Week #5 of Life at Home in the Midst of a Pandemic

It is hard to believe that we are on week 5, yes, FIVE, of staying home from school and work. Whew. It seems both like a lifetime and to have flown by.

I've been pretty down this week. In the pre-coronavirus universe, we were supposed to fly to NC on Wednesday for April vacation, to spend time with my parents, to play in the water at the beach and in the pool, to eat ice cream and enjoy time together, to pick strawberries, and run and walk and savor the NC sunshine and warmth. I am incredibly sad that we are unable to make the trip, but there's nothing to be done about it. Trying to keep a positive spin on things and hoping to make the most of our vacation week at home next week, as well as keeping fingers crossed that we'll be able to make up for missing this time in NC with a trip down there this summer instead.

This week also brought the cancellation of VT 100, which although neither of us are running it, has been a big part of summers the past 10 years and being mid-July, the cancellation was recognition that the world is going to be in flux and with changed norms for quite some time. We also got word that Bowdoin day camp, which Sam was looking forward to attending for the month of July, will not be running this summer (Grandparents-she does not yet know this, so please don't tell! Thanks!). Sigh.

I recognize that all of the above are first world, privileged problems. And yes, it is true that we are lucky and we are grateful to be healthy and employed and able to assist Sam with distance learning, to still be able to get outside and find joy and happiness in nature. And yes, there have been bright spots during these past 5 weeks too, absolutely, and the extra family time and forced slowdown is in many ways a wonderful thing. But the stress and sadness and simply overwhelming feeling that we are in this for the long haul is daunting. These feelings contradict each other and meld together in an uneasy fashion in my mind daily, constantly.

Monday: Rain, rain, rain and wind all.day.long. We worked and we schooled and then we sat on the couch after dinner and read and relaxed.

Tuesday: Sunrise is getting later and later! 🌅 Headed out at 5:55 am with the sky fairly light but still caught some pretty views as the sun rose above the treeline. Things were pretty soggy out there after all of Monday's rain, but it was nice and bright and warm and calm. Saw a fox running down the powerlines, several phoebes flitting about and calling, and heard a few peepers as I ran on the cart path along the edge of the Heath. (6.2 miles)

Went into work for the day and when I headed out around 3:30, it was so lovely out! Ryan wanted to get a run in so Sam and I headed across the street for a walk while he ran. Good to walk and talk with the kiddo and enjoy the sunshine! Beautiful afternoon. Ryan caught up to us near the end of his run so we all ran the final 0.3 miles together. (2.4 miles walked)

Wednesday: Felt a bit melancholy as we were supposed to be catching a plane to NC early in the morning for vacation. Sigh. Instead I started off the morning with a run on the cart paths, adding in a loop around the Heath. A bit cooler and overcast, with a muted sky and no peepers peeping. However, I did see four deer, had a hawk flyby (possibly broad winged hawk?), saw a lot of robins flitting about, heard multiple woodpeckers pecking and best of all, had the first red eft sighting of the season 😍 Nature can always bring a smile to my face! (7.0 miles)

Then there was work and school, and later in the afternoon a walk out on the powerlines. It was a bit chilly and overcast and yet again, it was windy (seriously, April, come on now and let the wind die down!), but still always nice to get out for a family meander. (2.0 miles)

Wintergreen 

Trailing arbutus

British soldier lichen - so colorful in amongst the moss!

Thursday: No running in the morning, then into the office until lunchtime and home to finish up the day at my makeshift desk at the kitchen table.

So many fun NC memories popping up in my Facebook feed this week, which makes me both smile and be a bit sad.

Wish we could be enjoying Boombalatti's right now but since we can't, I'm trying to enjoy what we can do. And I really have been enjoying all the outside time we are spending together, in spite of the circumstances 💗 Got in a nice, sunny, windy walk with the kiddo in the late afternoon with a bit of sand dune running fun included. (1.8 miles walked)

Friday: Fridays have had a slightly different tone these days with everyone at home. It has worked best to get in a shorter run early, then get the grocery shopping done next and then work in cleaning, baking and walking later in the day. So, I was up and out at 6:00 am for a crisp run along the powerlines and around the Heath. The sun was shining, there was a tinge of frost on the grasses and the ground was semi-frozen underfoot - only 29 degrees when I headed out. Lovely. (7.0 miles)

Lucked out and didn't have to wait to get into either Target or Hannaford. Scored another tub of wipes (yay!) but there was no ground turkey to be found yet again, nor were there any mushrooms, tortillas or bisquik. Weird! Then it was home for some house cleaning, lunch and more cleaning. We decided to take a walk around 2:00 so that Ryan could join us. Another nice family meander across the street, although once again, WINDY! Found a little-used trail that neither Ryan or I had explored before which brought us up to the bottom of the rocky ledges that we typically run across near the top of Mt. A. Fun! Some ferns growing in the the crannies and a whole lot of what I have now learned in rock tripe lichen covering the rock face. Neat. (2.2 miles walked)

rock tripe 

Once we got home, Sam retreated to her room, Ryan did a bit of work and I did a bit of baking before I moved on to cooking up the Hungarian sausage soup we were having for dinner. This week's baked goods rendition featured raspberry lemon muffins and the ever-popular chocolate chip cookie bars. Yum!

We finished up the day relaxing on the couch.

It's a rough life 😹

Saturday: In Saturday's alternate universe, I'd be running the Mountaineer Rumble 100k. When it became apparent that we wouldn't be headed south, I initially pondered running a replacement 50k Saturday, but honestly, I just did not have the mental energy or drive for that and had already decided against it last week. Still, I did want to get in a decent weekend of running. Then when I woke up, it was snowing. Grrr! 😠😑 Set out for an uninspired meander. Ran around Mt. A., onto the golf course, looped out on the Ravine Trail, back along the edge of the Heath and the cart paths, up Chicken Hill and finishing up along the powerlines. With the trails down along the river closed off, it's not quite as exciting running around home these days, but you do what you gotta do. No photos, but did see six deer and one downy woodpecker pecking away on a dead tree en route. (7.1 miles)

The spitting snow stopped but the day remained cool, dreary and windy. As a result, we didn't get outside for a family walk, I felt bored and uninspired to tackle projects around the house, and frankly I just felt sad. We did get in a nice game of Clue after dinner and some family reading time on the couch, but I packed it in early and went to bed before Sam did, hoping to wake up feeling a bit more cheerful on Sunday!

This kid read for 2 hours last night! I urged her to try Harry Potter again after she tried it 2 years ago and didn't get further than a few chapters, and she has really gotten into it this time around! 😎

Sunday: Tried to sleep in but the kitties had other ideas! 😹 Up and out at 7:00 into the cool but bright morning. Ran roads up through Brunswick to the field house and then out into the Commons and Coleman Farm and back. Good for the soul to get out on these familiar trails I've traveled many times over the past 25+ years and to search for early signs of spring and take in the ocean views 💗 Just meandered along, listening to podcasts and laughing at Jesse and Lauren on Work, Play, Love and trying to appreciate and smile at what is right in front of me. (15.1 miles)

After lunch, we suited up and headed out (in the car this time!) for some nearby trail exploration at Otter Brook Preserve, one of the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust properties, which we had never been to before. The lot was tiny but there was still one space left, so we took it! We were prepared with plans B & C, just in case, but we will get to those another day. Neat little piece of property, with a barbell shaped loop leading out through some hardwood and evergreen forest and down along Avery Stream (so why was it not Avery Stream Preserve?) to a marshy viewpoint and back. Nice and sunshiny afternoon to be out in the woods with the family 💗 It was a lovely way to wrap up the weekend, and makes me realize how much better I feel when there is sunshine and we can get out and be active! (1.8 miles walked)

Pink trailing arbutus!