New Normals

I'm anxious. Are you anxious? I'm anxious.

Something about not being able to run to the store for an ingredient I need without donning a hazmat suit first makes me anxious. So I don't make the recipe because I can't get the ingredient and who wants to battle stores right now anyway.

And not being able to make that recipe makes me feel like I have no control. And feeling like I have no control makes me anxious.

Is this your brain right now too?


I take deep breaths. Many, many deep breaths. It helps.

All things considered though, we're doing pretty good. Fred is still employed. I'm still working online...when I can focus enough to, anyway, and also when I'm not trying to reorder grocery items that we couldn't get on our last order.

Our evenings are nice though. It's become a thing now for us to go out on the patio after dinner and Fred shoots a tennis ball from the K9 Kannon™ for Prince to chase.

It's Prince's favorite thing in the world to do and we used to only do it at the park a couple times a month. I have no idea why we never did it at home in our own yard.

So I sit with my wine and watch the hummingbirds and finches on the feeder and nag Fred about being careful where he aims the Kannon to avoid hitting the birds' nests. (He hit the branch of one accidentally once and disturbed the nest so much that its owner sat up on the highest branch and warbled his displeasure for a good 20 minutes afterwards.)

While Fred fires off the Kannon and Prince chases the ball, the other two dogs bark at people walking on the path behind our house.

I had a video of all the shenanigans but buggy blogger had issues loading it. You'll have to settle for this picture of the Kannon (because maybe you're wondering what the heck it is) and Prince anxiously awaiting the next launch.

Let 'er rip, dad!

I'm sure the neighbors are thrilled at our newfound evening pastime. Nevertheless, It's now a permanent event that Prince will absolutely not let Fred get out of. It's a new normal in a good way.

I'm hoping this pandemic brings more of these positive new normals to our lives. New habits we continue doing when all of this is over because they make our lives a little happier.

We have some serious conversations during our evening patio-sitting-ball-throwing time.

We were talking about retirement and I was about to repeat a piece of advice from a well-known retirement planning expert.

I said, "Well, Susie Derkins says it's better to ... " I never got a chance to finish the sentence.

"Susie WHO?" Fred said, laughing.

Oh. Right. Orman. Suze Orman.

Fred laughed about that for days.

It's an understandable mistake though. I mean, Susie always gave Calvin sound advice, right?

Then there's our random patio ponderings, like when we wondered what our latest adopted doggie might have looked like as a puppy.

She's a Chinese Crested mix, so I asked almighty Google to show me "Chinese Crested puppies."

Google must have only heard the tail-end of what I said because the next thing I know, I'm looking at search results for "dead puppies."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" I never closed a search window so fast in my life.

Do you remember the Dr. Demento show? It was a radio show that came on here in Vegas, but I think it was National. Anyway, he played well...demented...songs but not in a psycho way, more of a funny way. One was called Dead Puppies Aren't Much Fun. Which, in hindsight, is a little twisted.

So then we pondered Dr. Demento.

So yeah. Patio ponderings and ball shooting is our new normal. How about you all? Any positive pandemic new normals in your life?

I leave you with a picture from a calendar I made Fred for Christmas, featuring (of course) Prince. This is April's picture. That's Gypsy (the Chinese Crested) in the sidecar.

I hope you're all safe and well.

Anxiously,
Lori