Looking Back at Eleven Months of Sequestered Intimacy

 It was on February 27th that we responded to the increasingly sobering news about the spread of Covid, the lack of an organized effort to manage it and a sense that like a runaway train, the infectious virus could or would rapidly flow into Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho with impunity.

The virus is of course immune and ignores human desires and fears and cannot be opposed by government edicts, authority and human will. As Joy used to say, "It is what it is."

Now we can say it was what it was, it is what it is and will be what it will be. Our reaction? We limit our lives essentially to just the two of us. Any and everyone else are flashes in the heavens flying in and out of orbit around our world. Deliveries, home repairs and upgrades seem to be the only knockers at our doors. 

What remains is the slowly flowing and sometimes evolving pattern of routine. It begins in the darkness of dawn with a hug before I wander downstairs to regulate the heat, arrange the coffee maker, perhaps put away dishes and take a seat at my laptop to write whatever comes into my head, read whatever prompts my interest and wait with patience for the descent from the bedroom of the Beloved and her smile. 

The rest of the day in some ways is anticlimactic to that first morning vision, embrace, sharing of coffee and quite play or reading. Such has been our time of fear, trembling, hope and determination to succeed against something relentlessly dangerous that must be kept out of our home at all costs. 

And as of this day we have done that, we will do that and we will continue the bonding which only seems to solidify further as we learn more and more what sequestering ourselves with only each other truly means.

What does he want me to say....Covid hurts

I was venting (which I do a lot of these days) to my husband, he strongly urged me to write it out which actually sounded like a good idea after I thought about it.   Back in my blogging days (so long ago now), I realized I have a lot of blogs, and thought I might change one to be more current and content will vary depending on what I feel and want to write that day.  

We have spent last 11 months in self quarantine as infrequent mask wearers in location where we live.  We wear our masks, yet it is not as possible to keep the distance as many people in this region do not yet seem to wish to take responsibility for care of youngsters, oldsters and in between.  Not meaning an opinion here, recognition that this was not going to be a lightweight flu virus, so we decided to stay home.  That hurt, as each of my children and grandchildren wanted us to come to visit them. 

We have not lost a loved one to Covid and hopefully don't lose our loved ones in this horrid fashion.  My mother did pass 3 years ago, pre-Covid, and I spent so much of the time in retrospect about what could have been done for her in her end years to the welcome that she did not have to endure Covid period of all our lives.  

With his 5 grown children and their many children, and my 3 grown children with their own children, we feel blessed (I guess) that none have been taken by Covid virus.  He does have some siblings that have tested positive for Covid, with one brother hospitalized with symptoms which apparently family has and news we get is that family is doing okay.   My sibling group has no Covid, although I would want a couple of them to take it a bit more serious and avoid some activities.  

So that is the background.  Things are about to change this next week as we inaugurate a new President, and while I understand it is a heated ground ahead, I do look forward to some sense of relief as more people mask, more people get the Covid vaccine, more people keep distance and it is my belief and hope that this country can attempt .....  well what, a different beginning to this damnable virus.