Gimme Shelter

Hello, Reader.

I had begun to wonder how much the world had changed since I've been in the bunker, and I was curious about venturing out further than the mailbox or the sidewalk to make the no-touch hand-off with the DoorDash or Uber Eats delivery person when I felt like splurging for a tempura bento box or Chili's chicken enchiladas. Gotta keep those restaurants going! We're in this together!

The neighborhood sounds just as busy as it did before and even more so. Even from the first announcement concerning social distancing, people were still out and about walking dogs with a friend or relative. It had stopped raining, and the weather was pleasant. Flowers were blooming in all of the yards. One cheermeister drove around the neighborhood singing, and the next day, she was joined by a small parade of singing, cheering women, all in their own cars, keeping their social distancing.

Yesterday, I had to run errands. This was the first time I had left the house since Friday, March 13, and it was somewhat surreal to see the kind of traffic you would only see at 3AM under normal conditions. At one location, we were advised to drop payments through the door slot. Someone had placed a box of envelopes next to the door, but I had scrounged up an envelope left from all of those Christmas cards I meant to send out years ago. When I went to pick up an order at Michael's, I was greeted by a girl holding an iPad in the foyer. Someone brought me my item, and I held out my identification to the iPad girl who craned her neck to see without actually stepping forward. Sam's and the grocery store weren't obviously different aside from being slightly less crowded and the long, empty toilet paper aisle. There was no green tomato, which was on my wish list, and no Lipton family-size PLAIN, ORIGINAL tea bags—only cold brew and pre-sweetened. 😿 I guess we all have to make sacrifices. 

You can't make this stuff up.

So, life has been a little weird, and I was just informed that I might be having an April Fool's Day grandchild. Earlier than originally estimated. We aren't allowed to go to the hospital because of the threat of spreading germs. This is kind of par for the course in my family. My daughter was married during a hurricane (outside wedding, of course), and both of mine were born during a big snow or a deep freeze. It seems that every momentous occasion is marked by the weather.

TTYS