June is bustin' out....

They will be exercising in the Max parking lot tonight, dancing in the Prospectors parking lot Saturday afternoon, restaurants with outdoor dining are open for business June 15, and hair salons open on June 22nd.
I am cautiously excited, but not jumping right out there.

Oh, and it appears Tom has cancer.

In other news, who ever figured I'd have a frequent caller issue with SHIP?

Speaking of volunteering, the from home crisis calls are getting busier and Theresa is retiring as Executive Director June 30th. Marty and I organized a Photo book of pictures and peoples' tributes and memories for her (she didn't want a party or other big hoopla event). Boy, will we miss having her in charge!

I just invested in a year's subscription of zoom hosting. I have been doing a lot and expect to continue even with things opening up. I like it. 

Jeopardy with Sue, Anayah and Jenn

CONTACT book club

Piscataway classmates

Ann, Linda, Robbie, Gina

5000 with Sue, Patrick, Tom and Jenn

DKG Meeting

Contact Home Callers meeting

Eastampton Book Club

Dancing daily with all the volunteer instructors and Tony and Craig and Donna has been lots of fun. I will miss it!

My sleep schedule is still way out of kilter. :-(   I am watching Glee again!

Cicadian rhythm be damned

Life in the pandemic is getting to be more like reality every day.
It is currently 8:47 a.m. I fell asleep at 11, was up at 2, stayed up until 6, went back to sleep and got up at 8. The night before last I ended up not sleeping at all. Lately we've been going to bed at 5 or 6 a.m. and getting up at 3 or 4 p.m It's crazy time around here in terms of sleep schedule (what's a schedule?)

So I just set up a zoom for next week for like a Piscataway reunion (lunch). We'll see what kind of response I get. The book clubs have been going well, zoom wise. We had a DKG meeting zoom today that was okay.

 Dancing via zoom is practically an every day option, which is great.


My hair is in desperate need of professional assistance, but I am ready to stay in forever if necessary to stay safe and keep Tom as healthy as possible. (poor Tom is suffering so).

Gaming with Sue and Patrick is always a treat.

I signed up for some Word Press instruction but it is really complicated! The woman presenter is awesome, though. Julia Taylor. Dynamic personality!

Update on binging tv: We finished all 9 seasons up to current of The Walking Dead ( I dream about that story now...it's scary). We watched "The Stranger", finished season 1 of "The Tunnel" and are in mid season 1 of "Counterparts" (I think that's the title...)

The Walking Dead

I avoided this show for ten years due to the title and my aversion to zombies and vampires, but now we started binging it and can't stop watching.  We really like it. It's almost 5 a.m. on night two and we are on season 3, episode 10. Oy.
To be continued....

Actually, I can also report I held our first Contact book club via zoom. It was fun!

Projects

The latest is working on a memory book for Theresa, who is retiring at June's end at Marty's suggestion. So far we have an email address and some photos. To be continued.

I've gotten back into the swing of CONTACT (from home!) and SHIP clients (7 hours over 2 days for one client and her husband...and then she decided to stick with what she had found for herself originally...but pledged to come back and revisit at open enrollment time....)

It's been fun seeing everybody in the zoom rooms for dice, book club, shmoozing, etc. I have been quite remiss with the Max, sadly.
I'm trying to do all the dancing, but it's tough with our limited floor space. :-(

Tom has been hurting and I feel so bad for him. Shooting and constant pains in his shoulders and back. He even went to ER (at primary doctor's suggestion). I waited in the parking lot for him for like four hours (and finished The Wax Pack). Diagnosis: getting old.

My nails and hair are growing at an amazing rate. I do not despair. I will stay home for as long as it takes. I just wish other people would be similarly considerate. 

Pat May zoom birthday party

Dancers

DEAR friends

Ann Gina Linda Sam

Book Club

Me Barb Steph Dana Linda

School is closed for this school year in NJ. Opening in September is anybody's guess. I am so glad to be retired! and not have children at home either.

How things are

There's been a lot of zooming going on....
Here's a sample....Monday's Max Challenge group...

It seems I can only do the live 6 a.m. class when I am still up from the night before. (Just finished this morning's and getting unwound for bed....)

Yes, the pandemic is still ongoing...although some states are easing up on the stay at home ahead of meeting the guidelines for doing so....

Tom went out for the chiropractor today and food shopping two days in a row so we are ready for the duration. (He only went in when it seemed a light amount of shoppers and safe).

We have started CONTACT at home so there's that and also SHIP people are starting to call in.

I am watching Outlander again (and it's amazing how much of it I didn't actually see the first time! I am happy) and also started The Office. We are watching and enjoying a lot of older movies we know and love.

I have zoomed with Sue and Patrick (dice and surprise party), Piscataway friends, book club, DEAR friends, a couple of HR Block-ers, country music people, and the aforementioned Max of Mt. Holly.

I am in the  midst of 3 books, none of which have caught my attention enough to finish in one sitting. :-(

Until they get a handle on this Covid-19 life is going to be very different.

It's hard to sleep.

CMA Music Fest Cancelled

Well, it wasn't unexpected and it is definitely the safest choice, but we will sure miss it this year.

We have been happily zooming most recently in a chat with Joanne and Dolly, but pretty much daily for a game or two of 5000 with Sue and Patrick (and happy 37th anniversary to them, by the way!)

Life under the coronavirus pandemic aura is not easy. Constant news coverage with the latest statistics and heartbreaking stories of death, unemployment, and irresponsible administration in government is overwhelming.

Tom and I worked on the lawn yesterday in the sunshine. I picked up sticks and he mowed. It was almost fun....a welcome change from being indoors watching tv and eating all day.

I need a new book.

HR Block is staying open through July15 now....though with less offices and people....certainly without me!

We are healthy enough, although Tom went out to the lab for blood tests the other day and he has to go in for a cystoscopy on the 15th. My fingers are crossed for no cancer like he thinks, but the doctor didn't seem as positive when he told us the cancer was back..... :-(

My hair. 'nuff said.  :-(

Social distancing

It's the very scary, stressful time of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. 
I am Max challenging at home with Ivona's Facebook videos and Tom and I  are doing a lot of tv viewing of movies and shows and computering. No dancing or eating out, not much food shopping. No golf. Some doctors appointments and a hint of HR Block (but Tom wants it over for me....he is in the very vulnerable category).
No movies! No Prospectors!
Speaking of Prospectors, I came across this photo (it's from the night we didn't win Garth at Prospectors tickets).

I don't know what is going to happen in the US...or the rest of the world.

People who aren't taking the crisis seriously are really hurting our chances of getting through it. :-(

I worry about what's going on with the economy, with our survival (everybody, not just us), and the aftermath...because it will be over eventually....and, hopefully, we'll be prepared with vaccines and treatments for the next one.

CMA Fest hasn't been cancelled...yet. 

I have appointments on the schedule for HRB. I wonder if all non-life sustaining businesses will be ordered closed before Monday? (I heard that was done in PA...?)

Meanwhile we're just hunkered down. God bless us every one.