Social distancing, my last dose of nephews, and some back pain.

Today is a snowy March day of more social distancing. Hackley is entirely shut down and only residents and deliveries are permitted on campus. I am laid up in bed with a heating pad soothing some pretty nasty pain in my back and leg. The tumor on my spine did not take nicely to the long walks I've been taking. It isn't the cheeriest moment, but there have been some brighter spots over the past week throughout our staycation. 

This weekend, our sweet neighbor went to Home Depot and picked up a few plants for me so I could play in the garden a little bit. She wiped everything down before putting them on our steps. I am so grateful for kind people who brave the world and help me get supplies from off campus.  

This week, we've stayed mostly at home. Chris has gone out twice to pick up food from local restaurants to help them stay open. He is also running almost everyday. Sometimes, I will go for walks while he runs. Yesterday, the weather was beautiful and we chose a surprisingly popular trail. I was genuinely shocked at how many people were walking in groups--and not moving to the side! I found myself in the brush on the trails to avoid them at a reasonable distance. I worry that because I don't look like I have cancer, people are not as careful around me.

I implore you, PLEASE practice social distancing. It sucks. I know. I miss hanging out with people, too. Please, do the right thing. For me. I have a lot of reasons to go to the hospital right now, let's not have covid-19 be one of them. 

I am writing from bed today because I am managing a lot of back and leg pain. If we were not dealing with covid-19, I likely would have gone in to the hospital to have them examine me and sort out the pain; but things are different now, and we are all making sacrifices to stop the spread of the virus. If you have not begun truly social distancing, please start now. 

Before all of this craziness became truly crazy, I went to VA to see the fam. Dad worked on Kenny's pirate ship which is, as expected, an enormous structure. Before I left, Kenny and I created a leprechaun trap for St. Patrick's Day, baked donuts, and assembled his Lowe's workshop craft. We were very busy! 

In Richmond, Beau worked from home while Lanie, Max, and I hung out. It was a lovely few days. I did get a bit sick--probably from not reacting well to a med. We went on some lovely walks and made allergy-friendly brownies because baby Max has baby allergies. (Poor mom!!)

On the day I came back to Tarrytown, I discovered that my friend tested positive for COVID-19. It is very scary. It is awful to have someone live in isolation while managing a fever and could use some care. 

As soon as my back feels a bit better and I can get out of bed, I am going to make a few masks. I saw that my old hospital is accepting them--which is a sobering thought.

I am very sad that the likelihood of seeing the fam again for Easter is getting smaller and smaller with the spread of this virus. For the first time in 22 years, Easter is on April 12th. I had hoped to spend the weekend with my siblings remembering my Mom. We finally got her a proper headstone and I haven't seen it yet.

There are a lot of lessons in disappointment we will be learning over the next few months, and I hope beyond hope that is the only hardship we will have to navigate. 

Until things get better, I will just keep FaceTiming this dude who has Mommy's old iPad and his OWN ID! Also, if you need new headphones, I strongly recommend the ones with ears on them. 

XO,

A