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| My feelings on quarantine, visually depicted by Hank |
And then I see new studies about how droplets containing coronavirus can travel 26 feet away from a person and hang in the air for minutes at a time after an infected person passes that spot, and how it can live up to seven days on smooth surfaces and I know I'm doing the right thing. Public boarding barns can't be made coronavirus-proof no matter how many restrictions you put in place, so my contribution to flattening the curve will continue to mean staying away and staying home.
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| Pony is happy, healthy and well-cared for. I don't get many pictures and am trying not to pester my trainer for updates, but I also am so grateful that I CAN just leave him and feel good about it. |
That has left me with a lot of free time, which I've spent learning how to make fancy cocktails (because if I call my drinking a 'hobby' that makes it better, right? Guys?)
I also have done a LOT of cleaning - this is an embarrassing first world problem confession, but since we hired our housekeeper mid-renovation five years ago, I've never actually had to clean my entire 3,700sqft house by myself before. It takes HOURS! Just gives me more incentive to keep paying her even though she's not cleaning for us right now.
I cleaned out the living room fireplace for the first time in the five years we've owned this house, and uncovered how freaking COOL the original (1890) grate and ashbox is:
Grate:
The front bottom part of it is designed to perfectly snug in against the tile, and then to be flipped down easily to reveal the ash box, which has a ring for easy removal:
I can just picture a maid pulling this out and dumping it, can't you?
My house has never been cleaner, and life is just slower in general - which I'm a huge fan of. This experience is going to change our behavior going forward in voluntary and involuntary ways - one of the things I hope to voluntarily keep is the idea that slowing down is a good thing.
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| Takeout Mexican and margaritas on the porch with the whole family on a gorgeous spring night - including the bird |
That front porch tho!!
ReplyDeleteMy silver lining is having ample time to focus on barn and yard chores. I have everything I need to do them at home, just lacked the time to do the chores. So huzzah for that.
If you like that view you should see the rest of the porch! It wrap around the other side for an additional 20 feet. One of my goals for the summer is to build a long sectional couch on that side.
DeleteI'm jealous of your cocktails 😂 definitely drooling over them when I see them on IG! And that fireplace, damn 🤩🤩🤩
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking construction will wrap up and I can get back to "normal" (whatever that is), so maybe next I can dive into my tack room renovation?
Get on it! You got all that extra time in you schedule from not commuting right?
DeleteYeah it will be two weeks since I saw Remus this coming Friday. They offered me a private lesson last week (And i paid for my lessons in my April board) but I passed. I just feel that it is not right to go do the lesson. I do want to go by and throw some carrots in his field sometime soon but otherwise not going to interact. I still have the allergies issues and I dont want to presume i am clean or that anyone else is. UGH it is tough. I love your house and following along your cocktail path :) I should clean more. UGH...:)
ReplyDeleteI am learning (or trying to, at least) to slow down too. Weekends are actually full of very many hours. I usually wake up and head straight to the barn, but now I'm enjoying coffee and Saturday morning not-cartoons with snuggles doggos. I don't think this will continue after I can go to the barn (i'd rather be there in the morning than afternoon) but I'm just enjoying it for now.
ReplyDeleteThat fireplace!!! <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a lot more physical books. I had been an almost exclusively Kindle reader before this, but now I need to take breaks so I am away from a screen and I"m plowing thorugh my to-read pile.
First with tax season and now my new extended tax season mixed with some CARES Act added in, work has been so busy that I haven't gotten a chance to slow down. I finally took a day off work yesterday though. I miss riding horribly (two weeks tomorrow) and I'm afraid of how much longer this will draw out.
ReplyDeleteYour house is so cool. I'm missing my house cleaner currently, lol. I'd rather do a billion barn chores than clean my house. Also tired of cooking (haven't done takeout food). I tried to run with one of my dogs Saturday but he darted sideways and took me out so now I'm all beat up instead. Interesting times around here!
My house had become some kind of hoarder hovel over the years, so I'm buckling down on organizing and purging with all the new free time. I too miss the house cleaner... Definitely will bring that service back when it's safe!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the horses. I will need to drop off their smartpaks later this week, and I CANNOT wait to see them, if briefly (and without touching anything). This is the longest I've gone without a horse in my daily life since 1998. I hope not to do it again, so hopefully people will do their part and stay home.
Completely agree. I feel like I'm subsidizing other peoples' curve flattening when they don't decide to stay home from the barn. I feel like they owe me a gift card or at least a trophy!
DeleteFellow White Sox family here. We're beside ourselves without baseball!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, hello! My grandpa (mom's side) proposed to my grandma at Sox Park in 1961, and that whole side of the family is die hand Sox fans (despite living in the northwest suburbs). My dad's side is from southern Missouri and are Cardinals fans. Growing up in Southern Illinois, I was steeped in Cardinals and they're my one true love, but the Sox are my second team, and I was also supposed to be at that home opener. Welcome, fellow Sox fan!
DeleteYeah for fancy cocktails on the porch! I've been reading fun drink recipes on pinterest for some reason, even though I prefer beer. Must be the isolation getting to me! ;-) It is allllmost warm enough to sit on our deck - maybe another week or so.
ReplyDelete3700 sq ft is a lot to clean! I have a hard time with my 2200-ish! I usually dodge it and go outside. lol
I would say margaritas to go is a plus!
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