Face masks or coverings are now mandatory in L.A.
All life changed eleven
weeks ago because of coronavirus. On March 16, Angelenos were mandated to stay
at home as all but “essential” businesses and services were shut down. Schools
went online, live performance and sporting events were postponed, and amusement
parks closed.
Still our lives
remain relatively unaltered. Retired now for almost five years, we’re used to
being at home, though there are many things we miss—like exercising at the gym,
going to the theater and movies, eating at restaurants, and, of course,
Disneyland. Our summer trip to Spain is canceled and it’s doubtful we’ll be
taking the February 2021 Panama Canal cruise we booked several months ago.
We count our
blessings every day, however. Two people we know had the virus, only one of
whom survived, and know of another who tested positive but apparently is OK.
Thankfully, our family members and dearest friends are all healthy and
either retired or still working, so that’s a major silver lining.
Though we are coping
well with the “new normal,” this entire experience has certainly been strange. Just leaving the house now triggers a mental checklist of items to
bring along: ubiquitous face masks or coverings; our homemade spritzer of
alcohol for disinfecting hands; and water bottles, so we’re not tempted by
public fountains if we get thirsty. My backpack purse— which used to be more
purse than backpack—now feels like a full-on backpack. Camping anyone?
Shopping for
groceries was crazy, the first week of the shutdown, as people panicked and
began hoarding food staples and paper products. We went from one crowded store
to another looking for basic items, until one morning Tim called me from our local
market, where he’d gone to get a cup of Starbuck’s.
“There are no lines!”
he whispered conspiratorially into the phone.
“Is there food on
the shelves?” I asked.
“No onions, but
lots of other stuff.”
I ran right over.
No onions, potatoes, broccoli, or carrots, but did get lots of fruit and Roma
tomatoes. We were set for a while.
Empty shelves the first week of the shutdown
Tim and the world's largest roll of toilet paper
The hoarding
phenomenon is now a distant memory as markets tend to be pretty well-stocked
with food and other essentials, though cleaning products and alcohol are still
in drastically short supply. Many stores have signs on the floor directing customers
to move all one way down each aisle to enable the preferred 6-foot safe “social
distance.” We have also learned to shop first thing in the morning, otherwise
we’ll have to wait on line outside stores that (thankfully!) limit the number
of customers inside. Monday mornings before 8AM are best.
Directional signs on market floors
Our days are
fairly redundant: get up, exercise via YouTube zumba or walk 2-3 miles, work on projects around the
house (e.g., organizing closets, cupboards, and old photographic slides), sometimes
attend a virtual meeting or webinar on Zoom, read Facebook for two hours, and watch
TV at night. And, of course, eat. Making dinner is now a daily highlight as we
both enjoy cooking (and eating!). My personal goal is to throw away no food,
leading to some interesting reuse of “left-overs.”
With libraries now closed, our Little Free Library
has been very popular during the shutdown. Thanks to
friends and neighbors for keeping it well-stocked.
Haircuts al fresco! Salons are closed, so my
hairdresser came over and cut our hair on the
back patio.
We’ve also started
going on weekly “excursions” to change the scenery and just get out of the
house. We drove to Santa Barbara to buy our favorite chicken take-out and did the same on a drive to San Diego for
our favorite taquitos from El Indio. One night, we went to nearby Dockweiler Beach
to see the bioluminescent waves caused by “red tide” algae and did a quick
trip to Orange County to take pictures of our favorite artist SHAG’s murals on
a new business park building. Yesterday we did take-out from The Original
Farmer’s Market—very eerie being two of the only customers there.
Gotta eat! Bought home 4 dozen uncooked taquitos for
us and two friends.
Amazing waves at Dockweiler Beach
SHAG mural
Mural #2
Eerie Farmer's Market
Ironically, as
most of the world is stuck indoors, nature proceeds with its usual magnificent spring
and early summer floral displays. We visited the L.A. County Arboretum last week and, of course, our own gardens were
truly glorious this year.
Backyard gardens
Our blooming Octopus Agave grew to 16 ft.
Five weeks ago, we
started hosting a weekly “happy hour” for neighbors every Friday at 5PM. We
provide the chairs. They provide the conversation and laughter. It’s been a
wonderful release and just a terrific way to reconnect with our nearest
friends. We hope the tradition continues long after the pandemic ends.
Setting up chairs for our Friday night happy hour
