"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

Fred Rogers

(Part of my coping with COVID-19 restrictions and avoiding too much navel-gazing, has been a daily 3-mile walk and keeping a diary.)

Week of January 26th

Though China told the World Health Organization about reports of a new coronavirus at the end of December, it didn’t affect my personal radar until January 27th when two friends were heading to Hong Kong. The CDC issued a travel health warning about the virus and I worried as Hong Kong cancelled the Lunar New Year celebration, the marathon and schools. On January 28th, 30 high school kids and 3 teachers from my town here in Florida were put into self-quarantine after attending the Model UN program in New Haven, Connecticut. They’d been exposed to coronavirus.

Week of February 2nd

After a few days stay, due to impending flight cancellations from Hong Kong to the US, my friends cut their trip short and returned to Boston.

Week of February 9th

In mid-February, two other friends left on a multi-stop international trip.

Week of February 23rd

When our friends got to Tokyo at the end of the month and the reports were ramping up, I started to worry about them.

Week of March 1st

Our friends continued to Singapore where cases were being reported and my husband and I had our last kayak outing before boat ramps were closed in Palm Beach County.

Week of March 8th

Our friends continued to Dubai where cases were also reported. On March 10th, I got my last haircut before salons were closed here. On March 11th, my husband and I had our bags packed for a flight to Argentina the next day. However, we received an email from the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires stating we’d have to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. That was pretty much our whole trip! We wouldn’t be able to see the sights, go to restaurants, learn to tango or take a paid-for flight to Mendoza. Airline phones and web sites were so overwhelmed, we had to go to the airport to cancel. The terminal was like a ghost town which was good for social distancing and getting things done quickly. Due to the pandemic, they gave us a code to re-book using our non-refundable tickets. At the time, they said they’d be good for a year. Now all tickets are good through 2022. That same day, March 11th, Palm Beach County had its first coronavirus case. On March 12, we unpacked our bags, cancelled our Buenos Aires – Mendoza flights and our county’s second coronavirus case was verified. On March 13th, I had my last meal in a restaurant with my husband and four friends, before restaurants were closed. We ate at a table on an outdoor porch and I wiped the plastic cover of the menu and the metal table with a disinfectant wipe. One friend sprayed all of our hands with alcohol when we finished eating and I washed my hands well when I got home.

Week of March 15th

The March 15th headline in the Palm Beach Post channeled the hurricane zone buying sprees: “Toilet paper is the plywood of the pandemic.” In Colorado where my kids live, all ski areas were closed. On March 16, I attended my first Palm Beach Gardens Fiction Writers critique meeting via WEBEX video. On March 17, our friends were supposed to leave Dubai and head to South Africa to visit family. However, due to coronavirus, the South African government started denying entry to foreigners and they flew home to the U.S. instead. That same day, Argentina suspended flights to the US. Also, Palm Beach county closed parks to group activities and a medical relative of my husband was ordered to stay home from the hospital for two weeks because he’d been on an airplane. Florida ordered all bars closed. On March 18th, I took my last walk on a beach before the county closed them the following day.

Week of March 22nd

On March 22nd, Palm Beach County closed all boat launches and marinas. On March 23rd and 26th, I connected with Newburyport Writers in Massachusetts via ZOOM. The first day was a test run and the second was a workshop on How to Get Your Writing Rejected. On March 24th, my son in Colorado social-distanced and kept busy by building a beautiful wooden pergola over his wife’s garden bed. On March 25th, I took my last walk in one of the natural areas that are now closed. Right after that, our resident association closed the community pool and our town issued a stay-at-home advisory. On March 27th, a nearby spa closed, so my facial was cancelled and I finished sewing 13 cloth masks.

Week of March 29th

 On March 31st, my son’s place of employment was ordered to close, I participated in an author video podcast using ZOOM and my husband and I went to Costco where the lines were socially distanced all around the parking lot at 7:30am for the 8-9am senior shopping hour. On April 1st, I posted a blog about walking during the pandemic, my dentist cancelled because the state closed them down except for emergencies and I touched base with family in hard-hit New York. My sister was doing an online boot camp run by her physical therapist. A niece was finishing her final semester of graduate work via video. My musician brother was entertaining via online video and another brother was conducting medical equipment trainings via video rather than traveling to various hospitals. On April 2nd, my daughter who is a neuroscience nurse in Colorado tended to her first COVID patients and I attended a ZOOM video workshop run by the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. On April 4th, during a morning walk, I came upon a couple social distancing and beating the heat by sitting in a blow-up pool on their lawn and drinking beers. Coincidentally the same day, my daughter in Colorado told me Avery Brewery in Boulder was giving away cases of beer to CO nurses and doctors. That same day, I attended a Florida Treasure Coast Sisters in Crime ZOOM meeting about editing.

Week of April 5th

On April 5th, two snowbird friends made a straight-run drive home to Massachusetts and a neighbor was reprimanded by the police for riding his bike into an empty county park. On April 6th, I admired a neighbor’s bromeliads (air plants) on a tree. The next day, I began collecting one air plant each day during my daily neighborhood walk and attaching them one of our trees. On April 8th, my dermatologist cancelled my appointment because the office is closed due to pandemic. On April 9th, I wore a cloth mask for the first time to grocery shop at Publix. On April 10th, my daughter the nurse was given a super power backpack by her boss.

Week of April 12th

On April 12th, I gave 2 cloth masks to neighbors who had none and two friends in Germany tested negative for COVID-19 after one was exposed at work. On April 13th, I trimmed my husband’s hair because barber shops are closed and, related to our cancelled trip, finally got the International coverage charges for our cell phones removed. On April 15th, Palm Beach County announced high school seniors will have virtual graduations and my daughter’s neuroscience department went from 0 to 13 COVID patients in less than a week. On April 17, my husband went to Costco and encountered no lines and no toilet paper.

Week of April 19th

On April 20th, I went to Publix and they also had no toilet paper. (Good thing we have enough for a while.) In the evening, I had my Palm Beach Gardens Fiction Writers WEBEX critique meeting. On April 22nd, I had my first ZOOM critique meeting with the local chapter of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. On April 23, my husband’s May eye exam was cancelled due to the pandemic, I attended a ZOOM meeting on Beta Readers with Newburyport Writers and enjoyed my brother and others playing and singing in a ZOOM Facebook Live event with Staten Island Arts. On April 25, I virtually attended the Newburyport Literary festival via ZOOM and my daughter’s hospital received face shields from the collaborative effort of 3 outdoor gear companies: Yeti, Smith and Black Diamond.

Week of April 26th

On April 28th, one of my husband’s photographs became part of a virtual online exhibit for The Lighthouse Art Center in Jupiter, Florida. On April 28th, Palm Beach County reported 17 new deaths from COVID-19, its highest daily death count yet. The next day, the 29th, the county re-opened (with 19 pages of restrictions) county parks, golf courses, pools and marinas. Our own community sent an email saying they wouldn’t comply and our pool would remain closed. As much as I miss my morning swims, I think it’s the right move. On the 29th, my husband picked a handful of grape-size coco plums during out morning walk. On April 30th, I found toilet paper in the supermarket for the first time in a very long time!