Day 44 of the California quarantine

Covid at the beach…we are social distancing

5/2/20. Saturday.

2:00-5:00 a.m. - I fell asleep reading after L. and I watched Waco.

5:00-6:00 a.m. - Bedtime routine, BUT, I know the dog is going to wake up at 8:00, so I go downstairs and take her out. I give her cheese. I go to sleep.

10:30 - Bed. I wake up and get ready. It’s a ‘spa day’ (read Day 31) today.

12:00-12:30 - I make scrambled eggs [L. won’t eat eggs], then L. and I load the car and leave.

2:00-BEACH!!! L. drove and we actually found a parking space close to the sand. Along the freeway, a few CalTrans signs warned us that “All beaches are closed!!!’, but I knew that Governor Newsom had only closed the Orange County beaches and we were in Santa Barbara County. Even so, all of the beach parking was roped off, making it difficult for ‘out-of-towners’ to park. L. spotted two old ladies getting in their car and asked if they were leaving. They said yes. Score.

Everyone was at least 6 feet away, but aren’t most people when they go to the beach? Who wants to sit right next to some family and their screaming kids? Nobody masked - I’m assuming because Covid-19 dies immediately in direct sunlight? That’s today’s rumor, anyway. The Beach was amazing! Hot, sunny, great weather - I went in the ocean and the water was warm. L. said this was the most normal she has felt since the Corona virus.

6:00-7:30-Home. I didn’t know what a positive impact the beach would have on me, although it was my suggestion. We were going to go yesterday, but heard that Governor Newsom closed ALL the beaches - I later learned it was just the Orange County beaches because residents flocked there last weekend and the Governor was upset after he saw pictures of a packed beach. However, if you looked closely, Californians were actually social distancing - everyone was in their own bubble. Orange County was pissed when he closed the beaches. We went to Santa Barbara instead.

I unpack all our gear and start a load of laundry to wash the towels and beach blanket. Then, I grab a Prosecco-in-a-can and one of my stainless steel straws and sit in my backyard, at my patio table. I read Notes to Self. When I’m finished, I add potting soil to my bougainvillea and water one of my succulents. The dog shits on the concrete, then vomits in three other locations. I clean it up and head inside.

7:30-8:30: I have more cheese tortellini from the dinner I made last night, then I do the dishes, clean the kitchen, sweep, take out the trash, and get my coffee ready for tomorrow. I finish cleaning the last two window sills in the kitchen/dining area, then move to the window sill in my home office. All are disgusting. The dog vomits twice on the couch while I’m working so I call L. [“Better Call L.”] because she can get stains out of anything - L. is a ‘stain master.’ She treats the couch and washes the blanket in bleach. The dog goes in the garage for a little while - I can’t take her right now.

8:30-9:00 - I listen to Learn French in 3 Months and practice the pronunciation, then switch to my French 1 textbook, Liberte, for writing and grammar. I’m going to ‘audit’ French 2, in June, at my local community college, and I absolutely need to brush up on my French so I don’t embarrass myself [I took it last year and got an A]. L. said she was going to take the class too, but I have my doubts, as the class meets every day, M-Th, from 1:00-3:30, for 8 weeks. It meets virtually, but still. I’m not even sure if I want to take it, but I should be able to drop whenever I want, because I’m only auditing - no grade, no pay.

9:00-10:00 - I frame and hang one of L.’s pieces. Then, I break down some boxes from Amazon and put away two ‘tiny’ bags of dog food (I thought I was purchasing the much-bigger size - this mistake keeps happening); a 2-pack of toothpaste for L.; and a photo album.

I have loose photos from a trip L. and I took to New York that need to be cataloged. I know everyone saves their pictures in their phone, but I download the pictures from every trip we’ve ever taken to my free Walgreens account that I’ve had for 16 years. I curate the photos, order the best ones from Walgreens, then catalog them in appropriate photo albums. The absolute best pictures of L. and I are framed and placed on our landing at the top of the stairs. Then, we pick our fave 6 and put them in the photo gallery at the bottom of the stairs. We insert 6 new pictures into the photo gallery every time we travel someplace new. All of these steps occurred for our New York trip, except the cataloging. I planned for this to be a project when I retire in August, but it’s as if I’m retired now, so why not finish it?

11:00-12:00 - I write this blog then head upstairs for Waco.