Dispatches from quarantine.

I can't possibly recount the history of what we are going through right now. I am sorry I have failed to keep a daily journal.

We knew the virus was going to spread. Some siblings were sending texts meant to be funny. That was around the first week in March. I took issue because I had this bad feeling. Like before Katrina. The feeling was that this virus was going to affect me personally. It wasn't and isn't that I was afraid of dying. I was more afraid of spreading it. Or that my children would be hurt from it. Someone I know would quite possibly die. Yet. Some siblings laughed. Planned overseas adventures.

I calmed slightly and decided that I would keep on living. Not changing my plans until something stopped me.

Macho and I drove to Little Rock, Arkansas on March 12th. It was a Thursday. We stayed at a quaint B&B and on Friday we toured P. Allen Smith's Moss Mountain Farm. We were already distancing ourselves from touching things and people. We sanitized our hands frequently. The weather cooperated and rain drops only fell as we were getting back into our car.

On our way back into Little Rock we heard the President of the United States declare a national emergency. Here was the wall that would stop our forward motion.

That night we enjoyed a lovely dinner with my cousin, Alice, and her husband, Juno. She made a simple fish creole for us and served us wine/beer and bread to go along with it. We walked to their church and attended the Stations of the Cross with them. Afterward we walked back to their home and visited for a long while.

We had talked about visiting a tourist site or two on Saturday morning, but we felt the news was so grave that we simply headed home.

We were given a choice on Sunday to attend Mass. We chose to stay home. Since then our Masses and all church activities have all been cancelled. Schools are postponed if not cancelled for the time being.

Monday Macho opted to go to the YMCA. I decided take a walk instead of going to the gym. I stated to him that his going was just like us both going. His choice would bring germs home to me, so what was the use? That afternoon we had an appointment and then went to the local Piggly Wiggly for some supplies. (3/16) Then Thursday we returned to same store for a few more items. (3/19) That is all the times we were in the car last week.

We watched mass on Sunday(3/22)  that was recorded by our good Fr. Jeffrey. I had made some unleavened bread on Saturday. We shared that and some wine during the watching of the mass.

Last fall's fair is tasting delicious, again. 

On Monday (3/23)  we enjoyed butternut squash-pumpkin soup and tuna salad sandwiches.

It tasted so good to me. 

Slowly but surely we are seeing the back wall of our freezer. We are trying to use what we have. Many people are hoarding everything from bread to toilet paper. We are filling our days with exercise, house cleaning, yard work, bible reading, puzzles, and keeping in contact via FaceTime and phone calls.

This was a hodge podge of things out the freezer today (3/24). Stewed zucchini, chicken thighs, lemons, last summer's banana peppers, turkey broth from Thanksgiving, ginger, turmeric, sauerkraut, onion, carrots, potatoes, and old lasagne noodles from the cabinet. And. It was delicious. 

Macho ate it but it isn't his favorite. He doesn't complain.

Some in our neighborhood are putting bears in their windows for the children to "go on a bear hunt"...

I only had a bunny and a pink elephant. 

The numbers have jumped again today (3/24). More than before (+71). We went from 249 to 320 overnight. I know it is because more people are being tested. The numbers don't lie. It seems like it was just 80 - but maybe that was so long ago = last Friday.

We haven't personally encountered anything really hard, yet. We have toilet paper. We have food on the table. We have each other. Shalom.