Month: April 2020

Travel Writing Covid-19 Style

I love to travel and have always wanted to be a travel writer. I have often shared my tales via social media and friends seem to enjoy my various adventures and my mishaps along the way. I was so fortunate last year to meet Iowa writer Lyn Vandebrake who did many travel writing stories, as well as other wonderful books. She was sharing with me some tips and mentoring me, but sadly she was called home, or as she so elegantly put it, she was changing her address, after a short battle with cancer. I still miss her smile and positive attitude. She was a sweet lady and I would be fortunate to walk in her footsteps.
One of my favorite ways to travel long distance, as you may know, is by train. While not the most glamorous or comfortable trains in the world, Amtrak has taken me on many trips across the country. I’ve gone to Arizona, New York City, Chicago, Texas, Virginia, and stops in between. I am not a flyer, so no airplane stories to tell of, but everyone flies, so I’m giving you a new perspective on travel. I had thought to expand my train travel adventures but time and Covid will tell.
I also love to travel by car. My dream traveling experience would be to own one of those small RV’s that you either drive or that attaches to your vehicle. I’ve recently seen a few that I would love to own but I am not married to a camping, adventuring kind of guy, and I don’t think the $1200 stimulus check is going to go that far. So for now, or I should say in the future, cars and trains it is.
This year, with all of this Covid 19 pandemic and travel bans it frankly makes my dream of becoming a travel writer almost non-existent. I wonder if I can draw unemployment for being an out of work “wanna be” travel writer? I’ll look into that. For now, I guess I’ll have to keep you up to date on my C-19 short travel adventures to search locally for things like toilet paper and food. Here is what my new travel journal may look like.
Sunday April 5, 2020 Palm Sunday
Normally I would be in church today celebrating Palm Sunday, not watching it online, but nothing is normal during Covid 19 lock down. Instead I am celebrating the fact that I got a slot in the morning to go pick up my groceries at the big chain store grocer because they are the main curbside delivery grocer in my area, and they had most of the grocery items I needed, like cupcakes.
I had to make a quick run into another store nearby to get my creamer because they don’t carry it at this other grocer. Not many people were there and not many wearing a mask but me. Bummer. I tried really hard not to wander up and down each aisle and was mostly successful. I ended up buying more than just the creamer.
Living with a picky eater in the house is always fun times, but now trying to grocery shop online is especially hard for me because I am a very visual person. Normally I wander each row in the store and let foods jump out at me. Now I have to go down a list and try to figure out what we may need. My list seems to have a lot of beans, frozen veggies (for me) and chili fixings. Orange juice, lemonade and chocolate milk round out the list. Later when I unpack my bags it always feels like I made a huge mistake but I can’t put my finger on it. Too many chips and candy? Too many side items? I never know what to cook either. Somehow we always end up eating loose hamburger.
The next and only other place I stopped was at my local dog food store that also brings your order out for you. They have to special order my dog food because Jazzy is also a picky eater, but it works out for all of us. I like the employees at this store too, a nice bunch. I miss seeing them and Jazzy misses going inside to visit. Kutter prefers to stay on his napping spot in the car, I don’t blame him.
After completing my mission for the week I headed home, unpacked everything, got dinner going (lunch for you city folk) and went and took my “post going to town” shower to remove any latent virus germs that may be hiding out on me. Why can’t those virus germs glow bright green so we could see them? Safe back at home for another two weeks.
Tuesday April 14, 2020
Not my usual trip into town day, but the dogs ran out of dog food this morning and I am almost out of tea, so have to make an emergency extra trip to town. I put in my online order for the dog food and called my favorite tea shop. They would set my tea order inside the back door in the little hallway for me. This is why I love small businesses. Always willing to go that extra mile.
Dropped some money off at the bank on my way, no one takes cash now for fear of virus germs, and its for my online grocery ordering later today. I also had to stop at the local gas station for gas. Donned my winter gloves to pump gas and dumped a gallon of hand sanitizer on my hands afterward. I almost choked on the fumes from the hand sanitizer. Reminder to self, roll down a window before applying next time.
Both stops a success, did not need to wear my mask as I was not around anyone either time. Back home safely, did my whole change clothes, shower like a crazy person routine, life in isolation back in full force.
Thursday April 16, 2020
Time to do my two week grocery run. I had gotten a slot for a noon pick up which was great! You have to be online at 5:00 a.m. in order to secure most daytime pickup times. It’s just the new normal for now.
I had a couple of masks along with me for options because I was going to have to go inside the one grocer where I get my creamer and the other grocery store where I buy meat from. We have beef in the freezer, but I like to get chicken there and needed pork sausage in case I wanted to make us a pizza.
Sitting in the parking lot I was trying on various masks to see which one was going to work the best. I seriously applaud anyone who can wear masks all day, every day. I have a form fitting mask from about four years ago, it’s a dust mask, it was probably one Jay had, anyway I found it in a drawer so thought it would be great to use. Its an R-95 if anyone is curious. The problem is, I can’t breathe in it. I don’t know if its the fact that I have a deviated septum, or that I wear glasses, that my face is too “round” or that I am just uncoordinated at most things, but I thought I was going to pass out in the short time I was in the store!
By the way, just a side note here, but does anyone else find yourself giving people a nice big old smile while you have your mask on? I still do it and then think, that was silly, they can’t see most of my face! Old habits I guess.
The next store I decided to go with my homemade bandanna style mask. I couldn’t breathe in that one either! I didn’t have the homemade surgical style mask along that someone gave us, but I suspect that will have the same results. My glasses also kept fogging up and I had to fight the urge to rip the mask off my face so I could breathe! I’m trying to do my part in protecting others, but it was hard. For me a mask is perhaps another deterrent for me going into any stores, along with the whole virus/death thing. It’s forcing me to be even better at isolating myself.
Groceries all picked up, two more bags of dog food picked up, time to head home. I had to make a stop at my local gas station because we needed bread, and Jay only likes their bread. I know, but it’s what I live with.
I pulled my face mask on and went in and grabbed two loaves and got a bag of my favorite chips for me, no sense in risking danger if you can’t get some bonus food out of the deal. I walked over and stood about five feet behind the next person in the line.
While standing there looking like a homeless bank robber, I noticed that the third person in front of me was a high school class mate of mine. We were all keeping a good five feet in between us so I hoped he wouldn’t turn and look in my direction. Not only could I not breathe, my glasses were fogging over and I had not chosen wisely in what to wear to town that day, hoping not to run into anyone I knew. Why bother when I was only picking up things with a quick dash into the other store. Then there is that whole awkward muffled talking through a mask thing I was also hoping to avoid.
I don’t think he noticed as the line crept forward, I kept staying back as far as possible, and I believe I made it out without anyone recognizing me. I might add I was also the only person in there that was wearing a mask.
Safe back at home, I went through the new covid routine, put away groceries, wipe some things down, toss clothes and mask into laundry, shower for an hour, pray I didn’t catch the virus and take a nap due to emotional stress.
This is my new normal for my travel writing career, not very exciting, I know. I am trying to make the best of it, plus I may need this as proof for the whole unemployment thing. At this point in time I don’t know when I’ll actually get to take a trip in a car again, let alone get on a train. In the meantime I’m waiting for my check from the government to buy a new hammock pad for my stand, because I have my priorities.
Until next time…
Stay home, stay safe!
Toni

When Life Gives You Covid Lemons

Lets face it, so far 2020 stinks. We just barely got into the new year and we started hearing rumors of some new virus thing on the other side of the planet. No need for us to worry, or so we thought.
Now here we are three months in and most of us have been faithfully sheltering in our homes for the past several weeks, cutting ourselves off from human to human contact as best we can and trying to survive the toilet paper wars.
Shopping trips have now become covert missions that have planning strategies and special equipment involved. You have to be up at the crack of dawn, load up on hand sanitizer and maybe a face mask, disposable gloves and disinfectant wipes. You are now ready to go to the grocery store.
Best strategy is to shop online and go to a store that brings the groceries out to you so that you don’t have to step out of the safety of your car which is now more like your bubble of immunity outside of your house. If you were smart you checked the online groups for sightings of toilet paper nearby and hope that there is still some left when you arrive.
When you get home, depending on which how-to video you’ve watched, you unpack and sanitize each grocery item before putting it away, or you leave all non-perishable items sitting in your garage for a week, saying a silent prayer over each one that it is not the one with the virus stuck on it because you are not sure of your techniques.
That done you toss your disposable gloves, ok who are we kidding, you toss the two dog poop bags you’ve been using as disposable gloves into the garbage, strip out of your town clothes and toss them directly into the washing machine and then go take a twenty minute shower singing happy birthday forty times to make sure you’ve washed properly for this virus. I call this the Howard Hughes phase of shopping.
Now that you are back safely in your house, doors locked in case some crazy relative just decides to pop in to see how you are doing, it’s time to chose what to do today. Let’s see, you’ve watch all ninety seasons of Lost, you’ve knit five more scarves, ok you only knit one more because you are really, really slow. You finished reading that huge Stephen King novel and you have actually listened to most of the audible books in your collection, so that subscription is finally paying off.
If you are like me you are already bored with all of the apps and games on your iPad or tablet and the new ones look incredibly boring or too complicated. You’ve also already beat the computer numerous times in games of Monopoly and Solitaire. Alexa is starting to get on your nerves because she isn’t following your instructions so you find yourself yelling at her as if that will help. Solitude can do strange things.
It was nearly sixty degrees out the other day and so I ventured outdoors to see what I could do out there. I have this little tiny rake, I’m not sure what it’s true purpose is or why I bought it, but I don’t have a normal sized leaf rake. I have a garden rake which doesn’t work well for leaves, I don’t know why I have that either as I don’t garden. I took my tiny rake and tried to rake the leftover leaves out from around all the plants in the front of the house, I had fair success.
Then I walked around the yard and picked up all the big sticks that had blown out of the trees the last several wind storms and put them into a big pile. I was already winded from too much activity but was determined to make a day of it. I decided to follow my daughters idea and walked out into the field and looked for pieces of corn that I could leave out for our squirrels. I only found four and walked about an eighth of a mile and back but I felt accomplished none the less.
I reclined on my lawn chair for a bit but it isn’t satisfying. I miss my hammock! If we do get money from the government for economic relief during this pandemic, I am buying a new pad for my hammock stand! I have my priorities after all.
The sun was getting too hot, yes, sixty degrees is hot for me, so I went back indoors. No sense overdoing it on the first sunny day. I looked around the living room for something to do that did not involve the TV. If I were the ambitious type I could tackle my living room closet where I store all of my seasonal decorations. It has become a giant disaster with holidays dripping all over the place. I opened the door, looked inside, shut the door. Too much trauma for me.
I’ve already rearranged my living room, so what other room could I tackle? The dining room and kitchen have no options. Same with the laundry room. We had already updated the den aka grandpa’s room. That left the guest bedroom, which is also the grandkids toy room. I stood in the doorway and looked at it for ten minutes.
To move anything was going to require a lot of removing things first. Then there is the whole plug outlet situation, and the TV dish cord is in one corner so the TV is stuck there. There are shelving units with the kids toy bins, a big sized kids kitchen set, a bookshelf loaded with kids books, my desk and a bed, and a unit with my clothes. We are talking a twelve by twelve bedroom, with each wall lined with some type of unit of something. I turned and walked away. Best not to poke the giant.
A thought of trying to bake some homemade bread flashed briefly across my brain. Who was I kidding. I folded all of the blankets on the couch and arranged all of the pillows. I almost went and got the vacuum cleaner, but that idea went away quickly as well. I spied the extra Wemo plug that had been sitting on my roll top desk in the living room and had a clear vision of what to do.
I have a large round fan that sits in my living room and is plugged into the outlet that works off of the light switch. There are two such outlets in the living room so when you click the light switch on, a light on my desk turns on and the fan turns on. I picked the Wemo plug up (it works with Alexa or by an app to remotely control things plugged into it) and plugged it into the wall behind the couch sectional that was to the left of me. Then I plugged the fan into it positioning it to perfectly blow a nice breeze on me. After several minutes of trying to remember how to program the plug, I finally got it.
Life is good for now. It’s often measured in the small things. I no longer have to get up and flip a light switch to turn my fan on or off. Now I can remain seated in my favorite spot on the couch, watching all six seasons of Schitts Creek for the tenth time and just say “Alexa, turn on living room fan”. Covid lemonade.
Please stay home and stay safe.
Until next time…
Toni