Puttering Through Covid

After months of staying at home because of Covid-19, I realize I have accomplished nothing of significance. Other friends are taking the opportunity to clean, paint, repair and garden. Not me. I have spent my days relaxing and doing things that are not important. This is the textbook definition of “putter around” and I am the poster child.

This is how I putter:

I cross stitch. This is such a great activity to enjoy while watching television or listening to an audio book. My current project is a group of colorful parrots. They make me happy in this time of uncertainly.

I play on-line bridge. I love bridge but all face-to-face games and tournaments have been cancelled due to Covid-19. No matter—bridge has migrated big time to the internet. I am playing more now than ever. There is a fee associated with playing on-line. So far I have spent over $400 on tournament play. I have transferred money from my clothing budget since I have been in shorts and t-shirts for months.

I read. Here is a partial list of books I have read: The Glass Hotel (Emily St. John Mandel), When You See Me (Lisa Gardner), Daisy Jones & the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid), The Boy From The Woods (Harlan Coben), Redhead by the Side of the Road (Anne Tyler), The Death of Mrs. Westaway (Ruth Ware), Such a Fun Age (Kiley Reid), The Grammarians (Cathleen Schine), The Last Romantics (Tara Conklin), Writers and Lovers (Lily King).

I would like to identify those that I really enjoyed but I am old and can’t really remember many of the plot lines.

I walk. Every activity I have thus far listed has one thing in common: sitting. I might be happy enjoying bridge and cross stitch and reading but I am paying big time in terms of my health. Studies show that prolonged sedentary behavior correlates to an increase in mortality, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. So I try to make up for extended hours of chair time by walking as often as I can in our local park. I have yet to achieve the national Institute on Aging’s recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate exercise most or all days a week. I mean sometimes it is just too hot or too wet or too inconvenient given the bridge tournament schedule.

I support Ron. My husband Ron does not putter around. He is one of those people who is constantly working on some major project. So far he has rebricked the patio, installed two screen doors, seeded mulched and weeded all our flower beds, made our lawn worthy of a spread in Southern Living and repainted the garage. Honestly, I get exhausted just watching him. My job is to make him a sandwich for lunch and enthusiastically tell him “Good job, honey!’

What I find worrisome is that I am really enjoying my new lifestyle. Because of COVID-19, my calendar is clear of meetings, social engagements and multiple errands. There is no pressure to be somewhere or do something or meet someone. Staying home is okay.

I have discovered the joy of puttering around and it will be a hard lifestyle to give up.

Grandmother's First Babysitting Adventure

My first all day grandmother babysitting gig was Presidents Day.

The daycare was closed but my daughter and her husband still had to work. Nervous but excited, hubby Ron and I travelled to North Carolina to watch over baby Leo (3 months old). The last time I cared for a baby was my daughter some 32 years ago. Here is a pictorial essay of what I learned as a new grandparent.

Babysitting is pretty easy when said baby is in good humor. This is Leo smiling. This is how most babies are represented. Like me, people are less likely to post pictures of a baby wailing. Believe me, babies cry.

Managing a baby is hard on older body parts. Here I am struggling to rise from the floor after one on one time with Leo. I can get down, but getting up is a challenge. Once Leo starts crawling he will always get quite a head start if I must first rise from a sitting position to follow him.

Babysitting requires innovative approaches to keeping baby occupied. Leo has one of those baby walkers but of course he is too young to propel it with his feet. To keep him happy I devised a way to push him without bending over (see above comment on body parts.) The broom stick tucked in the back of the walker had its limitations. I tried to hook the baby walker to the robot vacuum cleaner but was unsuccessful.

New baby equipment is heavy. Taking Leo for a walk required lifting a baby stroller the weight of a refrigerator down porch steps. The baby cradle that fits into the stroller frame weighs only slightly less. Fortunately, Ron could do the heavy lifting. I miss the ultra-portable ultra-light umbrella strollers from 3 decades ago.

Babysitting is more stressful for some than others. That is me alert and watchful as I cradle Leo through his nap. That is Ron asleep as he and Leo both take a nap. I stayed nearby, alert and watchful, during their naptime so I was in position to catch Leo if he tumbled from Ron’s arms. Ron clearly has a more relaxed approach to babysitting than me.

I was exhausted by the end of the day. When Molly and Andy arrived home I happily handed them a healthy, well fed baby, I then went to the refrigerator and poured myself an ice cold beer. I am shown here raising a glass to the 3 million men and women my age who are raising their grandchildren. You are my heroes.

Grandmother Forgets Lullaby Lyrics

Over the past several years I have been regaled with pictures of OTHER people’s grandchildren. One theme is clear: they always seem happy. So it came as a bit of a shock to me when visiting my newborn grandbaby that he cries. Sure, Leo smiles but not all the time like I would hope. Sometimes he’s fussy and it takes rocking and singing lullabies to quiet him.

Singing lullabies is particularly challenging because I can only remember the first verse of my favorites. I love “Three Little Fishies” but it been 30 years since I sang this ditty to my children. I can’t remember what happens to the three little fishies after they follow mama’s order to “swim if you can” and “they swam and they swam all over the dam.” When I explained my dilemma to my daughter she simply said “Alexa, play “Three Little Fishies” and the fate of the fishies became clear. Frankly, it is a rather complex story line involving a whale and disobeying mother fishie so I am not surprised I forget what happened after the dam incident.

Interestingly, the chorus includes multiple repetitions of the phrase “Boop bop ditty dotty whatem shooooooo.” Research studies now tout the power of the 5 S’s to soothe babies: swaddling, side/stomach position, swinging, sucking and (ready for this one?) shushing sounds. No wonder Leo likes Three Little Fishies. It’s got the shushing sound!

There are many other lullabies in my repertoire. When recalling all the verses is simply too challenging, I revert to my long time, easy to remember favorite: 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. I may be old but I can still count backwards from 100.