Day 65 of Governor Newsom’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy”

L. and R. on Halloween…

Saturday. 10/31/20. Halloween.

8:30 - I’m awake but haven’t slept in for several days. I go back to sleep.

10:30 - I’m up and well-rested. Downstairs and there are no accidents waiting for me. I take the dog out, although it’s obvious she must have gone on her own. Back inside and pieces of chicken for her while I make coffee for me. I start off reading on my patio, but take it upstairs after my neighbors appear in their backyard. I can’t stand them so I go inside and read in my room.

12:00 - 2:00 - I have spring rolls from the leftover Thai food that L. bought and update my blog. In between posts, I read online news.

-L. leaves for a haircut appointment in Pasadena. Apparently, there is some controversy at this hair salon. L. has been here before and knows the owner. When L. arrives, the owner tells L. she doesn’t have to mask. L., being the assertive young woman that she is, refuses to take her mask off. The owner then launches into a diatribe about how great Trump is and asks L. how she feels about him. L., using climate change as an innocuous example, tells the owner that she cares about the environment and Trump doesn’t. The owner says, “Oh, Trump cares about the environment, too.” L responds, “But he pulled out of the Paris Agreement.” The owner has no counter-argument and says she doesn’t want to talk about politics right now. She turns away and begins sweeping the floor.

2:00-3:00 - I go on a short bike ride.

3:00-4:00 - L. is concerned about Election night and suggests we start stockpiling necessities in advance of 11/3/20. She gave me a list of items to order so I place the order, alternating between Walmart.com and Amazon.com I order paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, deodorant, toothpaste, bread mix, dog food, a shower curtain liner for L., a mattress pad for L., and other misc. items. L. wants bleach, Clorox wipes, and hand soap, but I’m close to exceeding my budget for non-perishables and exclude them from the order. I think we’ll be fine with what we have on hand.

4:00-5:30 - L. returns and we carve jack-o-lanterns for tonight. We carve pumpkins every Halloween - it’s our little ritual - and the past two years have been especially disastrous for me with regard to the finished product. I use a witch template and when I’m finished, it’s impossible to figure out what I’ve carved. L.’s jack-o-lantern looks great, as usual. She’s an artist - I’m not.

5:30-6:15 - Shower. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up. I pack an overnight bag and my pillow and leave for B’s house.

L. puts on her wig and costume right before R. arrives. She’s “Sally” and R.’s “Jack Skelton” from the Nightmare Before Christmas. They look great!! Spoiler Alert - L. said that she and R. took the dog for a walk around the neighborhood at 8:00 p.m. and were something of a celebrity couple - little kids asked their parents if they could take pictures with them. L. said it was cute.

6:15 - 1:00 a.m. - At B.’s and dinner is chips-and-dip, followed by grilled kielbasa sausages, potato salad, and baked beans. Everything tastes great! We sit outside on the patio since B. bought an electric heat lamp and it works really well - I suggest a second heat lamp (one per person). Spoiler Alert - he buys the second heat lamp a few days later. Before we know it, it’s 1:00 a.m. I completely lost track of time.

1:30 - Bed. A nice evening overall.