Sheltered

Social distancing, North Georgia style

Everyone in the world seems to be sheltered in place as this virus works its way through society, and here in Georgia we’re no exception.  Just for reference, Sheila & I live almost 35 miles from downtown Atlanta on the very outskirts of the “greater Atlanta Metro area”. I frequently joke that we are on the edge of the abyss … not quite in “Deliverance” territory but close enough to hear the banjos playing!

So, even here in the north-western part of Georgia where our life is at an admittedly slower pace than many in this country, we still have the same set of rules and requirements to handle this outbreak as everywhere else in the country. Shelter in place as much as possible, maintain social distancing, don’t gather in groups of 10 or more, wash your hands frequently (I don’t know how much more we can wash our hands than we already do … especially Sheila, who always washes her hands more than any individual I’ve ever known), avoid close contact with strangers.

Sheila and I have been self-isolating to a degree for the past two weeks. I did venture out twice to go to the grocery store (and yes, we too have been unable to locate toilet paper … what an odd situation!) and Sheila & I did run an errand this past Sunday to pick up an item (a router table) we had won at an on-line auction (maintaining proper precautions and social distancing). We feel we have been very cautious and really work towards limiting our potential exposure.

On the way home from the router table pickup we called in an order at our favorite Mexican restaurant for take-out, fully expecting to see an essentially closed restaurant except for people picking up take-out orders. We were shocked to see the restaurant pretty well full of patrons, and the bar area completely packed! My first thought was, “What is wrong with you people??”

Granted, we probably shouldn’t have been out ourselves and if the router table we picked up hadn’t been such a crazy good value we probably wouldn’t have gone out at all. But we had very limited interaction when getting the table, unlike all of these strangers sitting down in fairly close proximity to each other to eat and drink. It’s no wonder this virus spreads like wildfire …

Literally, right across the street

To be fair, we are very lucky to live where we do, especially having family literally right across the street from us … we get to see the kids every day, even though we maintain our distance and avoid hugging & touching … a luxury so many of our friends do not have. We are lucky that we’re retired and no longer need to worry about work things. We’re lucky that we can, and regularly do, cook at home with sufficient supplies to last us quite some time.

Bella, doing her own social distancing

We’re blessed to live on 2 acres of heavily wooded land, with ample areas to stroll outside with the dogs and get exercise without having to interact with people we don’t know. We’re so fortunate to have equipment allowing us to stay in regular contact with Laura and Lord through messaging, phone contact and social media. We’re so grateful that John has returned to Georgia and we were able to see him settled into his new home before all of this got too crazy.

In addition to these great gifts, Sheila & I are so happy to have found each other. If I have to be sequestered with anyone, I’m sure glad it’s Sheila!

Hoping y’all are safe and healthy and with folks you love during this kinda weird time in our history!