So. what are y’all doing with all this extra time at home? Hopefully finding lots to do to occupy the mind and body and maybe incorporate some new habits to take you through this marathon of quarantining and social distancing.

I figured I’d take this rainy Sunday opportunity to share with you what we’ve been doing because at this moment, I’ve got nothing else planned. Because you know, life.

First and foremost….avoiding the news. Except for the headlines on my landing page and CDC/Florida Department of Health. It’s all so new and unknown, I find the news exploits the speculation to the point it is paralyzing. Choose carefully……..the mind doesn’t need much encouraging to run wild with fearful scenarios. Here’s been our Movies/TV choices: Mass with Bishop Barron, a series from JPII Healing Center, Knives out (very entertaining……a modern Clue come to life). The great British baking show—duh, always a good choice and Handcrafted America (makes me want to MAKE something!) and The Tiger King—currently watching—-jury is out but these people—ummmmm………very different—watch at your risk. Since we have a rainy day on the agenda today, hoping to watch: A dog’s purpose, and The Peanut Butter Falcon.

Painting my own nails. Fingers, easy enough. toenails…..help! I have plenty of time to practice—or enlist my daughters.

Swapping clothes from winter to spring and the inevitable purge of what was not worn in last year. Also, re-organized our closet with new shoe rack—amazing what a difference it made.

Our library is still open. You can still reserve books and they will walk them out to you and their e-library is substantial as well. Practical and economical because I can’t sustain purchasing for the unforeseen future!! Books I’ve read or finished in the last couple of weeks: Undone, Atomic habits, A man called Ove, The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry and currently Lincoln in the Bardo.

Baking more. Need to swap it out for meal-planning for the week. Although, I did buy yeast so will probably make some bread soon—so satisfying!

YouTube has provided an endless supply of videos for core work and stretching to start the day and tighten the tummy. I mean, what else are we going to do? Might as well get ready for summer!!

It is spring and mulch was on sale, so we took the opportunity of the amazing and not HOT weather (which means minimal whining from Tracy) to refresh our island and house borders . In case you wanted to know, the magic number of bags for our house is 20. Which required an additional trip to the hardware store since 15 wasn’t quite enough. Anyhoo…… we pulled weeds, planted some new plants, transplanted mint, rosemary and succulents, poured mulch (dirty work, folks) and over the course of a few days have the casa looking fresh and spring-y. Hoping for the best, we always choose “hearty” varieties and tell them good luck! I frequently forget to water, so it’s up to the Hubby (who is better than I at watering) and Mother Nature—who has been on vacation for the last few months…until today. So there’s hope! (This strategy has worked with our plumerias, GIGANTIC fern and peace lilly and a couple other plants that I don’t know their names)

Much to our doggo’s delight, in addition to our regularly a.m. walk at o’dark hundred, we have been walking after dinner—good for the digestion (note to self: bring doggy bags!) and gets us out of the house. Unlike our solitary morning walks, at night we “meet” (from a safe social distance) many neighbors doing the same thing with their dogs (cue the bark fest), skateboarding kids and bike riding friends. A little fresh air does wonders for us all, not to mention burn a few calories.

We’ve also been bike riding most days, exploring other neighborhoods—it’s amazing how different things look when you change perspective from cars to bikes to feet. My balance is improving (I can take tighter turns now) and my rear has toughened up so that it no longer cringes when it sees the bike in the driveway. Of course, we have learned to avoid the local park with the sweet big sidewalk around the lake because EVERYONE else and their brother is taking advantage of it as well (although my balance has improved, zig zagging is not super safe as I get a bit nervous and don’t want to take anyone out).

We have broken out the paddle boards out from their winter slumber. The weather has been perfect and the water refreshing. Spruce Creek has many different launch areas and we explored a new creek direction. Able to watch nature up close and personal is pretty relaxing and takes your mind off going against the wind or current as fish jump, birds soar and fish for a meal and a view of “Big Daddy”, a large gator, as he submerged upstream from us as we headed in his direction. Needless to say, we paddled to the other side of the creek and managed to stay ON the board. Oddly enough I wasn’t too scared although I did keep CLOSE watch on the creek for evidence of company. We also tried out a river launch near our house which is EXCELLENT; close to the house, providing quick water entry and plentiful parking. Almost every paddle outing has gifted us with nearby dolphins hunting and pelicans divebombing for dinner/lunch/snack. While exploring we have both taken turns falling into the river while looking about and failing to take note of an incoming wake. Fortunately, the water isn’t too cold and neither of us hit any oysters, unfortunately, we don’t take phones and have no videos to share for a good laugh.

There you have it. These are the activities filling our weekends and evenings.

We are both fortunate enough to still be working, Hubby from home and myself in Radiology. Hubby’s days are spent working insurance claims and mine are spent analyzing and agonizing over the ever-changing CDC recommendations and implementing them into our daily work flow.

So we all put one foot in front of the other and work to find our way until one day we are able to find our new “normal”. The reality is, there is only one way through it and that is THROUGH it, not around, over or under it. We will eventually get to the other side. For, this too, will pass. Until then, keep washing hands, avoid gatherings, clean until your fingerprints are wiped off, mask when you have to go out and find activities to keep you safe and calm and allow you to vent some stress off.