Day 26 of "Stay at Home" Mandate in Houston

My last two posts were posted after my job mandated a "stay at home" suggestion for us but I had no idea this was going to last this long so I didn't even mention it.

I had my picc line removed from my arm on Tuesday, March 10 and on Wednesday, March 11, I found out that four of our reporters had attended a conference in NOLA with someone who was infected with COVID 19. My boss told me to stay at home until she found out what HR had to say about it, because she felt like I was high risk, especially just having the picc line removed. Later that day we were told by HR to stay home for 14 days, so until March 24. After that, all the other companies around Houston started to ask their employees to work from home if possible, until further notice. The whole city is on a "stay at home" order now. On a good note, none of the four reporters got sick.

Seth and I about to go into Family Dollar.

When I posted my last post on March 23rd I did not expect to be writing this two weeks later. Seth went on Spring Break one day early, on the 13th, and he was told that the week after Spring Break they would resume all their classes online. He started online classes on March 24, a week earlier than the rest of HISD because his high school has to be an over-achiever like that.

Miranda came home for Spring Break from NY on March 7th and was scheduled to go back on the 14th, only to be told that all her classes would be online. We pushed her flight out one week, until the 21st, instead of the 14th, and she went back to LIU, to resume classes and working online. Once there, I knew she couldn't keep still. She's making masks with leftover material she had. She is staying pretty isolated in her room and only leaves to pick up food To Go from the dining hall.

Miranda at LIU making masks for those who need them.

Everything that is happening is so surreal. A friend posted a venn diagram on Facebook of all these dystopian society books and movies that are similar to the present situation. It was so funny because I saw The Handmaid's Tale on the diagram and I've been saying that all along. That this just reminds me of the book and the things that led to the government being overthrown.

I posted on Facebook as to why I think I've been able to cope mentally with this COVID 19 situation and that I haven't let it get me down. I know it's because I dealt with my toe issues for four months, and even now, I'm not out of the woods. I have a follow up appointment tomorrow because it started looking swollen on Thursday and even more on Friday.

In the middle of those four months that I dealt with my toe bone infection and the surgery I also had a serious allergic reaction to the antibiotic I was on and I could have died from Anaphylaxis, if I hadn't gone to the hospital when I did.

I'm not saying that my situation is in any way compared to the poor people who have become infected with COVID 19. I feel for these people, the first responders, like my step-daughter who is a paramedic, the nurses and doctors in the hospitals.

What I'm saying is that after the many weeks that I dealt with my toe, these three weeks do not feel like a lot. I am okay staying at home safe. On a funny note I saw an article about how Generation X can handle this pandemic better than any other generation. There is so much truth to this article. We got this!

I think that having this time in our homes to reflect is giving us the opportunity to focus on what is really important. I know that I personally am using this time to express gratitude for the good things I have in my life. I'm thinking of all the things we took for granted pre-pandemic. I think of the trips I said I was going to take and I haven't taken. When all this is said and done I'd love to travel to Northern California, via Los Angeles to stop in and meet my newest great nephew.

I want to use this time to focus on art and writing because those are some of my passions. I want to visit famous museums and galleries who are offering virtual tours. I want to work on an outline for a novel that has been brewing in my bones. Take advantage of this time at home if you can.

Being a Stay at Home Mom is Awesome (Minus the Housework & the Pain)

Magnet by Anne TaintorI woke up early to tend to my crops on Farmville. Yes, Farmville. You heard me right. I am a virtual farmer with a farm. At least until I have to go back to work. It's been fun while it lasts and not something I'll have time for when I'm working and the kids are at school. I've said that this is how you know that I'm really sick and recuperating because I'm actually playing an online game.

I'm not going to lie, it's been AWESOME!! Except for the pain part that is. That part wasn't awesome the first few days. But Monday until today have been great because the pain is minimal now and I'm feeling a lot better. It's crazy though that it's abdominal surgery and that although I may be feeling better on the outside the inside still has to stick together. I'm not supposed to really drive for the two weeks that I'm out so I've been good and I haven't gone anywhere.

What's even more awesome and this is probably the reason why I've loved being at home, I haven't been able to do any housework or laundry. I've just washed dishes, lightly swept up, and just stretched the comforter back on the bed. But no hardcore cleaning or washing has been done. Yeah, that's the kind of stay at home mom I want to be!

Last night my wonderful saint mother-in-law called and said she was taking the kids overnight until Thursday. I was beside myself! I started thinking of all the things I would do today.

I decided to start my day early and I woke up when my husband did. But after I checked my farm this morning and harvested my pumpkins I decided I was going to go to bed for another hour. I set my alarm and laid down. I had barely been down a few minutes when the phone rang. It was my 85 year old father calling to tell me somebody stole his cell phone. He thought it might have been the neighbor or maybe the neighbor's worker who came by his house yesterday. He said those were the only strangers who had entered his house.

I asked him if he'd tried calling himself. He hadn't, of course. I told him I'd call him so he could look around for the phone if he heard it ring. He answered it the 2nd time I called him. He said he put it on a different plug to charge overnight and he’d forgotten. To add to that he had placed a towel on top of the phone and he couldn’t see it. My daddy!

While I was talking to him my husband called so I just figured I was up for the day. I made coffee and got settled in and I set up my writing area.

First I wrote my skirt! blog and then I started working on my short story. I started writing the story long hand in June. Now I'm typing it in so I can finish it and submit it to a literary journal. I'm taking a break from that to write here for a bit.

Tonight when my husband comes home we're going out for a romantic tête-à-tête at our favorite local restaurant. Even better, I'm off all the medications so I should be able to have a little drink. Yay!

Later in the evening I'm going to prepare for our meeting (religious) for tomorrow night quietly and uninterrupted by children. BLISS!

On to writing and on to dinner with husband and on to preparing for my meeting tomorrow. The day is almost over! Seize the day!