It's been a week. For over a year we have looked forward to the day when we would be able to get out and about again but it didn't go quite as expected. On Tuesday, our official independence day, I thought I would take the baby step of heading to the post office to get some boxes for mailing. Easy, peasy right? Not at all. I managed to get myself severely chastised for not following the correct protocol. I didn't respect the socially distant queue and I didn't respect the 2 person limit. I just walked in like I owned the place and rightly got chewed out. I apologized profusely for being such a rube and then hastily beat a retreat to my car where I bawled like a baby from embarrassment. I had to send The Mister out for the boxes. For our weekly groceries I reverted back to curbside. I couldn't bring myself to go into the big chain store in town. It seems that re-entry is harder than I thought. I have a lot to learn.
My second solo trip was a heart breaker. I haven't seen Dad's little girlfriend since the pandemic started although I kept in touch with cards and phone calls. On Sunday her daughter called to tell me her mom is now in hospice care and declining rapidly. I am so thankful I got to spend the afternoon with her. We cried and laughed over old times. I left with a very heavy heart.
The next day I called my dentist hoping to get in to fix the broken crowns and lost fillings that have been plaguing me during isolation only to find out that I can see him.......in June. Everyone is backed up now that folks are emerging. It's like the 17 year cicada thing going on but with people. We did get out to Lowes yesterday to start the kitchen process again and it didn't go well either.
What we thought we wanted we hated when we saw it in the store and what we are probably going to settle for is DOUBLE the price it was this time last year. I've got the paperwork from last year to prove it. Our budget is busted and when you hit The Mister in the wallet it makes him very cranky. He stopped short of blaming the entire pandemic on me but I know he wanted to.
At least Pup had a good day out. It's a long drive out to Lowes so we stopped at a nearby pond that she always enjoyed walking around for a few minutes. In spite of the lifted outdoor mask requirements here every single person we passed was masked up so we put ours on too. I learned my lesson about being cavalier about these things. People can get quite testy.
As for The Mister, he calmed down once he stopped for donuts. It doesn't take much to make him happy. He even got me the one with the sprinkles. I guess all is forgiven.
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Oh my! You had quite a day. Yes, prices on nearly everything have gone up drastically since the beginning of the year. I notices it right off in my grocery orders. Also lots of empty shelves now. It's weird. You would think it would be getting better but it's not.
ReplyDeleteIt's good you got out though and made those first steps back to a somewhat normal life. Do you think we'll ever be where we were?
I hope today is a good one for you.
Blessings,
Betsy
I'm so sorry---we forget we are not going back to the way things were. Let the money go--get that kitchen done, no matter what and you will both feel better eventually! (my Dh cranked on me for months and now he says thanks for pushing him.)
ReplyDeleteI will continue to purchase groceries for pickup probably through the summer. Going back to in-person worship fills me with mixed feelings: I want to return, but seeing the disregard for other people (not wearing masks at all in the church during the shutdown and after) makes me question if my values and theirs are compatible.
ReplyDeleteOh no! I've been sticking with one grocery store, even though the one down the street often has better deals - just because I know the rules at "my" grocery store. It's stressful to try and navigate a place you're unfamiliar with.
ReplyDeleteI would have cried too.
ReplyDeleteWow you had quite a week. Hope he grabbed lots of boxes for you...you can order them online and the PO will deliver them for you all free of charge. Sorry you had such a bad experience...yes every place has rules...but some places just don't enforce them. I would like to go inside a grocery store...but I have not.
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