It is now the beginning of June, and life has started to return to normal... somewhat. Businesses are slowly reopening. Many people have returned to work. Doctors, dentists, and service industries are treating people while following strict safety guidelines. Some churches and daycare centers are back in operation; but, with restricted attendance. And, most state borders are relaxing the self quarantine expectations, allowing for more frequent state to state travel. It is progress of a sort. However, we, as a country, still have a lot of unknowns ahead of us. For example; no one really knows what public school will look like in the fall or how long it will take for the economy to recover. I simply cannot help but think this might just be our new normal until the Savior comes. There are just too many prophesied events that are taking place to deny that this is indeed the end of times.
All of that being said, as I look back on the past 3 months, I can see areas where I have weathered the storm well. And, there are areas where I stand in need of improvement. But, as should be the case with this thing we call life, I have learned much. The most important lesson is this; I must continue to live my life the best way I know how.
Staying anxiously engaged and being productive with the time as we have sheltered at home, has given me a sense of accomplishment AND help me keep sane. Here is a brief photographic look at life during COVID-19.
I have worked on inventory for the Etsy shop, and donations for the One Million Pillowcase challenge and various quilt charities.
I went up to Ft. Worth to help the Gutierrez girls finish their at home learning assignments while Leslie finished her end of the year documentation for her speech patients.
I enjoyed local wildlife on my daily walks, like a crazy crawfish crawling along the side of the road! And, I watched a strange lizard and huge moth take up residence in the ash tree in Scott's back yard. I have also had 2 encounters with egg-stealing snakes outside the chicken coop.
We have planted a small, raised garden in Scott's back yard. So far we have picked 3 squash and one tomato. I hope we never have to sustain life with this tiny garden!
When shelter at home restrictions started to ease, Leslie brought Maggie down to learn how to use the quilting machine. She finished her elementary school T-shirt quilt.
I shopped Bountiful Baskets for the first time. It is a way to get fresh produce from local co-ops. The food was fresh and plentiful; almost too much for Ron and I. We ended us sharing with Scott and Molly.
While in Ft. Worth, I got to do a little crafting. We painted sea shells that were collected in Port Aransas. Then, we made some garden gnomes from clay flower pots. I've worked a ton of puzzles, colored coloring sheets, completed word search puzzles, binge watched The Black List and Midsommer Murders on Netflix and Prime, and worked on completing the Yellowstone 128 mile virtual hike. As of today, I only have 45 miles to go!
During this time, Ron and I have had to review our lives and make the difficult decision to move out of the RV and find a townhouse to live in. His health makes it difficult to travel full-time, so we've been driving around neighborhoods in Temple and looking at several options. We just recently found a townhouse in Temple and will move in there later this month. Before that can happen, we need to replace all of the furniture we sold when we sold our house. I've started by becoming and "Indian Giver" and taking back furniture I gave our kids. We refinished a couple of rocking side chairs that had originally belonged to my parents, went with Leslie when she moved to Dallas for college, and finally made their way to Scott's house.
We have started packing items we will take to the townhouse, while leaving the basic necessities in the RV. I have decided that the minimalist lifestyle really appeals to me. Having fewer possessions actually lifts my spirits. Ron and I have a followed a rule while living in the RV that we will try to continue to apply in the townhouse. If you bring an item into the house, you must eliminate an item from the house. The land fills, Goodwill stores, resale stores, and close-out stores are evidence that society has placed a lot of value of having stuff.
So, as Ron and I transition into this next chapter of our lives, we hope and pray that we can continue to weather the storms of life in a way that provides us with growth, happiness, and a renewed faith in God and our fellow man.
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