As one gets older, more down time seems to accumulate faster. This Covid19 is just making it accumulate at an even faster rate. Gets me to thinking just how long, my marriage or any marriage can last if, say, you live in an apartment or a house with anything less than 1500 sq feet, which by the way, is the size of an average 3 bedroom house. Margot and I am quite lucky in this case we have a house that's just about the 3800 sq' area. I can always lose myself and go down to my approximate 1400 square foot man cave. There are many things I'm learning about myself, during this covid 19 period. There are two things that's needed each and every day. One is you should laugh at least three times a day but I mean belly-laughs not just a little haha. Belly laughs very important, the second thing is to have a really good bathroom break. Having these two things will keep your spirits up and your stomach cramps down. Another thing people need is conversation, not with yourself but with other people keep in touch with old friends make new friends for conversation is very very important, one must keep that brain active find a hobby do something other than just watching TV. The one scary thing is that spending so much with each other expands the ability of being able to complete each other's sentences to now being able to anticipate and complete each other's thoughts. That alone is mind boggling. Several other things that I have discovered from being housed for so long is ........ casual Friday, has become casual Sunday thru Saturday. That it is now accepted to begin the first four hours of your day, in slippers and pajamas , here again it tends to be a little scary as I don't wear slippers or pajamas, so my day begins barefooted and in boxer shorts..............of course they are designer boxers, with an extra label with my name on it. An old thing, I picked up from my military days. Another thing I have noticed is that taking a shower every five days, is no different from taking a shower every third day or every day. I just don't do anything to get dirty that water is needled to wash away. I also found that I am able to cut down on changes of clothing. Since we don't see anyone, or go anywhere, I can actually wear the same T-shirt and shorts every day, of every week of every month. IF for any reason, they have to be washed or freshened up a little, that can be done within the four hour time in any morning that I am bare footed and in my boxers. If I do lay out on the deck, in total sunshine and begin to perspire, since we have dense trees blocking views of neighbor houses, I can simply take of my clothes and place them in the shade.Keeps them fresh.
So, my friends, as you can see, Covid19 has brought about many changes to our lives, some good many bad, but necessary. Life will go on, and you just have to make a few adjustments here and there. Margot and I seem to be constantly able to talk about places we've been, people we know and when we want our quiet time, she will disappear to her upstairs office and surf the web, look at her wardrobe and wonder if she will ever again be able to wear that new outfit. She has even taken up the art of ......watching people of the neighborhood doing their thing. I find refuge in my man cave and reminisce about the good old days and do a little writing. If we need company, we have each other, to discuss what we will have for lunch...................or dinner. That is usually done over a cup of coffee, with a muffin or biscotti....................which is beginning to show, guess I need some exercise, so for now I will walk up and down the three flights of stairs in our house about ten times.
WELCOME TO MY 4TH OF JULY
My daughter and her husband, decided to have a 4th of July BBQ. We were wondering just how they intended to pull this off , especially with the active Covid 19 and all the precautions that needed to happen. First of all, I must describe her house. The house is large enough, so that just in case of inclimate weather, we could observe the social distancing rule. Her backyard is very well designed to accommodate the social distancing rule. We were very lucky, that this holiday weekend, was the 1st weekend in the past 7 with no rain in the forecast. She kept the invitations limited and it only included intermediate family.( Margot and I, Lisa and Tim and Scott and Jessica ) Our grandsons (Scott's twin boys 24yrs old) both had other plans so were not able to attend, which left just 6 people. Margot and I were the first to arrive. We had our required masks on when we arrived at the front door. Lisa, being a recent certified medical assistant graduate, met us at the door with her mask on, took our temperatures and had hand sterilizer available. She then showed us how they set up the living area furniture for social distancing, just on case of any rain. She also, gave us instructions in the use of the bathroom, where she had sterilizing wipes for wiping down the flush knob, water knobs and door handle, and toilet seat after using and supplied a lined trash bucket for the disposal of the wipes. In the kitchen she had the appetizers laid out, along with paper plates and plastic utensils. Only the wine was served in a glass, all other drinks in paper cups, beer from the bottle or can. All the salads, had plastic serving spoons and throw-away plastic gloves were supplied for the handling of cracker, olives, pickles, slices of cheese etc. Tim was the designated cook on the BBQ, which consisted of chicken breast and hamburgers, with cheddar cheese. Each person collected their individual preference and their paper plates were loaded up by themselves, keeping the social distancing in mind. Sitting and eating took place outside where they had either individual tables and lounge chairs or you could sit at a large garden table covered with a throw-away paper cloth. Masks were not required to be worn, outside or if you kept the 6' distance. For the next 6 hours, we sat, ate, drank, talked and laughed just like old times but with the "new habits" set in our minds. Elbow bumping was in place for exiting the party. A great time was had by all. It just proved that even with this pandemic, you could appreciate one in other and remain with some kind of safety in mind, even to the point of sanitizing our hands and wearing our masks when leaving.
Thanks Lisa and Tim.
That's it for now, stay safe, wash your hands, wear your mask and keep busy. Work that mind !!!!!
