The name of my blog has never been more appropriate-bored housewife. That pretty much sums it up, but life now a days certainly puts a lot of things in perspective. Yes, previously I may have been bored, but at least that was my choice. Pre-pandemic I had the choice of whether or not to leave my house and find something to do. This is something I certainly won’t take for granted in the future!
Well, March was supposed to be a big travel month for me. I had planned an overnight in NYC to spend time with my youngest on my way to meet my friend in Spain. My friend and I were to meet in Barcelona for a few days and then go to Costa Del Sol. But it just wasn’t meant to be—again. Let me backtrack. In 1978, when I graduated from high school, my friend and I booked a charter (do these even still exist?) to London and Costa Del Sol. We were staying at a five star hotel in London, having a wonderful time, when the charter company went out of business. We were immediately downgraded to a dumpy hotel, but we were 17 and 18 so who cared! We made friends with the bell boys, one of whom was an arsonist, and so every morning at 2 am the fire alarm went off and we were standing outside of the hotel as the fire department put out the fire. To us, back then, it was an adventure. The adventure continued when we were sleeping in the airport in London because there was a civil aeronautics board strike, but again we were kids so it was fun! We never made it to Costa Del Sol on that trip. Fast forward 42 years to this year, the year we turn 60 and decided to celebrate our birthdays and almost 46 years of friendship. We planned to try Costa Del Sol again and never thought we wouldn’t make it for the second time. Both my friend and I ended up being sick a few days before we were scheduled to leave. Was there some greater force that didn’t want us to go? We’ll never know why we were destined not to get to Costa Del Sol together, but it looks like it’s just not in the cards for us. We will reschedule our trip, but I’m not sure if we’ll try Costa Del Sol. I don’t know if the third time will be the charm, but we’re probably not going to chance it!
Note: This trip was cancelled before the stay at home order was issued. We actually were supposed to leave the end of February when we didn’t know how bad the corona situation was going to get.
Continuing on with this crazy month, we had to cancel our trip to LA and Seattle to visit two of our children. With my just getting over being sick and all that’s going on with the corona virus my husband and I felt it was better to stay home. (We cancelled this trip and a few days before we were to leave the situation started to escalate with the number of cases of corona virus here in the US and so we knew we made the right decision.) I’m so sad that I won’t get to see my kids. I love that they are all so confident and adventurous and live in different cities, but I really miss them.
So what did I do this month? A lot of recuperating, reading, and watching tv!
The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs: Yes this is a love story, but it’s so much more than that. My timing for reading this book was perfect given that International Women’s Day was in March. Telling the story of women affected by domestic violence, accidental families, and the importance of women helping women, this was a really enjoyable read despite the heavy subjects. Wiggs did a great job of balancing the dark with the light. I’m looking forward to reading other books by this author.
Nature’s Wick Candle: I have the vanilla dolce, apple tree, bonfire nightly scented candle and it smells delicious. This candle makes a soft crackle as it burns and it’s just so relaxing listening to this. I love the smell and sound so much I’m going to see what other scents are available. It’s also a really great price point.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: So while I was home sick, once I stopped sleeping most of the day, I watched a lot of tv. I’d heard a lot about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and decided to give it a try. It was very entertaining. I think a lot of it made me chuckle because it reminded me of growing up in a Jewish household. I just heard that there’s supposed to be a fourth season and I can’t wait!
Outshine Fruit Bars: While I was sick I craved ice pops. I haven’t eaten these in years as I’ve taken processed sugar out of my diet (usually). My husband bought me the peach flavor and they were delicious. I have to be honest, I was kinda bummed when I was feeling better and went back to my regular diet-I miss these (but they’ll definitely be on my list for my “cheat” days!)]
Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation: This is the first graphic novel I’ve read and I really enjoyed it. My son loves graphic novels and he bought this one for me. It’s so interesting to see how the illustrator interpreted the story. I try to read the text on the page, imagine it in my mind, and then go back to see how it is illustrated. I read Anne Frank’s Diary years ago, but thoroughly enjoyed reading this graphic adaptation.
With all that is going on in our world right now, I hope you’re all healthy at home and you’ve found some things to do to help you beat the boredom!