A few things have changed since my previous post about what we are doing now that COVID-19 has arrived in Ottawa.
I did a second large grocery shop a couple of nights ago. It was busy, but not as busy as reported today. e.g. line ups that loop around the entire store. When I came home with multiple bins and bags in hand the other night I think Mark thought I was going a bit overboard – our fridge and pantry and small freezer are now overfull – and perhaps I was, but it actually made me feel a lot calmer. (And no, I didn’t load up on toilet paper, and not just because there wasn’t any to buy.)
Maybe the trick is to focus on the things we can control: like what groceries we buy. (And beer.)
I made pizza for dinner last night, and we watched a movie. It was a good start to what was surely going to be a great weekend: A Weekend of Doing Nothing but Reading. Two e-books that I had been waiting for from the library suddenly became available (!!), which added to my reading list considerably.
There’ve been a lot of jokes going around about introverts looking forward to hunkering down at home and not going anywhere – and I was frankly looking forward to the opportunity – but I’m feeling mighty squirrelly this morning.
I read my book for awhile but couldn’t quite focus. (Sidebar: I’m reading Know My Name: A Memoir, by Chanel Miller and it’s EXCELLENT. Honestly, this should be required reading for high schoolers everywhere.) So I spent the next few hours doing laundry, tidying the kitchen, cleaning the bathroom, and getting rid of things that were irritating me, such as an old pair of boots that were too worn to wear anymore. (Why was I holding on to those, exactly?) I made a toasted tomato sandwich for lunch. Organized a kitchen drawer. Made the bed. Watered the plants. And now I’m gearing up to give our mudroom an overhaul.
I’m finding it hard to sit still. I suppose it’s just nervous energy that I need to channel somewhere but I’d really rather be reading.
The other thing that’s changed since that last post is that many places have temporarily closed, including museums, galleries, sporting events, community centres, pools, arenas, schools. March Break has been extended. Many people are working from home now. Vacations have been cancelled all over the place.
Queen’s University has cancelled classes for the rest of the semester and moved the learning online, but it looks like the girls are staying where they are for the time being. (I have mixed feelings about this.)
I am worried about their health, obviously, but I’m also worried about what the summer will hold for them. They have both applied for jobs in Ottawa, but those jobs might not exist as a result of what’s happening now. What if they can’t find work to offset the cost of their university education?
Right now many of us are worried about getting sick and whether we have enough toilet paper. The other outcomes will come to light soon enough, I suppose.
