Daddy, What Did You Do During the Pandemic? (So Far)

For me, being home began on 17 March 2020. When I reached 17 June 2020, my three month anniversary, I marked the occasion by posting a gif of a flaming dumpster in flood waters. I am still home and may be that way for a while. (No worries, I'm okay. Just a little weirded out.)

So, how have I spent my time, you ask? Here is a rundown of my activities so far:

Watched a lot of movies. Over 125 features and shorts. 

Of which:

One was by Francois Truffaut

One was from Venezuela

Two were from Aardman

Two were by David Lynch

Two were by Taiki Waititi

Two were from Taiwan 

Three were Documentaries

Three were by Disney

Four were by Patrick Rea

Five were by Makoto Shinkai

Five were by Alice Guy-Blache

Six were from Pixar

Ten were Zombie films

Ten were Silent films

Twenty-two were from Japan

Thirty-three were Animated films

Plus:

Attended the Sohome Horror Film Festival on line. (Three features, ten short films)

Attended the Sohome Horror Film Festival - Pride Edition on line. (Eight short films)

Binged a number of shows:

The Hollow (season 2) Netflix

The Last Kids on Earth (season 2) Netflix

The Owl House (season 1) Disney XP

Gravity Falls (season 2) Disney XP

Parasyte: The Maxim (season 1) Netflix

Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts (season 2) Netflix

Upload (season 1) Amazon

Outlander (most of five seasons. Couldn't help it. I was in the same room as the Good Lady Wife binged it) Starz

Household Activities

Cleaned up a Wood Pile in the back yard that represented years of build up. Thanks to recent storms, there is more deadfall to process.

Shredded bags of old bills and such, some of which were 20 years old. Of course, I first bought a Shredder. To give you some sense of how much was around, it took four weeks to get everything through recycling (seven lawn bags full).

Worked extensively on my Family History by finally processed all the little pieces of paper that contained genealogical data. And thanks to the Library, had free Ancestry.com for about a month and a half. I am now approaching 10,000 names in my database.

Found that backyard Birding was better than expected (saw a Black & White Warbler, a Pileated Woodpecker and a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak). Still maintaining seven feeders in the backyard. Supply of safflower seed is back as the Wild Bird Center reopened. As it's about a half hour drive to the store, I've stocked 80 pounds of safflower and 40 pounds of peanut splits. 

Watched a fox stalk a blue jay in the backyard. Watched the four groundhogs feed on the clover on the back lawn. Watched the chipmunks chase each other and empty our bird feeders. Wondered what happened to the rabbits we used to have around. Where is Marlin Perkins when I need him?

Managed a week up in the Poconos.

Read three and a half books. Books 2 & 3 of the "Last Kids on Earth" series, "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" and half of "Good Omens".

Finally got to visit Mom. I hadn't seen her since the week before Christmas. Thanks to New Jersey finally coming out of quarantine and the Good Lady Wife's unit at the hospital going back to it's usual status and no longer a Covid Unit. Yes, she was on the front lines.

Speaking of Covid, I would drive my Good Lady Wife back and forth to the hospital where she works. Recently found that the train could take her in, but I still had to pick her up in the morning. Starting 28 June 2020, her morning train from downtown is back and I will only have to pick her up on Satuday and Sunday mornings.

By the time you read this, I may have taken the Contract Tracing course online. It is being given by Johns Hopkins. 

Finally framed my beer cap mess into a decorative hanging beer cap mess.

I have been cooking most days. I learned that Cream of Chicken Soup is not good to use with Roast Beef Enchiladas (even if the recipe calls for it). The story is that I had leftover roast beef and wanted to do something interesting with it. I found a recipe online for Enchiladas. It called for cream of chicken soup to be used. I made them as the recipe dictated. I liked them. I was the minority opinion. The old adage about being able to eat one's mistakes came into play, as I finished them over a couple of lunch times. Next time, Cream of Mushroom soup instead.

This is my TENTH blog post for the period. 

Discoveries:

Tubi

the Fire Stick

Disney+

Putlocker

Sam's Club is better for deliveries than Costco

MasterClass (Thank you for the lessons, Mr. Gaiman)

"The Land where the Unfindable is Findable" (Weis Market).

Zoom and had several family meetings and discussed my writing with a publisher.

The joys of being 60 and getting into stores an hour before everyone else.

This is the carrier bag that goes back and forth to work with me. It is empty. The keys for the office are off my key ring. My wall hangings from around my desk are now home, as are my pens. I didn't lose my job. I know where it is. But when I go there, no one is doing it. (Thank you, Bobcat Goldthwaite)

Will Ernie work again?

Where will he work?

Will things turn around and his old job will return?

And...

What about Naomi?

For the answer to these and other questions (Is Key Lime Pound Cake a lifestyle choice?), tune in next time to Until the Lights Go Up!