Friday, May 1, 2020
I got up at 6:15 and was writing at 7:30. I worked on my writing until 11, and I was very productive. This time slot could work well for me if I give up showering.
Monday, May 4, 2020
My morning routine continues to be productive. The weather has been hot—nearing 100 degrees. Tomorrow is supposed to be much cooler with a high of 80.
We watched church online yesterday. I really liked it. I wrote from 7-10. Then I was singing along while watering my plants during the music. The sermon was good and challenging. Church is planning to re-open for worship on the 17th. Hair salons are scheduled to open on the 8th.
Stephanie and Hayden came for dinner tonight. They have moved into their camper, and love it. All her plants and clothes fit! They still don’t know when they will be able to take off on their journey.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Ray tried to get a haircut yesterday morning, but the barber shop was full to capacity so he came back home.
The weather cooled off for the weekend. Last night the church had a drive-thru ice cream social—an ice cream party in your car. We drove through and saw all the staff.
Ray went to church today. He checked everyone’s temperature at the door, although services haven’t resumed to the public yet. He and Matt worked with others on Wednesday sanitizing the building. We watched the service online after he got home.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
It rained last night and it’s predicted to continue. I hope it washes the allergens away. I’ve been pretty miserable lately. One morning I accused Ray of spraying me with pepper spray in the night.
A friend’s dad had a stroke over the weekend and is in a Fort Worth hospital. His father has dementia and doesn’t understand the hospital visitation restrictions. He thinks his son has abandoned him. My friend is having difficulties learning test results and treatment options since it is hard to connect with medical professionals and the father is unreliable due to his mental state.
There has been a second COVID-19 death in Palo Pinto County. There are three confirmed cases among Whitehouse workers. Several people close to President Trump are quarantining themselves.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
I worked on my website for five hours this week, and got nowhere. Stephanie offered to set it up for me, for a small fee, which I gladly agreed to.
It rained a lot over the weekend, but today is sunny and warm. First Baptist had service in house and online today. Ray was there. His job is to check the staff’s temperatures before everyone else arrives. I stayed home. He estimated there were around 120 in attendance.
The House is trying to pass an additional three trillion dollar stimulus package.
I am in a slump, and have not been meeting my daily writing goals.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Today was sunny and hot with a high of ninety-six. Matt had business in Granbury, so Stephanie and I tagged along. It felt good to wear make-up and have somewhere to go for a change. Even the car ride was amazing. Life with masks and social distancing is feeling normal now. We grabbed lunch from Panda restaurant and ate it in the car since their dining room is not open. While we ate, we reminisced about buffets, restaurants, travel, shopping, theme parks—the good life. I shopped for groceries at HEB while the kids ran an errand.
There is so much drama in the White House. It’s enough to bring back political cartoon strips. Trump announced he’s taking a dangerous drug for Malaria as a preventative for COVID-19. Nancy Pelosi called him “morbidly obese” and said he should not be taking it. He said he asked his doctor for the drug. If I’m ever President in a Pandemic, I’m asking the doc for recreational drugs. Forget about my health.
A fire broke out in a smoke/vape shop in Los Angeles on Saturday. The nature of the business and the large quantity of propane the structure contained caused an explosion. The incident must have been the topic of discussion among the firemen at the watercooler in city hall today. When Ray got home, he was excited to show us the video of firefighters escaping on a ladder through the blazing inferno. We had to watch several clips to find the “right” one. “Mayday! Mayday!” and “Clear the roof now!” played repeatedly. Eleven firefighters were hurt. It’s a miracle there weren’t any deaths. It was awful. After the Matt and I lost interest, he continued watching clips and adding his armchair fire chief commentary. We have a deal where he’s not to tell or show me bad fireman stuff because it worries me. He must have forgotten about our deal.
Then we watched Soul Surfer on Netflix. I went to bed fearing fire and water. Luckily, no nightmares, though.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
It was a beautiful day today so Ray and I went for a drive to see the dam at Possum Kingdom Lake. We got lunch from Two Old Crows restaurant and had a picnic by the lake. Lots of boats were on the water since it’s Memorial Day weekend.
While we enjoyed our lunch, the wind picked up and I was reminded of another picnic. Years ago, we took some children we were foster parenting on a picnic on a windy day and some food blew off of the table. Later the oldest child told our case manager, “We went to the park and my chicken nuggets blowed on the ground.” Good times.
My sister mailed me some face masks. I told her that she probably saved my life. I have a hair appointment Wednesday and I think I have to wear one. Palo Pinto County is up to eleven confirmed COVID-19 cases and two deaths.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Matt woke up this morning with a sore throat. Someone from the college called around noon and told him that a person who works in his office has tested positive for Covid-19. He had just gone back to work last week after being furloughed. He was told not to come back to work until further notice.
I don’t think he has Covid-19. He and Ray worked out in the rain yesterday, and Matt is always sick. He has no fever. No cough.
Anyway, we called our doctor’s office, and they had us call the local Coronavirus Hotline who recommended a Covid-19 test. Palo Pinto General Hospital has designated parking with orange cones, and they come to your vehicle and administer the nasal swab test. Matt arrived before the hotline had alerted the hospital, and he had to wait about twenty minutes for them to test him. The hotline told him results could take up to seven days, but the hospital said the usual wait time is three to five days. They told him to go straight home and stay there. “Don’t stop for gas or go to restaurants, and tell anyone in your home to do the same.”
Matt said the test was awful. He said they swab your throat through your nose. He said he felt the swab on his tonsils. Now, half an hour later, he can still taste it. Blah.
Thankfully, I had ordered groceries online and picked them up from Walmart this morning. I guess we’re on lockdown for a while. I cancelled my hair appointment.
As the U. S. death toll from COVID-19 nears 100,000, the media is buzzing about yesterday’s death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He died while being arrested by a Minneapolis police officer.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Yesterday, the U. S. death toll from the Corona Virus exceeded 100,000. Most businesses are opening, but some remain closed because they lose less money shut down than by opening due to social distancing and safety guidelines.
The weather has been nice. Matt is feeling fine. We are still waiting on his test results. This morning I realized I forgot to put milk on my Walmart order, so we are out until we get test results and can leave the house.
Some friends gave us some rabbits to process for them in exchange for half of the meat. We’ve eaten a lot of animals on our ranch—think Beverly Hillbillies or Duck Dynasty—but we haven’t raised rabbits in over twenty years. Ray watched a video to refresh his butchering skills, and then ordered Matt to help him. Thankfully, my services weren’t needed until freezing time. I had to hold the freezer bag open while they shoved the rabbit in. And I do mean shove. We must have raised a smaller breed. These were big. One needed a two gallon bag. I held it on its back with its feet in the air and said, “It looks like Queso.” And it did.
I set the big boy out to thaw yesterday, but it was still frozen in the center today. I boiled it in our turkey fryer pan since it was so large. It took so long to cook that it was still hot when the time came to debone it and start dinner, so Ray said he’d debone it for me.
Matt has eaten rabbit when he was a child, but he doesn’t remember, and watching them being processed didn’t help. He said, “I just keep telling myself it’s chicken.”
Anyway, I made “chicken” and rice tonight. Ray had left tons of bones in it, probably because it was so hot when he deboned it. And it was rubbery. Dinner was ruined, but entertaining. Matt kept finding bones and pretending to gag. He called it hoppy chicken. Then he started quoting lines from Christmas Vacation Thanksgiving dinner.
Friday, May 29, 2020
Tonight I searched through the leftover rabbit meat for bones and chopped it finer. I made “chicken” enchiladas, and they were a hit. Ray didn’t realize it was made from rabbit until the meal was over.
And just when you thought it was safe to go back out into the germy world…Peaceful protests over George Floyd’s death escalated into riots in several major cities. Police and firefighters are out in a pandemic trying to keep calm amid chaos. Fires were set. Massive property destruction. Looting. Tear gas was used. Everyone’s wearing masks. It looks like something from a movie. It is crazy.
When are we going to learn that all human life is sacred?