More Shelter in Our Place

Don’t know if Spring is here or if we’re just having unseasonably warm weather, but it’s lovely outside. That prompted us into the annual ritual of setting up canopies on our deck and bringing the cushions, pillows, and deck rugs out of storage. We now have expanded space in which to do our own social distancing. Yes, that’s what’s happening. We’re sheltering at Tween Creeks. According to our usual pattern we’re here in the mountain house at this time of year anyway, working on digital projects, with occasional shorter trips planned. And in fact we feel fortunate to be in this particular place if we need to self-isolate. We did have reservations for a trip that involved visiting all three of our offspring next month. We’d drive to Ohio, visit family there, take Amtrak’s Lakeshore Limited to Boston, visit family there, and fly back to Ohio for a dance recital before driving to Indiana for one more family visit. But that’s all postponed indefinitely. We’ve cancelled all reservations. Amtrak and American Airlines have issued us travel vouchers for a full refund but AirBnB and Hilton one upped the transportation companies. Both lodging organizations are issuing a full refund to the credit card used to make the reservation! For now we’re celebrating the fact that we’ve got the opportunity to visit via video chat, text, email, and phone to stay in touch with those we care about, extra time for digital projects and streaming history documentaries, and that we’ve got three acres around our house making it easy to stay six feet away from others. Hoping you are staying happy and healthy and optimistic that we’ll all get through this stronger for the experience!