Cancellations, Hunting and Gathering, and the New Normal

Wow, things have gotten real in the last week or so.  It was a mere eight days ago that I was looking forward to beginning my birthday week.  The big 6-0!

For Christmas I had bought Irv tickets to see Dwight Yoakam.  Although this was Irv's Christmas gift, I considered it to be the start of my birthday week.  We've been looking forward to hearing Dwight's West Coast swing.  In the days leading up to the concert we kept checking to see if it had been canceled or postponed.  When it became evident that it was going to happen, I booked us a hotel room in Denver for an unbelievable low price and we made our way to the venue.

The concert took place in Denver's newest venue--The Mission Ballroom.  It is a beautiful venue with open space for those who want to stand and in the back of the room there are a bunch of tiered cement rows where you can sit if you prefer.  We preferred to sit.  About 6,000 tickets had been sold, but maybe half that number actually showed up.  Dwight played and played and played.  After about  3 1/2 hours we decided we had heard enough and left early.  I always hate to do that, but I was tired and we didn't think he was anywhere close to wrapping up.

The milestone birthday celebration was supposed to happen on Saturday.  The city was hosting my annual birthday run and parade (others refer to it as the St. Patrick's 5K and parade).  Anyway all hell broke lose and my birthday events were cancelled and as it turns out we attended the last concert  in the state.  Luckily, we were able to have a nice dinner with Mary and Shiloh at a very delicious German restaurant (our last dine out meal for the foreseeable future). 

My kids really spoiled me for my birthday....a whole new exercise wardrobe, gift cards, a bench for my bathroom, a weekend getaway at the Broadmoor, and donations towards my new painting easel.  The Broadmoor has now closed until at least Memorial Day so that might be a weekend getaway this fall when I return from Yellowstone.

Thanks to Jillian and Brian making a big donation and me deciding it was okay to buy myself a nice birthday gift for my 60th, I now have a Strada easel.  This is the type of easel you'll see the professionals using.  It will be great for Plein Air painting.  It's narrow and will easily fit in my backpack if I want to go to a remote location to paint.  

Also cancelled this week was Dancing with the Stars.  Shiloh had bought me these tickets for Christmas and we had a big date planned.  Oh well, hopefully they'll reschedule. 

I came down with a little cold and sore throat which was confirmed by my doctor.  I went to the pharmacy to get some cold medicine and this is what I found (or didn't find).  Oh well, I felt better after a couple days.  Also this week I got serious about finding some toilet paper.  The condition of the many grocery stores I visited was bleak (contrary to what our super intelligent leader says).  The shelves and meat coolers were bare.

I've also been trying to find some hand sanitizer because I don't have any at all.  I finally gave up and looked up a recipe to make my own.  It's made with rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide plus a little coconut oil to keep the hands moisturized and I added some lemon and orange essential oils to make it smell good.  I think it's probably quite effective since it's mostly alcohol...it's definitely better than nothing.

The gyms also closed so we've been exercising and practicing social distancing on our country roads. 

I've also got three paintings going on in my studio right now.  While one dries I can work on another.  I imagine that people without hobbies are having a rough time right now.  The painting above is of Edinburgh which is a city I absolutely love.  We have a river cruise scheduled for the end of October out of Budapest.  I'm optimistic that we'll be able to go--luckily we can cancel up to 24 hours in advance if needed.

This morning I hit pay dirt on my shopping excursion.  For the past several days I've felt like a hunter/gatherer going from one store to another trying to find what we needed to be in isolation.  I decided to try being at the stores when they open.  I found Clorox wipes at Target, flour at Walmart and the biggest prize of them all--a jumbo pack of toilet paper at Costco.  Now I'm set to stay home and isolate for at least six months!  Thank goodness we buy a side of beef each year.  The freezer is well stocked.

What else happened this week you ask.  Well, I got my offer letter from Yellowstone.  My EOD (enter on date) is May 10th.  Right now I'm going to prepare to be there on that date, but I won't be surprised if it gets changed.  Am I super excited about this?  No, not at the moment.  Things are in a strange state right now.  I feel comfortable being at home.  

My brother, Bob, is still in the hospital in Tulsa.  I am extremely scared for him right now.  Today they cut off all visitation at the hospital.  I can't imagine how alone he must feel.  Please keep him in your prayers.

I saw the following on Facebook today and I thought it's something good to live by right now.  I'd love to hear how y'all are responding to these questions during these uncertain times.  

Here's my answers for today.

1.  I am grateful that I am able to be so prepared for an extended isolation.

2.  Today I connected with my daughters through a silly conversation about TP, flour, and eggs.

3.  I'm letting go of my love for going to the movies until this crisis passes.

4 and 5.  I'm taking Maisy on a long walk down our country road.

6.  I'll continue to work on my Edinburgh painting--even if it's only be beautiful to me.

Please leave me a comment....this is the time to be connected.