The Sleeping Porch, Pandemic Style

 A bit more than six years ago I posted The Sleeping Porch,  describing a bit about one of the functions of  our front porch — click the link if you want to read it.  In light of the lifestyle dictated by COVID-19, we have temporarily repurposed it.  The futon is back in sofa mode, and we have rearranged the six chairs.  The result is a socially distance compliant conversation area capable of providing safe space for up to six people.  It still works well as a place for us to eat and hang out, and I've even set up a portable writing desk that can be removed and stored in seconds.

But sleeping would involve more reorganization than either of us are willing to undertake on a regular basis so, no sleeping on the porch.  We can toss the blame onto COVID-19, our current scapegoat for anything that's abnormal in our lives.

COVID-19 is way more than an inconvenient viral infection; it can be deadly and has been to 210,000 folks in the USA and counting.  So, we are vigilant with: masks, sanitizer, hand washing, social distance, and mostly staying home.  Some things that make me sad now are:

1) I'm a hugger, and I've been unable to hug anyone except Carol.

2) I've been unable to visit family safely.  I miss them.

3) Regular breakfasts and lunches with friends no longer happen.

4) Our family reunion was cancelled.

5) Hudson Valley Shakespeare season cancelled.

6) SOS Triathlon cancelled.

7) So many other events also cancelled.

8) Things that were simple: haircuts, massages, resort weekends, aren't.

Is there an upside?  Maybe the fact that our crazy president is getting publicly crazier by the day to the point that, having caught the virus, he's still trying to downplay the very real danger it presents.  That's not an upside, since it will cost some of his acolytes their lives.  So, there is no upside that I can identify.

Wait! Wait!  There is an upside!  At least for me.  This forced isolation has helped me tend to things around our house that I've been avoiding.  I've actually been finishing projects I started years ago!  Well, let's not get too excited Tom, you still have three novels in the works that have advanced somnambulantly in the past several months.  All this time available, and not much writing.  And there are still many, many things I've been avoiding that are awaiting my attention.  So it's a tossup.

Until next time.

Namaste.