Routines, Social Distance and Virtual Hugs

I'm starting to get into the rhythm of my new routine, but it's like anything new, it takes a bit of practice to make it a regular part of my life. Today is a Friday, so today is a swim day. That changes my morning routine from Awakening, Meditating, Getting dressed in running clothes, Running, Showering, Breakfast and Blog, to Awakening, Meditating, Getting dressed in swimming clothes, Blog, Swimming, Showering, Breakfast and Work. The two different activities require different time frames, and those things I deem of most importance must be accomplished. Also, today is Friday, so when I get home from the pool, I need to make my reservation for swimming on Monday morning. 

Most people are comforted by routine. When something 
changes that routine, especially on a long-term basis, 
it can cause confusion and anger. My routine is very 
slowly returning to what it had been before Covid, but 
it's nowhere close to that yet, and may never truly 
return to the "old days". I enjoy routine, though, and 
set personal schedules for myself often. It's the only way 
I actually get things accomplished. 

DH also asked me to drop by the grocery store this morning on my way to the shop. No real problem with that - I usually drop by the store on Fridays anyway. But I purchased maximally on Wednesday so that I wouldn't need to do this. Still, it's on the way to the shop, and we have a functional VERY OLD refrigerator in the basement, so it's a bit of time spent, but not much past that. 

We have a very old, probably 1950's vintage 
refrigerator in the basement of the shop. It 
was from our old location, and similar in 
age to the first refrigerator we had in his 
Grandmother's house. It still works, and 
that's all that's important. We keep our 
lunches in it during the work day. 

It always take a while to really hit stride in a new routine, though. It's always a bit of a learning curve, a hill with unexpected bumps, twists and turns. So much has changed in our world since Covid. We're not as free-and-easy, not as trusting as we were more than two years ago. We carry masks in our pockets, cars and handbags. We automatically back off a bit when people get a bit too close to our personal space. We don't embrace without second thoughts the way we used to. This virus, this hateful thing that has killed so many, has forced distance into our lives and perspective/retrospective into our lives. 

We're getting accustomed to social distancing and making 
sure to keep that distance between each other. As someone 
who really enjoys hugging, it's a total PITA. 

Is this a good thing? Is it a bad one? I will say that I miss hugs. I miss that close interaction with other people I feel close to. I don't particularly mind wearing a mask, but I rarely have to wear one for more than an hour at a time. I'm not sure how comfortable I'd feel if I had to wear one for long stretches of time. I'm used to barricades - usually clear plexiglass - between me and other people. I think that's a bit sad - the fact that we, as social beings, have to barricade ourselves away from contact with others. 

These days it's all about virtual hugs, and those 
are the only kind I can send over the are to my 
friends far and wide anyway. So here's a virtual 
hug from me to you. Have a wonderful day! 

So your task today is to interact with another person so that you feel hugged virtually. Make a difference in one life. Leave one place with positive feelings behind you. Be that one person reflected on at the end of the day by someone you had never met before today. Spread love in the midst of the pandemic. I'll be back tomorrow, be safe, be kind, long-distance *hugs* to you from me. 

It's Primary Election Day - Get Out and Vote Today!

Today is Primary Election day here in the USA, so if you haven't already voted by mail, get out to the polls and cast your vote. I know primaries aren't as "important" as the general election in November, but really, the candidates on the November ballot will be determined by today's vote. I registered to vote by mail a couple of months ago and sent my vote in almost a month ago, so I'm set. I did leave DH a note to vote, and also to let me know if he wanted vote-by-mail for November. Today is the LAST day I can get him signed up for that.

I've voted by mail several times in my life, but made sure I signed
up and voted in the primary more than two months ago. 

Of course, there are problems with vote-by-mail too ... an overloaded Postal service and the fact that  things can be "lost" in the mail, etc. But there are also things like chads or malfunctioning voting machines on election day that can cause problems in any election. Nothing seems to be foolproof, so we do the best that we can. I didn't feel like I wanted to play the "stand in line, socially distant" in our November temperatures. I've done the waiting game in sub-zero temps (as well as on "warm" days) for the general election in past years. It wouldn't have been terrible to stand in line in August, but I took advantage and voted by mail.

The race of the day is Ilhan Omar v Antone Melton-Meaux. Although
I think either candidate would be good, I suspect Ilhan will be
moved on to the general election in November. Minnesotans might
be "Minnesota Nice", but we like a spitfire now and again, and Ilhan
Omar is certainly that. 

The big election in our area is between Ilhan Omar, the current Representative, and her opponent, Antone Melton-Meaux. Omar is a firebrand - outspoken and somewhat divisive, but always interesting and someone who makes a lot of waves (unusual for Minnesota Nice). Melton-Meaux is what's called a "progressive Democrat" and has come across well in commercials and articles. His campaign is well funded and this should be quite the battle. I didn't get to vote in this particular election - they're part of the Minneapolis districts, not the St Paul ones. My Representative is Betty McCollum, and I voted for her again because I've liked her through the years. But, five of our eight Representatives were newly elected in 2018 (taking office in 2019), so it's a position that has had a lot of turnover.

• Minnesota's 1st district: Jim Hagedorn (R) (since 2019)
• Minnesota's 2nd district: Angie Craig (D) (since 2019)
• Minnesota's 3rd district: Dean Phillips (D) (since 2019)
• Minnesota's 4th district: Betty McCollum (D) (since 2001)
• Minnesota's 5th district: Ilhan Omar (D) (since 2019)
• Minnesota's 6th district: Tom Emmer (R) (since 2015)
• Minnesota's 7th district: Collin Peterson (D) (since 1991)
• Minnesota's 8th district: Pete Stauber (R) (since 2019)

Regardless of your location or political beliefs, you owe it to yourself and your neighbors to get out and vote today, if you haven't already voted, get to your polling location and vote! ESPECIALLY if you're female! It took women more than 60 years to finally get the right to vote. Don't waste the opportunity to make a difference in your government. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. VOTE, Wear a MASK and please, be kind to one another. 

It Was Fun To Be Open Again

Yesterday was a lovely day. We had one of our regular customers waiting at the door for us to open in the morning, and we were busy, but not overwhelmed, all day with almost everyone telling us how happy they were that we were open again and how much they had missed us. (The exception was two new customers - they can't have missed us, they had never visited before. But both of them bought and said they'd return again, so win-win.) 

It's rather fun being open for business once again. My customers
missed their bead "fix" and almost all of them expressed how
happy they were that we were open once again. Everyone
practiced Social Distancing and everyone wore masks. 

We were all wearing masks, and Chickie apparently spent some of her stay-at-home time with a borrowed sewing machine making some really nice masks. Both DH and I were allowed to choose from her selection and I sewed the attachment straps this morning - they're ready to go. 

Although these are not Chickie's masks, they are very similar
in style to what she made. She did a great job for not having
touched a sewing machine for years. I'm quite pleased
with the one she gave to me. 

I was on my feet a lot, but also sat quite a bit with my foot propped up on my scooter. That's a great height for my leg, so I may not be scooting around the store, but I'm using the scooter quite a lot. At the end of the day, we had a good shift with a lot of customers and good dollars in the till for the first time in seven weeks. I'm so grateful for all of those wonderful people who walked through our door telling us how nice it was that we were open. Hopefully we'll keep this on a roll. 

Here's hoping you have a great Tuesday, and I'll be back tomorrow.