Day 101 in 2020 (isolation day 27)

A year ago, probably even just a month ago, if you'd asked me to video chat with someone (anyone!) I would have said absolutely not. I've always found it awkward and uncomfortable. These days we meet with family via video chat at least three days a week, and I often connect with friends that way at least once a week. It is a life line. Is it easy? No. Is it awkward? Absolutely. But it IS a life line. 

We try to make them less awkward with purpose, themes, and scheduling. Wednesdays are wine night—what is everyone drinking? Fridays are beer night, like they were before the isolation orders, when we met with family at local breweries to close the week. There's also show-and-tell, or video game streaming, or find the difference in the background...but lately we've gotten so good at this it takes very little to make it comfortable. 

It's not the same as before lockdown, but we make do with what we have.

Day 89 in 2020 (isolation day 14)

A normal Sunday in our house for the most part, excepting, of course, all the remote lessons—Calvin's bassoon lesson and Jon teaching three piano lessons. I've never had so many people "in" our house before, and certain areas are being kept more consistently neat and dusted than ever (but only the areas that make it into the background of the videos).

Day 81 in 2020, isolation blog day 6

I know some people are on a different day of isolation. With a distinct and rather serious lack of leadership on the federal level, and local government taking up the slack, we're all in different places, either because recommendations were different, or because we were all allowed to decide more clearly for ourselves. Several weeks ago I made what I called at the time a panic shopping trip, stocking up on shelf stables and some cleaning supplies. It took a week or two for that to seem even sane, then it went from barely sane almost straight to incredibly insightful. I've never been so sorry, yet so thankful.

When did our isolation start? Did it start when we bid our family goodbye for the last time two weeks ago? When schools closed on Thursday, or after our gathering with friends that night? When Jon officially started working from home on Monday? How about after our supposed very last trip to the grocery stores on Friday? Or was it this morning after the next very last trip to the stores when we realized we still needed a prescription, salt for the softener, and dog food. WHO FORGOT THE DOG FOOD??? (Actually, I ordered it over a week ago and promptly forgot to be concerned, but they ran out and canceled the order without warning me. Good thing I checked today, because we got the very last bag of his food on the local shelves this morning). How does one meaure isolation? 

So I'll probably stop counting days of isolation. It is, after all, a state of mind, and for as long as I have these two people I enjoy (and the dog, DON'T FORGET THE DOG or his lunch!!!), and the ability to connect virtually, how could one really call this isolation? Today, after our last trip (the last trip!) into the peril of public, and after setting up Jon's new home office and our new basement pantry and carrying in 300 pounds of salt, all four of us (DOG, TOO) went for a long hike in the chilly sunshine. We saw a lot of other family walking, all of us carefully pressing to opposite sides of the path to create social distance (except the DOGS, they met in the middle for sure), and we laughed, and griped about the misbehaving dog (DOG). Then we came home, got cozy, built a Tinker Crate printing press, and watched an Agatha Christie show while making dinner together. 

I hate this time. I love this time. I hate it. I love it.

Day 74, in 2020

Family only (minus our parents, whom we urged into isolation a week ago), and just good old farm chores and fun, far away from the contagions of life. We hope.

Day 73 in 2020

Probably the last Friday beer evening we'll spend out on the town—and we spent this one staying two table-lengths away from any other revelers, I'll tell you.