Home Sweet Home

We headed north over the weekend. We’ll miss the last two weeks with our winter friends and all the fun and laughter, but it was time because of the reality of the situation we are all in.

What we saw along the way was certainly different. There were a lot of trucks rolling which is not the normal case on a weekend. The Hampton Inn staff where we stayed were spraying and wiping down all surfaces. We saw people stopping at fast food restaurants to use restrooms and buy food, but they were voluntarily eating in their vehicles in the parking lot. At a rest stop, one family of five was eating their own food out of the back of their vehicle. It reminded me of the pre-fast food days.

Once home, one of the strangest things is the lack of traffic. It’s pretty eerie.

Have I been out? Yes, once to get groceries and seeds – food for the body and food for the soul. 🙂 Today, I’m going out to pick up a prescription but will be using the drive through option for the first time.

I went to our local Hannaford grocery store to avoid a larger crowd at Walmart. Many of the shelves were bare, but I was able to put together enough food for a couple of weeks.

I’ve survived growing up very poor, sat with a baby in the gas lines of the oil crisis of 1973, worked through the night of Y2K, grieved with the nation on 9/11, and lost money in the 2008 financial crisis. But, never, did I think the most wanted item in America in a flu pandemic and the topic of conversation would be toilet paper. I hope you have some because there definitely is not any out there to buy. 🙂

So, what now? Well, we’ll pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and figure out how to use time productively. There will be no ‘books’ to read, but there are thousands to download from the closed library. There is an attic to reorganize so we can get insulation installed when this is over and a garage that could be painted. I have sewing and quilting projects, some seed starting and gardening webinars.

Is it weird knowing I ‘have’ to stay home for three weeks? Yes. But, I will survive. Besides, where would I go – everything, and I mean everything is closed. 🙂

So, I’ve put on my positive hat, hunkered down, and will do my share because we’re all depending upon each other to survive this and return to what we call normalcy. But before you go, let us know how you’re spending your time because we may pick up some good ideas.

Now, if Mother Nature would just stop the snow falling outside because she’s tending to tick me off. 🙂