Everyone knows our lives are forever changed. Future generations will wonder what it was like.

I can imagine that stories of the hospital situations will be legendary. (Although currently our local hospital has no crona patients.)

The shortage of toilet paper will be good from the humor standpoint.

I wonder if those kids will ever feel right going out without a mask. Shaking hands will probably be rare.

From a personal standpoint, I wonder if I’ll ever socially dance again. Will a man ever get close to me as in “dance position?” It’s a good thing I like to line dance which is solo because that may be the only time we move our bodies to rhythm in public.

I’m fearing that this whole covid-19 virus situation is going to mean we’ll never have fun like we had before. I fear dances and close-up encounters are a thing of the past.

I have been wishing I could go to the clubhouse bar area but when that happens will we all sit around covered with masks?

I am going to start going to church activities and stage plays. And the Firehouse in Ruskin has a lot of activities. I need to have something enjoyable to anticipate.

I don’t want to be totally alone, but I can see that I don’t need a “guy of my own.” I do need to interact with fellows. I just can’t imagine how it’ll work. Maybe a bunch of us can go to dinner, or go to Little Harbor.

I guess time will tell.

Playing cards again will be one activity if we use a lot of hand sanitizer.

In addition to reading and working at the Emergency Squad every eight days, I’ve found a couple on-going events to enjoy.

The fun one is an every-Monday gathering of friends on Skype so we can see each other and converse in complete safety. We started Monday. We enjoyed wine and our munchies. It was a good way to feel connected.

The other event is a Wednesday 9:00 a.m. practice of the Radio Club’s emergency system. I bought a FRS radio from them and I’m now part of the “network,” We practice by going through a roll-call of the others on the network. It’s a way to know that in an emergency (like a hurricane), if the power and phones were out, I would have a way to contact others.

I could also join exercise or tai chi classes but I’m taking it easy with commitments. I’m finding I have enough to keep me out of mischief. I still haven’t cleaned my closets, sorted through my storage bins, or gotten organized.

I need to finish my nails and trim my bangs again. Sadly there’s still time.

When this has passed:

1. I will need to lose about 30 pounds.
2. I’ll have to spend hours getting my body ready for the pool especially my underarms & legs.
3. I’ll have to reacquaint my body with the joy of wearing a bra.
4. I’ll need to reintroduce myself to folks who have probably forgotten me by now.
5. I’ll need to have my hair cut and colored. (I wonder if my beautician will remember me.)
6. I’ll need a manicure to fix what I’ve tried to do myself.
7. I’ll need to relearn to dance.
8. Instead of shopping online for sterile wipes and lounging wear, I will need to find stuff that will fit my enlarged body and makes me popular for singles dances.

My trusted financial advisor called me today to tell me that the economy has him concerned and he wants to move some of my investments to interest earning totally no-risk accounts.

He also suggested I should keep cash on hand. I’ll definitely follow his advice and take some out of my savings account. I don’t know how much but I can always put it back.

The board that put the curfew on Hillsborough withdrew the 9:00-5:00 time restriction.

I have gone back to the time before Covid-19 and added a “category” so the virus period will be able to be viewed by selecting it in the right column. Previously I’d been using the 5 years alone category, but now my posts will only show the Covid category.

A curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. in response to COVID-19 coronavirus will go into effect in Hillsborough County starting this evening, Monday, April 13.

In addition to maintaining 6-foot social distancing, the Centers for Disease Control advises the use of face coverings to slow the spread of the virus, and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.

*** FROM THE ODPC BOARD OF DIRECTORS***

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic the 2020 Funfest has been cancelled. This decision was not made lightly. We value each one of you and look forward to seeing everyone at the 2021 Funfest.

Thank you for your continued support and vigilance.

****************************************************

This festival, the Original Dulcimer Players Club’s Funfest has been on-going since 1973. It doesn’t seem possible that it won’t be held this year.

This period of isolation is going to be remembered by all of us for the rest of our lives.

It’s such a challenging time. A challenge to stay up-beat. A challenge to believe that this will pass and maybe someday we’ll return to the glorious life we have enjoyed here in Florida.

The numbers of those who have tested positive continues to rise. We haven’t reached the peak yet.

Today is Easter. I predict this mess will continue into the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. And I fear that we’ll never go back to being comfortable in a crowd. I hope we will survive but our lives will be forever changed.

I’m having my groceries brought to me and I either drive up or have a treat restaurant meal delivered. I even had a bouquet delivered a week or so ago.

When it’s not too hot, I enjoy my patio and lanai. (Today it’s going to be in the low 90’s!!)

Sophie has saved me from loneliness. And I watch a lot of TV and Netflix. It could be worse.

Surprisingly I haven’t accomplished anything. I still have a messy closet and the bins I brought from Michigan haven’t been checked over. I haven’t re-strug my harp nor taken my dulcimer out of it’s case. There’s still lots of time to do some of those things.

My lack of nail and beauty shop care is bothering me but there’s no one to see me anyway.

I can’t imagine ever returning to dances and parties. That’s what I miss the most.

Will we ever have fun again? It seems unlikely but that’s not the kind of attitude I want to promote.

TV has shown stories of life before the epidemic. Somehow it seems foreign and yet it was just a couple months ago. When it started we felt it would be okay in days, then weeks, and now it’s months…. many months.

I always get a little panicky when I think about Income Taxes. My investment guy, Rick, at Ameriprise, watches my accounts and makes sure that most of my “income” won’t generate taxes due. My portfolio earned a nice amount in 2019, so I was/am concerned.

Because of the virus shutdowns, I knew there was an extension for all taxpayers extending the tax due date to July, nevertheless I feared that my owed amount might really be significant so I called my CPA today. Marie, my accountant, told me she wasn’t looking at my account but felt certain from memory that I’m getting a refund!!

I am relieved. I know my portfolio has really taken a hit because of the impact on the economy by the virus. Thank heavens in the past few days it’s shown some recovery.

Apparently I’ll be getting the $1,200 incentive from the government and now a refund from my taxes. Great news!

I hope the two sides of 674 here in Sun City Center can unite as one friendly cohesive community. Maybe we can go back to the way things were for many years.

When we’re in post-virus status, I hope we’ll still enjoy the sunsets and going for a walk.

I hope folks appreciate the stuff we’d previously taken for granted. It would be nice if we could maintain this slower pace.

It would be nice if we’d still check on each other. It’s comforting to hear, “Are you ok?” It’s not just a mindless question. Folks are really concerned.

We now cherish and use sparingly toilet tissue, kleenex, and paper towels. Maybe we’ve learned to be more frugal with less waste.

Because of travel restrictions, some snowbirds from our community are “stuck here” and can’t go back to their northern homes. When they are finally able to return, I am sure they’ll feel grateful and appreciate their homes more than they have. When you think about it, many are fortunate to have two lovely homes. Few countries have such wealth.

Gas price $1.89
School cancelled – yes cancelled
Self-distancing measures on the rise.
Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.
Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
Entire sports seasons cancelled.
Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events – cancelled.
Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings – cancelled.
Churches and temples are closed.
No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or less.
Don’t socialize with anyone outside of your home.
Children’s outdoor play parks are closed.
We are to distance from each other.
Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towels no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.
Shelves are bare.
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
Fines are established for breaking the rules.
Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
Government incentives to stay home.
Barely anyone on the roads.
People wearing masks and gloves outside.
Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

Note: Some of this I copied from another person’s post but I revised most of it to fit me better.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

After I’d gone to bed last night I heard rain hitting my windows. Hopefully that’ll calm the pollen. The air seems fresher but I haven’t been in it enough to know if my allergy problems have been resolved.