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Sunday, March 29, 2020
Another weekend done .. still quarantined ..
And already Sunday evening again. WHY do weekends fly by so fast? And we didn't even really do much. Oh well I guess. Yesterday, Saturday, we slept in a bit. And then decided to take a ride to two wineries to pick up some local wine. Figured it was a way to get out of the house, take a ride and support the local vineyards. We went to Hopkins and Hawk Ridge. Both great vineyards that we enjoy and happy to support. Afterwards we stopped at J Lawrence and picked up some food for dinner. I finished the book I was reading while Mike caught up on CNN and later we watched a bunch of recorded shows from our DVR. Ended up staying up till around 1am.
So today, Sunday, we slept in late. Then went to the grocery store, liquor store (some more prosecco to make mimosas) and Elmer's (our favorite local diner) for some breakfast take out. Made mimosas, ate and watched some TV. Then I watched the new Outlander episode while Mike is catching up on more CNN and other news stuff. I would like to change the bed sheets/covers but the cat is currently happily curled up on the bed so I figured I'd update my blog in the meantime. Eventually we will probably catch up on some more DVR shows. Once we are all caught up on those I guess we'll have to find other stuff to watch on Netflix or Amazon. Plenty of shows and content out there.
Tomorrow marks week 3 of working at home. It's definitely been a weird "new normal". Thursday and Friday I went for a walk around lunch time to try and get some exercise and fresh air. I will try and keep that up if the weather cooperates. The weekend has been kind of dreary and rainy. Cold and wet.
I have downloaded some books on my Kindle so I'll need to pick a new book to start. The quarantine has definitely been good for my reading. Been getting much more reading done than normal. I guess have to look on the bright side for something.
Well that's all for now. Everyone stay safe and hopefully this will blow over at some point soon. One can hope, right?
Letter/Mail Update: Received a letter from/owe a response to: Nina/WA and Celia/MA.
Posted by Hanna at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
First Week of Working From Home, Hudson Valley Hike, ...
Ok so week 1 of working from home has been completed and we're already on day 2 of week 2 now. Made it through last week ok but it did feel like an endless week. I shouldn't complain because at least my job is pretty much set up where I can work from home without many issues. All I need is an internet connection, a phone and my laptop and I am set. I know a lot of people are struggling right now. People who either cannot work from home (hospital staff, doctors, supermarket and other essential staff, ...) It's also crazy the people who get paid minimum wage and need to go out to do their jobs. And the rich people who say things like "Oh you should get a REAL job". Well where would we be without those people right now? The rich people wouldn't be able to get their groceries or get food delivered etc. Ugh.
Alright I won't turn this into a social rant because it's not going to help anything. The weekend was pretty good even though it was a bit weird of course. On Saturday we went for a nice hike/walk in the Hudson Valley. We went to a trail at Poets' Walk Park in Rhinebeck, NY. Really pretty. We of course kept our distance as much as possible from any other people on the trail. After our hike we stopped at Millbrook Vineyard to buy a few bottles of wine. They have a discount on all bottles purchased right now so that was a nice perk as well. Plus it's always good to support the local businesses. We have also been doing take out from some of our favorite local restaurants last week. Some have now decided to stop doing take out though and are closed. I think the take out/delivery business just isn't as profitable unfortunately. I do hope they can survive and open up again when this is all over, whenever that may be.
On Sunday we slept in late and then went to the grocery store and the liquor store to stock up on some things. And then got breakfast take out from one of our local diners. Also got a bottle of OJ and some prosecco so I was able to make mimosas to go along with the breakfast. Then we caught up on some recorded TV.
And well now it's already the new week again. Tuesday morning already. So I better get on with it and log into my work laptop to get started on my day.
Letter/Mail Update: Received a letter from/owe a response to: Nina/WA.
Posted by Hanna at 07:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
COVID 19 ... Social Distancing .. Working from Home ...
What a change a week can make. Crazy times all around at the moment I feel like. Connecticut has now also joined the restaurant/movie theater/etc. ban starting last night. I am working from home until at least April 6 is what we're being told. Social distancing and all that. Crazy world out there right now. Travel restrictions abound all over the place which of course makes my job which is very international (corporate relocation) interesting too. But can you do? We can only make the best of things and we'll get through it. Not much else that can be done.
This past weekend we ran some errands on Saturday and had brunch at J. Lawrence. Then on Sunday we went to see "Emma" (I am glad we were able to go see it before the movie theaters shut down) and had lunch in Oxford followed by catching up on TV at home in the evening.
This week and the coming weeks most likely will bring a lot of at home time since everything is pretty much closed. No restaurants/bars, museums, movies, etc. If the weather cooperates maybe we will go for a walk over the weekend to get out and get some fresh air. Right now it's pretty dreary outside, cold and rainy. But it's only Tuesday of course. We will need to see what the weekend brings.
Also pretty much looking like COVID 19 is also messing with all my travel plans. We had a 2 night stay booked for Niagara on the Lake over Good Friday/Easter but guessing that probably won't happen. And in May I was supposed to travel to Europe to see my parents. I know May is still some time away but the way things have been going I am honestly wondering if I will be able to go or not. Guess I'll see how it goes. One day at a time is pretty much all we can do right now. Well everyone stay safe, wash your hands and curl up with a good book. :)
Letter/Mail Update: Received a letter from/owe a response to: Nina/WA.
Posted by Hanna at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sunday, March 08, 2020
Friend Meet-ups, Daylight Savings, ...
Getting in an update on a Sunday for a change. Mike's in CA, coming back tonight on a red-eye. He's been away since Wednesday. It's been a quiet and busy week all in once somehow. I spent some quiet nights at home with the cats but also went out with my friend Susanna on Thursday for sushi. I haven't seen her since Sept. when she switched jobs to a different company. So it was nice to meet up and catch up. We afterwards also went to Trader Joe's and I had a great time buying way too much. But it worked out well to have some extra goodies at home while being home alone. And yesterday, Saturday, I went to Stamford by train to meet up with my friend Falguni. It's been quite a while since we have had lunch too so was nice to meet up and catch up with her as well. She picked me up from the train station and we went to Bar Taco which was of course delicious. Then spent the evening at home, reading, watching some Amazon Prime and relaxing.
Today is another quiet relax day which is good. Sometimes it's nice to have a quiet nothing day. Slept in which was good. I always hate the stupid time change (the US put the clocks forward today for Daylight Savings Time) Then watched the new Outlander episode, puttered around the web for a bit and am now going to make myself some more tea and sit on the couch to read. Sounds like a relaxing peaceful afternoon to me.
Not really much else new otherwise. Casino night is less than a month away so that's fun. (it's something we do through work where we have a dinner and drinks at the Mohegan Sun casino, a scavenger hunt with prizes and whatnot)
Letter/Mail Update: All caught up with my mail at the moment. :)
Posted by Hanna at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday, March 02, 2020
Vineyard Weekend
Hello March! March is not my favorite month but at least we're closer to spring so that's something. Another Monday and another week ahead. Let's see what this week brings. Had a nice weekend. Saturday we slept in and had lunch at 121 in Oxford. And I spent the evening relaxing and reading. Then on Sunday we went to Chamard Vineyard in Clinton, CT. They have a French bistro there with some super delicious food. Had baked Camembert for an appetizer and Croque Madame for my main dish. So good! Afterwards we checked out two other wineries in Wallingford. Gouveia and Paradise Hills. We had never been to either so it was fun to check out some new places. We will need to go back when the weather is more spring like to enjoy their outdoor spaces and sitting outside. Although we actually did sit outside at Paradise Hills yesterday which is kind of funny considering it was below 40 degrees. But it was super crowded inside with live music. Sitting outside in the sun was actually much more enjoyable, believe it or not. Made our way home after a quick stop at Centrico, to catch up on our recorded TV.
And well here we are, another week ahead. Nothing much else really happened last week. Felt like a really long week. Let's see what this week brings. A little tired right now but I guess I'll get through the week as always. Am supposed to meet up with a work friend (or well she used to work at the same place but actually hasn't in a little while now) on Thursday night so that should be good. Nothing else going on really.
Nothing too note worthy on the calendar for March really. Easter falls into early April this year and we have a 2 night trip planned to Niagara on the Lake so that should be fun. And in May I am supposed to go to Croatia and Austria. We'll see how that works out.
Letter/Mail Update: All caught up with my mail at the moment. :)
Posted by Hanna at 07:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)