but I don't expect anything but a negative result.

      Debs, I'm glad to hear you're doing that well. My friend's surgery was at the end of February, so she had not gotten much therapy in before they closed down, and she says it's very difficult to make herself work to the point of pain without someone pushing her.

      Edith, I know you, and I'm surprised to know you're topping out at five feet! You have a much bigger presence than that in person, just so you know.

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    7. Can you friend have home PT let MD orders. She would need to be comfortable with someone else in her home. Our staff are using huge amounts of PPE for each home visit.

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    8. Amanda and Karen, you are darlings. I topped out at 5'1 1/2", but now have slipped below 5'1"! Towering only in determination, perhaps, and overassertiveness, as we short ones must.

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  8. Science has proven that human beings are social creatures. We are not supposed to live in isolation.

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    1. Liz, I think that's the drag. I feel like I've been constantly busy - with the book launch, lots of social media, finishing up the semester, etc. etc. but it's so exhausting doing everything - work, friends, church - on a screen. It shouldn't be, but it is. However, given all that, I'm still grateful I have the ability to earn my living safely at home. My young friends working in grocery stores have their own different stresses, and I wouldn't trade for them.

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    2. Julia, precisely. I've been busy (my job is "critical" so no fear of unemployment for me), but seeing everybody on screen has it's own stress. I mean, I'm glad the technology exists, but having critique on Zoom is not the same.

      By the way, I am just about finished with I SHALL NOT WANT - I am loving these books.

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  9. Rhys, I play Scrabble in French. I have a Scrabble dictionary to check what words are accepted. Grrr is an interjection that evokes a dog's growling and is accepted .

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    1. This was grrrl as in girl, I suppose
      But if grrr is accepted why is ew not? It’s what my grandchildren say at something disgusting

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    2. Rhys, "grrl" is an alternate spelling of girl that, I think, comes out of the feminist punk music movement, e.g. Riot Grrl. I'm going to guess it's been added to some official Scrabble dictionary? But why not accept mitt and fart? I can't imagine.

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  10. The yard work never ends, and now we have a three foot black snake hanging around terrorizing the dogs. I read the last book in the stack I checked out of the library the second week of March, and, today, I received an email that the library holds curbside pickup is functioning! I'll wait till have a bagful of books and DVD's and make a pickup appointment.

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    1. That's awesome new, Margaret! Still no word on when our libraries will be open for curbside - I envy you.

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    2. I can’t understand why libraries remain closed. It’s not as if they are crowded. And they attract sensible people who would wear masks

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    3. Our public libraries have been closed since March 15 but I just heard they will only open 6 main locations (out of 40) on June 15 for curbside pickup of long-held holds. I have 3 holds that have been "ready for pick-up" since mid-March. My main library branch is very busy since it is the only one in the downtown. Frankly, it is also a place where homeless people congregate daily and especially on very cold/hot days. Physical distancing would be a problem at our library branch at the best of times.

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    4. Rhys, I beg to differ on crowded libraries. Around here they are indeed crowded: computer labs, lots of book browsers, classes, meetings, and, unfortunately, the day time refuge for the homeless because there is no where else to be inside and sheltered from the weather and roughness of the streets. So, libraries remain closed.

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  11. Oh Rhys, just reading your essay was so inspiring—and you do make me laugh. Yes, in the scheme of the universe, we are lucky. And we have to go from there.
    Have you googled scrabble cheating to see if it’s a thing?

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    1. I quit playing Words with Friends out of frustration with the game's pitifully small allowable vocabulary. It's no fun to get a great word score, only to have the game reject a real word as unacceptable.

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  12. I don't play Scrabble with the computer, but I have an unscramble game on my phone that is just as obnoxious. It won't accept perfectly good words like "consul" or "fart" (maybe that's a prudishness factor common to these games?), but it comes up with obscure three-letter words all to do with physics, about which I know less than nothing. (Also it refuses every French, German, or Spanish word I try. Humph.)

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  14. I play Scrabble and Words With Friends, but only with live opponents. If anyone wants a game, friend me on Facebook and send an invitation. Debs, I am now regularly beating Kate. This is after two years of her handing me my hat! It can be done.

    Yesterday we had a couple of friends over, sat out in the front garden about ten feet apart, and it was a BYOB and snacks, so no direct contact at all. It was frabjous. This is the second time we've done this, and I've found a benefit to sheltering in place -- you don't have to clean house!

    Penny Lane went from lap to lap but mostly stayed on mine. We waved and spoke to passing neighbors, drank a couple of bottles of wine, and a good time was had by all.



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    1. I do play Word Chums (similar to Word with Friends), but prefer word search games I can do alone such as Wordscapes or WordCrush. Successfully finishing 2-3 games each day is good enough. The comments about computers cheating in Scrabble makes me less inclined to try.

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    2. Ann, Kate and Marcia Talley are fierce on WWF!! I applaud you!!!

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  15. Rhys, I suspect your Scrabble program was written by a Russian! LOL. Maybe you should try a different scrabble app. Do you like crosswords?

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    1. I do. But my brain does not do so well on US crosswords

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    2. the American spelling of words are different from the Queen's English.

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  16. I am not bored. But I confess, that I do not try to go places, like the reservoir for a walk, because I think that the parking lot will be filled by the time I'm ready to go. No place to park, no walking the trails. SO, I haven't been doing some things that I know would lift my spirits and that is my own fault. However, I am busy and always have something to do. Like Joan, I am baking, unlike Karen, I am still the chief cook and bottle washer!

    I often do think about people who suffered much worst than we do. In fact, my husband and I are darn lucky. We are healthy, have food, water, tp, a place to live, money for bills and many things we can do here. We love each other. So, not complaining.

    Rhys, thank you for telling us all about Ivan the terrible. (LOL) Too bad that all of your books are set 70 years before this Ivan because he would make a great character. Maybe you can lend him to Hank for one of her books, since she lent you her bird-on-the-head for Georgie.

    Grace, it didn't get quite as hot here, but the change in weather has me flipping my closet to spring and summer stuff, and storing away the L.L. Bean down coats and most heavy sweaters.

    One of the biggest adjustments is sharing the computer with Irwin. He plays bridge on it 3-4 times a week for several hours at a time and I have made an effort to be gracious about it. During those times, I try to do something that I really want to or need to do. That helps a lot.

    Roberta, welcome back. Pretty soon there should be some nice June weather to make you happy that you made the trip north. Our state is slowly opening, but everyone is being cautious. We certainly are. I will go to my hairdresser sometime in June, I think. But right now, I can live with the amount of gray coming in.

    Stay safe and healthy everyone.

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    1. The weather is supposed to be 10 degrees cooler today, Judy. So a high of 86F (30C) with a humidex of 95F (34C). Our heat waves usually only last 3-4 days. And then we go below normal on the weekend with a high of 60F (15C) on Saturday and Sunday! So confusing what to wear and do this week!

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    2. Grace, your stretch of Canada sounds like what we've been having hear in Maine (fair, since in a logical world, we'd be a part of Canada right now.) 90F (32C) yesterday, 85 (29) today, but by Monday the high is only going to get to 67 (19) which is far more normal.

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    3. Yes, Julia, we are being affected by the same heat wave stretching from Ontario, Quebec and part of the Maritimes so Maine would be under the same hot air mass today and then cooling off on the weekend.

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    4. Gosh. I didn’t realize you were having a heatwave too. Last time I checked you had snow!

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    5. We are having a heat wave here in the SF Bay Area this week, though today seems to be cooler. It was in the 80s and high 70s yesterday and the day before.

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    6. Rhys, yes we have gone quickly from sleet/wet snow two weeks ago to a record heat wave in ON. Fortunately, the heat waves usually last only 3-4 days. I could not live in AZ now, or in the summer.

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  17. Yes to everyone in my circle of family and friends healthy--although the longer this goes on, the more nervous I get--we have a large family. With the heat wave and all the rain, it looks like mid-July outside--so green and bright bursts of blooms everywhere you look, but too hot and humid to get much work done unless it's early or late in the day. My guys are plotting outdoor spaces: 'Wouldn't a bench and a fountain be nice here?' or 'Let's lay a path here and put a seat at the end of it.'

    I get through each day but there are moments--yesterday, after running an errand, I caught the end of Governor DeWine's daily briefing on the car radio. At the end, he played a clip of a favorite bluegrass band playing a song about Ohio. That familiar music from my childhood, that homely touch at the end of the coronavirus update--I was sitting in the car in the garage by this time, sobbing. But I bucked up, wiped my face, and with my dark glasses on, went inside and no one was the wiser. We'll get through this--we are strong, too, I think, in ways our mothers and grandmothers had to be--I think it is harder to do what we must now because it is all too easy to be lulled into a sense of complacency. Y'all stay cool and stay safe! And, Karen in Ohio, hope you feel better!

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    1. I’ve been watching a house hunting show from England every day And close to tears!

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    2. Rhys, I'm reading the Evening Standard every day and keep up with my friends in England. Knowing that I can't go to England for the foreseeable future is really hard.

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    3. Such sadness for me that our trip to England in July had to be postponed. When our grandchildren turn 10 we take them for a week. So far we've done trips with four of the grands and it's been such fun. So the two who were eligible this year will have to wait until 2021!

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  18. Rhys, thanks for a great post! We started isolation after I returned home from LCC in San Diego on March 12 - except for rare excursions to the grocery shop. We are having a heat wave this week in northern California. An author friend (Ellie Alexander - the Bakeshop mysteries) is writing a story and she invited us all to contribute ideas and we all are writing "together". We vote on the choices in the polls and the winning idea got the most votes. This is so fun! So far our family and friends are hanging in there!

    How are we dealing with isolation? Binge watching THE GOOD KARMA HOSPITAL on Acorn TV and watching different programmes on Britbox. I have been catching up on my NetGalley readings and writing reviews. I still have a lot of work to do - the big project of decluttering. I am participating in several book clubs online. I am baking and cooking. Taking walks when the weather is cool. Exercising with Bar Method via Zoom.

    Shocked that some people are not wearing masks. I always wear a mask, even though I am NOT exhibiting symptoms. I am aware that the virus can still be passed on by someone who does NOT seem to have the virus. The plastic gloves keep on tearing in the hot weather! We have been washing our hands for 20 seconds or more each time we wash our hands.

    Stay safe,
    Diana

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    1. Yes, I agree that participating in Ellie Alexander's collaborative Bakeshop mystery is a lot of fun. She has a lot of creative ideas to keep her readers engaged. I love her various videos each week, too.

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    2. Yes, I love Ellie's videos too.

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    3. I hear the Bay Area is going pretty well with masks?

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    4. Rhys, while most of us DO wear masks, there is always a few people who are not wearing masks. And it also depends on where you are in the Bay Area.

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  19. This isolation has been such a relief for me. I love my job, but I was getting to the point where I hated to go to the office, with its black mold and horrible bathrooms. Not to mention the soul-sucking traffic between work and home.

    Now, I don't have to please anyone else when I decide what to cook, and I don't have to adhere to any daily schedule, so I have been eating two meals a day and a lot more veggies and salads than I could manage when I was putting in 10-hour days on the job.

    And the reading! Oh, the ability to escape into a good book, fiction or non-fiction, has been such a joy for me! Yes, I should walk more. Yes, I should stop online shopping for every little thing. But if I could keep this at-home lifestyle going, with the addition of a bit more sharing drinks on the patio with a good friend or two . . . Ahhh! That would be heaven.

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    1. Gigi, I have two friends I've had outdoor drinks with - Celia, who has an expansive deck, and another friend who had a large patio. We sit 6-10 feet apart and enjoy the fresh air and company. Both of them are sheltering in place as I am, which makes us all more comfortable with getting together.

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    2. I have been enjoying outdoor dining with my daughter’s family. Sooooo wonderful

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    3. Gigi, fingers crossed we can social distance this weekend!

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  20. Feeling a little guilty because I'm able to go to work so I am out about more than others. That being said, it's only work and essential trips to the store and such. Still staying away from public gathering places, still not comfortable with others idea of social distancing. My sister, who really shouldn't be out, and niece are here to help me move. Niece goes into stores, sister stays in air conditioned car. Feeling guilty there too. Weather in San Francisco Bay Area had been HOT, more than usual and no evening fog so leaving windows open at night is a necessary thing. No baking being done here, I'd just eat it. Me vs computer games are limited to the evening and to a daily Solitare challenge, jigsaw puzzle and about 30 minutes of Wordscope or is it smith, either way I can handle about 30 minutes until I get discourage for the day.

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    1. Deana, if it helps at all, I try to think of accepting help (as you are from your sister and niece) as being part of a web of family/friend/community connection. We're all discovering the most important things are certainly not anything you can buy (except maybe for toilet paper!) but the people in our lives.

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  21. Getting hot (maybe 90 today) here in Portland, too, Rhys.

    I guess being a sort-of hermit has it's advantages. Since I didn't go out much, rarely dined out, rarely had friends over, about the only thing I miss has been the Spring garden show and going to the nursery. Yet our yard, which is fairly mature, has been just fine without any new infusions of plant matter. Mostly I read, work on a jigsaw puzzle now and then, sit in or work in the garden (mornings), and read blogs and such. I try to stay away from the crazy news stuff, but get caught up in looking, like watching a train wreck.

    Do you wish you were in the southern California house instead?

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    1. My house is in Marin County, north of San Francisco, Rick. We’re driving home on Tuesday

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    2. Supposed to lightly rain on Saturday here, Rhys. And fog is sending it's fingers along the coast and is creeping into the bay.

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  22. Yep. I am tired of all of this. Enough said. Our granddaughter flew in Sunday night for Ohio. I donned a mask for the first time to go inside the terminal to find her. She started back to culinary school Tuesday. Only 5 total in her lab. Everyone in masks. I noticed when I dropped her off they were taking temperatures at the door. My son finishes basic and graduates (again!) tomorrow. He'll be put on an Army bus and driven to San Antonio to Ft Sam Houston for his advanced training for 9 weeks. Ft Sam is a big medical center for those who don't know. My husband spent a little time there back in 1969. I don't know if we'll be able to visit or not but he should be able to keep in touch by phone this go around.

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  23. Rhys, I feel your pain on the boredom. The moment I wake up I say out loud what the day and date are just to orient myself. I have joined Facebook First Chapter Fun on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Hank and Hannah Mary McKinnon which is fabulous. Also, my choir director/organist has begun a Hymnology class once a week on Zoom which I'm attending. Sunday church worship has become a time for my husband and me to join with our middle son, DIL and four grandchildren who we have been in this with from the start; it reminds me a bit of my childhood when my birth family listened to classical music on the radio during our evening meal. My county in Pennsylvania is moving from Red to Yellow designation tomorrow; that doesn't mean much except that outdoor dining will be open. However, I'm with you, Rhys, that until the braintrust (doctors/CDC/WHO?) of this Pandemic are saying it's OK to eat in restaurants you won't find me in one. A bit of good news, our Library system is re-opening on June 5; we're still waiting for details on how they plan to do this, though. My heart aches over the cancelled UK trip with our two 10-year old grandchildren in July. We also had a food trip to Italy in June cancelled; good news on that cancellation is we're getting deposit and airfare refunded. So life goes on as we figure out how to exit this Pandemic.

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  24. Texts, e-mails, Facebook, and phone calls do not replace seeing people at church or having lunches with friends. Living alone for 2 1/2 months sucks. My soaps are showing classics, most network TV shows ended early and may not be back until 2021. I watch some things on Netflix and enjoyed the 2 free Acorn previews on Comcast. Guess I will have to pay for Acorn. I'm rationing my comics because my comic book guy said there probably won't be enough to pick up until the end of June. At least I'm getting books in the mail and on my Nook. The nursery is open so I bought plants and am gardening. I know things aren't so bad but sometimes this really gets to me. Stay safe and well.

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  25. My name is Kristen Van Weyenberg. My husband left me in when I was 6 months pregnant with our daughter in 2016 and he moved in with his mistress since then he doesn’t even care for us both. I had to do 3 shifts every day to pay my bills and also take care of my daughter. Last month, I came across an article online saying how Lord Zakuza as been so helpful to lots of people in the restoration to their broken love lives. I contacted him and he told me that he will restore my marriage within 48 hours with his magical powers and i believed in his words that my husband will come back and “wow”, within 48 hours after i contacted Lord Zakuza, my husband came back begging saying he didn’t know what came over him that he’s sorry and promised never to abandon I and my daughter again I am so grateful to him for restoring my marriage. WhatsApp this number +1 (740) 573-9483 or message him through email on ( doctorzakuzaspelltemple@hotmail.com ) for more inquiries if you need his help.

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  26. Computers do cheat, though perhaps not on purpose. When my niece was small she got an Alfie robot with a glitch that counted her right answers as wrong. She called it on its lies and we returned it for an honest one. Her daughter is now a nurse in a COVID-19 ward; I can't go out until she gives approval . . . she also has my medical PoA, so I'd better listen. We can endure this inconvenience for the sake of those fighting this plague.

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  27. Very well said. Although we are going through difficult times, what we are being asked to do is really so little. Perhaps if we each thought a bit more about protecting others rather than whether we are going to get sick, wearing a mask wouldn't seem like such a big deal. And if we start talking to our computers or plants or the cute little frog that made a home on the herb planter, we're not going crazy; we're just coping.

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