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Coronavirus Pandemic

March 2020 - May 2021
A 408-day adventure by Two to Travel Read more
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  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Day 1

    SQD1: Do the 5 ... A PSA

    March 21, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F

    SQD1 ... self-quarantine day 1.

    I’m home ... Mui will quarantine himself in about 5 minutes ... he just got back from his final provisioning run.

    The good news ... he managed the find most of what was on his shopping list. Essentials ...✔️ He reports that everywhere he went, people were keeping their distance from each other and following instructions from those in charge of keeping things calm and quiet. Costco even has a “pallet maze” to keep order amongst the shoppers as they wait to enter the store.

    It’s been a quiet day here in the neighborhood. The sun is shining ... there’s snow on the ground ... but our driveway is clear and so are the roads. Every once in a while I see people walk by ... getting some fresh air ... that’s a good thing. I got my fresh air on the deck today ... will begin a walking routine tomorrow.

    The antelope came by for a visit ... staying on the plains, but easily visible to the naked eye. I guess they too got the message about social-distancing.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy ... and “Do the 5!” What are those you ask? See the screenshot I took below.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Day 3

    SQD3: Find the Humor

    March 23, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    Self-quarantine day 3.

    Another quiet evening yesterday ... episodes of another series we watch caught up on ... another good night's rest. Up and at 'em around 5:00a ... a tad before my usual time, but it was nice to get some chores out of the way early so I could add some fun stuff to my day ... like writing.

    The two remaining bags from our overseas jaunt have been in quarantine in the garage since our arrival Friday. Yesterday, Mui disinfected the bags ... today we brought them into the house. The contents are unpacked and put away. Yay!

    While I was putting a ✔︎ next to our last travel-tasker on the to-do list, Mui was busy in the kitchen. First, he turned some blueberries into blueberry sauce. We'll use the sauce to flavor our breakfast yogurt ... and should he take it into his mind to make a cheesecake, the sauce will be ready to use as a topping 🤪. As well, he cranked up the slow cooker to make some shredded beef and also cooked up a batch of artichokes using a Turkish recipe for a dish that is served at room temperature.

    (P.S. If you'd like to try your hand at making the artichoke dish, google recipes for Turkish style artichokes or zeytinyağlı enginar.)

    Chores completed by mid-morning, we went out for a walk around the neighborhood. Saw only two other couples the entire time we were out. Despite the full sunshine, there was a stiff breeze that added a chill factor. Bundled up, we enjoyed the fresh air anyway. The temp is expected to get up into 70F by the middle of the week, but high winds continue to be in the forecast, so we'll see just how much time we'll be able to spend outdoors.

    I've mentioned before that there is an arroyo — a dry creek bed — running in front of our subdivision. When we came back from Europe last November, we noticed kids playing in the eroded crevices in the arroyo. The ground being unstable, this was a dangerous situation that we reported to the community managers. They told us at the time that the arroyo was going to be graded to reduce the risk of any soil collapses.

    Surprise ... the work started in our absence. So now we can watch the machines at work ... free entertainment, if you will. Kidding aside, we're glad the developer is taking care of what is a potentially dangerous area to make the community safer for everyone.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And, as the pandemic rages, try to find the humor. I'm not saying to take the coronavirus lightly. Far from it ... we all need to take the circumstances we find ourselves in very seriously. But our mindset and mental health are an important element in the fight against the virus. It's OK to laugh a bit ... it's essential.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Day 4

    SQD4: The Peace of Wild Things

    March 24, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Self-quarantine day 4.

    Alexa is playing some Tchaikovsky for me as I write and take care of things at my desk. So much better than listening to the ever-worsening news about the coronavirus and its effects worldwide.

    When we returned to the US, Mui and I made a pact to ration our exposure to the pandemic news. We watch the news for an hour each in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. That's it. Just enough to be apprised of the latest updates.

    It's been another routine day at home. Bodies totally adjusted to MDT now, we were up early as usual. I like this because it means that we can take care of our daily batch of chores pretty early before turning our attention to doing fun things.

    It wasn't until later in the morning that the wind picked up, so it was truly delightful to be sitting out on the deck between chores ... enjoying the warmth of the sun shining bright. I'm glad we decided to settle here in Colorado where the promise of 300 days of sunshine continues to hold true.

    We took a long walk in the neighborhood today. Our destination was a house being constructed on a nearby street to see if we could spy a couple of barn owls that have taken up residence in the eaves. Alas, no luck today, but we'll keep checking.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And find peace where you can ... including in wild things.

    I'll admit that I stole the idea for this from a fellow-blogger — yes, I still think of myself as a blogger even though I am now using FindPenguins. Reading Laurel's post on "Raven & Chickadee" (https://ravenandchickadee.com/), I was filled with a sense of peace. No wood drakes or great herons around here, but the antelope were on the plains across from the house again this morning. And we did spot a mountain bluebird in the neighborhood. Seeing wildlife always brings a smile to our faces ... something we all need more than ever before.

    The Peace of Wild Things ... by Wendell Berry

    When despair for the world grows in me
    and I wake in the night at the least sound
    in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
    I go and lie down where the wood drake
    rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
    I come into the peace of wild things
    who do not tax their lives with forethought
    of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
    And I feel above me the day-blind stars
    waiting with their light. For a time
    I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Day 5

    SQD5: Unplug

    March 25, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Self-quarantine day 5.

    I don't have anything much to report about today that is different from yesterday.

    Up early ... today's chore-list was checked off by 9:15a. Shortly thereafter we set off for our walk to get some exercise and fresh air ... hoping to get out and back before the winds picked up. We missed the worst of the gusts, which have been blowing at up to 50 mph at times.

    I've begun to process and upload into my SmugMug galleries some of the thousands of photos that I've backburnered in recent years. We've been traveling so extensively that I simply have not had time to deal with them. I enjoy armchair-traveling — reading about the exploits of others — when we're not doing so ourselves. Processing the photos will be another way of traveling virtually during this health crisis we're dealing with around the world.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And remember to unplug from all the news we're being bombarded with about the coronavirus pandemic. You'll feel so much better for doing so.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Day 6

    SQD6: Stay @ Home

    March 26, 2020 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 64 °F

    Self-quarantine day 6.

    Another routine day for me. A few chores taken care of early in the day, I found time to relax afterward in the sun on the deck ... until it became too hot and I had to seek some shade. Yes, our sun here in Colorado Springs is quite powerful even when the temp is only in the high 60s. A corner of our deck was protected from the wind — which has been gusting up to nearly 50 mph. It was the perfect place to read for a while.

    Mui, on the other hand, broke quarantine today to replenish some of our foodstuff and other supplies. Why? Because Governor Polis has imposed a stay-at-home order statewide ... for the next two weeks. It went into effect this morning. People are still allowed to go out to shop for essentials, but the order will probably exacerbate the stockpiling we've already seen. Best to get ahead of it Mui figured.

    Anyway, he lucked out by going shopping bright and early. Costco was open at 7:30a — half an hour before the designated shopping hours for those who are 60+. No lines. The shelves fully stocked ... even TP, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, rubber gloves, and all those other nearly-impossible to find items aplenty. The purchase of such things is limited to one per account ... sad that Costco employees actually have to monitor this, but it is what it is I guess. The bonus — we have fresh halibut to add to our menu!

    A stop at the commissary for small toiletry items. A quick in-and-out at Sprouts for fresh goods. All shopping accomplished with a touchless credit card ... and no close contact with anyone. Now we’re topped off again for the stay-at-home order which is essentially adding another week to our self-quarantine period.

    So what does the order mean for us? Nothing much really. I checked the order on the web and what’s outlined is no different from what we’ve been doing to keep any social interactions at a distance. We’re still allowed to engage in “solitary” outdoor activities. For the next week or so, we will continue to get our exercise with neighborhood walks. After that, we’ll start looking at trails and pathways in nearby parks to add a bit of variety.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And stay home. At present, that doesn’t mean being cooped indoors 24/7. Rather it means keeping social distance to do your part in inhibiting the spread of the coronavirus. If you don’t think you can make a difference, just check out the video I’ve included in this footprint.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Day 7

    SQD7: Sit Down & Be Counted

    March 27, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Self-quarantine day 7.
    Stay @ home order day 2.

    With snow expected this evening, the temperature was predicted to dip drastically as the day progressed. So, this morning I put aside my chores to sit out on the deck while the sun was still out ... making the cool temp bearable. The quiet peace of the morning was broken by birds chirping ... mostly unseen in the trees and vegetation.

    Eventually chores beckoned. Mui and I set out to put checkmarks by those items on today’s list as quickly as possible. Then time to get some exercise. Although there was a rather stiff breeze, the 🌞 won the battle.

    We walked up to the neighborhood lake (a retention pond, really) where we found quite a few families out getting some fresh air. There was plenty of distance between each group, so we joined in to walk partway around the lake before taking a detour that found us walking on the far side of the arroyo. Not another person around ... perfect. The walk gave us a chance to see the grading work that’s been undertaken to reduce the impact of erosion on the sides of the arroyo.

    Lunch today was some of the fresh halibut Mui picked up from Costco yesterday. I had hoped that we might be able to eat al fresco on the deck. No can do ... the temp by then was down to 48F with some hefty wind gusts that made it bone-chillingly cold. As I write this now just before 6:00p, the temp is already down to 35F. The snowflakes that the wind was tossing about are no more, but the smell of snow is in the air ... the mountains that are visible from my home office have disappeared from view. Methinks we’ll get some white stuff overnight. How much? That’s TBD.

    Our 2020 census invitation came in the mail yesterday. So, today Mui and I sat down to complete the census online. The letter said it would take about 10 minutes ... 5 minutes is all it took for us to answer a few household questions and a couple more personal questions.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And sit down and be counted. The official census date is just four days away and according to the update I received today, only 30.2% of households have responded thus far.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    2
    Day 8

    SQD8: Halfway Through

    March 28, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F

    Self-quarantine day 8.
    Stay @ home order day 3.

    Yesterday marked 14 days for our potential coronavirus exposure for going through BCN to get to Turkey at the end of the TransAtlantic cruise. We remain healthy. I wasn’t worried, because at the time most of the cases were in Madrid. It wasn’t until days after we flew out of the Barcelona airport that the virus began growing exponentially in Spain.

    I discount any exposure while we were in Turkey for a week. Not only did we practice social distancing, but COVID-19 cases didn’t start exploding until after our departure. And even now, the number is only a small fraction of what we’re seeing in the US.

    But then we traveled two days to get from IST to DEN — with an overnight in BOS. The virus was already exploding in the US by then. So, we will continue to self-quarantine for another week. That will give us two weeks from our departure from Turkey.

    Plus we'll adhere to the Colorado stay at home order for a week after that. But we'll be able to look for solitary hiking opportunities outside the neighborhood during that time frame ... a change of pace is good for our mental health.

    All in all ... a good day.

    After blizzard-like conditions overnight with strong winds that blew most of the powder snow elsewhere around the neighborhood, we got very little accumulation. Where surfaces get the sun, the snow has already evaporated. It’s a bit chilly at 37F, but we’re expecting to get into the high 40F range this afternoon. We’ll delay today’s exercise outing until later in the day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And here’s a link to a video a doctor put together on how to bring your groceries into your house. I think similar precautions can be applied to most anything ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&a…

    ON THE FAMILY FRONT

    The short story ... all's well with both our families in Turkey, and my brother, who lives in Kansas City, MO. The Turkish government took the pandemic very seriously and instituted fairly stringent precautions very early on to slow down the spread. While the number of cases is growing, it’s at a far slower pace than here in the US.

    Mom has been quarantining herself since we flew from Spain to Turkey in mid-March. The local health clinic has been checking on her daily by phone to ensure she's well. She is now cleared from any possibility of exposure from the trip to return her to her home in Turkey. Alrighty, time to go out for some exercise.

    But there is a wrinkle. She has to adhere to the stay-at-home order for 65+ that was instituted by the government last week. Absolutely no going out for any reason. Hefty fines for not following the order.

    The good news? The health care worker told her that if she stays home for another 10 days that she will give mom a permission slip that will allow her to go out for exercise and such ... with appropriate social distancing measures taken when doing so. In the meantime, it's a good thing she has a penthouse condo where she can spend time on the terrace ... when weather permits.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    2
    2
    Day 9

    SQD9: Quiet Is Good

    March 29, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    Self-quarantine day 9.
    Stay @ home order day 4.

    All's quiet on the homefront. Nothing exciting to report … and that’s a good thing these days.

    After breakfast, Mui set up a corner on the deck for me to enjoy the sunny morning. I sat out for a while, enjoying a couple of cups of tea while doing a bit of armchair traveling. He had it on his mind to disinfect his shopping from Thursday and organize everything on the pantry shelves ... so I let him do that 😉

    Mui also baked some banana nut muffins today ... got to make the best use of those bananas that were a little too ripe to otherwise eat. We're going to have to either buy another muffin tin or he's going to have to cut his recipe in half. The muffins that came out of the oven today are oversized ... "Just like the ones as Starbuck's," Mui said. We'll be splitting one for tea ... the rest, we'll freeze for future consumption.

    Today’s exercise walk took us around a different part of the neighborhood ... variety is a good thing. We encountered no more than 10 people in the time we were out ... all maintaining the appropriate social distance even as we exchanged greetings for a good and healthy day. Alas, I've since read on our neighborhood board that some people still don't think that the precautions for stopping the spread of the virus are necessary. I pray they don't find out first hand just how wrong they are.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And follow the recommended precautions to flatten the pandemic curve.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Day 10

    SQD10: Nothing Exciting

    March 30, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Self-quarantine day 10.
    Stay @ home order day 5.

    A rare overcast day in Colorado Springs ... though the sun did peek out occasionally as it is doing now. As unexciting as the weather was, so was our day. A typically routine day.

    We had some travel odds and ends lying around, so after breakfast, I went downstairs to what I call the travel storage room ... located under the staircase. All are put away now ... the luggage back where it belongs.

    After our morning walk up to and around the neighborhood lake, we each set about doing our own thing.

    For Mui, that involved a bit of work in the kitchen.

    I sat at my desk and processed photos from our 2017 voyage around the world ... 14 days down ... 166 more days to go. The advantage of coming back to the thousands of photos from that adventure now is that my emotional attachment to them is not as strong and I am finding it easier to toss a lot more of them in the virtual trash bin.

    That's it ... hey, I did say it was a routine day ;-)

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy.    Read more

  • Two to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Day 11

    SQD11: Routine is Good

    March 31, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Self-quarantine day 11.
    Stay @ home order day 6.

    Routine is good ... but it does make for boring journal entries. There's really nothing to write about that anyone would be interested in. Yet, time is flying rapidly ... three more days before our SQ days are over 🤞🏻. Not that we plan to rush out and socialize ... no, we'll be keeping our distance physically. Thank goodness there are "online" means of keeping in touch with family and friends.

    We had a gorgeous day here in Colorado Springs today. Just terrific. Blue skies — sunshine. Even though the high today was only around 66F — and that wasn't reached until around 5:00p — it felt much, much warmer in the sun ... even in the early hours of the morning. T-shirt weather for sure while I was sitting on the deck at 9:00a, enjoying my morning tea. Mui went biking ... and later in the day, we went for a neighborhood walk to enjoy the delightful weather further.

    We know this weather won't last, however. Colorado's spring is finicky. So we'll make the most of it while we can. Indoor chores can wait for when we have those blah days and have to stay indoors.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And here's a cute washy washy reminder video I’ve attached to this footprint.    Read more

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