Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Waiting for Immunity

We still have to wear masks (and maybe work puzzles).
This was my great Christmas present.

Will the herring I ate New Year's Eve really bring me luck?
We are impatiently waiting for vaccine.
It's hard to keep being careful.

We're still getting orders via curbside delivery from By the Pound, the great bulk food store.

Whole Foods groceries: ordered through amazon.com.


On the corner near my house: the local cafe has plastic geodesic domes for outdoor coffee drinking.
I'm not convinced that this is safe, but I like the look. I must keep waiting and staying home!

What are other people in my town doing while waiting? Most of the people we know are, like us, staying indoors, shopping remotely or as little as possible, and connecting with friends and family by computer or phone. Friends and neighbors who are working are doing as much as they can remotely. Some of our neighbors have created safe spaces in their yards or on their porches, with blankets, distanced seating, and various types of heating units. We had a delightful Sunday afternoon on our neighbors' porch where they have a propane heater, a fire pit, and heated blankets to make for comfortable and safely-distanced conversation and snacking.

Our library also provides some valuable ways to spend time alone -- they offer books, films, TV series recordings, music, art works, and a selection of tools for check-out, which can be requested and checked out with no contact. In January, they are adding board games and puzzles. I was particularly interested in the top nonfiction books requested at the Ann Arbor District library in 2020:
  1. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
  2. White Fragility: Why it's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
  3. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
  4. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
  5. How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
  6. Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
  7. Too Much and Never Enough: How my Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump
  8. Becoming by Michelle Obama
  9. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
  10. Maybe you Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, her Therapist, and our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
The full list of the top twenty items in each of seven categories is here: AADL's Most Requested Items of 2020. 

I'm afraid the wait for vaccine is going to seem very long.

Blog post © 2021 mae sander.

7 comments:

Jeanie said...

I really loved Ëducated and Becoming. "Educated," especially, really sticks with you.

I'm much on the same plan as you -- as little shopping as possible (I'm RARELY in a store and if I must, during very slow hours - like 8 pm) and apart from that out only for medical appointments or to be at Rick's, another safe zone. We did do a distanced dinner in friends' barn with open doors and a heater and fan, wearing masks except when eating. Their protocol is as strict as ours. Rick does go to the store but he's pretty close to home, too. And so, we wait.

LOVE your puzzle!

My name is Erika. said...

Since there's no store delivery here, I really enjoyed seeing these photos of the Wholefoods delivery. I get all my online orders through Fed-ex, UPS or the USPS. In boxes. Except for the 40 pound bags of dogfood from Costco which which have a sticker stuck right on the bag. That's an interesting booklist too. I've read 2, but I see the Cast book keeps showing up on best book lists for 2020. I believe you read it. NH put out their vaccination general timeline yesterday. Was very glad to see my husband (who is immune suppressed) is in the next round. I'm down a bit on the list, but once the hubby is vaccinated it takes a bit of pressure off me, fearing I am going to get him sick. Not that I want to get sick and still have to be following the rules. Guess I'll be home for awhile too.

Kitchen Riffs said...

We have no idea when we'll get the vaccine. Missouri, predictably, isn't real organized about this. :-( Or if it is they're keeping it a secret! Our doctor thinks sometime in March. :-( Anyway, we're seeing people only outside and having our groceries delivered, too. Or we get curbside pickup. And lots and lots of delivery from Amazon. Walmart and Target too -- they've really upped their games. Stay safe, and Happy New Year!

Divers and Sundry said...

I like that view of your porch. It looks like a nice spot to sit and read. I've heard of some of the books on that list.

Our wait for the vaccine will indeed be long. According to our state's guidelines I may not even be eligible for it 'til March :(

DVArtist said...

Ohhh puzzles. We have one going at all times in the winter. This looks like a good one. Nice plate of food. I like the photos of your town too. I tried to get curb side but there were no more openings. It costs quite a bit too. I go to the store at 6 AM when there are no people and I do fine with that. Glad you can get food. Have a nice day.

Tandy | Lavender and Lime (http://tandysinclair.com) said...

Do you have any idea when you will get it? We've been fortunate enough to be able to see friends and eat out as well as shop. Hopefully you will experience all of this soon.

Iris Flavia said...

The plastic domes don´t look safe!!! At all. They should have heating in open places instead. But it looks nice, that´s true.
Yes, you are doing it right, I did the same here.
I´m more afraid the vaccine is not safe... At least ours are not tested properly.