The Quarantine Report • Week 1

A young child in a brown jacket with the hood over their head walks near the water alone.

Well, if nothing else, I thought it might be nice to do a weekly check-in to get us through these times.

TL;DR: Still here, still staying home, still grateful and also sometimes still struggling.

How are you guys doing? What has this experience been like for you this week? And I say this week because doesn’t it feel like it sort of changes with the hour? Man. I feel like we’ve all lived a lot of lifetimes in the last few weeks.

This isn’t week one of quarantine for me – it’s actually week four, but that’s okay. Let’s do these weekly reports and check ins until… well, until we don’t need to anymore? Here’s the recap list from the week:

  • Something Delicious
  • Something Outside
  • Something Connected
  • Something To Look Forward To

Bonus: A Dog Photo!

This is just a check-in. That’s all, really. Just a chance to say hi out there to you in your home, from me in my home, on my couch, with toys strewn about everywhere and a pile of dishes taking over the kitchen counter. So, hi. I care about you, and I’m grateful for the internet right now, and I think life is better shared, so here we go.

Overall

An arrow on an indicator sign points to 'meh'.

This week earns a solid Meh rating, and yes, there is a graphic!

It’s not like it’s all bad all the time, but it’s also not like this was the best week of my life, know what I mean?

I don’t know if you guys feel this, but I oscillate from “it’s all good” to “it’s all so hard” within about an hour, so I guess if you averaged out all those moments over the week – all the discouragement, all the exhaustion, all the hope inspired by people around the world – this is where I’m landing overall.

Please note the levels on the scale for these Quarantine Reports – the TOP POSSIBLE LEVEL is “good.” A solid good is the most potential I’ve got on any given week here.

What’s your rating this week?

Something Delicious

A hand holds a plate of rice, sauce and meat over other dishes.

In addition to staying on top of groceries and keeping everyone fed and dealing with the never-ending dishes that our family of three generates (what in the world?!?!?!), I’ve also been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables lately. That is my big struggle because really, all I want to eat right now is cookie bowls.

The best foods I made / ate this week:

Something Outside

A hand pushing a stroller in the winter.

I’ve been trying to get outside every day (both for light exercise and for outdoor therapy), and since I’m spending a lot more time with Solvi these days, this has been a shared effort by the two of us.

Solvi LOVES – I repeat, L O V E S, to be outside.

This week, the weather had some gross moments. We were still there for it.

Something Connected

Three women seated on chairs about ten feet apart, outdoors on a clear day.

This week I met a few friends for a social distancing chat at the park. Yep, just like this – lawn chairs 6-or-more feet apart.

It was 60 degrees (I’m always cold which is why I’m still in my arctic gear) and we all brought our own chairs and snacks and drinks and it was fabulous. It just felt so good to see and talk to people in real life.

Something To Look Forward To

A dog walking next to a message on a tile that thanks people who served during Covid.

We’re getting takeout on a recurring weeknight schedule now. Annnnd that is what I’m looking forward to.

This is one of the new traditions in our life because we need little things to look forward to right now DO YOU FEEL ME. We used to be more cautious about takeout and now we are like… taking-out quite frequently. Stamina for that effort was not great, plus supporting local business? Wednesday night takeout is a new staple part of our schedule and I am already excited about it.

Our takeout habit as of lately has involved aloo palak, shahi paneer, and a double order of naan from our little local Indian restaurant, and I do not see this changing anytime soon.

A Dog Photo

A brown dog, its head on a pillow, relaxes on a black couch.

Sage just follows us around all day and loves her life.

If anyone is thriving right now, it’s her.

That’s the weekly report!

For a more talk-it-out version of this post, check out this podcast episode Bjork and I did for the Food Blogger Pro podcast where we talk about what life is really like right now as we navigate our way through.

And I’d love to hear from you. How was your week?

What are your big wins, little wins, and not-at-all wins?

Are you at home or are you an essential worker on the front lines (and if so please know I cry regularly with gratitude for you)?

What’s giving you life and what’s keeping you up at night? Or are you sleeping just fine in which case I’d like to know your tricks?!

Stay well. xo

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