AKA.......AS THE WORLD STOPS
For the first half of March, we were still living out our dream
of spending the winter in Florida.
The world was in living color.
An orange sunset from our terrace.......
A windsurfer in the turquoise ocean......
Teal shimmers in the pool.......
Rosé wines at happy hour.......
A blue-green peacock strutting its stuff.......
White cirrocumulus clouds high in an azure sky.......
Extra credit: how many hawks can you spot?
Pelicans flying in formation into the wild blue yonder.......
A coral flamingo preening its feathers.......
As Covid-19 started to creep up on us.
we could feel those hues fading fast.
It was just about mid-March, while Junior Goo Shoes
was spending spring break with us in Florida,
that we learned there would be no going back to college this semester.
Classes would be completed online.
It was time to go home to New Jersey.
Armed with Clorox wipes, Junior GS flew home as planned.
Mr. GS and I started the three-day drive up I-95 North
several weeks ahead of our original departure date.
I dreaded the two nights we had to stay in hotels.
I cringed at the thought of using public rest rooms along the way.
We loaded up all of the canned and packaged foods we had bought in Florida
because we knew we'd need them when we got home.
We packed a cooler and ate every meal except one in the car, or in our hotel room.
Thoughts of Covid-19 were our constant companions on the road.
And then.......at last.......we were HOME.
It was as if a light switch was flipped,
and the world turned to black and white.
How did we get to this terrifying place???
It's unfathomable that this could happen in the United States of America.
I could get into a full-on rant right now, but I'll restrain myself.
It has taken some time for me to find a way to cope with this new normal.
The days pass by, and I try not to think too far into the future.
It's better to focus on the here and now.
And, here........and now.......
If there's one thing we can count on, it's that.......
Hope springs eternal.
May your family and friends stay healthy.
It was as if a light switch was flipped,
and the world turned to black and white.
Supermarket shelves were empty.
Food shopping required new protocols.
The car's cup holder stored new essentials.
Parking lots were deserted.
Social distancing was mandated to flatten the curve.
New Jersey went on lock-down, and the world shrank to the area within our property lines.
How did we get to this terrifying place???
It's unfathomable that this could happen in the United States of America.
I could get into a full-on rant right now, but I'll restrain myself.
It has taken some time for me to find a way to cope with this new normal.
The days pass by, and I try not to think too far into the future.
It's better to focus on the here and now.
And, here........and now.......
The forsythias are ablaze in yellow.
Colorful messages are spotted on daily walks.
Finches are returning to the backyard.
The chimes are ringing in the spring breeze.
The days are getting warm enough for happy hour on the deck.
The cardinal, representing hope, health, rejuvenation, and joy, reminds me that this, too, shall pass.
If there's one thing we can count on, it's that.......
Hope springs eternal.
May your family and friends stay healthy.
Heartfelt thanks to health care workers, first responders, food service providers,
and everyone on the front lines who are keeping our country running!
To better days ahead.......
LINKING WITH:
Best Of The Month
and everyone on the front lines who are keeping our country running!
To better days ahead.......
LINKING WITH:
Best Of The Month
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteGlad you made it back from Florida ok. You are living in a dangerous zone of the virus so I am happy to hear you and your family are all healthy and staying safe. Let's pray in the next few weeks we begin to really see some improvement and the results of shelter in place are working. Hope you had a nice passover. Hugs,
Kris
Glad that you are ok. Sending positive thoughts your way. Beautiful pics. Stay safe and healthy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post about your life on the other side of the world. I love your black and white view of life and then the here and now. Life has certainly changed for us all and it will hopefully not be the same but better if we are able to learn from this. Stay safe and well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a month! I love all your Florida pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange enough to see our little town's streets look so bare and quiet, but the strangest of all scenes is seeing the densing populated areas of bigger cities around the globe so deserted. Glad your family got home safely and that you're having the chance to enjoy the miracles of spring happening. The finch and cardinal are welcome visitors, the chimes such a sweet sound (except today, with the wind forecast, they might just fly off the handle!). Love the flamingo photo. And I see 3.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely hope springs eternal. I did notice that, Amy, when I read it early yesterday. :)
I love your interpretation of the world turning black and white. That's for sure. It's thrown us all in a tizzy. Michigan is third, after you in Jersey and NY. It's very sobering. I keep to my house or limited roaming space and only Rick has been in my house since March 15. It's a new way of living but it's the one we have. So we are trying to find the best in it. I hope you do not lose anyone you love. Please stay safe and well.
ReplyDeleteOH, my, this summed up the last month completely. I've been in the house since late February...my friends were angry with me when I nixed my birthday lunch---because I had a slight cough. I have a BS at the end of my liberal arts degree---a smattering of science and math to go with the psychology and 54 credits in F-Arts. My soul, my brain, my psyche- KNEW even then, mid February, we would be here, today. I readied our home---warned my kids and was basically---a quiet version of the 'sky is falling'...person. My only venture out in public was my yearly physical on March 18. My doctor was quiet and grim, even then, she asked me why I didn't cancel...I said because it would only get worse. She wrote my prescriptions for 90 days, with a refill after that. That was all I needed to know---we would be in, for a long time.
ReplyDeleteNothing is normal now, but we will find a NEW normal, despite the ignorance, denial, and greed of those in power. Gorgeous photos....as always, and poignant story for us all! Thank you, and stay safe.
You are so lucky that your family was able to take the trip to beautiful Florida for some vacation. I am glad to hear that you and your family are ok. Stay safe and be well.
ReplyDeleteOh Amy - so many heart felt words here! This is such a strange time indeed. So glad you returned home safely and have been able to stay healthy - the most important thing. I sincerely hope this social distancing helps to keep this virus from spreading. Stay well in every way. Hugs ...
ReplyDeleteThe sunshine and Spring blossoms can almost make things feel NORMAL. But they are not when I am anticipating wearing a mask today to go grocery shopping. One day at a time, they say. I am trying to cheer myself with the thought of the $ I am saving (gas, fun shopping, haircuts/color and restaurants), the daily things I am not using making them last longer like make-up (who needs it now?!). There is just too much time to think of stupid stuff everyday. It is a scary thought not knowing when my next cut and color will be!!!
ReplyDeleteAmy, two of our children were in central Florida at that time too, for my mother's life celebration service. Our youngest had planned on taking our little granddaughters to Disney on Monday, the day they closed. That drive back home had to have been a little scary, as was the plane trip back to Montana for our daughter and her husband, on a big plane with 10 people on board. Your pictures tell such a story of the before and after of this monster. Your capture of the pelicans thrilled my heart! Then the black and white photos, such a symbol of those first couple of weeks, with the return to color that for those of us who are the lucky ones here to experience spring returning. Have cardinals and finches ever seemed more precious?
ReplyDeleteIt won't be long before time to publish your April photo diary. And then May's. That's a sobering thought, somehow. What will our world look like by the end of May?
Stay safe!
What an up-and-down month. I remain hopeful.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
What a perfect post for summarizing this crazy time! Here in Oregon we are still on “stay at home” orders ... but at least were seeing things getting back to normal in our grocery stores (at least in my little town). I hope you and your family are well, you’re in a much scarier area than I am ♥️♥️♥️ Debbie
ReplyDelete