As I made my way from household items to the electronics section at Target today, I passed through the travel accessory aisle. Unlike some other aisles in the store like cleaning supplies and hair dye, this one was full of products. From luggage to fanny packs to travel pillows, it was all there. The aisle was packed with goodies, and I realized why.

We aren’t going too far from home this summer. Some people may be taking day trips to the beach or long weekends across the state line, but basically no one has a need for those little travel shampoo bottles and sleeping masks for the airplane ride. For the most part, we are staying put.

I certainly wouldn’t mind escaping for a few days from the walls that have been closing in on me since March. But, I don’t have anywhere to go. Yes, we were invited down south with another family to an Air B&B in the Outer Banks. I wanted to say yes so badly. Going on vacation with these friends would be the best vacation ever! But I was too afraid to put money down and then back out on them because of the virus. I wish I was the kind of person that threw caution to the wind and take chances. I’ve never really been that person which probably means I’ve missed out on a lot of fun.

Instead, I’ve planned a wonderful staycation of…

Reorganizing my kitchen:

Plowing through my “to-be-read” pile:

Visiting the local parks:

Trying on a new post-quarantine look:

It’s not North Carolina, but I’ll make the best of it. If you are going somewhere fun this summer, have fun and stay healthy.

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Yesterday, I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up two hampers for my kids’ bedrooms. They have been using my laundry baskets as an unacceptable substitute, and I needed to do something about it. As I walked toward the cash register, I passed by a young woman and was taken aback. There wasn’t a hint of a mask hanging off her ear or around her neck. Her entire face was uncovered. She confidently walked past me with a look as if she was daring me to call her out on it.

It was such an odd moment. For 49 years, I’ve seen people sans mask in front of me without experiencing a sense of panic. Now, four months into this pandemic, I expect everyone to wear one in a public place.

Is that too much to ask?

And then, I wondered why no one else asked her to put a mask on. We were at the back of the store which means she must have strolled by a few employees before she reached me. Why didn’t anyone say anything? Where is the “mask” police when you need them?

Five minutes later, I remembered I was out of deodorant and made a pit stop 😉 at the beauty aisle. It was there that I saw an older woman bent over the personal fan kiosk talking on her cell phone. Her blue disposable mask served as a chin rest leaving her nose and mouth in plain sight. I wanted to tell her that people can still hear her when she talks through her mask.

But again, I said nothing. I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to get into an argument with these people. I certainly don’t want them yelling in my face spreading their droplets everywhere while pointing out that our president doesn’t wear one so why should they. I just want to politely ask them to respect others around them, not to mention abide by the signs posted everywhere on covering your face.

In these difficult times, it might be helpful to have a manual for wearing face masks and talking to the people who refuse to put them on in your presence. Here are a few do’s and don’ts, I’ve come up with.

Do wear a face mask in public places.

Don’t wear a face mask only on your nose or just your mouth. It has to cover both areas. And FYI, covering your chin doesn’t stop the spread.

Do ask your friends and family if they would prefer you to wear a mask when you come to visit. Don’t assume that they are okay with you not wearing one.

Do stay home if you aren’t feeling well.

Don’t go to Urgent Care without a mask, open the door and yell out to the receptionist – “Do you do COVID testing here?!” (This actually happened to me).

And finally, don’t wear your mask like this – as my son expertly demonstrated to me over the weekend.

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I have this stack of unread books sitting on my nightstand. Sometimes, I feel them watching me, no begging me, to pick one up and start reading right now. I silently tell them to BACK OFF! They have to be patient. I’m only one person with one pair of eyes, and I can’t read any faster!

The real problem is that I have already overcommitted myself to a separate pile of books. According to Goodreads, I’m in the middle of four different books right now. And on Audible, I am listening to two more. And my book club is meeting this week, so I am really focused on one book right now – The Giver of Stars, by Jojo Moyes.

Mind you, none of this stops me from the vicious, yet fulfilling, cycle of reading book reviews and summer reading lists and then downloading more books or frequently “supporting” independent bookstores.

And here’s why: What if the books I already own disappoint me? Shouldn’t I have “back up” books to fill the void?

Do I sound crazy? Probably. But, don’t worry. I don’t need any kind of cognitive test to tell me what I already know. I’m a bookworm, and I won’t apologize for it. When I was little, I’d go to bed with a Nancy Drew mystery or a Sweet Valley High book and a flashlight under my pillow and read way past my bedtime. Some kids wanted Barbie dolls for their birthdays. I wanted B. Dalton gift certificates. Years later, not much has changed. I still go to bed with a book and a flashlight; it’s called a Kindle.

I always have to have a book in my purse or in my car. I can’t bear to waste valuable time sitting in a waiting room or a carpool line not reading. And now, thanks to COVID, People magazines are no longer available anymore for communal reading. Therefore, I must be prepared for any reading emergency.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good story. How about you?

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I’m sick of talking about this virus. Talking about it and listening to the news is like a plague within a plague.

So, I’m not going to write about it either. At least, not tonight. Here are some wonderful distractions to keep me from talking or listening or reading about…well, you know.

Let’s see…

I’ve become quite the competitor on Words With Friends–so much so that I had to delete the game from my phone because I was getting nothing else accomplished.

In other exciting news, I am one entire book ahead of schedule on my 2020 Goodreads challenge. I’m hesitant to recommend any of them to you though. Not because they weren’t fantastic reads, but picking the books you want to read should be up to you. Everyone has their own taste, and there are so many to choose from. Having said that…if you don’t have The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides on your list, you must buy it immediately.

Just sayin’ 😉

if you have followed my blog for a while or are one of my Facebook friends, you know that jigsaw puzzles bring me much joy and a zen feeling many of us might be craving these days because of… oops, never mind.

I’ve lost track of how many of them I’ve done since March. All I can say is that I know I’ve ordered more puzzles than I’ve finished. My TBC (to be completed) tower of puzzles might be just as tall as the TBR pile on my nightstand.

Oh! I was so bored one day that when Staples sent me an email requesting a review of my purchase of Wite-Out, I couldn’t say no. Perfect timing! How did they even know I was a writer?! I told them I’d be happy to. I thought it was pretty creative, but you tell me.

“Seriously? What can I say about Wite-Out? You don’t know you need it or remember that it even exists until you mess something up, and it is literally the only thing that can come to your rescue. Great texture. Same horrible smell. Not too tasty. But, it worked like a dream. Does it really need to come in a two-pack? I only needed one bottle.”  

Sadly, this might be the highlight of my quarantine life. That and spending time with my family, of course.

What are you doing to distract yourself these days?

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