These Crazy Times

Re-purposing masks from the 2018 wildfire days in Washington

So - we are staying safe and (mostly) sane here in Alameda, sticking close to the boat and maintaining a somewhat normal existence.

I usually work from home/boat anyway - so that's not a big change - just no more once-a-week trips into San Francisco to go into the office for in-person meetings, etc.  Donn has not had to alter his usual routine of working on small projects around the boat and reading/writing.  We have been asked to not go into the marina office, even though they are still keeping the office staffed with one person.  So we email or call, or talk through the open window from a distance.  On Tuesday Eileen heard us outside collecting our mail and she called down to us from her second story window, Rapunzel style.  We chatted a bit and then she went back to work.  I have no doubt she enjoyed the brief company.

As I write this, Donn is out on his bike and cart heading to the grocery store about a mile away for some ice and food basics.  On Monday when we stopped at the grocery store to check on the situation, we did see some empty shelves, very little bread, paper products, etc.  We'll see what this trip reveals...

For the most part, this is like being out on the boat away from civilization like we experienced for days at a time during our 2017 cruise through Canadian waters, except we have the luxury of a bathroom/shower on land, only a few steps away from our dock.  The boat next door has a family on it that we rarely see or cross paths with.  The marina in general is pretty quiet.

We had made the decision back in December to finally purchase a TV and DVD player.  Once installed, we made the delightful discovery that our TV could tap into the free WiFi from the yacht club building next door.  So we are reaping the benefits of that now, for sure!  What are we watching, you ask?  Well...  the other day I watched "The Farewell" with Akwafina, which was good, but kind of sad.  We have been on a steady binge diet of the series "The Mentalist" (Amazon Prime), which I'm completely addicted to (thanks Mom!).  We've also started "The Hunters", the new season of "Jack Ryan", and Donn has caught up on the "The Expanse" which he said is very good.

Our new TV and DVD player!

We also try to take walks every day - mostly just around the marina (which is large).  Last weekend was really rainy and I felt a little like I was back in the Seattle area, but for the most part the weather here is great, which helps to get us outside a little more.

"Blizzard" from the Friends of Alameda Animal Shelter

 Yesterday we walked a few blocks over to our local animal shelter, where we've been training to become volunteers.  Yesterday was to be our first shift caring for the rabbits.  Well, with the shelter-in-place order, the animal shelter has been trying to get all of their animals fostered in homes.  So when we showed up they were down to 4 rabbits (usually they've had 9 or more) and just after we arrived, 3 of them were taken home to foster families.  Yay!  So we gave the last bunny some outside time and attention and cut our shift short.  Last night I received an email saying that volunteers for the cats and rabbits are not needed any further at this time.

I hold conference calls with my boss or co-workers or vendors.  I work on projects for work.  There's just not a lot to do right now, but I'm happy to continue to be employed.  I'm so aware of how lucky I am and how many people are scared right now, not just of the virus, but of the financial fallout that's happening as a result.

My workstation on the boat

 I'll leave you with one of the perks of being cooped up with a musician...