We’re ensconced. “Nesting in Place” as I call it.

After a couple of hours of running yet more errands yesterday; stopping at the pharmacy, the art supply shop, the chocolate shop (essential), the bookstore and the supermarket, we were wiped out. The week has been stressful, as you well know, and I think it really hit us. I was out and about more this week than I ever am, getting supplies, then realizing we need more supplies, and then doing it again. Enough, already!

I am not going to read any more reports on the coronavirus this weekend. Nope. We have done all we can – we’ve washed our hands and used hand sanitizer, we’ve cleaned steering wheels and door handles and grocery carts and have stopped shaking hands. Now, we’re in for however long we need to be.

The scene in the grocery store yesterday:

This was the paper products aisle. Completely cleared. Nothing. The lady we spoke to at the checkout said more was coming in on Sunday. I can’t tell you how many conversations we had about these empty shelves with fellow shoppers. It’s the kind of ‘we’re all in this together’ feeling that we get when there’s an impending blizzard.

As you know, I just finished The Pursuit of Love  by Nancy Mitford, listened to a podcast about the Mitfords, and now I’m a wee bit obsessed about these six sisters. I’ve read a fair amount about them over the years. I want to read more of Nancy Mitford, but Diana, Deborah, and Jessica were also prolific writers. I ordered a book through Amazon the other day, thinking I would have it in hand before I had to stay home indefinitely. It came yesterday, but I also remembered seeing a book about the Mitfords at a local bookstore earlier in the week. I found it when we were out and about yesterday and was happy to see that it was a different book than the one I had ordered. So I ended up with two books about the Mitford sisters.

I started reading The Sisters last night and I’m thoroughly engrossed. The volume of letters will be next. That book is used so I got it for $8 at the bookstore. The Sisters  is written beautifully by Mary Lovell. Given the fact that these women led such unbelievably interesting and sometimes, quite shocking, lives, it reads like a novel.

I’m looking forward to reading even more later today.

I found out that Jane Eyre, which was supposed to have closed its run this Sunday, closed Thursday. Hartford Stage has also cancelled their next, and final, production of the season. I know that they are struggling, as is every regional theater in the country. This could devastate them. I pray it doesn’t.

By the way, we are trying to help our local businesses. They’ve had very little traffic the past few days. Except for the supermarket, which is part of a regional chain, every place in which we made purchases yesterday was a locally owned business. They need our help now.

So much change in a week.

But friends, there’s nothing we can do now but stay home if at all possible and, yes, here it is again:

Nest in Place.

Take care of yourselves.

Happy Saturday.