Shutdown Week 6 Diary: And April Ends

Here's a baker's dozen of this and that:

1. I'm starting to ramp up with info and ideas as to how to be President of my Women's (and Men's) club during this pandemic. I think we will do some online sales to members and their friends of our inventory of holiday craft items and then take orders for Christmas in July. We need to raise funds even though we are shutdown as we have a building to support. Also looking for ways to engage members over the summer and probably into the fall without having meetings.

2. Enjoying more contact with my East coast cousins. Letters and emails. Looking forward to when I can see them again. Also looked around the house to see what we could mail our granddaughter and found some balloons to stick in a card. She has a lot of fun with balloons.

3. After initially dismissing the idea I am using the adult coloring book I purchased at the Friends of the Library bookstore at the front end of this mess. It turns my brain off for a while. I also picked up a sketch book/art journal at CVS - 50 pages to fill.

4. We are generally well stocked with food and (gasp) were able to buy toilet paper today. Kleenex remains scarce.

5. These six weeks have shown me that I want to focus in more detail on making sure we are prepared to get through a post-earthquake scenario of no utilities for up to 2 weeks. We have prepared some but this has taught me the difference between utilities exist and they don't preparedness!

6. I am super impressed (but not surprised) with the creativity and resilience our sons and DILs are demonstrating. One pair are making sourdough bread and crackers, buying flour from a nearby bakery, and building raised beds in their backyard and involving their 3 1/2 year old. The others are foraging for fun and got permission to use some garden space at a nearby small college which of course has no students in residence now. They have also had socially distanced happy hour on the yard space in front of their condo, done drop offs of birthday cakes and other food for friends who live alone and instituted tea time to take an afternoon break from work. I'm a happy and proud Mom.

6. I entered our bank info at the IRS website in hopes of not having to get a check with Trump's signature. I plan on making additional donations to the county food bank system, animal rescue services out of the stimulus money. Perhaps donate to the Democratic Senate campaign fund, Planned Parenthood, RAICES, and ACLU also.

7. I purchased a sweater "shaver" and guess what - it works. Rescued an old warm winter cardigan that was looking shabby for at least one more season. I have at least one other sweater that needs a little but much less help.

8. Received our first of two auto insurance refunds for the pandemic driving less situation. A whopping $20.72 but hey, I'll take it.

9. I asked the friend who made us each a mask if she would make one more for me and she sent over two that she had leftover! Now we each have 2 so if one isn't dry after washing we will have another.

10. Then a neighbor asked if we had trouble finding any food items and wanted them to look when the went shopping today and came back with white sugar for baking. I'm a lucky person.

10. Cleaned up the donated books that were sitting at our clubhouse. Put new stock in the Little Library out front in hopes someone local will appreciate the resource with the library closed.

12. I have half a can of leftover enchilada sauce, some chicken and no tortillas. Thank goodness for Allrecipes ingredient search function. Chicken enchilada soup tonight!

13. And here is more from Bill Gates regarding the development of a Covid-19 vaccine (Gates Notes Link