Update from the Bunker: Week Two of Virus Lockdown

Cyndy sent me this photo of a bluebird on her deck awaiting Spring. Always a hopeful sign.

A Changing Lifestyle

In an attempt to keep up a degree of normalcy here in the bunker, I make my bed each morning. I put on my make up, because it makes me feel better when I pass a mirror. Besides, when I look disheveled the facial recognition feature on my iPhone doesn’t work.

I replicate (as much as possible) the exercises I do at the gym. And I write everyday, because putting pencil to paper is one of my most enjoyable past times—though I do miss my home computer. Did you know that Shakespeare wrote some of his most significant plays during The Plague?

Call Out the Girl Scouts

I looked to the Girl Scouts for what comfort they can provide with a few boxes of cookies. My great-nieces, Emma and Sydney, keep me well supplied. It’s surprising what a sleeve of Thin Mints can do to lessen anxiety. Yes, Girl Scout cookies were made for times such as these.

Robin made this wonderful lasagna . We ate some and froze the rest.

The Grocery Store Run

Robin and JC drove into town today for groceries. They went to two stores and reported a number of empty shelves. But ethnic and health foods were readily available. No shortage of tofu, garbanzos, yogurt, lentils, and mushrooms. Apparently junk food offers more comfort in uncertain times.

No Hoarding

We are not stockpiling. We already have ample venison in the freezer and a sou vide apparatus that cooks meat to perfection. Robin makes bread almost daily. What’s more, a flock (technically a rafter) of 12 wild turkeys strolls across the front yard each morning, a subtle reminder that our forbearers once lived off the land.

When I get to feeling sorry for myself during this temporary confinement, I draw inspiration from Anne Frank. “I feel the suffering of millions,” she wrote, “and yet when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better . . . that peace and tranquility will return once more.”