Practicing Social Distancing on the Deck and at the End of the Lane

Yesterday Gary and I walked to the end of the lane to pick up the mail and send out the last of the Easter cards.  As we were standing there, the kids and Carrie across the road appeared in their backyard for the kids to jump on the trampoline they have behind their house.  Of course the girls noticed us and began to wave, then they came running toward the road with Carrie close behind.

Standing at the side of the road with Carrie standing in her grass on the other side of the ditch, we visited for probably 20 minutes.  As we stood there, a UPS truck passed us.  Then a pick up drove up, slowed, and the driver yelled out at us that we were doing a good job of  keeping 6 feet apart!  We didn't know him, but Carrie called him by name and explained after he drove off that he was the one who farmed the land around us.  Another truck drove by as well as one motorcycle.  It was good to see someone else, at a distance, and chat about things that were happening.  It is also re-assuring to know that others in our neighborhood are staying home and have feelings similar to ours about what we are experiencing right now.

Later we ordered pizza, breadsticks, and a sub from the Delphi Pizza King for delivery and invited Hilary and the kids for dinner.  Social distancing with them is hard.  They come here every day.  They work with the pigs and the goats, clean pens, and do the chores.  The 'littles' spend their time riding bikes, driving the gator around, and playing in the yard.

But yesterday was a good weather day.  It was sunny. It was warm.  We had moved the chairs and small tables back to the deck the day before.  We ate on the deck and kept our distance, kind of.

Hilary and the kids have been nowhere except their house or ours for over a week.  They drove into town with Blaine and he picked up groceries for the family at Meijer while they sat in the van.  He is working, but he spends most of the time in his office and supervises what is going on in the his sections of the plant.  He strips off his clothes when he returns home, puts them in the washer and starts it, then showers and dresses in clean clothes before he sees Hilary and the kids.  He sanitizes when he leaves the plant.  If anyone might be infected, it would be him and he uses precautions.

As I wrote before, one of the advantages to living in this house is that it is set back from the road and we are somewhat isolated from traffic and people.  No one just stops by.  It is quiet.  After nearly two years, we are used to the solitude and calmness here.  Usually the only noise comes from the trains that still are making their regular trips back and forth on the tracks less than a mile away.  I can 'do' quiet.  I have so much on my list of "Things to Do When I Retire" that I can now do without other things getting in the way.

Do I miss going places?  Yes and no.  I would like to run into Hobby Lobby or drive up to Betty's Quilting to check on some extra fabric for border for Tessa's quilt. I would like to be able to run into Lafayette to pick up something at Meijer without thinking about placing an online order for pick up.  But I don't really miss going into town.  

Do I miss eating out?  A few people have suggested that this is putting a crimp into our lifestyle of dining at different places frequently through the week.  Yes, we have slipped into that way of dining since we have moved closer to Lafayette.  It is easy to say "I need to go into Meijer to pick up a few things. Why don't we just have breakfast at Cracker Barrel while we are in town?"  Or...."Fish sandwiches from Culver's sound good.  Want to run into town and get a couple?"  But eating at home is fine too.  There are recipes I had wanted to try again.  We have an air fryer and an InstantPot that need to be used.  Now is the perfect time to do that.  And because we are here for each and every meal, we can make good use of leftovers and bigger dessert dishes like cakes and pies.  When the kids are here, the cookies I have baked seem to disappear as well as the carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing.   We are spending more money on groceries, but we are not spending money on meals. We are eating more from the freezer and from the pantry. There is less impulse buying with the online ordering and pick up at Payless.  We did get into a big of 'impulse buying' when we stopped at Sav-A-Lot in Delphi last week though.  And we have ordered a few times from the Sandwich Shop, Stone House, and Tippy's to help the local restaurants stay in business.

Mainly I miss the kids.  We do see Landon, Tessa, and Owen frequently.  But Cooper and Lynnlee.  I miss their hugs.  I miss Lynnlee's giggles.  I miss her wide-eyed look when she talks to me.  I miss Cooper popping around the living room, throwing his imaginary baseballs and shooting his imaginary basketballs. 

One of these days we will all be together again and the hugs will start and continue the entire visit.  

But until that time....social distancing.  Zoom workouts with Megan the Trainer.  FB Messenger calls with Cooper and Lynnlee.  

And as Carrie said yesterday, even when the restrictions are relaxed, we will still be leery of social interaction.  We still don't want to be exposed.  We want our families to be safe.