From time to time someone will mention my blog, and I always tell them the same thing: that my primary audience is my grandmother, Hazel. She loves to hear about Dan and my adventures in Colorado, and she especially loves to see photos, so this blog is mostly a vehicle for sharing stories and pictures with her.

Because of efforts around the Covid-19 pandemic, all public libraries are currently closed — a minor inconvenience for many, but a much larger ordeal for my grandmother. Usually, Hazel visits the library — sometimes two libraries! — every day, to pick up new books and use their computers. (She does not have one of her own.)

And so I’ll admit I’ve been lacking inspiration to write anything here lately, knowing that Hazel won’t get a chance to read it for weeks, maybe months. On top of that, Dan and I have been very strictly adhering to public health guidelines and have barely left the house for more than groceries and exercise for 13 days and counting.

With that said, I also think there is value to documenting a slice of life during what will certainly prove to be a world-altering period of history. And so, with the hope that in a few months my grandmother can scroll back and laugh at what March looked like:

A Few of the Things Helping Me Get Through the Pandemic

My Quarantine Buddy

At the onset of serious social distancing measures in Colorado, my neighbor/gym buddy/baking guru/bestie Linda and I made a pact: we would both take the precautions very seriously, but for as long as possible we’d keep spending time together to keep each other sane. I haven’t seen any of my other friends in person in nearly two weeks, but Linda and I have helped one another with groceries, taken long bike rides, enjoyed Facebook Live bingo nights, and plenty more. She trusts me not to run around licking public door handles when we’re not hanging out together, and I do the same. So far it has worked out, and it has been a godsend.

Pictures of My Niece

My sister-in-law Kristine is crazy-generous with photos of my 5-month-old niece Fiona. Kristine and my brother Bradley are, luckily, able to work from home during this period, so the number of pictures of Fiona and her wild eyelashes (check that last picture) have ramped up. I’m beyond grateful.

News About My Nephew

My other brother, Ryan, and his wife Jenny are expecting my very first nephew any day now. Jenny, I should note, is an elementary school teacher who is also trying to navigate online learning at the same time she is preparing for her maternity leave. And preparing to give birth in a hospital that may not even allow Ryan in the delivery room. As complicated a time as this is, Baba Yaga is *so* delighted to welcome little Dunkaroo to the world. (I already have a nickname for him.)

Domestic Bliss

I’m cooking. (First photo: working on my grandmother’s mac and cheese recipe and using one of her cast-off spoons I scooped up a few years ago.) I’m baking. (Most recently: chai spice banana bread muffins. Not bad!) I’m doing puzzles. (Pictured: Charley Harper’s Canyon Country.) I’m sending crazy amounts of mail, and friends’ kids are designing amazing greeting cards for me. I’m teaching myself to read tarot to help calm down before bed. I’m reading (currently, Zane Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage, a book I recently learned my grandfather loved; Ryan is reading it too, when he has time). The house has never been cleaner. The windows are open every chance I get. Dan and I are doing yoga together. (Dan not pictured, as I want that domestic bliss to continue.)

I should also dedicate an entire section to my beloved bicycle, but I’m short on recent bike pictures! Ginsburg is my freedom machine.

What is keeping you going? What will you look back at in a year and (hopefully) laugh about?

P.S. In the hopes of avoiding a Hilary Swank moment: immense thanks to my sweet, patient, understanding, loving husband Dan for helping me weather this storm, and for being willing to listen to my voice practically every minute of every day.