Day 36 of the California quarantine
This is NOT my kitchen…
4/24/20. Friday
7:45- the dog starts barking so I go downstairs and let her out.
8:00-12:00 – I go back to sleep.
12:00-12:30 – I read The Queen Must Die and drink a 16-oz hydroflax of water.
12:30 – 1:00 – I go downstairs, take the dog out, and notice that my plants are drooping slightly so I water all of them. I have 36 potted plants, succulents, vines, trees, so it takes me awhile and the dog keeps playing in the water. I have multiple plants, vines, and trees in the yard that are NOT potted, but they’re on timed sprinklers.
1:00 – 1:30: I make my coffee and go online to check the news. Not hungry today.
1:30-2:15 – I shower and get dressed in yoga pants, a sports bra, and my Nike tank top.
2:30-3:00 – I meet with my therapist for my 30-minute session. I mask when I enter the building, but once in her office, I unmask and we conduct the session via social distancing. I have one 30-minute session every two weeks, but missed the last session as I read that it was “peak week” at the time and was afraid to go. I’m not so sure now – isn’t every week “peak week” as the numbers keep climbing? It was great seeing her and we schedule my next appointment in 2 weeks, as usual.
3:00-3:30 – I mask and glove, then head to the recycling center and drop off my plastics. L. will only drink bottled water. I get $17.10 for my recycling.
4:00-5:00 – I talk to L., then try again to get my $16.00 refund for a docking station that I ordered but does not fit my device. I put in a service request for my air conditioner through my home warranty program. It broke in January and I’ve been putting it off, planning to fix it later, after Covid-19 dies down, but L. said the next few days are going to be in the 90s. Currently, it’s 88 degrees in the house. This is important to her, so I have to get it fixed. I also field some emails from my state job and schedule another conference call interview for 6/1/20.
5:00-7:00 – L. and I heat up an Italian chicken and rice soup dish I made last week and I make a spinach salad for myself, adding celery, carrots, tomatoes, and cubed cheese. I take it upstairs and read The Queen Must Die as I eat. I have a glass of champagne.
7:00-9:00 – It’s supposed to be in the 90s tomorrow, so I have to do what I call, “implement cooling measures” which means opening windows now, to get the effects from the cool breeze. I open my bedroom windows then come downstairs and open four windows in the dining area. I clean four windowsills. Then I move to the kitchen and apply black touch-up paint to most of my cabinets. My design aesthetic is “reno [vation] on the cheap” and I had a handyman paint all of my white cupboards black about 9 years ago. I bought new drawer pulls and handles and the cabinets look amazing, but unfortunately (sigh) chip from time to time. I finish with the touch-up and they are good as new. I listen to Martinis and Your Money; Skim This; and Planet Money while I work. I unpack a delivery and see that my hair color arrived a week early. I’m excited about this – L. said she will help me apply it.
10:00-11:00: I move to my home office and check account balances then unfold my treadmill and transform my office into my home gym. I do the same 30-minute power-walking routine with Kathy Smith and read The Queen Must Die while I walk.
11:00 – 12:00: I check the fridge at the end of every day to make sure we’re not wasting food and notice that some ground turkey I defrosted four days ago might turn if not cooked today. I make sloppy joes with my own sauce, to be eaten in the future with rice bowls instead of hamburger buns – it turns out pretty good. I graze while I’m cooking and eat the remaining 4 bites of L.’s sweet potato stuffing. I have a gluten allergy and try to stay away from breads as much as possible, although occasionally I slip, which is what happens when I eat three of my oatmeal cookies. I have a glass of champagne. I listen to NPR Weekly Round-up; Pandemic Check-In; and The New Yorker – Politics and More.
12:00-12:30 – I clean the kitchen and load the dishwasher. I listen to part of a Frugal Friends podcast.
12:30-2:00 – L. and I catch up and then watch Surviving R. Kelley-The Aftermath. More champagne.
2:00-3:00 – I do my night time routine and go to bed.