Day 11 of rollback-California Covid spike - Governor shuts us down

One of Santa Clarita’s ‘history bears’…

Thursday. 7/23/20

Class enrollment moves to 10…

5:30 - 7:00 - My alarm goes off and I jump in the shower. I can’t wake up because I’m NOT a morning person, so I sit down in the shower and drink my Hydroflask. At 6:00, I exit the shower and do my morning routine. Body lotion. Moisturizer with SPF 15 for my face. Brush teeth and get dressed in my biking clothes. I put on fake eyelashes and light make-up because today I’m scheduled for two Zoom-ins to pitch my class so I’m getting my facial “base” ready; hopefully, when it’s go-time, all I will need is a touch-up.

I come downstairs, wake up the dog, and take her outside. Back inside, I give her cheese and warm up my coffee.

7:00-8:15 - B. arrives and we leave for our bike ride. At this hour, it’s overcast and cool - good weather. I planned the route - we’re going to take one of the many paseos to and around Heritage Park and then return to the paseo, en route to Copper Hill Drive., which is the goal.

We arrive at Heritage Park and stop by one of the bear statues that are scattered throughout our community (I call them “Easter eggs”, like the video game reference). They are actual life-size statues of bears, BUT each bear has a unique mural painted on it’s body. This particular mural consists of a collage of historical black and white pictures depicting the origins of important people and places in Santa Clarita from days of yore. I love it.

We bike around the perimeter of the park, then up the hill to the park’s “vista point” containing built in flagstone benches, where we sit and overlook the valley. I eat the breakfast that I made the night before - overnight oats.

We depart and I lead us out of the park and through the neighborhood, back to the paseo. We press on to Copper Hill. L. and her friend M. have ridden this path before and I want to emulate it. The terrain is subtle, but B. and I are actually biking uphill the majority of the ride, and it. is. hard. I stand by the fact that I’m on a cruiser with NO GEARS. L. says I’m allowed to use that as an excuse, saying that I have no business riding a cruiser on a sustained incline but, secretly, I feel like I should be able to bike it, no problem. B. has a 10-speed and is none the worse for wear.

We don’t make it to Copper Hill because I have to turn back as I can’t feel my legs. :-) The return ride is smooth sailing and almost entirely downhill. Once at home, B. settles in with his book on my patio and I get ready for my Zoom presentation in J.’s class at 9:00.

8:15-9:10 - I leave my bicycle leggings on, but change into a professional top and spackle on the make-up. I review my notes, then Zoom into J.’s class and pitch my class. He gives me a warm introduction and identifies me by my title (doctor) - not ‘Miss’ like my colleague yesterday - and it goes well!

9:10-11:45 - I change back into my bike tank top and B. and I go to Starbucks and then I direct him to one of my favorite parks - Todd Longshoreman - because it’s on the edge of a cliff/hillside. The views are spectacular so we sit at one of the picnic tables, drink our coffee, and enjoy the scenery. After we finish our coffee, I suggest we spread the picnic blanket that I always carry under a tree. It’s warmer here and more comfortable. We see a coyote, a roadrunner, and a squirrel.

11:45 - 1:00 - B. drops me off at home for my next Zoom presentation and leaves to run some errands. I change back into my professional top and do a touch-up with my make-up. I Zoom in a bit late - 12:15 - but it really doesn’t matter. The warm welcome is the same and I again pitch the class to a new group of students. Things are running a bit late so I text B. that I’ll let him know when I’m ready for him to return. Then, I make a salad and put it in the lunch bag I always carry. I text B. that I’m done. I can feel my legs stiffening up after that bike ride.

1:00 - 3:00 - B. arrives and we have lunch at the patio table in my backyard and talk politics. He eats a sub-sandwich that he purchased yesterday and I have the rest of a salmon dish I made and froze months ago and the salad I made an hour ago. He drinks a few beers that he brought with him and I have a beer from my fridge.

3:00-5:30 - We go inside and watch another episode of The Innocence Files and then B. asks me questions about Congress and how a bill becomes a law. I haven’t been in the classroom for four months, so it almost feels like I’m with my students, teaching them something. I actually enjoy this exchange and am surprised how much I miss interacting with my students.

6:00 - 8:00 - B. leaves to watch the first Dodger game of the season at his daughter’s house. B. and I have gone to a few Dodger games in the past, which I really enjoyed, but in the era of Covid-19, crowds are prohibited. I catch up with my blog.

8:00- 9:00 - For dinner, I heat up a frozen meal that I purchased when I was stockpiling in February because I thought L. and I were going to starve to death in the pandemic. I think it’s time we started eating our supplies. As long as we have toilet paper for the next quarantine, we’re good.

10:00 - 11:30 - L. and I watch Love After Lockup and scream at the TV. We also check hotel rates - incredibly low!! - and make the decision to go to Vegas next week. The Cosmo it is!!! Viva Las Vegas, but I’m definitely bringing my N-95 mask on this trip.

11:30-12:00 - Nighttime ritual and bed.