Post 67: #Coronavirus and a global perspective…

…on staying indoors during warmer weather.

We’re sharing our experiences, thoughts, and uncensored opinions during lockdown, quarantine, and self-isolation. For some of us, it’s DAY 67.

Summer time

Tina F., Fairfax, #Virginia

Now that summer is around the corner, I am looking forward to a change. I have this fluttery feeling in my stomach remembering what the word “summer” means to me:

  • Summer means walking barefoot all day
  • Summer means visits to the beach and eating ice cream on the boardwalk
  • Summer means spending the day by the pool with a cocktail or two
  • Summer means longer days and BBQs with large gatherings

May 25th is Memorial Day and the official start of summer in the US. So how does this all play out during coronavirus 2020 ? Will summer will be cancelled?

I doubt it will be cancelled, because many states in the US have already opened their beaches, allowing groups of people to gather in one place. For those who decide to go, life will seem normal. As though we never had a pandemic. At least not until the numbers of fatalities from the coronavirus rise again.

So the question, “Does the warmer weather make it difficult to be indoors?” is a no brainer. Of course it does.

But if our brains weren’t so programmed on how summer is supposed to be enjoyed, we would not feel a loss if it does not live up to our expectations. We only have to change a few things and we could enjoy summer tremendously.

We in America have not been asked to lock down with curfews like most other countries. We have been asked to stay home. The outdoors is open. But there is no retail or entertainment or restaurant dining, but those are opening back soon.

As for me, I am not ready to go back to the normal hustle and bustle. So I will spend as much time as I can outside, barefoot, drinking cocktails, soaking in the sun, admiring the flowers. Eventually the temperatures will soar and I will retreat back indoors to my air-conditioned home.

The chair on the left has my name on it…let’s hope I can go there soon! – Tina

Ughhhh summer is here…

RJD, #Beirut, #Lebanon

The temperature in Beirut has been at 90 degrees Fahrenheit since last week and it has been so unbearably uncomfortable.

I am a hot-blooded individual. The heat has never been my friend and I hate humidity and stickiness. In the summer, I take 3 showers a day!

I also have an aversion to eating outdoors when it is this hot. I can do so if I am in a bathing suit, sitting in the shade. But to me, summer outdoor events, from lunches to weddings, are a nightmare. I avoid them vehemently.

It is beyond my comprehension why anyone would spend hours at the hairdresser and wear evening formal clothes (at a high price I might add), to eat and dance in this kind of weather. And only to see mascara running and sweat marks on their lavish clothes. What a waste of time and money…I know many would disagree with me, but hey!

So, in these lockdowns, I am – luckily – just as happy as can be sitting in an air-conditioned room pretending it is winter. I dream and long to walk the rainy and cold streets of London like a happy duck. Soon…I hope…

Retrieved from brightstarcare.com. No copyright infringement intended.

Venturing out and #planting

Norma B. Wallace, Bend, #Oregon

I am going out today!!! Yes, it is more difficult to stay in when it is sunny and bright out. I am actually going to a store!!! I have had friends go to the store for me since the lockdown.  I am going to venture out with masks and gloves, of course.

I was perfectly happy staying in by my fireplace this past week while it rained. I have gone out for walks, where I was hoping to go between showers. Unfortunately my timing wasn’t right, I got drenched. That made my fireplace even more inviting.

After reading RJD’s perspective in Blogpost #64, I got out my planters and decided I would make a little herb garden in them. 

You see how far I have gotten during this week during the rain. The planters have been in my garage for two years and were actually just containers for other things. It’s good to think of them being repurposed and used as planters. No, I am not going to save money. I don’t know what the cost will be, but I need to buy potting soil and plants. I also will have to bring the planters in at night because it still gets below freezing. It will be worth it. I am getting out of the house with a purpose—will get some exercise and eventually add some fresh herbs to my food. 

It feels great to go to the store. Will post another time with the end product. 

Warm weather, good

RafifJ, #Malaga, #Spain

I thought I’d start with a photo of beautiful Malaga. It is virtually impossible to stay indoors when the sky and the sea are this blue. These are just some of the colors that delight our eyes.

I took this photo the first day we were permitted to go outdoors for walks. Other than my elation at being “allowed” outside, what struck me was that the weather had turned warm, overnight. One day we could only go out for groceries or medical needs, and it was cold. The next day, we could walk around during specific times, and the weather was just fabulous.

Actually, for most of our lockdown, the weather had been unseasonably cold and wet. It was as though Nature understood that we were miserable indoors, and chose to make any outdoor trips unpleasant. I remember occasions when I was feeling claustrophobic and invented reasons to go shopping – I need parsley – we’re out of pencils – we might run out of dental floss next week – I would walk furtively to the store, only to get rained on. I’d return home quickly, cold and shivering.

But now it’s a completely different story. Looking at the happy, happy people filling the cafes, and the groups strolling along the shopping avenues in this beautiful city, it’s almost like we never had a coronavirus issue. Other than the masks nearly everywhere (and as of midnight they are required), you wouldn’t know that two weeks ago people were afraid to greet one another, let alone hug and kiss as they do now.

Spring marks new beginnings and new life. Hopefully in May of 2020 and beyond, the spring and summer will not mark a new life for the virus.

#StaySafe #WashYourDamnHands #WearAMask

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