As you might remember, we got off our lovely Silver Shadow on the sixth of February and proceeded to make a marathon trip home from Lima to Charles Town. We got home safely, it a bit late. Those who were on the entire 57-day cruise did not fare as well. The ship made it around Cape Horn and into its ports of call on the East coast of South America until they got to Recife. Things went rather poorly after that since the ship was quarantined for two weeks and no one was allowed to get off. After their time-out the company flew 103 Americans to Ft.Lauderdale. A lousy ending for what for some was the trip of a lifetime; we know, since we met many of them on our leg.
And thus ends any semblance of a travel blog, so here instead is a not quite fascinating account of our life in isolation. Current events have just seemed to get the best of us since the cruise, and dealing with all the Covid-19 stuff weighs on us even though there are no significant changes, thanks goodness - e.g., no jobs to lose. Since I’m in that age category of ‘at risk’ I’ve been playing it safe and staying at home, allowing Cindy to do the heavy lifting. (PS from Cindy: I'm also in that age category! But happy to do extra since I am indeed a little younger and I've never had pneumonia as Wm has.)
In fact, yesterday was the first time in three weeks that I got into the car and that was only to pick up necessary groceries and wine! Having been retired for awhile our routine hasn’t changed much as a result of the virus. We do a lot of walking and running every day in the neighborhood, we do housework and yard work and computer work, but have no schedule so no stress. I’ve brought my cooking up a notch as a result of having to plan more than usual. I used to shop every other day, a hangover from living in Europe for twelve years and having had a refrigerator the size of a piece of carry-on luggage. Now that we shop every two weeks, I must think ahead and be very organized with my kitchen endeavors.
Cindy continues to give lessons and receive lessons on the violin, all via Zoom or Skype. We actually purchased memberships, if that’s what it is called, for CBS All Access and Hulu; we already had Prime and Netflix. We thought we would be doing a lot of binge watching but the best we have been able to muster is two back-to-back episodes of Mary Tyler Moore or Wings. So much for our TV addiction! You must remember however that our TV is only 32” and six years old so it isn’t as exciting as it might be.
Spring has sprung here and I had to mow the lawn in March! That is crazy; however, it does give me an opportunity to do a lot more exercising and use different muscles as I wack the weeds and march up and down the lawn. Cindy is knee deep in weeds that she has been pulling for weeks. All of our Bradford pear trees and mock cherry trees have blossomed and for a few lovely days the air was fragrant and the yard a blaze of pink and white. Still waiting on the flowering plum trees and lilacs which should come in the next few days.
Megan seems to be getting stronger, although with all this virus she needs to be extra careful. The other kids and families are doing well and learning new routines. For the Florida families, not having access to their beloved beaches is a heartache but they know the risks and have learned to entertain themselves closer to home. We are in lockdown, but as I said, it doesn’t alter our normal routine much at all. We watch limited news; it's all too sensational and numbers-based. We hope our friends in Italy who are entering their eighth week of lockdown emerge healthy and strong. We wonder about our friends in Nice, where we were scheduled to be right now, and try to do our bit here by not physically interacting with anyone.
We wish you all health and happiness, however and wherever you can find it.
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