Pandemically Fortunate

The pandemic has been raging now for about nine months and eight months here in Buffalo. Once again when we consider the situations of most people in our country, of working people, families with school age children then we feel very fortunate.

We had been retired for about three and a half years when the pandemic shutdowns began. We already knew how to spend lots of free time in our home. That's not to say we were not adversely affected because we had also been going out to restaurants at least twice a week and have been traveling to Europe for weeks at a time. We had been visiting Philadelphia regularly to spend time with our grandchildren. 

But we were not losing any income. We were not struggling to put food on the table. We didn't need to help children with distance learning for the first time. We were not essential workers or on the risky healthcare front line. We didn't need to go out and confront the virus every day. 

We could stay at home and watch movies on TV, read books, explore our music collection. Becky was able to go to her art studio everyday and work without being near other people. We could sit in our beautiful backyard or on the front porch seeing neighbors walking their dogs or children in strollers. We had each other.

I've found ways to keep busy including writing in this blog. I've been expanding my mega mixes playing CDs and vinyl records that I've not listened to in a while. I've been working on projects around the house although nothing really major like I did when we first retired. 

I feel fortunate when I see the many neighbors on the block that live in alone in apartments.  It's hard to imagine going through this pandemic shutdown ordeal alone. We also have neighbors with school age kids that are struggling with the learning from home but also with the need for childcare every day. Some people can't work because they need to stay home with children who are doing online schooling. I can't imagine what that must be like with several kids in the house each with different online schedules.  Well, we have friends and neighbors doing that so we sort of do know from afar. 

We recently spent ten days in Philly visiting Katie and the kids. We saw what they are doing with Henry's preschool program both from home and the outdoor classes he has a couple of times a week. We had decided to drive down in October when it looked like things would be ramping up again as winter approached. It was a good decision now that we see everything getting bad again.

We will be staying home for Thanksgiving this year and probably also Christmas. Philadelphia is on the verge of shutting down again and Katie should stay home. Sean and Ashley should also stay home to protect the baby coming in the spring. We can all get together later when the vaccines become widely available.