Sunday, August 9, 2020

Life: It Goes On - August 9

Happy Sunday! How are you all holding up - with summer heat, with the kids returning to school soon and the debate about what form that will take, with politics, and with this damn virus? In some ways, I feel like my life is just going on in the normal way - work, cleaning, laundry, meals, projects around the house. I'm still doing all of those things but so many of them are being done differently: working from home, picking up my groceries instead of actually shopping, sanitizing daily instead of just wiping down the counters when I do dishes. So it's never far from my mind what's going on outside of my safe haven and it's really starting to wear on me. My to-do list has plenty on it already but I think I'm going to prioritize a little painting project because those get me outside and always lift my spirits. 

Last Week I: 

 Listened To: I finished At Home and started Lisa Taddeo's Three Women. I'm struggling with it, to be honest; I've sped it up so I'm listening to it at 150% speed in an effort to try to get through it.


Watched:
 Guys, I have watched so much more tv this week than I usually do but most of it has been HGTV and oldish movies so nothing much notable. We are cat-sitting Mini-him's cat while he is out of town for work and his cat and our cat do not get along. So poor Mini-him's cat spends most of the time shut in the basement. Feeling sorry for him, I have spent a lot of time this past week down there with him to play and keep him company. Consequently, I've also gotten a ton of work done down there!

Read: I'll finish Glennon Doyle's Untamed today and I'm also, very slowly, getting into The Mirage. I've been reading/listening to a lot of nonfiction lately, though, so I may break that up with some fiction. 

Made: A killer chicken salad, the usual summer staple - pasta with fresh-picked tomatoes and basil, and strawberry shortcake. Today I'm making roasted tomatoes and basil because I have about a quart of cherry tomatoes that need to be used and we cannot eat them as fast as they are coming off the vines this year. 
Enjoyed:
 Time with my parents, Miss H, and friends but the, literal, highlight of my week was getting my hair done yesterday. I so rarely leave the house that it is good for me to get away from here for a few hours, get pampered, gossip, and just relax (even if the hand sanitizing and temperature taking as you come in the door and wearing of masks remind us that this is not a normal time). 

This Week I’m:  

Planning: Weston will be with us until Thursday so I'll be getting more done in the basement this week. More for the Goodwill, more garbage out, and, undoubtedly, more working to convince The Big Guy that two people do not need this much stuff. 

Thinking About: How badly I have been doing as a blogger. I haven't participated in readathons in an age, haven't updated things around here in even longer, and I'm terrible about responding to comments and visiting other blogs. I think my plan for my word of the year, "Enough," needs to be to do enough work as a blogger to regain the real love for it I used to have.

Feeling: I'm missing my family today in so many ways. Missing getting the whole big clan together at my parents, missing my kids all being home together. I miss my people!

Looking forward to: A very quiet week capped by an even quieter weekend. BG has some pretty big dental work scheduled for Friday so he'll probably be laid low for a few days. 

Question of the week: Back to what I asked in the first paragraph - how are you holding up? What ways have you found to make things better or to make them feel more normal? 

4 comments:

  1. How am I holding up? Good days and bad days. I miss people very much. Text messages and Zoom just doesn't cut it.

    I haven't been able to find a hair place that uses proper precautions so I'm cutting my hair myself. Yes. Just imagine.

    I am eager to hear more about your reading. I'm tending to read a lot of nonfiction these days, too.

    Feel free to link up at Sunday Salon, if you wish. It's a great way to visit other bloggers and see what's going on.

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  2. The hair salons in my county and much of the state are closed. My husband has graciously taken to coloring my hair. I haven't had it cut since who knows when. It's at least cheaper! I am glad you were able to get your hair done. I think what I miss the most right now is time to myself. Just a few hours. And I don't mean the few hours I get alone in the office on my designated in office days because that really isn't me time.

    I hope BG's dental work goes well. You've reminded me I need to look up when my next dentist appointment is. I may have to reschedule. I know it's in September.

    My daughter started school today. Everything is online right now. For awhile now most of my anxiety has been focused on this school year, and now it's time to just let it go and see where the year takes us.

    I hope you have a great week, Lisa. Take care!

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  3. Yes to getting hair done! That was the first thing that helped me feel normal during this whole pandemic thing. I'm enjoying the slower pace. But it's been hard not to travel and get out this summer. I mark my summers with how we get and out and about and enjoy the sunshine and we have not been able to do that this summer. But we've been able to socially distance with friends and family and setup special game nites and movie nites so we do try to stay sane!

    I've been a lot more negative in my blogging. I'm trying to find things I'm grateful for throughout the week. But some weeks have been a lot harder than others.

    We're also trying to clear up piles and piles of stuff in our basement and around our house. It's astonishing at how much we collect through the years.

    I'm sorry your son's cat and yours do not get along but glad that he's got a safe space to hang out until he can go home. I hope you and yours stay safe and healthy and have a great week!

    I've heard mixed reviews with Three Women. I don't think I'll get to it any time soon. But I look forward to your review.

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  4. Some days I just can't shake the sense of dread I wake with. Even with work being busy right now (semester is about to start) I find myself falling into a hole of depression. I haven't been watching the news that much because it just makes everything worse but calendar appointments are stacking up and it's giving me anxiety. Today my daughter left to do her classes with her classmate who is sort of within our quarantine circle. She is gone. The hub is at work. I am here with the dog and it's gloomy today. Can't tell if it's weather or from the massive fire burning right now. I think a little a both. I may leave my desk to hit a used book sale when the store opens but I don't know. It seems like too much work.

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