Quarantine day 353

Wait a hot minute! It's been how long since I last posted? The day after the Super Bowl? Now I feel I need to fill this post with two weeks worth of --yeah, what? I'm still quarantining, such as it is. Any day I get out of the house is a day of celebration! But let's play catch up before I'm writing my one-year quarantine post in a few weeks.

• I got to spend a night with my niece while her parents were gone. She's thirteen, believes she can stay at home on her own, and kept apologizing for every little thing I "had" to do. I reminded her I'd been holed up in a house for almost a year. This was a vacation! She'd a cool kid. I enjoyed hanging with her, although both of us were exhausted from little sleep the night before. After homework, dinner, and oral studying for an upcoming test, we were sure it was midnight. It was 8:30 p.m. She was horrified. "I'm not going to bed at 8:30!!" We were both in bed by ten. Shh...don't tell anyone.

• I met a neighbor the other day while on one of my two daily walks with other neighbors. We chatted and moved on. Three hours later, she walked past my house, and we talked again. I was still dressed in my walking outfit of a t-shirt and an exercise skort, and in the course of giving me background on herself, she told me, "I also have a lot of clothes, so if you ever need some..." It didn't hit me until later. I'm still laughing. Please, ma'am, this is what you got with me BEFORE quarantine.

• I applied for and received entrance into the RWA RAMP program designed to pair unpublished writers with volunteer published writers. Hundreds applied, and thirty-nine of us made it in the first class. I met with my mentor via Zoom and learned WE'RE FROM THE SAME TOWN IN INDIANA! How crazy is that? I've met more people lately from there in the writing community, which I find interesting, considering my high school guidance counselor had never heard of creative writing as a college degree. 

• One of the things I've had to do is work on my social media presence. I've established my Twitter and my Facebook pages, but am stymied on the website. How does one create that without a book cover? So much to learn... If you're interested, join me! @CLeonauthor on Twitter and CaraghLeonauthor on FB.

• These first two months have been all about working on my 2021 resolutions and writing. I have a tight schedule, and I've got to say, working parents are the BOMB! I don't know how people--and can I be sexist here and say women, especially those like myself who run the daily household--manage it all. I've decided I need to make enough money from my writing to hire a cleaning lady. I think that's a worthy goal, to begin with, don't you?

• I've missed ordering items besides groceries online. There was something so exciting about greeting the Amazon drivers. So, when my mentor suggested a book, and then my fellow RAMP members talked about the items they can't live without, I wasted quite a few hours making purchases. I'm chalking it under research. 

• Medically, I have a mouth issue. I kept saying a tooth issue, but yesterday I went back to the dentist, who believes it might be gum-related. When he asked me when I last flossed, yesterday evening or yesterday morning, I broke out in a sweat and immediately confessed. "This is like doing something wrong in school and getting caught and being sent to the principal! I floss every other day if I'm good." He mostly just shakes his head at me. I'm sure I'm an enigma. Now, I'm not flossing per his orders (for a few days) and swishing with salt water several times a day. If this doesn't work, I'll have to see a periodontist. Yeah, Google that one. Ugh. As soon as I can, I'll be flossing twice a day!

So far, some of my family members and friends have received the vaccine. The husband and the girls will likely be next since all three fall under the essential worker category. It's a good thing I'm a homebody, but seriously, I could become a recluse if this goes beyond the summer months! Stay safe, peeps!