Medrith Loe

Happy 2020, y’all.

If you haven’t noticed, it has been a train wreck of a year!

I started out the new year with hopes of reading 52 books and writing 52 reviews. I believe I have three under my belt. When the Covid thing started, I got stressed out and anxiety prevented focus, forbidding me to read much of anything.

So, I will tell you about how my year has been. January was decent. I mean, besides the attempt at WW3…Nice and cool. Child’s birthday. Travel plans. Nothing big. Nothing fancy. Just calm and fun.

February, I finally was able to grab up a job. A decent one. Doing fun stuff. In a fun place. It is outside work, which in Texas, could mean sweltering temperatures and hot winds. However, the location makes the breezes quite lovely, and the ponds keep us a few degrees cooler. And all the tropical plants provide shade for us. Meanwhile, Australia caught fire, and it would not let up. Animals died. People died. Land was wiped clear.

March came, and with it, Spring. Also, Spring Break! Our business opened. I had a friend in town visiting, and absolutely loved spending every second with him, traveling down memory lane and embracing new information about one another. True friends since high school. (Here is hoping he feels the same 🙂 )

I started working more frequently, putting in time cleaning, organizing, and rearranging things at my work, making them more effective. Making the workplace more cohesive and more functional. Making the outside more beautiful than it already was and updating the course with new paint and new items.

We  spent a glorious week in the warm Texas sun. Then Covid invaded Texas and the governor shut down the state. It started with a slow shut down, then quickly ran into “all places of business that are not necessary”, which means entertainment sources, and places of gathering. So. Then we were home. Home. All the time. Schools closed. Businesses closed. Bars closed. Movie theatres, Old Navy, Michaels. everything. We started “distance learning” the kiddo. My husband stil had to go to work, because he is an “essential worker”, working at a grocery chain.

Soon, we were all required to wear masks in public. Very apocalyptic. Very scary. I began making masks for essential workers, because I needed to feel useful, and I needed something to take up my time. Close to 300 later, and people are still asking for them. I have made some for family and friends, and even the neighbors. However, fabric sales are backed up and expensive. I ordered fabric from Michaels weeks ago, and am still waiting. I ordered elastic, and who knows when it will be here. Thankfully, I had enough to get through the worst of it with.

Being at home regularly would probably afford me the time to clean and organize, and spend so much time with my kid, but for me, all it did was make me sleepy. I was not active. I was not moving. I was not motivated. I was not rushed. I had no expectations upon me. I had no requests upon me. I had to figure out something that worked for me. Occasional outings to the park or to work, allowed me the outdoor sunshine and separation from people that we needed, and allowed us to be active (at least more active than before). Necessary visits to the grocery store, and pick up runs to Target were special treats. We played Pokémon Go on our phones. While we were working within our community to play, we stayed in our bubble (our car).

It has been a few months now, and we still wear masks. We still practice excessive hygiene. We still disinfect. We still wash clothes with a vengeance.

April was spent in pajamas. On lockdown. Doing nothing. Watching tv. Playing video games. Playing board games. Bored.

May rolled around and a few restrictions were lifted. More and more were lifted. And soon, we experienced a new issue: murder hornets. WHAT?? Yes. From Asia. I mean. Come. On.

May rolled into June and we had a few things go down in that time: Yellowstone started h having earthquakes, seeming to wake the sleeping giant super volcano, with scientists and volcanologists competing for more reputable information on differing sides of “will it or won’t it…”; a regular rich, white guy bought NASA (basically), built a rocket and sent some dudes named Bob and Doug to the ISS; Asian Tiger Mosquitoes; West Nile Virus; Racism on an unprecedented scale; Riots and Protests; Exposing all the bad.

June. And now we have Tropical storms, hurricane threats, more racism.

2020 Really trying to outdo itself around EVERY corner.

How has your year been? Let me know in the comment section. How are you handling your quarantine? What hobbies or projects have you taken on? Been reading? Tell me about the books you have been reading. Tell me what is on your TBR pile.