We are really trying to establish a routine. A short time ago I purchased some exercise dvd's designed specifically for seniors. Some of them are seated, some include weights and others are for balance and strengthening. Ron and I have set time aside each morning to do the exercises. We are also walking 15 to 30 minutes each day. Mike usually does this with us. I'm hoping this helps us resist the urge to just sit and eat all day!
Yesterday my daughter Julie brought her dogs over for a play date with Ellie. We observed social distancing but it was so good to see her and visit with her for awhile. The weather was perfect.
Today we are having thunder storms. As long as there is no severe weather I'm ok with some rain.
I heard this morning that Amazon workers are threatening to strike along with some of the food delivery service workers. I can't say that I blame them. They are all risking their lives to do this kind of work and making millions for their prospective companies. It is only right that they be given hazard pay as well as good medical leave if they acquire the virus. It's about time that some of these companies learn to pass it down...............
What do you think about President Trump wanting Governor's to "play nice" if they want to get their medical supplies. Sometimes I think we are dealing with a four year-old. It just baffles the mind. Honestly I stopped listening to his briefings because so much of it was him just wanting to be praised. Since Dr. Fauci is no longer attending these briefings I haven't found a reason to listen quite frankly. I guess the Doctor wasn't "playing nice".
Hope all are well!
Monday, March 30, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Lessons to learn
As businesses close in town we were lucky enough to get Ellie in for a haircut that may have to last for several weeks if not months. Thank goodness...she was looking at big shaggy. But for now she's looking as cute as a bug.
Gotta admit...that's one sweet little pup! One of the sweetest dogs I have ever owned and she plays us like violins.
In addition to Ellie's haircut Mike was here and he assisted Ron with some projects he had going. He will come back over tomorrow as well.
I've really tried hard to distance myself from the news today. I prepared some things for the freezer and looked through recipes trying to get some ideas for simple freezer meals. Who knows this pandemic may make me a better cook.
When my daughter was here the other day we maintained a safe distance.
It's a good thing my hearing is still relatively good! I don't care how far apart we have to stay it was still good to see her.
My daughters and their fellow teachers participated in a drive by parade through the neighborhoods of their students. It was so sweet to see children in their yards waving to their teachers as they drove past. I think it did them all a lot of good as the year ended so abruptly without closure for the teachers as well as students.
I am enjoying seeing the way people are finding ways to overcome the challenges we currently face. Restaurants have partnered with Homeland grocery to sell single serve meals from their establishments. Homeland is carrying meals from several different local restaurants for $10.00 each. Profits from the meals are going directly to the foodservice workers currently without jobs.
You see people stepping up to help the truckers who now find themselves on the road with no places to get meals. Individuals have been manning truck stops and distributing sandwiches, drinks and treats to the truckers as a way to say thanks!
We haven't participated but some homes are hanging Christmas lights in their windows as a sign of support. Thousands of masks are being hand sewn by volunteers although their are conflicting reports that the masks don't really protect anyone from the virus and people may rely on them and put themselves at greater risk.
I read what one doctor said in New York. You can't get the virus if you don't meet it. So....just stay home. Simple instruction but seems people are resistant to do follow it.
But I am going to choose to believe that when this is over we will be a better nation than before. That teachers will be appreciated for the jobs they perform. That parents will have learned to spend quality time with their children. And......I hope more than anything we all will have learned to be kinder to one another.
Stay safe friends!
In addition to Ellie's haircut Mike was here and he assisted Ron with some projects he had going. He will come back over tomorrow as well.
I've really tried hard to distance myself from the news today. I prepared some things for the freezer and looked through recipes trying to get some ideas for simple freezer meals. Who knows this pandemic may make me a better cook.
When my daughter was here the other day we maintained a safe distance.
My daughters and their fellow teachers participated in a drive by parade through the neighborhoods of their students. It was so sweet to see children in their yards waving to their teachers as they drove past. I think it did them all a lot of good as the year ended so abruptly without closure for the teachers as well as students.
I am enjoying seeing the way people are finding ways to overcome the challenges we currently face. Restaurants have partnered with Homeland grocery to sell single serve meals from their establishments. Homeland is carrying meals from several different local restaurants for $10.00 each. Profits from the meals are going directly to the foodservice workers currently without jobs.
You see people stepping up to help the truckers who now find themselves on the road with no places to get meals. Individuals have been manning truck stops and distributing sandwiches, drinks and treats to the truckers as a way to say thanks!
We haven't participated but some homes are hanging Christmas lights in their windows as a sign of support. Thousands of masks are being hand sewn by volunteers although their are conflicting reports that the masks don't really protect anyone from the virus and people may rely on them and put themselves at greater risk.
I read what one doctor said in New York. You can't get the virus if you don't meet it. So....just stay home. Simple instruction but seems people are resistant to do follow it.
But I am going to choose to believe that when this is over we will be a better nation than before. That teachers will be appreciated for the jobs they perform. That parents will have learned to spend quality time with their children. And......I hope more than anything we all will have learned to be kinder to one another.
Stay safe friends!
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Nuts for Winter
Little did I know that the reason I gained 20 pounds was because I was preparing for a pandemic! A little fat reserve can come in handy. Since we began this self isolation I have lost 6 pounds. Partly I think because of stress and also not eating out. I've also been rationing portions because grocery shopping is hit and miss. I don't know what is available from day to day.
Our mayor issued a stay home proclamation yesterday requiring all non essential businesses to close and for residents to stay home. It goes into effect at midnight tonight. I'm anxious to see if it makes any difference. Today Ron and I delivered toilet paper and food to my niece and then drove to Mike's to clean his condo and sit with him awhile. People were all over the place and for the life of me I can't figure out where they are all going. It just looked like a typical day. We will see what tomorrow brings.
On the subject of Mike he seemed a little out of it today. A lot of things he talked about didn't make sense. It's hard to tell sometimes if it is just his cognitive issues or his mental illness. Our goal has been to create a new routine for him and try to get him stabilized. I know he is anxious and I do my best to keep him reassured. I also try to keep him from watching the news but that's hard since I'm not there 24/7.
For fear of sounding like a complete nut job myself I will share this little tidbit. Ever since my mother passed away in 2009 I often look at the clock and see 3 digit numbers. 3:33, 2:22, 4:44, etc. Every time this happens I think maybe my parents are talking to me. I know that's out there but it gives me comfort all the same. So I always stop what I'm doing and silently greet them with "Hi mom, Hi dad!" This has kept me feeling close to them.
So, today when I was at Mike's I was changing the sheets on his bed and happened to glance at the clock and it said 1:11. I greeted mom and dad and then had this strong feeling I needed to pray with them. I stopped what I was doing and just silently prayed the Our Father. Just as I said amen I looked up just to see the clock change to 1:12. As if they said Amen as well.
I know....it's crazy...so don't call the authorities. But since my mother died I have wanted to know if they are pleased with how I am caring for my brother. So I guess this is my way of getting that confirmation even if it is just in my head. Every day I have a better appreciation for the care they gave him and also a better understanding of just how hard it was for both of them. I just want them to know that I'm trying to give him the best quality of life I can.
Our mayor issued a stay home proclamation yesterday requiring all non essential businesses to close and for residents to stay home. It goes into effect at midnight tonight. I'm anxious to see if it makes any difference. Today Ron and I delivered toilet paper and food to my niece and then drove to Mike's to clean his condo and sit with him awhile. People were all over the place and for the life of me I can't figure out where they are all going. It just looked like a typical day. We will see what tomorrow brings.
On the subject of Mike he seemed a little out of it today. A lot of things he talked about didn't make sense. It's hard to tell sometimes if it is just his cognitive issues or his mental illness. Our goal has been to create a new routine for him and try to get him stabilized. I know he is anxious and I do my best to keep him reassured. I also try to keep him from watching the news but that's hard since I'm not there 24/7.
For fear of sounding like a complete nut job myself I will share this little tidbit. Ever since my mother passed away in 2009 I often look at the clock and see 3 digit numbers. 3:33, 2:22, 4:44, etc. Every time this happens I think maybe my parents are talking to me. I know that's out there but it gives me comfort all the same. So I always stop what I'm doing and silently greet them with "Hi mom, Hi dad!" This has kept me feeling close to them.
So, today when I was at Mike's I was changing the sheets on his bed and happened to glance at the clock and it said 1:11. I greeted mom and dad and then had this strong feeling I needed to pray with them. I stopped what I was doing and just silently prayed the Our Father. Just as I said amen I looked up just to see the clock change to 1:12. As if they said Amen as well.
I know....it's crazy...so don't call the authorities. But since my mother died I have wanted to know if they are pleased with how I am caring for my brother. So I guess this is my way of getting that confirmation even if it is just in my head. Every day I have a better appreciation for the care they gave him and also a better understanding of just how hard it was for both of them. I just want them to know that I'm trying to give him the best quality of life I can.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Sunshine Came Softly
Ahh so happy to see the sun. It's been a week of cloudy, rainy weather and that coupled with the events around the world made way for a lot of gloom. Somehow the sun has a way of awakening the spirit.
I've been receiving some really nasty comments from what I assume is a very disgruntled millennial. I've deleted them because I don't want to provide a platform for this type of rhetoric. They are certainly entitled to their opinion but they need to create their own blog and share it with those who choose to listen. Not here.
I changed some of my settings but don't know how successful I was at making it harder for this type of thing. Lord knows I hope future generations do a better job than we have done.
I'm just one person trying to weather through a shared crisis. I hope young people take this virus seriously because it appears to not distinguish between young and old. If they are not careful they will be leaving their fate in the hands of us old people. All the deaths here have been people under the age of 40. Virus doesn't discriminate. So young people you have to stay alive to make a difference.
I've been receiving some really nasty comments from what I assume is a very disgruntled millennial. I've deleted them because I don't want to provide a platform for this type of rhetoric. They are certainly entitled to their opinion but they need to create their own blog and share it with those who choose to listen. Not here.
I changed some of my settings but don't know how successful I was at making it harder for this type of thing. Lord knows I hope future generations do a better job than we have done.
I'm just one person trying to weather through a shared crisis. I hope young people take this virus seriously because it appears to not distinguish between young and old. If they are not careful they will be leaving their fate in the hands of us old people. All the deaths here have been people under the age of 40. Virus doesn't discriminate. So young people you have to stay alive to make a difference.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Maintaining Social Distancing
I had my first visit with one of my daughters today. She and her husband came by to drop off a propane tank for our grill. We kept 6 feet between us as we visited in the backyard. Hard not to be able to hug your children but not worth the risk of exposure as this time. Ron and I have been so diligent about remaining at home I'd hate for all of our distancing to have been for nothing.
The number of confirmed cases continues to rise daily. I'm not even sure what the count is today. I'm afraid our Governor will not take the necessary steps to contain the virus because he refuses to consider mandatory quarantine. Frankly he just parrots what the President says. He is also an anti-vaxer. He refuses to have his children vaccinated and only a week ago was telling everyone to continue going to restaurants and even shared a video of he and his family doing just that. The next day he declared a state of emergency for the state of Okla. Sound familiar?
Continuing our plan to create a new routine for my brother we spent yesterday afternoon playing Jinga and gin rummy with him.
I said it was like Moe watching Larry and Curly play chess. Very entertaining! So far our efforts are paying off as Mike is still stable. I try to avoid any discussion about the pandemic when he is around and distract him if he brings it up.
My daughter shared a picture with me of her neighbors and how they are staying in contact with each other while maintaining social distancing.
They are gathering in the cul-de-sac and tomorrow evening each household is ordering take out and they are meeting again to share a meal together. Creative ways to bridge the social distancing!
I hope people will share some of the ways they are bridging the distance. There are very clever and resourceful people in the country.
On Wednesday we will be participating in the world wide prayer called for by the Pope. At 12:00 noon he has asked the world's Christians to recite the Our Father together. That will be 6 am our time. Prayer can't hurt!
Hope everyone is staying healthy and staying in touch!
The number of confirmed cases continues to rise daily. I'm not even sure what the count is today. I'm afraid our Governor will not take the necessary steps to contain the virus because he refuses to consider mandatory quarantine. Frankly he just parrots what the President says. He is also an anti-vaxer. He refuses to have his children vaccinated and only a week ago was telling everyone to continue going to restaurants and even shared a video of he and his family doing just that. The next day he declared a state of emergency for the state of Okla. Sound familiar?
Continuing our plan to create a new routine for my brother we spent yesterday afternoon playing Jinga and gin rummy with him.
My daughter shared a picture with me of her neighbors and how they are staying in contact with each other while maintaining social distancing.
They are gathering in the cul-de-sac and tomorrow evening each household is ordering take out and they are meeting again to share a meal together. Creative ways to bridge the social distancing!
I hope people will share some of the ways they are bridging the distance. There are very clever and resourceful people in the country.
On Wednesday we will be participating in the world wide prayer called for by the Pope. At 12:00 noon he has asked the world's Christians to recite the Our Father together. That will be 6 am our time. Prayer can't hurt!
Hope everyone is staying healthy and staying in touch!
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Passing the Time
This is how we spent our afternoon yesterday. Play monopoly (or a local version called Normanopoly) It's a monopoly board of our town. What a time. Mike had no idea most of the time about what was going on but he was having a blast anyway. Every time I told him Ron owed him money he would just get so excited. Of course if it went the other way and he owed one of us money he wasn't so thrilled.
I was trying to find the video I made of Ron on St. Patrick's day. I talked him into dressing up in green and dancing an Irish gig. He loves Riverdance so he gave it a try. Stiff arms at his sides and all. I about choked from laughing. He's such a good sport. Anything to entertain his wife.
How to balance just how much news to watch is difficult. You want to stay informed if anything changes concerning stricter isolation requirements but you also don't need to just get overwhelmed with bad news from around the country. I just wish we had looked at China and their containment efforts and followed their example. They haven't reported any new cases now for 2 days. If we had acted immediately we would be in so much better shape. It would have required more hardship on some but it would have flattened the curve ahead of the virus.
Frankly I can't even listen to this Administration. I can't trust one thing I'm hearing so I rely totally on local news and everything else from the CDC and WHO. There isn't much to think about you just have to do everything you can to avoid exposure.
The number of cases is growing daily here in Oklahoma. Certainly not at the level of NY and California. We are more spread out and that helps a lot. It's surprising at the number of young people who are getting sick and a lot more seriously ill than expected.
Today we are going to play another game with Mike and eat fried bologna sandwiches for lunch. Trying to stretch our food supply a little further than usual since it has become harder to get groceries. They haven't been able to keep up with the demand of all the panic buying. Our hospitals are begging people to donate gloves, masks, clorox wipes and hand sanitizer. Hopefully some of the hoarders will help out. I only purchased 1 large bottle of hand sanitizer. I have plenty of soap and water so figured sanitizer was only needed if and when we had to leave the house for something.
Well all, stay healthy and stay as busy as you can. Share any tips you may have on coping with isolation. There are a lot of folks who are completely alone.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Finally...Back online
Wow, I've been trying to regain access to blogger for months. Every time I thought I had resolved the problem I'd be kicked out before I ever got back in. Hopefully, fingers crossed that problem has now been resolved. Or at least until the next time I try to login.
I might as well just skip the past 7 months and jump to today. Ron, myself and Mike started self-quarantine 3 weeks ago. It has been interesting to say the least. We have no contact with anyone outside the 3 of us. Mike is holding up well as long as we are together. He only had one minor episode but was able to regain his composure rather quickly. We have 19 confirmed cases of Covid 19. One is a two year old little girl. Of course there are many who do not know they are carrying it so expect the numbers will increase daily. It's averaging doubling every 24 hours.
Our city has closed everything except essentials. Only prepared food you can get is either drive-through or curbside pick-up. But people have just rushed the supermarkets. So much for social distancing. You can't find anything on the selves right now. We had stocked up (not hoarded) what we needed several weeks ago. Now we are only getting food delivered through Shipt. It's working fairly well but right now there isn't a lot of variety. Get what you can.
Of course I'm worried for my daughters. Fortunately school has been canceled and probably for the remainder of the year. Teachers were allowed to come to school today at scheduled times to retrieve anything they need to take home. They will be deep cleaning the school later. They are not allowed to tutor online or teach lessons because so many students do not have access to internet. This would create an imbalance that would be hard to deal with when school resumes.
Only one son-in-law is having to go to his workplace. Of course he's a government employee wouldn't you know. The other is a professor at the University of Okla. and they have closed campus and he is instructing from home.
My lung doctor told me to self quarantine. Should I develop a fever I'm to call him and he will get me directly admitted to hospital. Won't have to go through ER. Hopefully that will never be necessary. We don't have enough equipment to treat everyone and if they have to triage I would probably not receive care.
All I can say is I believe this will get a lot worse before it gets better. I'm hoping that develop a treatment soon (some are looking promising) and or a vaccine. Otherwise my head will probably remain hidden for the next 18 months or longer.
I might as well just skip the past 7 months and jump to today. Ron, myself and Mike started self-quarantine 3 weeks ago. It has been interesting to say the least. We have no contact with anyone outside the 3 of us. Mike is holding up well as long as we are together. He only had one minor episode but was able to regain his composure rather quickly. We have 19 confirmed cases of Covid 19. One is a two year old little girl. Of course there are many who do not know they are carrying it so expect the numbers will increase daily. It's averaging doubling every 24 hours.
Our city has closed everything except essentials. Only prepared food you can get is either drive-through or curbside pick-up. But people have just rushed the supermarkets. So much for social distancing. You can't find anything on the selves right now. We had stocked up (not hoarded) what we needed several weeks ago. Now we are only getting food delivered through Shipt. It's working fairly well but right now there isn't a lot of variety. Get what you can.
Of course I'm worried for my daughters. Fortunately school has been canceled and probably for the remainder of the year. Teachers were allowed to come to school today at scheduled times to retrieve anything they need to take home. They will be deep cleaning the school later. They are not allowed to tutor online or teach lessons because so many students do not have access to internet. This would create an imbalance that would be hard to deal with when school resumes.
Only one son-in-law is having to go to his workplace. Of course he's a government employee wouldn't you know. The other is a professor at the University of Okla. and they have closed campus and he is instructing from home.
My lung doctor told me to self quarantine. Should I develop a fever I'm to call him and he will get me directly admitted to hospital. Won't have to go through ER. Hopefully that will never be necessary. We don't have enough equipment to treat everyone and if they have to triage I would probably not receive care.
All I can say is I believe this will get a lot worse before it gets better. I'm hoping that develop a treatment soon (some are looking promising) and or a vaccine. Otherwise my head will probably remain hidden for the next 18 months or longer.
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