Covid Quarantine

To say that 2020 has been a most unusual year is to understate the obvious! Covid 19, the elections, rioting, and on and on it goes. What next?

Today I am sitting at home, quarantining. I have some mild cold-like symptoms, and with Covid hitting so close to home these days, I am opting to err on the side of caution. Mike and I made up our minds months ago not to be tested if we got sick unless medical intervention became necessary. So far tissues and cold drinks to sooth my throat are all that I have required. So far Mike has no symptoms.

For some people the interruption of everyday life is frustrating. For me they don't change a lot. I am not going into my part-time job until I know I am not spreading Covid. So what will I be doing with all this time I have at home? The list of options is endless.

I have 4 large totes of yarn that I've been thinking I should do
something with. I had sorted out collections for 4 baby afghans to take to Arizona with us, but that still leaves 3 totes full of yarn. So I am knitting dish cloths and crocheting hot pads. I have had the time to hang on Pinterest and find some new patterns to work on, so I am breaking out of the mold of the usual stuff.

A new hot pad pattern I have
been enjoying working up.

I am watching TV as I knit and crochet. Basically we can only watch whatever Hulu and Amazon Prime has to offer but that can be fun. I like some of the old sitcoms I watched many years ago, although I am now finding that some of them were kind of cheesy. We have been binge watching "Law and Order: SVU" ever since we came home from Arizona...20 seasons so far! If 20 seasons of SVU doesn't give you a sense of a world gone crazy, nothing will! I enjoy fixer upper shows also, like "Fixer Uppers" and all the other copycat programs. (No one does it as well as Chip and Joanna!)

Many people say they have lost their sense of taste and smell with Covid, but so far our appetites, taste and smell are alive and well. So I have been spending some time in the kitchen. We have been trying to move to a Keto diet so this is giving me some time to experiment in the kitchen. Mike is still getting around town so he's running to the store to be sure I have the things we need to have something good to eat. Yesterday I finally conquered a decent Keto bread recipe, and even though I messed up the recipe a bit, it turned out to be the perfect bun for a turkey sandwich.  And eating at home is helping us stay on track without all the temptations that continually face us. Stay tuned for a blog touting the benefits of the Keto diet.

There's nothing more comforting that settling down on the couch with a blanket and a good book. I have been overlooking the option of reading lately with all the busyness of life. And I'm finding that reading at bedtime doesn't work for me...2 pages and I'm out. I have subscribed to Amazon Unlimited which offers free Kindle books for a monthly fee. The options are endless, and if you can't find something that interests you, you simply are not a reader.

Since this is still early, there are a lot of options I haven't even thought about yet. I love to sew. We can go to the wood shop and work on projects since we were quarantined over there as well as at home. I could get out some of my scrapbooking projects that have been on hold for several years. If the weather was nicer I could work out in the yard or tie into the bedroom remodel we have been procrastinating for years. I will never be quarantined long enough to do all these things.

There are several things I am NOT doing while I'm on Covid vacation. I am not watching the news. Lately it's only served to make me angry and upset, so no news. This means that Facebook has to be scrolled through fast just to check on family and friends. 

I am not doing any more cleaning than necessary. Making the bed and washing dishes (in a dishwasher) have been the extent so far. I will probably have to do some laundry eventually. No deep cleaning!

Packing for Arizona has come to a halt. We had put out the word that we were going the end of the year, but that was before the election and all the talk about shutting down the country for 4-6 weeks came about. What I have packed so far will just stay packed and we can hopefully pull the rest of it together in a hurry if things work out to go. 

If you are home suffering from Covid I am so sorry for you. I know many people have been very sick with this stupid virus that seems to control everything in our lives these days. And not everyone is as satisfied as I am to stay home. The extroverts in this world suffer the most with quarantining. Us introverts are much more satisfied to have the world go on without us for a time. 

The saying "This too shall pass" has become the common mantra, but honestly I'm beginning to wonder. Still we are Americans who have plenty of ingenuity to cope with the interruptions in our lives. If you are staying home, I hope I have provided some inspiration for you to stay occupied. Stay safe and we will all enjoy times together when "this too shall pass".