Dock's In

I suppose we could hire the task out, but Bruce says it's a matter of pride to do it himself.

Putting the dock/lift in (and taking them out again in the fall) is a big job, and kind of a dangerous job, I think. Bruce does the physical work, but I let out the ropes and watch for all the bad things that could happen. I like to think I'm contributing. 😏

Bruce mentioned that he remembers my dad helping him to do this, and my dad was not a young man at the time. My dad was a tough man, though, so no surprise there. He was also very handy and could do just about anything. Bruce is the same.

At any rate, it's so cold and wet, even with waders on ... how can they stand it?

There was a loon supervising from a safe distance, and a neighbor's old golden stopped by to visit, even giving me a kiss.

In the evening after some more cleaning, we ate our cabin supper, and watched Burn After Reading with a glass of wine.

We actually had a couple of errands to run the next morning, and these days it's such a thrill to go anywhere outside of the house! We were as safe as we could be ... using the drive through at the bank, and standing a good distance away from Curt at his place when he gifted us maple syrup from his maple syrup-ing endeavors. Across the street from the bank was a Dollar General, and we decided to stop in and see if they had any toilet paper. They did (a good thing as we were down to our last roll 😂), plus paper towels and disposable vinyl gloves We only bought a package of each, no need to hoard. We also wore our masks and washed up well with soap and water when we got home.

What a world we are living in at the moment!

Meanwhile At Home

Things around here have slowed down quite a bit now that we're under the Stay At Home Order. Meals have become even more simple ... soups, casseroles, sandwiches. Lots of time to sit with the cats in front of the fireplace and drink tea, too. There should be plenty of time to clean and organize, but that doesn't always happen. And, talking to good friends on the phone more often has been a very good thing.

It's been a time to think about new ideas. Items like kleenex and toilet paper are not always there in the stores these days. I happened to see some reusable flannel baby wipes online, and wondered if they might work for things like kleenex (or even toilet paper in a pinch). People used to use things like hankies in the past, why did they stop? I ordered some, and have been using them in place of kleenex while I'm at home. And found that I love them.

Baking bread? Yes, bread is sometimes difficult to find, too. I pulled out my bread maker and have been making a loaf a week. I've had a couple of interesting loaves come out ... but, I think I know why. One time the circuit breaker flipped before the bread was done baking, and I had to try to finish it in the oven with so-so results. Another time, I think I put one of the paddles in upside down, and it changed the shape of the bread on that side. New things to remember for future baking!

I've experimented with different types of cloth face masks for when I need to go to the store. I've always been a little claustrophobic, so feeling like I can breathe is huge. I ended up ordering some masks on Etsy (which took a while to arrive but, after all, we are in a pandemic) and they are SO NICE. Now, I can focus my energy on keeping my distance from people, versus worrying about not being able to breathe.

It's good to focus on staying healthy during these times, too. It's easy to get ramped up with anxious thoughts during a pandemic and forced stay at home orders. Sleep can be tricky. Previous good habits like drinking lots of water throughout the day are sometimes forgotten. It's a challenge to stay mindful of these things. I started checking my temperature every day before holding Baby Aaron, and have continued doing that even now after they've gone home. I found my misplaced blood pressure monitor, and have started checking my blood pressure every so often ... I had started to think that it might be elevated with the constant bad news on the TV and internet ... and it was reassuring to see that it was not. I've also been excited that Curves is now offering streaming of workouts online, so there's another option available. Of course, Bruce and I will resume our 1-2 hour walks as soon as this latest cold snap of weather goes away.

It's a new reality to live with.

Thankfully home feels like a sanctuary, and that's a very good thing.

Still Easter

It was just Bruce and me here for Easter this year. The state is still under a Shelter In Place order, and we're doing our best to be compliant. Mom's assisted living facility is on lockdown, and so she's stuck there, too. Mark stayed home and made himself a boneless chicken breast in a cast iron skillet with wild rice pilaf and green beans! Strange times.

So, it did feel different this year.

Churches are closed, but there were services online, and we ended up watching the Easter service for Bethlehem Lutheran on my laptop. It was actually quite nice. The music was calming, and the sermon was calming, too. We even had our own little congregation of cats with us while we watched from the sofa in front of the fireplace! 😼

It snowed about 6 inches ...

I had a big ham shank to put in the oven. I'm not sure why I bought it. Maybe I was hopeful that things might change, or maybe I was in denial, I don't really know. We've had Easter dinner here for so many years now, that it seemed like the thing to do. I guess we'll have some leftovers for soups and such, though, and tonight Bruce made us ham and cheese omelettes with orange marmalade jam smeared over the top, yummy.

We also had a baked sweet potato that we split, some broccoli with cheese sauce, mandarin orange jello, and deviled eggs.

In the evening, we watched a live performance online of our friend, Leroy, playing guitar and singing.

It was a different kind of Easter, but still Easter.

And as probably the whole world is doing, I am yearning for things to go back to the way they were. I  want to believe that the world will be able to open up again, and the fears of this pandemic will fade away. I also wonder if that's totally possible as I think we've all changed from this. Only time will tell.

Again, I do know that there is still much to be grateful for, and I am going to really try and focus on those things. After all, Easter is all about life and hope! And, family! I really missed my people yesterday, but they are still in my life. Just a bit more from a distance. And hopefully, we'll all be together again soon.