This seems about right.

Joy can come in the oddest ways these days. At 10am and 4pm, I was almost delirious with happiness. However, a lot more happened today than that.

Outside our house, in New Zealand, their prime minister took a 20% pay cut amid coronavirus pandemic. Our prime minister continued with a 2% increase because, I guess, no one is stopping them. Imagine if you could set your own pay rate and give yourself a raise any time you wanted?

In Pennsylvania, a 93-year-old woman got 150 cans of beer delivered to her door after a viral plea for “more beer.” Why didn’t I think of this?

Here, yesterday, we went on a birthday ride. Ok, I should have mentioned it yesterday but whatever. I love the idea of having a few people drive by and celebrate someone’s birthday (usually a child.) The article is here. The-Youngest has grown up with her.

But my happiness didn’t come from me being giddy at politicians giving themselves a raise, no, it came from a successful shopping trip!

You know my routine. Have a list and a plan. Have wipes. Get there at rope drop (8am) and grab my essentials. Usually, I can get about 80% of my list (not including things that no one ever has any more like TP, sanitizer or wipes.) However, this time, I got TP, a Lysol spray and Lysol wipes, and…and… and Kleenex.

Kleenex!

I was so deliriously happy that I think I may have cried in the lineup. For the first time in 34 days, I got resupplied on things that simply hadn’t been in stock. Oh, frabjous day, Callooh! Callay!

I got only 1 of each, but still, it was so nice to be able to have a wipe container in the car and not have to carry around one like a hobo with a scooby-doo lunch kit.

It’s so funny how much happiness a shopping trip can bring in this new world. Maybe now I get the whole shoe-buying phenomena back in the day.

Here, the Prettiest-Girl-in-the-World hit her 34th day in nearkt complete and utter isolation from everyone (except her kids and smelly-old me.) It’s hitting her hard, and I hope she’ll be able to see people soon. Facetiming isn’t quite the same.

But it’s still something!

Because at 4pm, we got to chat with two dear friends from Victoria. It would have been great to have a coffee with them, but Face-Timing totally worked. By the end, I was deliriously happy that I could talk to someone in the outside world.

So, two happies in one day. A complete success.

Less successful, though, was my creation of a compost pile. Like building Ikea, I didn’t read the instructions and ended up with a bit of a slimy mess. However, having YouTubed it, I know how to fix it.

But why compost?

Well, I have a weird desire to grow something. So, after talking on the phone to a friend (who then dropped off a pepper plant for us!!!), he sold me on the whole idea of growing some herbs, maybe a tomato or two, maybe a potato, maybe even a line of carrots.

Hence, the compost.

Now, while I was busy discovering the mess I’d made last year when I kind of half-assed the whole compost thing, The-Prettiest-Girl-in-the-World and her boys went for a long walk in the sunshine. The-Youngest looked like something out of a vampire movie, while I don’t think The-Oldest has seen the sun in 34 days, so it was good they all got out.

They said they had a great time.

As well, at night, they all do a rigorous routine of exercise. Jumping jacks. Push-ups. Sit-ups. All done with as much noise as any three human beings can make.

For supper, I BBQ’d some burgers, then we all retired to do our own thing.

And such is the life in quarantine. A good, simple life.

Until tomorrow, be safe, be healthy, and respect the new world.