Sleepy

One of the many amazing things about being retired is the ability to sleep pretty much whenever I feel like sleeping.  Some days, I have an overwhelming urge for a nap in early afternoon and on occasion, I go ahead and sleep mid-day.  Today was one of those days. 

Staying well rested is another weapon in the fight against coronavirus so I'm going to keep ensuring I feel rested no matter what it takes. 

A retired friend told me (before I retired) that she's up every day at 7AM and I commented 'why don't you sleep in more?'.  She said she just couldn't - and I'm doing the exact same thing.  Up usually a bit before 7AM daily and no matter what I try, I can't sleep past that.  I have a considerably later bed time these days than when I was working - but it's pretty much the same two hour slide.  Two hours later to bed in conjunction with two hours later getting up. 

I've always liked some quiet morning time to myself so it's OK. 

Mid-day, when I sometimes feel wiped out, I've decided to give in and sleep some.  Today, I slept over 2 hours....so I need to set an alarm so it's really only an hour nap vs. multiple hours.

We haven't heard from the mortgage people yet but we got a text from Discover Card confirming an inquiry on our credit report so we know things are in process. 

J. ended up not playing golf - it was an early tee time and the sky was overcast with some random sprinkles.  Also a bit windy.  Three of the four guys planning to play decided not to - just not warm enough.  J. doesn't enjoy playing when you're miserable - so he came home. 

He stopped at the house and confirmed the cabinets are all installed.  The flooring 'manager' was there, taking a look around to confirm they can start flooring installation this week.  He told J. 'this is a really beautiful house'.  Makes me smile.  It is, it really is. 

I can't wait to be having my morning coffee looking out the huge glass wall onto the golf course.  Such a beautiful time of day. 

Getting Things Done on Monday

J. just pushed 'send' on an email with all of the requested documents for the mortgage process.  We will send our March bank statement as soon as the bank posts the pdf's to their website so we can log in and retrieve them.  We're hoping things go very smoothly - we are pretty sure they will but you also never know.  We're only putting 20% down - have 10% down already - so it will be a Jumbo for sure.  We know Jumbo's are much harder to get but - it's what we need so we're hoping it will work.  Last time we talked to the lender (about 18 months ago in person), he was planning to do a first and then get a second to avoid a jumbo.  We're not willing to do that - no need to - and 2nd's have much higher interest rates....so no.  Let's just get one loan and get it done. 

We talked about paying off our car loans with the house proceeds and still may do that - but haven't yet.  If we need to (in terms of qualification criteria), we can.  But for now, we're planning to have quite a bit of savings from the Tracy house sale to use for new house 'stuff'. 

I called the doctor's group for the urgent care center I went to in January because I haven't received any invoice from them and I know I owe them some co-insurance amounts for that visit.  I left a message - realized they may not be working.  Medical care is essential - billing is optional, most likely.  So I'll wait.  I was worried that the invoice got mis-directed and the amount due is sitting out there waiting to be an issue with getting our home loan.  Which is pretty ridiculous 'cuz I doubt it would be an issue. 

Also worked on H.'s taxes and will submit those later this evening or tomorrow morning - he is getting back a bit - every little bit helps.  Encouraging him to think of the tax return and the COVID-19 payment as an opportunity to get a little ahead.  Prepay a month's rent and then save for the next month with every paycheck so he has the full amount he needs the first of every month.  There are a lot of learnings with him regarding financial stuff.  It's a slow process at times.  He'll get there. 

Had a Facetime call with B. yesterday - he's feeling the effects of being closed in a lot.  He did get out for a run and will do that again today, hopefully - his two days off this week were yesterday and today.  Also chatted with him a bit on Facebook this morning.  Nice to get caught up. 

J. has an invite to play golf with friends tomorrow and while my rational side is thinking he shouldn't do it, my internal side is saying 'let him go'.  They will do separate carts.  He will wear gloves.  He will take bleach wipes and wipe down EVERY SURFACE of the cart.  They will not 'group' with each other - no discussing hole strategy, analyzing the shot.  Stay 6 feet apart at all times and DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE.  Then come home and get in a super hot shower.  The things they will do for golf.

B. asked how we were feeling and I confessed that I've had a couple times where I've felt 'off' - but I wake up feeling OK.  No fever.  No cough (other than my usual draining sinuses cough).  Doing our best to avoid contact with the virus.  I haven't been out of the house for a week (as of today) and no need to venture out for anything for at least another week - maybe even two.

The social distancing has been officially continued through April.  The casinos had already been ordered to stay closed until April 18th but we're sure they will stay closed through April and won't be at all surprised to have the policy continue into May.  It's harsh but it will save lives. 

Neighbors in our old neighborhood are posting about people hosting parties - like this time off work is just a huge vacation.  Gatherings of dozens of people for a karaoke party (for example) - all in one house.  Clearly, people just don't get it.  There was a report of a church who refused to close - so parishioners showed up for Sunday services.  Another church leader is under arrest for refusing to close.  (Two different examples, two different churches).  It seems people don't understand why it is imperative to do this - after all, it's the first pandemic most of us have every experienced in our lives.  Still - when you're told to NOT gather in groups of more than 10 and to avoid gathering EVEN in groups of 10 when at all possible - and some states have made it illegal to gather in groups at all - you'd think people would figure it out. 

While J. is playing golf tomorrow, I'm going to clean the house and hopefully bake shortbread cookies.  I've got a mix to use as a 'quick' starter and baking is fun for me.

Dry Air

One of the many differences we've noticed about living in Carson City vs. Tracy is the dry air here.  We are constantly shocking each other - we've had some kisses that were REALLY electric....now, we discharge the static by touching something before we kiss.  The dry air here is apparent in dry lips, dry skin.  I grew up in the desert and don't remember noticing the effect of dry air - in Phoenix, Arizona!  Or at the beach in Mexico.

I read a Facebook post from a friend who is being treated for cancer.  She had treatment this week and noticed that each room had a humidifier going so she asked about them.  COVID-19 doesn't like moist conditions - so the theory is keeping your nasal passages and air around you moist helps deflect the virus.

We ordered two humidifiers from Costco - one for our living room and one for a bedroom. I'd been thinking of getting one even before I read the post about COVID-19 because I am having a lot of sinus 'stuff' since we moved here so I'm willing to try anything.  I'm also going to break out the neti pot more often.

Oh, good news:  drinking beer didn't make any difference in my nose congestion so yippee!  I can continue to enjoy Blue Moons.

I'm really enjoying Ozark but it's so hard to watch.  Not because of the violence.  There's plenty of that but it's OK.  It's the darkness of the actual show - all the scenes are so dark, there are times when you can't see anything that's happening - you're just listening to dialog.  I think it's why I tried to watch it previously but gave up.  I'm sticking with it because it's a really great show.

We gathered up the docs we need to submit for the mortgage and we will send them in first thing Monday.  My friend P. is building a new home in Elk Grove and she got her rate lock on Friday - 3.375!  We're hoping to get our rate locked in ASAP. 

B. is officially going to be promoted to Staff Sargent in May.  He had finished all the pre-requisites except a class he couldn't take because he's on deployment.  But because (in part, at least) of the COVID-19 crisis, the Army is allowing promotions without the class - he'll have to make it up ASAP but they will promote him.  He is so happy about that because he really thought he'd be 'stuck' at his current rank for another year.  But no!  No wait!  Well, a little wait - but that's OK. 

Things We're Missing

Being confined to 'quarters' isn't all that bad.  And as I've alluded to previously, now that I'm retired, being mostly home is 'the norm'.

I need a haircut badly.  My hair is short.  Has been for a (very, extremely) long time.  It's so long, the bangs are in my eyes constantly.  I'm ready to do an Amazon shop for haircutting shears and a razor with attachments.  I know I absolutely shouldn't do that....never cut your bangs.  Every hairdresser I've EVER had has admonished me to never do that.  But these are desperate times and I can't help but think I need to do something.

We don't have cable TV in the rental - we couldn't get Dish to put in a satellite dish that wouldn't create issues with us 'leasing/renting'...so we didn't risk it.  We've been making the most of our Netflix, Amazon Prime and CBS All Access subscriptions.  B. has free Disney + through his Verizon phone account and he 'shared' his membership with us - so we get Disney and a host of other channels, too - including National Geographic and a bunch of others.

We're re-watching The Good Fight, West Wing and lots of other favorite shows.  We've enjoyed The New Pope and the movie Two Popes. You Tube has TONS of content - J. can watch a lot of the political talk shows he's missing by waiting a day (or two) for them to be uploaded to You Tube.

Tonight, we started watching Ozark.  J. has watched it for a while and has tried to get me to try it - so we're watching it and so far, it's pretty good!

And - EXCITING NEWS - the weekly update about the house status said we're about 30 days out from certificate of occupancy.  Seriously?  WHOA!  Woot woot!  We'll be spending this weekend getting all the loan docs together.

I seriously doubt it will be 30 days - but even if it's 45, it's still getting close!!  Can't wait!!

For the Benefit Of Science

The President continues to advocate for being 'back to normal' by Easter.  Thankfully, it appears that there are many other (much smarter, actually competent) people who realize that is a pipe dream.  Expecting us to return to normal - with 'full churches on Easter Sunday' - is basically sentencing an even larger population of people to death. 

He's an idiot.  Seriously.  A stupid, uniformed moron who's used to getting his way in life. 

I am appalled.  And scared. 

I read in comments people who say 'he's doing such a good job - lay off bashing him'.  And I'm rendered speechless by these people - because seriously.  Just how many equally stupid people are in America?  As if his sexual assault confessions aren't enough to render him inept because we all know what a truly 'bad' person he is. 

I was scanning through some comments regarding COVID-19 and came across a link where Biden was accused of sexual assault.  It had all the feelings of 'Russia' - someone inserting a new topic out of the blue in a comment stream about something completely different.  I was gravely concerned - until my ever level-headed husband said 'well, meaningless considering Trump IS known to have committed sexual assault and it's made no difference'. 

Whoa.  Let that sink in a moment. 

Possible (continued) Russian influence makes no difference because OUR CURRENT PRESIDENT IS A KNOWN SEXUAL PREDATOR. 

Holy Mother of God. 

We continue to practice what has been 'ordered' - sheltering in place for the most part.  We will likely make a weekly trip to a store (or two) to procure supplies but for the most part, we are house bound.  It's OK.  I'm a homebody so it's been fine - though sometimes I think 'I'd like to go shopping for no particular reason other than I haven't in a long time.  Getting out sounds good'.  But we are totally fine hanging out. 

I ordered a jigsaw puzzle and it arrived today - so we have TV and a puzzle and plenty to do. 

I'm conducting an experiment today - I had a couple (OK, I had 3) beers today and I'm going to see how my congestion is tomorrow.  I have some days/nights where my nose is full of 'gunk' and other days when I'm fine.  And since the quarantine, I've been more fine than not and I think (wonder) if the difference is beer?  The beer I like has a lot of wheat in it - so my theory is that my wheat sensitivity (never medically confirmed but definitely confirmed by avoiding wheat) creates the congestion. 

If I 'prove' that my congestion is greatly worse post a day when I've had beer with wheat in it, then I'll have to (sadly) decide to mostly not consume it.

Guess I might be switching to wine which is fine - we have plenty.

It is sleeting - small round 'pellets' that melt the minute they land.  The clouds that are producing the sleet have a murky brown appearance - which is also the same clouds that we've witnessed producing snow even though there's sun shining.  Like I've alluded to, weather is really interesting here. 

We 'celebrated' our 30th anniversary yesterday with a nice steak dinner.  Not exactly as nice as the Atlantis Steakhouse but it was delicious. So was the champagne.

Weird Happenings

This afternoon, both cats went NUTS.  Ran into the family room, jumped up on the windowsill and gave the 'full alert' watch.  Muf even stood up on her hind legs like a ground squirrel - intently watching for whatever it was they saw.  Or thought they saw.  They are always doing weird things so who knows.  I tried to get a pic of Muf doing the 'hind leg pose' but she had moved by the time I grabbed my phone.  Things calmed down.

A bit later, I thought I saw something furry outside but it was in my peripheral vision and I often think I see things outside that aren't there.  Just distracted, I guess.  Anyway....the cats went on alert again...this time (especially) Nala.  She sat by the back sliding door on alert.  I looked at her and kept looking outside and...a squirrel peeked it's head around the chairs leaning against the fence.  Didn't quite come up on the patio but gave us all a look over before running back under the fence to the neighbors.

(Sidenote;  our back 'yard' is mostly a small patio and then a long 'ditch' lined with rocks.  The drainage ditch goes under each neighbor's fence so there's an opening under the fence between each yard.  Squirrels like that - keeps their options open).

It's been clear blue skies all day so when J. announced 'snow flurries in Carson City starting in 5 minutes', I thought the weather app is nuts.  Not a chance.  Sure enough, snow flurries started - in a sky where you can see blue while there are clouds gently sneaking in from the hills.  It just dropped a bit of flakes - didn't even land on the ground before they melted - but sure enough, there was snow while blue sky was visible.

The weather here is really something.

Cabinets arrived at the house today and they were working on getting all of them unpacked.  As expected, the installation scheduled for tomorrow won't start until Monday.  A slight delay (relatively speaking when compared to the zillions of other delays we've had with the house) and at least the cabinetry is there and waiting to be installed.

B. phoned this morning to share the news that his application for Staff Sargent has been approved pending him completing a leadership class.  He won't be able to complete the class until he's done with his current deployment but he's stoked.  J. handed me the phone so B. and I could chat a bit but B. had to cut the chat short when he got a work related call.  Of course, I said 'no problem, honey - love you - talk to you again soon'.  Later, he messaged me to say the Commander was on site - not unusual - but he said the CO personally congratulated B. on his anticipated promotion.  Really nice.

H. is working on figuring out how to get his mortgage class started and completed.  The guy who offered H. the job made it sound like the class was online and completely flexible - but it's not.  It's a 'virtual' class; however, he has to be online for specific periods of time.  It will definitely impact how many hours he gets at work - which of course will be well worth the fewer hours once he's working with the mortgage company for 67% more per hour than he's making at the gas station.

Had another phone catch up call with my friend K. in California.  She retired a couple years before me and we've been messaging each other pretty regularly.  She and her hubby travel all over in their RV - but they've cancelled all travel plans for the foreseeable future.

I complete H.'s taxes and will e-file for him in the next couple days.  He's not getting much back - mostly because he had some unemployment benefits paid in 2019 and didn't have any withholding.  But he is getting back some so that's good.

Now I will start working on ours but thankfully, we now have until July to file.  I won't wait that long but it is nice with all the other 'stuff' happening in the world to have that bit of a reprieve in the timing of 'must file'.  They are also letting people who pay estimated taxes delay their April payment into the summer as well so that will help.

Holy Cow! Earthquake!

Friday evening around 5:20ish, J. asked 'do you want some wine?'.  I said 'no, I'm fine' but he looked disappointed...so I said 'if you want wine, go ahead and open a bottle and I'll help you drink it.'

At 5:33PM, we heard a huge BOOM and I said 'what was that?'.  Then the townhouse started moving and shaking and we realized it was an earthquake.  Initially reported as a 5.0 about 6 KM south of Carson City - but updated to be a 4.5.  It felt HUGE - seemed to last forever.  It finally stopped and the cats appeared looking completely freaked out.

We were, too.  We drank the entire bottle of wine.  Guess we'll be seeing if we can afford earthquake insurance for the new house.  On a good note, the townhouse (same builder as our house) weathered it fine - not a single crack.  Felt like the house sort of 'rolled' with the quake.

We had another quake the following night - same thing - big BOOM with a little shaking.  This one was only a 3.5.  For entertainment, I checked earthquaketrack.com and saw 10 earthquakes south of Carson in the past 4 days.

GREAT....we left California thinking we'd left earthquakes (mostly) behind us only to find out there are (apparently) some pretty active fault lines not too far away.

Had a great Facebook chat with my friend S. in California who said she was so glad to read this blog.  She mentioned that I referred to 'our President' and our current President is not 'ours'.  So many of us can't understand how he got there and why he's still there.  I feel the same.  I can't describe the degree of ineptness he displays on a daily basis - ongoing, repeated instances of his complete lack of any leadership or humility.  He fired all the people who would have had the job(s) of working through how to deal with this pandemic - and he's winging it, literally.  Guess I will use 'the President' - because S. is right - there is no collective belonging with this nincompoop.  He is destroying our country.

We are doing our best to 'shelter in place'.  We left the house together today and made a Savemart run.  Thinking that with two of us splitting up, we'd be super fast.  We were but....I still worried because we shouldn't be out at all - but we needed groceries.  We felt like we got lucky - J. was able to find distilled water which we've been looking for weekly since the pandemic started.  They also had toilet paper and I was tempted to get some but we are OK for now - reminded myself to stop panicking and leave it for someone else who is truly out.

I'd wanted to get carrots to make a carrot cake for our anniversary - but J. convinced me to just get a carrot cake square from the bakery and call that 'done'.  OH - and we were able to find flour, FINALLY!

Compared to Walmart, Savemart was very well stocked and we found most of what we needed.

Yesterday, I caught up with my friend C. via a phone call - always so great to talk to her and share the things happening in our lives.  These are super crazy times and I'm so glad to have someone to listen.  She's experiencing the same thing in California - bare shelves.

Part of me thinks that it is truly the 'herd' mentality - I know when I went to Walmart and saw empty shelves, my approach of 'just get a few things' turned into 'buy anything and everything you can find to get us stocked up for whatever is to come'.  It's really scary to be unsure just how much you need to feed a family of two for weeks.  I also think that the lack of communication from our country's leadership is contributing to the panic shopping.  We're all unsure if/when we might be ordered to completely stay in our home and absolutely not leave - and in the absence of guidance on that, people are just stocking up.  If I had 4 kids and needed to provide food for two to four weeks for six people, holy cow!  I'd be sweeping the shelves, too -

Flattening the curve is the goal.  Stay home so the rate the virus spreads is slowed to allow our medical system to keep up.

While we all flatten the curve, the economy is in a complete and total free fall.  The stock market has lost all the value gained in the past 3 years - and now it's losing even more, day after day.  I feel very concerned on a daily basis - but we are relatively still OK.  Only two years before I can claim social security and while we hope to wait a couple years for the annual bump delaying provides, if we can't, we can't.  What goes down will likely return to up and we're glad to be able to wait it out.  Fingers crossed.

The President is now toying with the 'let's not shelter in place as long' to mitigate the economics of no one eating out, going to movies, gambling, shopping, etc. .  Right, let's kill more of us 'cuz that's the way to go.

An economic aide package is being put together and as always, the Republicans build in a ton of funding for businesses with no limitations on what they can use it for and no transparency about how the money will be used.  Sending a payment to all adults in the country to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic is an idea - but tying that to giving big business money they will most likely use for bonuses or buying back stock shares seems wrong.  The Democrats have voted down the aide package twice and of course, the Republicans position it as 'we're trying to help people and the Dems won't allow us to'.  Bull shit.

This is the scariest time in my life.  I know we are living through history and have no idea how it will play out.  Some schools are talking about calling the school year over now.  Not returning from this extended break at all for this year.  I feel so sad for all the seniors and 8th graders whose special events and graduations will not be happening.  Colleges are announcing virtual graduations.

Thank you to all people who are working daily to help us get through this. Essential jobs - medical professionals, police, fire, store clerks, etc. - staying on the job to ensure the rest of us have what we need.  It takes a village. 

Cooking Up a Storm

When I retired, I promised myself I'd spend more time cooking.  I really do enjoy cooking - though the nightly pressure of coming up with something for dinner has never been my favorite thing.  When I worked, J. pretty much took care of dinners - but now I'm home more so it's my turn.

I'm also finding cooking to be a good diversion from pandemic news. 

B. confirmed that one of the units working the deployment with them has a confirmed case of corona virus.  B. said it's in a different unit - but B. had a meeting with some people from that unit so.  Hoping he won't get sick. 

I woke up feeling a tad punky but....hydration is helping.

I've turned leftover pumpkin pie filling into pumpkin bread.  The bread is questionable.  The recipe didn't call for baking powder but I wanted to add it - only we have no idea where it is.  Oh well.  It's baked and likely edible. 

I've got a pork roast in the oven for dinner - cooking it now because I keep forgetting to get it going.  And it is already 2PM.  Time flies, which is good. 

Next on the cooking list is a chicken tamale pie recipe that uses Jiffy cornbread as the base.  Sounds yummy and we have some leftover chicken from a roasted chicken I got at Walmart last week. 

Heard from a friend who is temporarily living with her son and his family while her new house in Elk Grove is being built.  She's more than ready to be back in her own place - her move in date is mid-May.  Her cabinets are being installed soon - and so are ours!!  So I'd love to hope for a mid-May completion but....who knows.  We just know it's getting closer and that's exciting.

We're binge watching Transparent on Amazon and watching a host of topics on You Tube. 

Socially Distant

Schools have closed.  Stores have closed.  Businesses are taking steps to limit mingling.  The corona virus pandemic has reached the point where it's pretty damn scary.  So many Facebook posts from healthcare professionals cautioning EVERYONE to just stay home.  Take this seriously.  It's not just the elderly or folks with pre-existing health issues that are dying - it's young, previously healthy adults.  This virus is very aggressive and it can kill you - or someone you love.  So just stay home.

Casinos throughout Nevada were ordered to close for at least 30 days.  In a state where casino revenue is the 2nd highest state funding revenue source, the seriousness of the situation really resonates. 

All non-critical businesses were ordered to close as well - hair/nail salons closed, gyms closed, furniture and clothing stores closed, restaurants closed.  Gasoline and businesses that sell food are not closed - so we still have access to additional supplies if/when needed. 

This pandemic is truly getting scary. 

B. messaged me to share that he was pretty worried about some things - and his parents health was on the high end of his list.  I reminded him that we're doing what the current advice says to do:  we are sheltering in place for the most part.  He messaged again last night and was glad to hear we'd already gone out to stock up a bit more - he said he was going to 'gently urge us' to get 4 weeks of supplies on hand - and said 'I'm glad you're already ahead on that'.  He said 'Mom, I worry because you and Dad are both high risk - especially Dad'.  I confirmed we are due to our age - and both have diabetes as well.  But we're limiting contact with other people, carry antiseptic wipes with us wherever we go and for the most part are now confined to quarters.  Dad still walks most days - and I will join him on shorter afternoon walks as well. 

Today, I'm watching the snow melt.  We've had 3 inches of snow every few days recently. 

I feel kind of 'bored' but remind myself there's no reason to feel that way 'cuz it's no different than a typical, leisurely day.  I guess the 'have to stay home' vs. 'choosing to stay home' is the difference - a mind game.  I've baked pretzels and made a ginger cake.  Using up King Arthur Flour mixes that are in the garage.  Next on the baking list is shortbread cookies.

I read an article about why this virus is so dangerous.  It originally was transmitted from an animal to a human.  And in only TWO WEEKS it mutated again and became transmittable from human to human.  Our bodies do not recognize this virus at all - it is completely foreign so we have no immunity and our body doesn't know what to do.  It also aggressively attacks lung tissue which is primarily the cause of so many deaths.  It has already mutated AGAIN and there are now TWO strains of the virus....which will make a vaccine even harder to formulate. 

This is serious shit.  And it is scary.  Any thoughts I had of 'well, if I get it I'll be miserable for a few days but oh well' has been replaced with 'I don't want to be a statistic and I don't want to get it'. 

Instead of celebrating our 30th anniversary with a dinner and spa day at Atlantis, we'll be staying in.  B. says I should try to make the same cake I made when he was here for Thanksgiving - it was chocolate with a chocolate ganache-y icing and he said it was delicious.  So steaks, Caesar salad, shrimp scampi and chocolate cake with (at least) a bottle of wine. 

On a positive note, our builder sent out an email confirming that construction workers are considered essential and they don't anticipate any issues that would impact the building schedule of our new house.  We know the paint has been purchased and is in the garage.  Cabinetry is scheduled to be installed in the next week or so.  Things are moving pretty quickly and we're getting very excited! 

Stay in, stay safe, and take good care of yourself and those you love.  This is such a hard time.  I didn't even mention all the economic things that have happened - this is the worst financial crisis we've had since 2008 with the housing market crash.  This will be far worse than that impact, I'm sure.  All the casinos and restaurants that have closed are laying off a lot of staff.  Even if some staff are still being paid, they aren't working and aren't making tips - so people will be seriously impacted with 30 days of no work. 

It's going to get worse before it gets better.  Hate to say that but pretty sure it's true. 

Pandemic

The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 to be a worldwide pandemic.

Our President announced the US would ban flights from Europe - though flights from Great Britain are OK.  This morning, the news reports that he announced that without letting any country in Europe know.  I'm not sure he's obligated to?  But seems like there should have been a heads up.

His actions caused (yet another) stock market free fall today - and thus far, all the gains 'created' (I hesitate using that word because he gives himself credit for all the stock market gains which largely have absolutely zero to do with him) during his presidency have been wiped out.

Our net worth dropped a significant amount when I updated our accounts this morning but we are blessed to be able to just heave a sigh and wait it out.  Still, my stomach clenched a bit at the sight of the new number.

We will ride it out.  We know that's the best thing to do.  Make no changes and just stay the course.

We've planned a couple of overnight stays in late March/early April for our anniversary and a concert (both stays at Atlantis) but I'm truly leaning towards cancelling.  I also plan(ned) to go to Atlantis later today for a free gift - Irish Whiskey - but now I'm debating that plan.

We may need the whiskey if we're cooped up in the house for weeks.  Hot water, fresh lemon juice, raw honey and whiskey is a great scratchy throat/cough remedy.

I do plan to also make a trip to the store for additional 'plan to be stuck in your house for up to two weeks'.  One of the CDC's main tips for how to deal with the virus is to 'stay at home as much as possible'.  Seems like we should try to do that.  Some food supplies, etc. need to be stocked up just in case.

It's an event like this that makes us realize how small the refrigerator/freezer is that we bought when we moved into the rental.  It's a great size for two people - but not when stocking up is something that may need to happen.

J. left to play golf - he's really enjoying playing every week.

When I visited with my former assistant last week in Reno, we compared lists of things we're binge watching and she gave me a couple new shows to start watching - we love "Marcella" (Amazon Prime).  We watched Season 1 and have started Season 2.  Finished "The Outsider".  We were able to watch three episodes of Season 3 of "The Sinner" but since we don't have cable, we'll have to wait until we do to finish watching.  [I think we're going to pay $1.99 an episode to go ahead and watch it if we end up being house bound].

It's now Friday - this was drafted yesterday but not posted so I'll add a bit.

I did go to Reno - casino very empty even for a mid-day weekday which are usually not super crowded.  I had fun and got the whiskey - which as it turns out is a pretty decent Irish Whiskey. Worth the trip.  It was nice to get out of the house.

I stopped at Walmart on the way home having decided to stock up a bit.  The site of empty shelves everywhere was really scary.  Not just the toilet paper aisle (which was completely bare) but food shelves as well.  My plan to buy some dried beans resulted in me buying mostly canned beans 'cuz the dry bean section was decimated.  I might have gotten a little over zealous - spent more than I planned and bought things that weren't on my list - but I truly felt like I'd better lay in a supply to get us through for a couple weeks at least.  We are well stocked, I think.  I didn't buy water - I have no idea why or if there is a risk our tap water will be contaminated and undrinkable?  But I don't think water is a huge concern at this point - and hope I won't regret that at some point in the not-too-distant future.  That's the one part of the 'stock up' recommendations that I don't get - 1 gallon per day per person is recommended.  That's 28 gallons of water on hand for the two of us - for two weeks - and I just don't get that 'need'.  My cousin S. is asking the same question - water?  We're heading into a period of not going out of our homes much - but there hasn't been a natural disaster that has threatened the city water supply. 

I've been reading a lot on COVID-19 and embracing the idea of self quarantining when possible - not because I'm afraid of getting it [we will all likely get it eventually]....but I don't want to spread it if I do have it and I also understand that slowing down the spread is critically important - otherwise, medical facilities will be over-run with very sick people and we won't have the resources to treat and help those who need help surviving it. 

I was remembering the swine flu scare in 2009 - and don't remember this level of 'concern'.  But for now, we will stick close to home as much as possible.  At least for the next couple weeks.

We had a 'closet' walk through at the house today - the project foreman spray painted 'instructions' on the floor of each closet - so the carpenters installing the shelving and poles know what we want in each closet.  (There are a lot of closets in the house).  While there, we also finalized the outside concrete plan - we are adding a lot of concrete now vs. hiring landscapers to do it later - it will save a lot of $ and will roll the cost of the outside walkways, pads and extended patio into the cost of the house.  Yippee!  With all the drywall installed, it looks like a house!  And the light - oh my goodness, the light - it's super beautiful, bright with plenty of natural sunlight.  We are both so relieved and happy to see the light effect - it's a complete northern exposure and we wondered if we'd get a lot of good light - but in the morning light, it was so beautiful in the great room and kitchen. 

On the list of projects whilst on lock down are taxes and preparing all the docs we need to submit for the mortgage process. 

It's a crystal clear day - J. said 'there's a winter storm watch' - and there is, starting tomorrow evening.  It looks like it might be a doozy, though, because the streets were already freshly brine sprayed which we noticed on the way to the house.  Glad we haven't removed the down comforters from the beds yet - snuggle factor will still be important for the next few days. 

Adjusting to Adjusting

Lots going on in the world these days.  Our President is inept.  That's been known and is a 'given' these days.  No words....I honestly have no words.

The stock market has been in a complete free fall this week - likely because their is a world wide outbreak of a Corona virus.  Cruise ships quarantined at ports.  The mortality rate is not incredibly high but it can be very serious - especially for those with pre-existing health concerns or those over 60.  Stores are running out of toilet paper and bottled water.  No one is urging people to stock up - nothing official - but it is possible that if a city has a huge outbreak, they will recommend people stay in their homes and venture out as little as possible.

We're going to shop a bit this weekend to get some more food on hand.  We've been doing a great job of just buying what we need - no huge pantry back stock.  But if we had to stay here for a couple weeks, it would be slim pickings at the end of the first week so I'd like to get a few long-term storage items on hand.  Pasta, things that are vacuum sealed so they have a long shelf life.  Madras Lentils from Costco comes to mind.  We're not going to spend a fortune or buy tons of food but we would like to have things on hand just in case.

I definitely got inside my head too much this week.  A friend went 'dark' on Facebook - deactivated their account - only I couldn't confirm/tell if they had blocked me?  Or were truly just taking a Facebook break.  Thankfully, an email inquiry - 'hey, how are you and did you deactivate your Facebook account' - got a speedy reply with a confirmation that they were taking a break from Facebook entirely.  Our newsy emails back and forth got us both caught up on recent family and work (for him) events.  A good reminder that it's easy to make something out of nothing and easy to convince yourself the sky is falling when in fact it is not.

Today, I went to Grand Sierra Resort to meet a work friend (from Tracy) who was here for a conference.  We chatted non-stop for a couple of hours - she was my assistant until she left to become a teacher at a neighboring school district.  It was wonderful to see her and hear the passion in her voice when she talks about her work.  She absolutely loves her job and is taking on more and more responsibility which is perfect for her - she's like an Energizer Bunny who's always busy.  What many people would describe as a state of overload is her zen state - she's amazing.  It was wonderful to catch up with her.

I have free play tomorrow (a swipe and win event) at Atlantis but there is snow in the forecast so I'll have to see how the weather is.  I told J. 'we can drive on Old 395' - going through the valley vs. using the freeway which is way higher, has a huge bridge and during windy conditions is pretty darn scary.  We'll see.  I'm a sucker for free play - but I'm not going to risk driving to Reno if it's horribly bad weather.

Did I mention that we've picked the color of our front door?  Sherwin Williams Mature Grape.  I think it's fitting - we're mature.  We like grapes.  Especially when they're fermented - for a long time.

March Came in With a Roar

I spent two nights in Reno with a visit from J. on Saturday.  He didn't stay on Saturday night because when given the option to head home and sleep in his own bed, he accepted that option.  It was OK...except I truly have the worst sleep at Atlantis these days.  The beds are not all that comfy, my hips hurt pretty much all night and I wake up in the morning wishing I'd been home. 

On Saturday, there was the Money Madness event at Atlantis.  Two casino wide jackpots in play - start at $20,000 and have to hit by $40,000.  One from noon until 4PM and then a second from 4PM to 8PM.  Unbelievably - truly UNBELIEVABLE - the first jackpot hit at $20,030 - less than 20 seconds in to the first minute of the first round.  Talk about a malfunction.  And to compound the 'issue', they didn't announce it - so a lot of people didn't know it wasn't in play anymore.  Grrr.  I should have stopped playing and headed to the room - but I played and had fun.  Didn't win the second one either - but at least that one didn't hit until it was over $39K. 

The other challenging thing was there was a special Chinese New Year dinner that night - which anyone trying for the 2nd Money Madness jackpot couldn't attend - J. enjoyed it.  I had a slice of banana bread with a beer or two as dinner.  That was also lunch, come to think of it.  I do a bad job of eating when I'm playing. 

I woke up Sunday morning to snow everywhere and while I was nervous about driving home in the snow, I was slightly more concerned with how in the heck do I get all the snow off my car.  J. to the rescue (via advice).  Took the plastic bag out of the ice bucket - to use to wrap my hand whilst de-snowing the car.  Also grabbed all the hand towels and wash cloths in the bathroom and took the laundry bag hanging in the closet.  Went down to the car and got all the snow off the back lift 'trunk', windows, hood and then as much of the top of the car as I could.  I am short.  That was a struggle and it's THAT snow in particular that has the potential of causing the most issues.  Not sure I wrote about it here but I've been on the freeway when the guy in front of me had the entire top of his car's snow pack fall off and block his windshield.  He did a dead stop - pretty frickin' scary on a freeway - and ever since then, it's the top of the car's snow that really worries me.  Next time, I'll bring a bath towel down as well 'cuz I could have done some 'swatting' motions with a longer towel that would have helped. 

Made it safely home.  Enjoyed a catch up call with my friend C. (who by the way is a new reader - thanks, C.)!  Made chicken enchiladas for dinner.  I'm enjoying cooking more these days - like to plan and stick with our commitment to not waste food.  Used up some pantry items - a few less things to move to the new house

I climbed into bed and said out loud 'oh, hello, pillow top mattress cover - I've missed you!' and was promptly out like a light.  Best sleep I've had in ages.  Woke up just before 8 and enjoyed a leisurely morning - until 9:45 when J. said 'oh, it's possible there will be an appraiser stopping by in 15 minutes'.  Forgot about that.  Scrambled to do a quick shower - and now we're quickly tidying as well. 

Have enjoyed great chats with B. lately - he's thinking through a lot of 'life path' things and I'm so blessed that chatting with me is something he wants to do.  Lucky mom. 

The snow is in full melt mode today - blue skies with sun and things are drip, drip, dripping away.  I showed J. the patios of the homes behind us which are just soaking wet as the snow melts.  No gutters.  A lot of homes don't have gutters here - but ours will.  I don't like the idea of a ton of snow melt landing by the foundation and all over the patio and walkways around the house. 

It's a free play week at Atlantis as well so J. and I are going to go to Reno together tomorrow morning and use our weekly free buffet for a nice brunch.  We both love breakfast 'out' and we also want to use our benefits at Atlantis more -

We just got two change orders for the house - both credits.  Yay!  Saved $1,000 which will pay for a lot of concrete work.  The Sola Tube planned for the laundry room wouldn't fit.  There just wasn't anyway to get that in the space.  $650 credit.  And the art glass chandelier in the entry way also wouldn't fit - with a 9 ft ceiling and an 8 foot door - it risked getting bumped.  So we did a flush mount ceiling fixture instead.  A bit of 'interest' aesthetically (vs. a recessed can light) but way less expensive than the art glass piece. 

Our 30th wedding anniversary is in a few weeks and at the moment, we have no idea how we're going to celebrate - we've talked about Vegas but are more than a bit concerned about traveling with the Corona virus issues currently in play.  Paris also came up - but same issue re: virus.  I'm leaning towards an Atlantis stay - super nice, high end dinner and lot of play.  Fingers crossed.