Crazy Month of May 2020 Meme: Pandemic Experiences - Saturday Night Genealogy Fun! Part 1

Seen on an afternoon walk - hearts in the flower beds of a local Burnaby, BC park, 2020. Photographer: M. Diane Rogers.

Today, Saturday, 6 June 2020, Randy Seaver for his weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun! challenges us to answer the first 10 questions of Pauleen Cass's Crazy Month of May 2020 Meme: Pandemic Experiences. 

Here are Randy's answers at Genea-Musings. Check the comments on both Randy and Pauleen's blogs to see who else is participating.

Below are the first 10 questions and my own answers.

1. What are you most grateful for during this covid-19 crisis?

That my own family and friends are OK and that we all in safe places and following the British Columbia guidelines. 

And I'm thankful that in BC we have Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, in charge, with the support of the provincial government. She reminds us, "This is our time to be kind, to be calm, and to be safe." 

And I'm thankful that so many people locally, provincially and across Canada, are working and volunteering under worrying conditions to keep groceries, medical care, utilities and other essential services and supplies going for everyone.

 

2. What have you missed most during the full or partial lock-down?

Getting out every day to go places and do things! Teaching genealogy classes and doing talks. Meeting new people. Talking to people in person about genealogy and books. 

Seeing the kids. Meeting the new puppy! Dinners, lunches and late night snacks with friends. Getting on a bus and going to a library in a different city. Sea voyages to the BC Archives.

Face to face meetings. Conferences, talks, book stores, and postcard shows  :-(

3. Has your hobby sustained you during this time?

I'm probably reading a bit more, and doing genealogy a little more. It's been a mix of helping others and updating my own. I've done some indexing as well. 

Since my customary weekly routines are disrupted, I've taken to imposing new ones. For example, I did the A-Z Blogging Challenge. After that was over, I started the 21 Days Family Connections Experiment. I've been in two Readathons as well, but that's pretty normal for me. And I did start the year with a blogging challenge, but not every day! 

And I've been taking advantage of many free offers from genealogy companies and organizations, like the recent Guild of One-Name Studies seminar, and the Scottish Indexes conferences - another one's coming up very soon. 

4. What changes have you seen in your life over May 2020?

I've never been 'inside' so much! Or looked out the windows so frequently. Or gone to my phone and the fridge calendar so often to check what day and date it is.

Or jumped up so often grabbing my headset and asking frantically "Which time zone is that?"

5. Have you been exercising more or less? 

Since my usual main exercise is walking, and I walk whenever I can,  I'm getting far less exercise. I did start out doing some yoga daily, but that got left behind a few weeks ago. Maybe I need an online class to keep me at it? 

6. Has the refrigerator been your friend or foe? 

Friend, I'd say. Storing food and the leftovers which I'm faithfully using up. Occasionally the freezer has offered me ice cream I couldn't pass up, but not too, too often.

7. Have you been participating in virtual gatherings with friends or family? 

My daughter and I have been texting every day. Mostly so she knows all is OK here (she lives away). But now I joke that the saved texts are my pandemic diary. 

Several groups I'm in are doing video meetings, and I'm happy to attend, especially since some people who can't usually attend meetings are often able to join in online, but it's just not quite the same as being together in the same place. 

8. Have you taken up new hobbies during the lockdowns?

No. But for the first few weeks, I was trying to learn how to whistle. I don't think the problem is in my genes; I'm now blaming it on my teeth. 

I have been writing a bit of private! poetry for a while, but I did publish one on this blog about the Vancouver I remember a week or so ago.

9. Are you cooking or gardening more? 

Cooking, yes. Sometimes I'm surprised by what I do with what's in the cupboard and the fridge. And there are always nachos! 

Gardening, not at all, unless you count watering a few houseplants. Although I received some herb seeds as a present. And I've been looking at the long-neglected balcony here. Be nice to sit outside more and read.

10. Have you shopped more or less? Online or offline?

Less, and less often. I am used to picking up a few things every few days, and in different stores, different places.  Now I have two lists, organized by the one close grocery store's aisles, and the other by the one close drug store's layout, and the lengths of the lists are tailored to how heavy things will be. 

At an early point, the grocery store people changed the layout to create wider aisles. On my next trip, I had to 'recalibrate' very quickly. but I'm adjusted now.

Today I ordered groceries online for delivery. We'll see how that goes. I used to have heavier groceries delivered more regularly, but my shopping habits had changed. And there are some technical difficulties with deliveries here.

I read books on Kindle every day; maybe I've got a few more lately. And I did order a couple of paper books online from a local bookstore. They were carefully and promptly delivered. I'll do that again :-) 

 

Seen on a morning walk, HAVE  HOPE, Burnaby, 2020. Photographer: M. Diane Rogers.