Day 18~ Monday, Monday

Today was a rainy, gloomy day around here.  I did some school work, did a yoga session, did my arm weights (if I ever get to go on my dream hike again, I'll be ready), and went for a short walk with JO.  The walks are so funny because everyone has different ways of social distancing~ some opt for the bike lane step, some walk on the absolute edge of the sidewalk, some cross over.

In a shocking surprise, I found myself with extra time 🤯so I took some time to color, something I would never have to time to do.  JO got me this great coloring book for the city of Boston and I had gotten JO an excellent marker set for Christmas so I pulled them out and worked on the page for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  I had a lot of fun working on this page and will definitely do a few more during this quarantine.

I was thinking a lot today about the feeling of dread that swept over our country back on March 12th.  I feel like this is when everything got really real.  Schools were closing, businesses were sending their employees home, and no one knew exactly what was about to happen.  The next few days brought one crisis after another and it just felt like this unimaginable wave was washing over the country.  I don't know why, but I think it's important to try to put that feeling into words, to explain it to people, to remember it for yourself.

Our neighborhood suffered the first casualty of the economic kind this week when our beloved Inman Oasis shared that they are not able to renew their lease and have closed.  It's really quite sad.

I think this tweet is pretty poignant and needs no further explanation.

And of course, the Fridge sums it up best

Finally, today was the day the My Pillow guy showed up at a press briefing.  Imagine if Obama had the My Pillow guy speak at a Corona Virus health briefing.  

Day 17~ A Very Productive Day

I'm proud of how productive I've been today!  One thing I've been really trying to live by these last few weeks is that there is no right or wrong way to quarantine.  Some days, I might be productive, and others I might not.  That's ok.  It did feel nice to be productive today but every day doesn't have to be like this.

I added a bunch of learning activities to my Google Classroom, did my weights, blogged, visited my island, and took an online yoga class (I can't say enough good things about the Down Dog app and it's free until May!)

Tonight, I'm going to my first Zoom ever! (I feel like I've been missing out on the Zoom thing)  We're having a virtual girl's night and I can't wait!  I saw this earlier today and laughed so loud, JO had to check on me!

Day 16

The funk I was feeling on Friday didn't linger, thankfully.  We decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go for a run.   (Side note~ we've run 27 miles since the quarantine started!) Our run took us to the Prospect Hill Tower again.  I really do love this place.  It will be even better when they finish the surrounding green space.  Construction has been halted for now.

And then there was this from our favorite Fridge.

We ended up having a really fun Saturday night!

We played some games!

We watched a Passim Livestream (it was fabulous)

We've been in quarantine so long, that our games are merging! We played Everdell with Animal Crossing and Mario Brothers amiibo.

And then we ended the night by watching the IG wine hour with Sue and Megan!  It was really, really fun!  I feel like the quarantine has really given us a chance to do things we normally wouldn't do or have time for!

And finally, things to remember for today.

Yes! This! This! This!  We must resist and call out the lies that give permission for evil to exist.

And finally, while I applaud this teacher's desire to teach her math lessons, I will never take her tip and teach math from my shower!

Checking in from Days 15

It's funny how quickly you can settle into a new routine.  I realized on Friday that I had gotten into a new "quarantine" schedule.   One of my favorite parts of the day is "social distancing recess" when JO and I head outside for some fresh air and exercise.  On Friday, we chose to go for a walk versus a run.  I wanted to be able to soak up everything instead of rushing past things on a run.  We found our way over to Prospect Hill Tower again.  I have to say, this place is becoming a favorite of mine (see Day 16.) I did a little research on the tower.  Some sources say this is where the first Grand Union Jack (the first American flag) was raised and that George Washington even came to the site to raise a flag.  That's where Union Square got its name.   If it wasn't for the quarantine, I don't think I would have found this great little spot!

I loved this note we saw on the sidewalk.

I was in a really great mood during our walk but then we got home and I felt sad about the whole situation.  It hits me in waves and I think that's ok.  The Bittes were very cute and they cheered me up!

Deep Thoughts from Day 14

Day 14 was a great day for me. I've really come around to this quarantine lifestyle.  I love how slow moving everything is.  I love that I don't spend every moment thinking, making decisions, planning, etc. like I do in my normal life.  This meme is such an accurate description of what life is like for a teacher.

I've also really enjoyed creating digital and at home activities for my kids.  It's let me tap in to my creative side, something I don't get to use very often anymore. 

The weather was really nice yesterday, so we went for a run.  (I've never had so much time to go running, ever.)

We were also able to "virtually" play a board game, Vegas Showdown, with our good friends.  It was really fun to catch up with our friends and do something "normal."

And look at this cute kitten

He ate an entire blueberry muffin (including packaging) while we were playing 😝

And now, for a message from a person who's been acting very Presidential on Twitter, almost as if she should be leading our country right now!

Day 13 was a Slow One

I don't have much to share about Day 13 except that I paid off my house loan on Animal Crossing 😋

Day 12~ Stopping to Smell the Roses

The focus for Day 12 was to look on the bright side.  We headed out for a run, and stopped at some of our favorite places along the way. 

Our running route also took us to some parts of the city that we have never gone to before.  During our "normal life," if we are lucky enough to find the time to go on a run together, we go on a normal route to save time.  Now we find ourselves with lots of free time and it's allowing us to stop and appreciate the things around us.  It's really a quite valuable gift that we've been given, in the midst of all of this tragedy and destruction.

We're still holding our own with all this quarantine cooking.  Check out this charcuterie board we paired with the Tres Curieux, the famous cocktail from Marliave.

Important reminder~ our president is willing to sacrifice many, many lives in order to "save" the economy.  This is not acceptable. 

And I'll leave the last word to the Fridge!

Day 11~ I Can't Think of a Catchy Title

Day 11 was a slow day.  We both spent a lot of the day working.  I connected with some of my kids on Google Meet, which was a lot of fun.  It was so nice to get to see so many of them and to know that they are doing well.  We spent most of the chat showing off our pets :-)

I spent some quality time on my Animal Crossing Island (thank god for this game) and JO even joined me for a bit!

Denali was extra cute today.

And Trina's nailed the Fridge (I love that Emma took all the letters home with her so she could keep the Fridge going from long distance.)

After a long day, I got to cooking!  Pretty proud of the grilled steak with mushrooms and onions that I made.

We made the mistake of tuning in to the daily press briefing.  Apparently we are all expendable if it means the stock market will go up. 

Those two spring breakers that have been retweeted a million times just got let off the hook big time.

Since we were none to thrilled with our president telling us we, and our loved ones, are expendable we drank this very special beer and went back to the island because life is better on our island.

Day 10~ It Took a Quarantine for us to Explore Charlestown

Island Life continues to be treating me well.  While JO dealt with the grocery store, I spent some quality time fishing, bug collecting, digging, and earning money on my island.  Thank goodness for this game.

For our daily fitness we decided to go for a bike ride because with few cars on the road, riding down the main streets would be pretty stress free.  We thoroughly wiped down these bikes, wore gloves, and did not touch our face during the ride.

We biked through the North Point Park and headed over to the bridge to Charlestown.  Wow!  We've really been missing out.  It took a quarantine for us to make it to Charlestown and that's pretty sad.  And while I'm on it, if this was a regular Sunday there's no way we would have had time to go for a bike ride, but since every day is the same day (or so it feels that way) we are left with lots of time to enjoy the little things. 

I have to say, Charlestown is beautiful.  The shipyard area is really neat and the neighborhoods by the Bunker Hill Monument is quaint and oozes old world charm. 

I feel like when this is over, there needs to be a big public messaging campaign reminding people about the rules for biking, walking, and driving together.  We were able to cross most streets without a care in the world and ride on sidewalks when we wanted.  It's going to be anarchy when we all try to coexist again.