The good news is: we got home from Florida! The bad news is that messages about social distancing still haven't filtered through. We moved to sit in the empty rows at the back of the plane, and the stewardess asked why we didn't like our assigned seats. There was much talk from the families three rows in front about how this is all overblown, while a grandpa explained to everyone who would listen that "it's just a smoker's cough that I've had for ages." Yeah.
The long-term parking was packed last Sunday but is now only about a tenth full. There's talk that a travel ban won't be needed because the airlines are having to cut so many flights anyway. That's the beauty of free-market economics...right until the taxpayer-funded bailout. Talking of which, apparently the US government is going to send us all cheques in the mail! I'm not sure we'll see one with our nonimmigrant status (and zero need), but I'm just pleased with America finally adopting socialism. More of this, comrades!
I made my one essential trip out to our local Kroger supermarket at 7am this morning, when it was a little more crowded than I'd expect but not bad. I love this Kroger due to the completely disinterested, surly attitude of the staff, which proves to be extremely effective in this time of crisis. They had no problem shouting at a foolish teenager to put back 18 of the 20 packs of disinfectant wipes she had in her trolley. Stand too close to a Kroger employee and you're likely to get a slap first and an explanation later. These are my people.
Of course, nothing that needed chopping or cooking was in any kind of short supply so I did our weekly vegetable shop as usual. And yet...and yet it's so easy to get caught up in the panic. I bought a can of Spam. I hate Spam! Like Corona, mass hysteria is highly contagious.
So here we are, Pete still in his pyjamas and Hannah working in the bedroom. I had an old flat-pack desk in the garage that I've been dragging around with us since Vancouver, so I rebuilt it last night, extremely pleased to find the sealed and labelled plastic bag of screws in my DIY drawer. I never said all hoarding is bad!
Stay safe and sane everyone, and watch out for my future exciting blog posts: "How Many Tiles Are In My Bathroom?" "I Rearrange Our Cutlery" "Look At The Pyramid I Made Out Of Socks!" etc.
I'm pretty sure my usual holiday dress will keep Covid-19 away, because it works for everything else.
Official ping pong table length? 9ft! The perfect quarantine activity.
It's very important to stay hydrated.
Another one of the locals, this time sneaking into our hotel! Shocking.
We even had a trip to the Keys. I judge this holiday to have been "efficient" in terms of fitting a lot into a shorter than anticipated timescale.
Someone doesn't want Spring Break to end.
