On This Day in History

Just so I NEVER forget..... April 3, 2020

Gas price a mile from home was $1.73.

Self-distancing measures on the rise.

Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.

Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.

Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.

Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.

Entire sports seasons cancelled.

Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.

Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.

Churches and temples are closed.

No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or less.

Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.

Children's outdoor play parks are closed. Schools are online.

We are to distance from each other.

Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.

Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.

Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.

Shelves are bare.

Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.

Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.

Fines are established for breaking the rules.

Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.

Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.

Government incentives to stay home.

Barely anyone on the roads.

People wearing masks and gloves outside.

Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.

Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020. One day I will see this post and remember that life is precious and not to take the things I dearly love for granted. We have so much! I'm thankful and grateful.

My Coronavirus Plan

It's a scary time, even for those who have seen lots of other scary times in our lives.  This time seems like a different kind of scary, mainly I think because everyone is so affected, if not physically (hopefully), at least financially and "lifestyle" wise.

Every day I wake up and check that hubby and me are still 1) not feverish 2) not coughing and 3) breathing normally.  I take my vitamins, especially tons of vitamin C, along with zinc and silver spray.  I eat eggs everyday for protein and other good stuff.  We stay inside except for trips to the grocery and mailbox.  As of yesterday, we started wearing masks (from hubby's woodworking projects) and latex gloves to the store. 

Home activities: cleaning with alcohol based homemade cleaners, watching the news (mostly bad), Trump's Coronavirus task force briefings, Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Peace

When it comes to Big Decisions, I defer to this adage. Like a recent decision to rebalance our finances, made not only because of the scary unknown that is the Coronavirus Pandemic, but also because we are getting older and have a shorter window to make up losses.

We have ridden the stock market's ups and downs for 35 years.  Hubby says we are ahead of where we'd be had we only invested in CD's but I am not so sure.  Whatever we may have gained in actual dollars, I weigh against the worry and daily monitoring of a fickle market. I am definitely a "sure thing" kind of girl.

I welcome the new peace in my life, no matter how expensive it may be.  

Coronavirus Pep Talk

You could tell from her Facebook post this morning that goddaughter Laura was stressing out a bit from the quarantine/shelter-in-place/stay at home requirements.  Who wouldn't stress with 3 children home from school for weeks and all of their seemingly hundreds of missed activities?  A pep talk was in order for her, and of course, even I could use one about now hahaha.  

Here it is and her response definitely cheered me up too. 

Rashi Wine

OK, I mentioned I don't drink alcohol but since finding this delicious light red wine named for my 26th great grandfather I am hooked!  It's made in New York State and has a low alcohol content (6%, is that good?).  

Since I hear a little red wine is good for you, I am adding about 4 ounces a day to my new (still trying!) diet plan. I have looked it up and the light pink is only 40 calories per 4 ounces.  Who knows?  And with this Coronavirus stress a little mind numbing may be an added benefit.

The bottle has a lovely story about my ancestor which I also appreciate.  Worth an hour and a half trip to Tampa to procure it at Jo-elle's!

It Works If You Work It

The full line of the AA adage is: It works if you work it and you’re worth it. 

This is Day 4 of my self-care challenge and I am happy with the results.  Vitamins ✔ Eating "real" meals ✔

I won't say it has been completely easy.  I have been tempted.  Luckily, just as I was about to give in I was called away to a chore or diversion.  

I'm trying hard.  One Day At A Time.

I'm Worth It!

Self Care Day Two

Today is Day Two of my self care challenges - take my vitamins and improve crappy eating habits.  Improvement on crappy eating habits includes eliminating sugar and flour, and eating "real" meals, not just snacking all day.  

Eliminating sugar and flour leaves veggies, fruit, chicken, fish, oatmeal, cheese and eggs. I like that stuff so I am planning on SUCCESS!

Self care also means eliminating stress and I have accomplished a big hunk of stress-elimination when I convinced hubby to finally get out of the stock market.  No more watching the Dow fluctuate every day, an activity that has driven me cray-cray for the past 40 years or so.  

Journaling is also bigly recommended for self care.  So I'll add continuing my Dear Diary as my number 3 challenge!

The Self Care Solution

I haven't blogged for years (3+) but staying home as much as possible due to the restrictions of the Coronovirus pandemic has inspired me to start again.

Thankfully the cold I had suffered for over a week subsided last week and it was, happily, just a cold.  I admit I was a tad worried.  

If it weren't for the horrible situation the world finds itself I admit I could stay happily at home with hubby for most of the time.  It is peaceful and I admit I am never bored.  There is Prime Video, Netflix, books, bathtub, household chores and the internet.  The day goes by so quickly!  

However, I have decided not to waste this opportunity for self reflection and self improvement.  I am reading "The Self Care Solution - a year of becoming happier, healthier and fitter" by Dr. Jennifer Ashton.  Her twelve months of improvements are not the twelve challenges I would pick for myself though.

I do not need a "dry month" as I don't drink alcohol and I am surely not about to start doing "push ups and planks" (whatever that is).  So I have made a list of my own challenges.

First up, TAKE MY VITAMINS!  I credit them with feeling better the last two weeks and licking my hard-to-defeat cold.

Next up, REGULAR MEALS!  No more crappy eating habits!  More on this tomorrow.

Bat Mitzvah Speech

I don't think a lot of people managed to hear my Bat Mitzvah speech.  It came from the heart and I got so verklempt I could not get many of the words out.  Even Hubby, who sat in the front row, asked me for a copy so he could read what I said about him.  Here it is:

___________________________________________________________________________

I am a Jew, and now, a Bat Mitzvah.

I am the proud scion of an ancient people, a member of the tribe of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  

My ancestors stood at the shores of the Red Sea, and my aunt and her family stood at the gates of Auschwitz. 

I am my mother’s Friday night chicken soup, my father’s Yiddisha songs and the sound of his shofar.

I am the proud sister of every Jewish doctor, lawyer, humanitarian, author, scientist, scholar and benefactor of society.

I am the survivor of every pogrom and persecution.

Together with my bashert, I stood under a chupah and pledged my commitment according to the Laws of Moses and Israel.

I love the USA but my ancestral homeland lies half a world away, in Eretz Yisrael. 

You can see my Jewishness on my face and on the walls and book shelves and doorposts of my home.

My Jewishness cannot be opted into or out of.  As Mayim Bialik said, Jewish is more than my religion. It is my identity, my DNA, my personhood.

Today I fulfill a promise I made only to myself. I did not have to learn Hebrew to please anyone or become “more Jewish”. The promises we make to ourselves are often the most difficult to keep.

My Torah portion, Ki Tavo, tells how Moses, nearing the end of his days and with his life’s work behind him, looked out on the Promised Land. He knew his people would go forth and thrive. I plan to do exactly that.

I thank my patient and extremely knowledgeable Bat Mitzvah coach Larry Wallace, who gave hours of his time and knowledge to help me reach my goal. I thank all of you for sharing this day and my journey. And I thank and honor the man who has supported me unconditionally in whatever dream or challenge I have undertaken to pursue over the last 50 years, since we were both teenagers, my husband Stu.

Shabbat Shalom.

44 Things

44 Odd Things You Don't Know About Me
1. Do you like blue cheese? IT'S JUST OK
2. Have you ever smoked? NO
3. Do you own a gun? I DO
4. What is your favorite flavor? CHOCOLATE
5.Do you get nervous before a dr visit? NO
6. What do you think of hot dogs? CHICAGO DOGS!.
7. Favorite movie? FREQUENCY
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? COFFEE
9. Do you do push ups? NEVER
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? MY WEDDING RING
11. Favorite hobby? MAH JONGG
12. Do you have A.D.D? NO
13. What's one thing you don't like about yourself? I WORRY TOO MUCH
14. Middle name? ROCHELLE
15. Name three thoughts at this moment. I WORRY TOO MUCH. I NEED TO STUDY FOR MY BAT MITZVAH. MORE COFFEE!
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? THOSE ICE FRUITY-WATER DRINKS, COFFEE. MORE COFFEE.
17. Current worry? THE ELECTION
18. Current annoyance right now? POLITICS! ENOUGH!!!
19. Favorite place to be? HOME WITH HUBBY
20. How do you bring in the New Year? MOSTLY QUIETLY
21. Where would you like to go? NAWLINS!
22. Name three people who will do this? ? ? ?
23. Do you own slippers? NO
24. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Army Green
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? NO
26. Can you whistle? YES
27. What are your favorite colors? DEEP RED, TEAL, AQUA
28. Would you be a pirate? NO
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL
30. Favorite girls name? RACHEL
31. Favorite boys name? STUART
32. What’s in your pocket right now? LINT
33. Last thing that made you laugh? SILLY JOKE
34. Best toy as a child? MY BIKE
35. Worst injury you have ever had? FRACTURED ANKLE
36. Where would you love to live? I'M HERE IN THE VILLAGES
37. How many TV’s do you have? 3
38. Who is your loudest child?  NO ONE
39. How many dogs do you have? NONE
40. Does someone trust you? YES.
41. What book are you reading?  INNOCENT BLOOD BY MICHAEL LISTER
42. What’s your favorite candy? MOUNDS
43. What’s your favorite sports team? DA BEARS!
44. Favorite month? OCTOBER.