Musings Over Coffee: #QuarantineLife Week 1 Update

I don’t normally grind my teeth when I’m stressed (or I don’t think I do) but I do know that my shoulders get really stiff when I am. I also start feeling agitated. Imagine high school chemistry when the teacher talks about molecules zinging all over an enclosed space as it’s heated.

Well, that’s how I woke up feeling this morning.

And I think it has to do with the constant barrage of news and articles and updates about coronavirus or Covid-19. I mean, you have to be living under a rock (or in Jared Leto’s case, a silent retreat in the desert or for the cast of some French reality show, isolated from the world while they were filming) not to know about Covid-19, Wuhan, Italy, and #quarantinelife. So as of today, I’ve decided not to read Twitter or watch the updates on TV about what this official or that official is doing to combat this awful pandemic. I mean, I’ll still take a peek but I won’t do the deep dives I’ve been doing during the last week.

#QUARANTINELIFE

LilDude’s school is closed until May and they started online/distance learning today. It was interesting to see his classmates chat in the Google classroom and heartwarming to see them miss each other, too. His homeroom teacher has been amazing in making sure everyone is positive and that the parents aren’t stressed out. Today, they had their weekly assignment and LilDude was more than ready to start working on it.

And with hubby “Deemed Essential Worker” because his company processes medical claims, our new normal has him going through a decontamination procedure every time he comes home.

I’m just not thrilled by the paranoia. For example, yesterday, LilDude wanted fast food for breakfast but after hubby saw the uncertainty on my face, we ended up scrapping that idea and he made burgers that were even better than drive-through stuff. If anything, I’ve actually been cooking more. I’ve already made banana bread from scratch with flour that I didn’t realize was gluten free until after I put it in the oven (the banana bread isn’t bad but you could knock a person out if you threw it at him). Right now, I’m making corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot.

I did dig out the soccer ball and basketball and even the hula hoop so we have some outdoor activity every day. Who knew a minute doing the hula hoop was already taxing? But at least I remembered how to keep the hoop from falling. Just keep moving!

I also dug through my fabric stash hidden away in the garage on Saturday and sewed three face masks by hand. I didn’t have to make them by hand but it was actually meditative to do something other than write the next book. We got to do what we got to do. I’ll have to take down the sewing machine tomorrow so I can make a few more. I used a pattern from Freesewing.com to make the masks although the one in the photo isn’t from that but close. I needed to find something that would fit our faces – a small size for the LilDude, and a medium for DH and me. I made a large one and it turned out too large for us.

ON THE WRITING FRONT

I released a book last week. Doctor’s Orders was originally scheduled for release last year before everything went to hell but it’s finally out now. It’s a fun and lighthearted novella (26k words) about a one night stand, a hot doctor in a small town, and big city dreams. It’s still 99 cents as of this blog post and and if you’ve got a Kindle Unlimited subscription, it’s a one-click to add to your library! Don’t have Kindle Unlimited? Try it out FREE for a month!

How about you? Are you under quarantine where you are? How are you spending your time?

DOCTOR’S ORDERS: A SMALL TOWN ROMANCE

Apparently, not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas…

When last year’s one-night stand turns out to be her small town’s newest and hottest doctor, advertising executive Ava Turner must decide whether her big city dreams are more important than a chance at settling down with the perfect man.

But when you’ve spent the last seven years going after that promotion—and that coveted corner office—falling in love with the right man just might be easier said than done.