The Quarantine Report: Episode 2

Hi again!

Things are still weird and stuff is still closed and life is still taking place within the confines of these four walls… so it’s time for the next Quarantine Report!

Also, though. The grass is growing, and the sun is… kinda, depends on the moment… shining, and love from family and friends is still traveling the distance to meet each of us in our own little at-home worlds.

I still appear to be strapped into a rollercoaster that takes me all over the emotional landscape from day to day, but maybe that is normal because nothing is normal. This is just the ride right now. And on the upside, there are some fun things to report on this week.

Here’s the Quarantine Report List:

• Something Delicious
• Something Outside
• Something Connected
• Something Fun
• A Sage Photo

Overall

Overall this week was much better than last week for me.

When I say much better, please note that puts me at the top of the “Okay” category. It’s an Okay +. We’re not talking about best week of my life, just kind of… okay.

And okay feels really good.

I don’t know if I can even really justify or quantify or rationalize where these feelings come from – I’m sure, like so many of us, things just hit us at different times and for different reasons.

I think having Easter this last week was a huge pick-me-up for me, even though Easter itself was weird and I didn’t cook anything and we were snowed-in. But just having one small little thing to look forward to – putting Solvi in her Easter dress that I bought before quarantine, and making a little Easter egg hunt for her in the yard with pieces of chalk due to lack of Easter egg access this year – I felt myself having actual fun, which hasn’t happened in a while. It was happy. And it was really good to feel that.

Something Delicious

Obviously the most delicious thing I made was date night rigatoni.

I was missing at least 5 of the main ingredients but I had variations or workable substitutions for each of them, so I went for it and it was just an ongoing glory moment for the 2-3 days that we got to eat through this big pot of saucy, luscious pasta.

Tied, of course, with this week’s new post: that incredibly fun and easy-to-make cauliflower gnocchi.

Something Outside

No, no, and NO. Nope. Goodbye.

During our Easter egg hunt, we learned some disturbing news that our beautiful new yard and landscaping appears to be housing a community of snakes.

We live in Minnesota, so yes they are harmless garter snakes, but OH MY GOSH NO! NOT SNAKES. Please not snakes. I’ve already almost stepped on one. This is not okay. I won’t, I can’t.

Our backyard is pretty heavily wooded – we see lots of deer and other little forest animals, which is a dream come true – but then we also have this kind of loose rock landscaping that I think is drawing in all the snakes as a nice home base, from which they find their way into the yard, onto the deck… I feel faint.

I cannot do this. I honestly cannot do this. I know, they go in houses sometimes, I KNOW. So we need to probably get our house checked and then also figure out what we’re going to do about the landscaping to prevent them from hanging out here all summer.

HALP ME. If you know something about reworking landscaping to make snakes basically hate it here, please leave a comment. Sincerely, Despairing In Minnesota

Something Connected

Here’s how it happened:

Our friend stopped by on a bike ride to say hi from the front yard. We were planning to eat in the backyard – very fancy takeout Chipotle – so we said, hey Nate, why don’t you come join us for dinner but you’ll have to sit six feet away and we won’t feed you?

And he was like, sure!

So we had dinner together aka ate our burritos directly in front of his face while he sat in a lawn chair 6 feet away. It was weird and we owe him a burrito when quarantine is over, but also it was very wonderful to “have dinner with” a friend.

Something Fun

A fun thing we did this week: WATCHED A MOVIE. And made cookies, and you’re welcome for the picture of Quarantine Me Living My Best Life While Creeping on Bjork’s Phone.

Listen, I don’t watch a lot of movies. It takes too much work. Isn’t that so weird? But it really does. By the time I settle in to just watch TV and hang out, I have next to zero energy left and it’s usually around 9:30pm which leaves me with about 45 minutes before bedtime.

But on Saturday, we got Solvi to bed early, we did takeout for dinner, and we didn’t have work to finish up… so WE COULD ACTUALLY WATCH A MOVIE.

Bjork let me pick, and I (naturally) chose Love Wedding Repeat after watching about two seconds of the trailer. Chick flick rom com mindless funny cheesy perfection. It was exactly what the moment called for.

Plus popcorn and Easter candy and cookies. It was a shining moment from the week.

A Sage Photo

You knew it was Easter and you knew she wouldn’t let you down.

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What About You?

Team check in. How we doin?

Are you…

Drinking water? Eating regular meals? Getting enough sleep?

Do you feel…

Overwhelmed? Sad? Lonely? Grateful? Peaceful? Actually pretty okay?

I would love to hear how things are holding on for you guys this week – what you cooked, what you did to stay connected, what’s giving you life and what’s hard. Bjork and I and our POY team – we are living these ups and downs right along with you. It won’t be like this forever – I’m reminding myself of this, too. There is more.

Sending all our love from our quarantine to yours! xo

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