Thank you, Dusty. Terrifying close call you had there!
Yes, music does help...I try to play at least a bit each day, both my guitar and dulcimer. But some work days go a little longer and I have to choose just one to play, or I get to play for only a few minutes--or no minutes at all on either. And I feel it when I don't get to play. It really does help to get lost for a little while, just you and your instrument...
Well, I haven't been sewing or baking, but I was able to visit my dad for a month in sunny Arizona over Christmas and help him through a health crisis which began near the end of Dec. I'm happy to report is is already feeling better and is happy to be able to walk with a walker, even though he's not (yet!) ready to get back on the golf course. New meds for diabetes and heart issues was mostly what he needed, but it was certainly a very scary time. He'll be 95 in February.
My new activity this fall and winter has been working on foreign languages on the website Duolingo. I started with several months of Spanish and then switched over to French. It's giving my brain a real workout.
I don't play my dulcimers every day, but when I do, I tend to play for several hours. I want to get back to working with Tabledit, too. I was just starting to get somewhere with it when I had to set it aside for awhile.
Good health to you all! I hope your music makes the days merrier.
Sorry to hear about your friend, @lisavb. 
Glad to hear about your house. We had a similar accident a few years ago. A massive limb from a 75-year-old oak tree fell down, only barely grazing the gutter on the corner of our house. I couldn't even tell that the roof had not been damaged until the next day when I was able to remove all the branches from up there. But the front yard was completely filled with branches and leaves. From the street, you couldn't even see the house. It just looked like a chimney sticking out of a massive piles of green leaves and brown wood. I was so lucky that my neighbor was a gardener who had just retired. He showed up with his chain saws and the two of us worked for a couple of days until the yard was clear. Then it took another year for the lawn to come back since it was entirely covered in saw dust. But at least the house was OK.
@lisavb I offer my deepest sympathy on the death of your friend. And while I am sorry about your RAV4, it is good your house was spared.
I remind myself the plague will not last forever-- history teaches us this. There are some lovely flowers growing out of the compost pile with lots of wonderful music being made despite everything. Music can be a balm to the weary spirit. Keep enjoying that McSpadden and Jessica C's workshops! (Jessica makes incredibly good music!)
I could use some bright-side thinking about now. Found out over the holidays that an old friend died of COVID out in Nebraska. And last week we had a storm blow through--a tree fell on our property. *Barely* missed the house, but it mashed my beloved RAV4. Landed square on it. Should hear next week if it's repairable or totalled. I'm suspecting the latter, given the hideous damage. But it did start up and drive for the tow guy, FWIW.
A huge bright spot has been Jessica Comeau's Zoom workshops. She started them up earlier in the summer, roughly every other week. I've attended every one and they bring me such joy. There is one today, in fact. People from all over the place--including England and Germany--have been attending.
And I've been absolutely loving my new cherry McSpadden! Makes me so happy to pick her up and play. So glad I went ahead and ordered her. Beautiful to look at, beautiful to listen to. Thanks again to all who responded and helped me with my decision. :)
A major bright side for me is extra time with my teenage daughter. In normal times the last thing she would want to do is hang out with her parents, especially now that she and her friends are getting their drivers licenses. But we spend lots of time together every day; I'm grateful for that.
I've also gotten to know dulcimer players from around the country in Zoom gatherings of various sorts. My "local" dulcimer group is no longer local as about half of the attendees each month are from all over the country.
Still haven't learned to sew, though.
Looking on the bright side- I'm guessing we have all become better cooks this year! Also maybe more knowledgeable and reading more? Perhaps started a garden, built things, or learned to sew, or bake? 
I know I've been doing most of those things over the past 10 months.
Hi, all, up here in Ontario we are locked down again. We are finding that deliveries of the Pfizer version of the vaccine are going to be delayed a bit because of changes in production in Belgium. So the Provincial health authorities are talking about delaying second shots to 48 days after the first. Not happy about that, because of course the clinical trials approvals were as far as I know predicated on there being 3 weeks between doses. Lots of disagreement on that in the medical community, (which I follow because I worked in the hospital system up here for 35 years.) The only other vaccine approved by Health Canada is the Moderna. Johnson and Johnson is possibly going to get approved, no idea when. Astra-Zenica will be coming from Britain if it gets approved, but they are now racing the increased-contagion variant so who knows when.
Since I am retired from the hospital for 11 years now I am no longer covered by the health-system workers line, so no injection for me yet. At 74 years 5 months I am just a bit under the Group 1 line too, but that may change. Sandie is younger by 2 years but asthmatic. We will see if that makes a difference.
At this point, frankly, I would take the Cuban, Russian or Chinese versions. The wait is killing people!
In Arizona the governor checked on when the reserve vaccines that were released by the Government were going to arrive and how many. He found out that there are NO reserve vaccines, never were, and that nothing is coming. For Me I am waiting for the Johnson and Johnson single dose product. Too many unknowns about the second dose at this point, if there ever will be one, for the Pfizer or the Moderma. There also is the Astra Zenica coming. Needless to say I will have to wait anyways, if I ever do receive it, probably by 2022 for my age group. By then we will either know if the vaccine works, especially for the new B117 version.
Well, here in Kentucky it is spitting snow and cloudy. I'm envious of those who get fresh fruit out of their yards. We are in the roughest and poorest part of the state in the hills. Very limited on fresh vegies and fruits.
We got our first vaccine injection last Monday. We are both over 70 and vaccine is crazy on how it's being given out. We are supposed to follow up with a second injection on Feb 1st for it to be effective, but not sure if it's going to be available now. If we can't get it then it's been wasted.
Some healthcare people are still not getting it. I don't know what that's about. The governor says things like, "we have given out more injections than we have vaccine." I tried to sort that out and know I don't understand the new math, but somehow that just doesn't compute for me.
Trying to stay busy by cooking. If we don't get out of this pandemic we won't be able to get out of the house because we can't fit through the door. I did make homemade bread which was great. I love doing that, just hate the clean up. It sure makes the house smell good.
I try to play at least a few tunes each day on the dulcimer to keep my fingers in shape since I sure haven't managed to keep anything else in shape. I tried changing some old tunes around and that's been fun some times. Some times a musician friend will call and we all feel about the same just wanting to get out and play.
I know I'm not alone in the world so reading all your comments help. I just hope and pray we all come out of this a little kinder and caring, but then most everyone in the dulcimer world already were.
BJ
Hello All,
The fruit tree post was wonderful . Our 3 Meyers Lemon Trees are heavy this year & so is our pink grapefruit tree :) I’ve been busy in the kitchen & put up 12 pints of Lemon marmalade . It takes almost a full day for only 6 pints . We have tried to encourage our neighbors to pick—but most of our usual pickers are staying indoors because it is cold & rainy. Also everyone in our neighborhood is having a bumper year for lemons —so it is difficult to find them homes :)
My good dulcimer news is I’ve been having fun experimenting in EAA & working out many A old time tunes —having fun with Grub Springs Waterbound Shenandoah Falls & Crockets honeymoon :)
Also had some frets pulled on my black walnut MMD & greatly enjoying playing it again :)
Here is some of our good news for this year (not going to mention any troubling or sad news because we all got plenty of all that )
1. Bob & I are finally going to be grandparents —Violet Juniper Hyder is due in February . This is our Daughter Natalie & Husband Will’s miracle baby & is the only grandchild on either side of the family . So far she is growing well, active & healthy & looked good in the genetic testing too —she’s already 4 lbs & the size of a cauliflower :) and Bob has quit drinking so he will be allowed to hold her—which is improving his health too :)
2. Bob & I have been fortunate in we live in Tallahassee which is easy to stay inside & to also have outdoor activities that are isolated in natural beauty —so we have not caught the virus . We got our first vaccines last Saturday from the local health department & have our follow up on the 30th :)
3. Looking forward to camping & festivals this summer & hope we’ll all be out & about & picking again :)
Hope everyone here is safe & well & picking a few new happy tunes too :)
Love & blessings,
Mary Z. Cox
Dusty, how wonderful that you have backyard oranges and lemons! What a blessing for health! I'm grateful to be able to buy the world's best fresh apples here here in NY. Long ago when i lived in Puerto Rico my neighbor had a HUGE mango tree and my kids and I ate them by the shopping bag full. 
I believe age 65 and up is group 1C. Lots of states have opened up for that group now, ahead of the original plan... including CA and NY state where i live. However, for example in our county there are 60,000 people, yet the govt has only been sending our county 300 doses per week for the past month and a half. Major fail. You can see where that's going... at this rate I'll die of old age before I get vaccinated! 
Hopefully vaccinating people will be given higher priority and speed soon. I can't wait to get mine!
Here in California, vaccines are available (in theory) to anyone 65 and over. But I think that's group 1B, whereas 1A are the frontline healthcare workers and those in assisted living facilities, and they haven't even gotten to all of them yet. But the next group is those over 50, so I'm hopeful that within a couple of months both my wife and I will be able to get the vaccine. Plans are already being made for mass vaccination sites in the parking lots of sports arenas, where you'll drive in and get the shot right in your car. Like drive-through fast food.
And I won't brag that we have two orange trees bursting with fruit here. The biggest one is a navel orange tree on my neighbor's property, but it's about 30 feet tall and he can't possibly eat all its fruit. Every week or so we go over with a ladder and pick a bunch. We have a smaller tree of valencia oranges, which are harder to peel and better for juicing. We also have tons of meyers lemons this time of year. Those are a cross between lemons and mandarin oranges, and have an almost tangerine-like sweetness. They make the best lemonade. For some reason, my lime tree fruits earlier, so there's nothing left now, although all three trees flower at the same time.
Strumelia; sadly had I been there your poor husband would have had to share all of his treats.
Here's to covid vaccines coming to a pharmacy or clinic near to all of us in the not so distant future! 
I try to plan my supermarket trips so that I hardly ever have to go- like once every three weeks or so. Between big trips i do occasionally stop into our (much smaller) local farmer's market to quickly pick up a few fresh things like bread, milk, eggs, and apples.
Today was one of my big supermarket trips. It's a big project, especially when I get all those bags of stuff home! Pretty much takes up half a day.
There are things that we so much savor, now that we don't have them as often. For example this evening it was sooo nice to cut up a gorgeous juicy navel orange and eat it slowly- it was so good! And my husband was excited to have a tub of real guacamole to put some in the tortillas he likes to make for himself, along with his favorite pepperjack cheese. And we now each have 2 pints of our favorite Ben & Jerry's in the freezer as a treat! Brian's is always ChocolateFudgeBrownie, and mine is CherryGarcia.
The pandemic has taught us to really appreciate fresh food and having access to it. 
We're lucky indeed.
Belinda, am responding to your issue over in that site help thread. :)
I was glad that I got a new sewing machine for myself about 2 yrs ago. I've made maybe three dozen pleated masks for my husband and me, and sent some to our three children & their spouses. I use two layers of high thread count quilting cotton with a third layer inside of a non-woven filter material.
I drove by our neighborhood community center today and there was a long line of cars trying to enter the parking lot. Why? They were giving out free face masks. I don't know who sponsored that effort, but what a great idea!
Hope they were good ones, Dusty! Washable ones should be three layers, cotton-cotton-water resistant, and cover from above the nose to below the chin, according to our city's Chief Medical Officer of Health.
I drove by our neighborhood community center today and there was a long line of cars trying to enter the parking lot. Why? They were giving out free face masks. I don't know who sponsored that effort, but what a great idea!
...
My plea is that we all would act with consideration toward others and wear our masks, limit our gatherings, keep our distance and stay home when we don't need to go out. We can limit the further spread of the virus by following the advice of the scientists who are studying this beast. Let's just do it!
Right on, Richard. We have one friend from our knitting circle who got infected right out of hospital while recovering from a broken hip. Her physiotherapy was wasted. She has recovered after a month on a ventilator but now has to try to do her rehab at home as an outpatient; and she lives alone.
Thanks Richard. Our hope is that we can all do our part to tamp down the spread of this virus. Certainly enough people have died that we should all take it seriously and be responsible.
Perhaps on a more serious note about COVID. Some members of the forum have contracted this disease, some with mild symptoms some seriously ill, even on life support for a while.
I have heard some folks who think this pandemic is just something that is made up. But make believe does not kill people. This virus is real, it is serious and it is deadly.
My plea is that we all would act with consideration toward others and wear our masks, limit our gatherings, keep our distance and stay home when we don't need to go out. We can limit the further spread of the virus by following the advice of the scientists who are studying this beast. Let's just do it!
Just toilet paper again. 
One small positive thing at my house- have been improving my cooking skills (which were pretty good to begin with). Last night i stir fried some baby bok choy with some mushrooms and pan-seared raddichio wedges, served it over brown rice with tamari sauce. And it was good.
Just me and my husband this year for thanksgiving. We're going to have a nice little roast chicken, with cranb sauce, stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, and ice cream for dessert... at our now festively lit kitchen table. Since it's just two of us, we'll have the same identical meal the next day too with the plentiful leftovers. 
Not having any festivals to attend is a downer. My favorite restaurants have gone the way of the dodo, with more closing permanently every day. One more lockdown and that is it for a lot of them. Not sure what will happen with all the unemployed and under employed once the protections lift. Can't teach as I cannot do it online. Can't travel as most of the flights are cancelled or non existent and 28 days out of my life in isolation is not I thing I value. Not a good time at all. And on top of that, watching the Virus spread, (second wave was predicted) and yet everyone seems astonished. Current measurements will not work, but then they new it wouldn't yet had to provide the population with something to believe in, and they are running out of people to blame. On the other hand it is interesting to watch history repeat, and be able to predict to the letter what will happen.
Most years I complain when people put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving (and some even before Halloween!), but it's perfectly understandable this year. We need something to pick up our spirits and remind us of what "normal" is supposed to be.
@b-ross-ashley, my dulcimer group resembles your folk chorus in that our move online has allowed us to bring in people from all over. Nowadays only about half our attendees are from Northern California. So although social distancing guidelines have taken away our abilities to socialize locally, they have opened up other ways to expand social gatherings unlimited by geography.
Musically speaking, our folk chorus have been doing online rehearsals since September, and right now our video editor (the husband of one of our section leaders) is putting together a video of all of us singing into our cellphone cameras on the Temagami Round. If we go public with it I will post a link here. We have more planned. This year, thanks to doing it remotely, we have members from Nova Scotia to Michigan. (Usually, we only have members who can get in to downtown Toronto physically.)
Yes, Robin ... the City of Toronto and Peel Region to our west (Mississauga, Malton, Brampton etc.) are being hit extremely hard so far by the second wave.
On the other hand I have a look at the maps of what is going on in the States and almost the entire country was in shades of red yesterday, except Hawai'i. I fear for my family, in Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York and California, and my myriads of friends down there.
It is kind of a cliche to say so, but in my nearly 53 years up here I have actually found Canadians slightly more disciplined about accepting authority than my and Sandie's fellow Americans ... it is not always a good thing but right now there is less resistance to masking up etc. and that, friends, is really a good thing.
@b-ross-ashley I saw where Toronto is to be under lockdown. Truly, I hope it helps lessen the virus's spread greatly! Y'all take care.
Love all this Christmas talk--and photos, too!
::A-hem:: Dr Fauci has no jurisdiction. Everybody North of the Lakes knows that the Canadian border in the Arctic extends right to the North Pole ... Santa even has a Canadian postal code. H0H 0H0.
Sounds to me like Mr. & Mrs. Claus are two very smart Christmas cookies.
Belinda, what a tree! I read in the news just today that Dr. Fauci says Santa is practically immune from Covid, so you must be relieved! 
https://people.com/human-interest/santa-claus-has-innate-immunity-from-covid-19-fauci-reveals/
Very nice, Lisa.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
That is lovely!
Here is how my 'cozy lights' over the kitchen table came out- we had our first dinner under a mini canopy of stars! 
Well there's much similarity to the 'cozy' traditions found in colder winter Scandinavian/Northern countries. They know how to really enjoy the comforts that can be had during the dark winter, such as candles, hot cocoa, wooly socks and knit sweaters, warm food and hearty soups, lap throws, saunas, snowshoeing, baking, etc. They are experts in warding off the winter doldrums!
We all have just a few short months of winter to get through before Spring and perhaps an end to this horrible time of virus suffering and social quarantining.
Good for you, Strumelia. Yes folks are decorating earlier this year. I think this is one thing that reminds us of normal, and it is something that is not limited by our sense of responsibility toward others nor by governmental restriction.
The odd thing to me is the local media here seem to find it so surprising and out of character. If one thinks about it for just a moment it is not at all surprising. Indeed it is to be welcomed.
Hugs.
Sounds as if you may be less lonely than my lady and I in our little apartment in midtown Toronto, surrounded by people ... but as of Sunday midnight going back into lockdown. We have our holiday lights up already, keeping our living room window ablaze with twinkles.
Doesn't it look as though we may have some working vaccines after two or three more months? That is unbelievable and surely something to look forward to!
Just knowing that helps us face the next few dark cold dreary months.
Yes, our holiday season is going to be a bit different this year and maybe it will be hard to stay uplifted. Nowadays it's totally dark at 4pm. 
I noticed the other night one of my neighbors... a lady who lives alone, had put up a whole bunch of twinkling colored Xmas lights in her window and on her front porch. It's still a week before Thanksgiving(!), but it struck me as so pretty and cozy. It inspired me to put up a few strands of twinkling lights myself!
I decided i would string some lights over our humble kitchen table nook where my husband and I eat all our meals. I have it in place now, and i can't wait til tonight to see how festive it looks when the sun goes down! Maybe i'll post a picture here.
I did a little online looking and discovered that apparently there's a whole trend going on right now of people putting up holiday decorations early in order to feel cheerful and comforted despite the ongoing pandemic and the cold weather and short days setting in.
We won't be having a tree this year, and no family coming. But our little kitchen nook will be cheery for sure! 
Dusty, Great news about your wife's job from home! There was a time when people begged to be allowed to do their office jobs (mostly computer work) from home and bosses said No way! Looks like a way has been found for many after all. It's just too bad that it took a deadly pandemic to have that happen.
Dusty, things are getting like that all over this Fall. Most of the US is confronted by rising infection rates, and here in Canada we are too.
Good for your lady, that reduces the personal risk.
Keep smiling. keep playing.. we will get through this all together or not at all.
The good news: my wife started that new job this week, so now we're all working or going to school from home. Our tight little COVID circle is intact again.
The bad news: our county is moving backwards into a more restrictive set of COVID protocols (California has a 4-tiered, color-coded system). It seems everyone gets serious about being careful and the infection rates go down, allowing us to move into a less restrictive tier. Everyone celebrates and decides we're out of the woods, and then they get careless again, putting us back into a more restrictive tier.
Dusty it makes me very happy to hear this wonderful news about your wife's new job. Yaaaaaaay!! 
A little bit of good news for us. My wife is getting a new job that will allow her to work entirely from home. Her current job only lets her work from home two days a week, and since I work from home and our daughter is doing high school virtually, my wife's job was the only exception to our otherwise tight, COVID-free lives. She requested on numerous occasions to work from home, citing the number of people in the building who had been infected and complaining that too many co-workers were not following proper protocols, but they only gave her two days. So she's leaving. And getting a promotion, too. Probably the happiest member of our family will be the dog, who will soon have the whole pack home every day, the way he thinks it ought to be.
Wow, this reminds me of how I felt upon my first post-COVID dental visit. They had installed special air cleaners, implemented a number of precautions (including taking my temp and testing my O2) and put quite rigorous/extensive between-patient cleaning into place--and a lot more. My longtime hygienist was clad in all manner of PPE. On the one hand, I felt grateful they were taking so much care to protect me--and their staff. On the other hand, I was heartbroken to see Niki decked out like something out of a sci-fi movie--just do do her job safely. We had to do a socially distant air-hug instead of our usual post-cleaning hug. She had to stay in the room to be sprayed down with a special fog, couldn't even walk/chat with me on the way to the front desk as usual.
I feel the same about your story. On the one hand, I am touched they put so much care into making the wedding safe for all. On the other hand, it breaks my heart that all this is necessary.
On yet another hand...I'm with Strumelia. The Vegas mansion would not have been my cup of tea! :) I'm not a big/loud crowd kind of person...
Dusty, I'd say the bride and groom put a lot of thought and consideration into their adapted wedding. They did a great job and at least for me it would have been more fun than a mansion Las Vegas wedding. Bingo and paint ballon art and individual food bags! 
It does indeed sound memorable. :D
Strange days indeed. I attended a COVID wedding yesterday. My brother-in-law got married to his long-time girlfriend. The wedding was originally planned for Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas, and he had rented a huge mansion there where the wedding party and their close family and friends were going to stay. Needless to say, those plans were canceled.
Instead, there was a short, social distancing ceremony with about 20 people involved at a park, and then we we went back to their backyard for a party of sorts. Everyone sat in family pods, so my wife, daughter and I had our own table. There was no buffet or anything like that. They had the event catered, with individual bags of food for each attendee. Even the drinks were individualized. My wife indicated on the questionnaire that I liked whiskey, so on our table was a whole bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey, just for me. (Don't worry, we took the bottle home after I barely made a dent in it.) Also on each table was a bottle of hand sanitizer and a container of Lysol wipes. I was expecting face masks displaying a picture of the newlyweds, but they didn't go that far.
There was no dancing or anything, but we played bingo and a few other contact-less games, including something where we each threw a balloon filled with paint at big canvas. They are planning to put that paint-splattered, Jackson Pollock-like canvas in their living room. Kind of a cool idea, though we left before seeing the final product.
In the end, it was nice but also strange. I'm sure we will remember the experience, which I guess is all you can ask of a wedding.
@don-grundy, there were a few small fires about 75 miles away, but they were easily put out. Since I live in the Central Valley rather than the hills, the fires usually affect us less as a direct threat than by clouding our air with smoke. I actually have a bunch of masks in the garage for when the air gets really bad. Unfortunately, those are different masks than we need to halt the spread of viruses. Perhaps I'll have to double up on the masks soon. Yikes!
@ken-longfield, the rolling blackouts have indeed affected a lot of people. Luckily, our house is on the same little portion of the grid as a police station (and maybe a fire station, too), so we're exempt from those purposeful blackouts.
But folks along the coast, where it never gets above 80 are really suffering since their homes don't have adequate A/C.
I just read an article that questioned the rolling blackouts since although power usage was as high as expected, the state still had plenty of electricity in reserve. The conclusion was that over the last several years since the last major heat wave, so many people have added solar panels to their homes that the drain on the grid is significantly less than it used to be. A sign of progress, I suppose.
I hope the rolling black outs don't cause your AC to go out or do you have a back up generator. Our son and his family live way south of you in Van Nuys and they've been having this heat as well. Stay cool inside and play dulcimer.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Well in the middle of this pandemic here on the west coast we're also dealing with a massive heat wave. The worst in about 75 years, I just heard. It will be over 100 for most of the day, even staying in the 90s well into the evening. I'm so grateful that we installed a new HVAC unit in May; I feel bad for all those folks with no air conditioning. At least the county lifted the water rationing restrictions so I can water the lawn more often than twice a week. But I don't think I'll be doing much work outside the next several days.
Welcome back, @B-Ross-Ashley. You might find that this time of quarantine is an opportunity to hunker down and play more music. We have also found that the initial shortage of toilet paper and some basic food items is over and other than disinfectant wipes and sprays, nearly everything can be found in the markets again. I guess I didn't need that 96-roll box of industrial toilet paper that I ordered when I panicked seeing the empty store shelves back in March and April!
Hey, @b-ross-ashley Ross-- good to see you again! It's nice to hear you are going to pick up the dulcimer again. I have found playing mountain dulcimer to be a balm to my spirit. Take care.
Hi, all, it has been a while since I poked my head in here ... Sandie and I are still alive, and living in the middle of the 4th largest city north of Mexico. I have not played much at all in the last while. Our community chorus scrubbed its season in March and we have only done the occasional online singing since. The COVID-19 pandemic has not hit us anywhere near as bad as it has our neighbours across the Lakes, but it has hit our elders in Long Term Care really hard, plus the personal care workers who look after them.
But I am back, and hope to pick up the dulcimer again! Glad to see the rest of you too.
Sandie and I mask up when venturing out, and I get out a lot more than she does. She is asthmatic. Masks are now required in indoors public spaces like malls, stores, etc. Bars and restaurants are now open only for outside service, patios etc. Pro sports are still on hold, and the federal government have decided not to allow our baseball team to play their home games here ... keeping cross-border travel to the essential minimum. Hockey may resume, with all games played in two Canadian cities, Edmonton and Toronto, no cross-border travel involved. I am wondering whether the same will happen with the Canadian Football League.
There were some shortages for a while, particularly TP and bakers' yeast! Since I use a bread machine that got to be a hassle for a while but it is coming back now. The Province is opening up gradually, much more slowly than some of your states are (I hope that is not too political, LOL).
Travel is difficult. I have an annual conference later this summer that is going to be online instead of in person because it is just not going to be possible to get to Ottawa safely. So it goes.
Stay safe, all!
Hats off to you Belinda, for becoming avid hikers with your husband!
I find it interesting how different people get creative in figuring out ways to get their exercise safely during the pandemic. We each gravitate towards types of exercise that suit both our current situation, our comfort level, and our individual personalities. 
Sounds like a nice first outing, Don. If you are outdoors and maintain social distancing, you are pretty safe. My daughter and I went kayaing in a nearby lake last week. It was only a day trip, but it was so nice to get out and away from everything. Neither the ducks nor the trout know anything about the COVID, and we forgot about it as well for a few hours.
Sounds like fun, Don
So sorry for the negative part of the change. It is a tough time. Just lots of care, hand washing and more hand washing and masks when around people.
Dusty, that's sounds very stressful for your family. I hope you manage to navigate this situation safely, it stinks that you have little control over it.
I suggest that you guys order several metal 'door openers' to keep with your keychains/purses/cars. They're a 'thing' now, Brian and I have them for when we have to go to stores or indoor places. Creates less germ contamination when opening office doors, flushing toilets, pushing elevator buttons, pressing payment keypads, etc. They work for most but not all situations and are handy to have:
Well my wife moved to a new job this past week. During the interviews they said that she might have to do some of her training in person. Now they've decided she will have to do all of her training in person and might not be able to work from home for a year. This despite the governor's announcent that all state workers are supposed to work from home for the foreseeable future. Very frustrating. Even though she wears masks and sanitizes her desk every morning, she still has to use the elevator and the bathroom there. Aargh! Our house had been its own little quarantine bubble. Now that bubble is burst. 
Yes, time is very weird. We've been working from home since early March. Seems like we've been doing it forever...yet it seems like we just started. I read somewhere the reason for this is the sameness, we're not having events in our lives so much that make marks on time. Can't plan anything, really, so it feels like a permanent hold pattern. Super strange.
Here in NY i believe masks are required inside any food markets. The big supermarket told me they had to hire a guard at the front door to make sure all customers were wearing masks when entering. (I'm glad about that!) Keep in mind that NY was very hard hit by the virus except in the outlying rural areas.
Still rare to find toilet paper, paper towels and tissues here in my area... and thankfully they have limits per customer.
I found a great market for fresh meat and produce that I like to go to now. But since I'm pretty stocked up, I only need to get random supplies once every 10 days or so, and i freeze some bread and meat when i have a little space.
There is absolutely NO rubbing alcohol, Chlorox wipes, or hand sanitizer to be found here in the stores yet. Not even hydrogen perozide! Even jugs of laundry bleach are sparse on the shelf.
Luckily I still have enough disinfecting supplies that I bought several months ago. Since i don't venture out very often, thankfully I'm not going through it as rapidly as I feared. By the time I run out of disinfecting/safety items hopefully it will all be available again. :)
I have tons of lettuce in my garden right now at its peak. There are several friends of ours who come by and pick up a big bag that I set out for them. Sometimes they stop to chat for a while- we put our lawn chairs out on the lawn 12 feet far apart so we can sit and visit when they come by. Fun! In a couple more weeks my mature lettuce will bolt need to be pulled out and reseeded. Lettuce struggles a bit with the Summer heat though, so it's at its best for me in the Spring and Fall.
Now with the temps rising, the string beans are loving it. I have two types growing- both are very slim and French, so they don't get fat and tough like the Blue Lake types i used to grow. I have Tenderette green which are truly tender and I've grown for several years, and also Velour- which is similar slender but dark velvet purple. It looks gorgeous raw, but does turn dark green when cooked.
I'm finding the passage of time has become deceptive during the covid times. We've been staying isolated at home for 3 1/2 months now. In some ways it feels like an eternity ...but in other ways it seems to have passed in a flash. Weird. Other people must be experiencing similar things?
Only in the last couple of weeks has toilet paper shown up regularly on supermarket shelves. But only in small packages of 4-8 rolls. And perhaps about a month ago eggs and meat became once again a regular find. It was certainly nerve wracking to walk through a supermarket and see so many empty ailes. Still hard to find Lysol or Chlorox wipes or rubbing alcohol, but hand sanitizers are available again.
The governor has lifted most restrictions here and left it up to county officials to determine what activities will be permitted. In the county where the music shop is where I teach, group gatherings are still forbidden, but private lessons are now allowed. I was relieved, though, to hear that none of my students feel comfortable returning to in-person lessons yet. The lesson room we use is tiny and does not have great ventilation. If we could meet outdoors, or in a larger space we would all feel more comfortable. One of my students has decided she actually prefers Zoom lessons, saying that not having to worry about gathering her stuff and drive to the music shop enables her to concentrate more just on the music. Interesting.
Our TP shortage was over by the end of March. In my area (Lexington, KY), people are pretty good about wearing masks in public. My husband (who does all the shopping) says MOST of the people in the grocery stores--and Wal-Mart and Lowes--are wearing masks, which is not required, but is strongly recommended.
FABULOUS write up Strumelia. just loved all of it. thank you for putting a possitive spin on this while time in American History, for that matter, world history. Getting back to just the smallest of trivials....the vanilla bottle leaking and all gone when you went to get it. aloha, irene
