Friday, March 27, 2020
Day 1: I cried yesterday. Somewhere in Minnesota we reached the boreal forest and it felt like being suffocated. I dreamed so long of traveling (without the means of doing so). My heart irrational. I cried “I know all these trees!”
On the other hand I have a home to come to. Both physically and geographical. When times were difficult before, when I had no where to go, or no money, or the relationship was over; I had that in my father’s land. And I have that now. An imperfect home in the woods. Walls, roof and heat.
Today we unpack. Do laundry. Assess the winter damage: one bedroom, the drywall of the ceiling partially collapsed and water damage to the floor. Something wrong with the stink stack. The kitchen faucet is partially broke. The shower head is completely shattered and the pipes are damaged in the wall. Somehow the wood shed is still standing, against expectations. The dishwasher isn’t quite right. Something in the switch. I found thistle seed stashes. Somebody (or somebodies) small and furry is living in my home.
News: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is Covid-19 positive with mild symptoms.
News: Our President is making it personal with the Governor of Michigan. Suppliers are being told not to send supplies, even when the President stated governors should procure their own.
I am afraid now, more than ever. I am more angry than I’ve ever been. I am helpless. I took a long bath, my first in eight months. I can’t get calm. I’m going to go for a nap. To try to get out from these overwhelming feelings. I have too many people working in nursing. I am breaking down. I cry, seeing their faces. Terrified for them.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Day 2: The cat doesn’t stop crying. He bellows in empty rooms. He may be channeling my feelings. I was weepy and I’m now hollowed out. I can’t even go out to escape. There’s no escape. My body escapes for me. Drowsiness comes down often. This is the life of the damaged. My brain takes care of me by putting me to sleep.
News: the President declares a state of emergency for Michigan. They send 1000 N95 Masks. It’s a hysterically low number. I take solace in governor Coumo’s daily briefings. He’s the leader in this crisis.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Day 3: Anger. I’ve always despised Sundays and Holidays because of the limits put on what you can and cannot go and do. But now every day feels like a Sunday. If I could sleep through till this was over I would, but I can’t and I shouldn’t. I’ve already slid too far into the comforts of sleep. Instead I’m going to try to set some daily expectations for myself.
Coffee & 100 Day Project
Clean Something
Read
Art
Today I cleaned one area in the kitchen. Which led to some open shelves. Good enough. More than I set out to do.
News: the President accused New York hospitals of nefarious activity with PPE in the corona task force news conference. Every day I listen to that and to Governor Coumo. Thank the stars for Fauci and Coumo.
Monday March 30, 2020
Day 4: Hope is a tender thing. Hope is a small newborn babe. Hope is a fire in night. Hope. My husband had an interview this morning. It sounds like a job offer is coming, for after the Covid-19 crisis. There’s hope in this darkness. Hope can crush a human under its enormous weight. Hope can be dashed. I wait in the wilderness with hope in my heart.
News: Yesterday the President announced 30 more days of Social Distancing.
Coffee and failed attempt at 100 Day Project
News
Got internet access
Cleaned out bookcase and purged books
Napped
Tried to watch Pet Cemetery
Ran away and worked on The Painting, it goes well
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Day 5: More overcast days than sunny moments, the weather is concurrent with my oppressed mood. The cat continues to cry. Yowls if he cannot see me. Sometimes I drug him with catnip to get it to stop. He is unhappy.
People are expressing feelings of derealization on social media. Welcome to the world of trauma my friends. Only, we are just getting started. My trauma responses are in full gear. Numbness. Sleeping long hours. Fatigue. Loss of interest. Derealization. The only way is through. The way through is to try a little every day to be human until the fog lifts. Go through the motions until they aren’t motions. Set little attainable goals.
News: The administration “believes” the peak of cases will hit in two weeks.
Coffee and the motions of the 100 Day Project
Forced myself to clean a couple walls and two shelves. That’s enough of that.
Bath
Reading
Weight of drowsiness overtook me: nap
Coumo and then Trump news briefings
Staring at a wall
Cut paper for Polaroid project
April 1, 2020
Day 6: My mental health is unraveling. It is a chore to get myself to do things. I let off Instagram and my Charley Lakes Studio Facebook page . Fine. I am trying to get the fortitude to work on the Polaroid project. I’m barely putting effort forth into the 100 Day Project. I’m sleeping in and napping. I know this headspace well. And it is not a good place. This is not where I thought I’d be last week. I’m fighting my way through.
News: Florida finally has a “stay at home” order. Kurt fixed the shower.
Coffee and 100 Day Project (posted last weeks blog) while listening to NPR updates.
Leftover pancakes and Coumo briefing. Which I turned off. I felt my body descend into drowsiness. That’s enough.
Read
Nap
Cleaned off kitchen cupboard fronts: literally the least I could commit to
Stare out the window
Watch “Witcher” and cut paper. I have no idea what is going on. What is the plot?
April 2, 2020
Day 7: The sun shines. I feel lighter. I drink coffee and explore social media. I am appalled at the ridiculous conspiracy theories on tap. Like the time I read a thick book on why atheists were right (I turned agnostic), I come out of this time absolutely sure conspiracy theorists are dead wrong. I’ve had enough. Everyone seems to have their favorite. As though the reality of this world isn’t fantastic enough. Reality is far more amazing than given credit. Maybe we need more arts and sciences. To sit in wonder of the mundane without need of some spectacular shadowy double truth.
News: Michigan officially suspends the K-12 school year. The Democratic National Convention moved to August.
Coffee & 100 Day Project & NPR podcasts: productive
Can’t get the Coumo briefing to play.
Read
Nap
Polaroid Project
Witcher… finished it. I think I get it. Maybe.
April 3, 2020
Day 8: The days blur. Woke up well after noon. Oops. I watch people on social media, who weren’t taking the situation serious, change their tune. I hate cleaning. And I hate having a messy house. Conundrums.
News: Etsy sent out a request asking for its makers to make masks.
Coffee & 100 Day Project
Stare out the window
Polaroid project
Refuse to nap… sort of watch a movie and start a tv show: “the expanse”
Life is becoming so small…
April 4, 2020
Day 9: My vessel facilitates anger. I vibrate with it. I am nobody. I, and everyone I know, we are acceptable losses to the capitalist gods of greed. What a better world this would be if we weren’t tethered to live in an expansion economy. There must be other ways we can live? Surely???
News: no news intake, need mental space today
Coffee & slow simmering anger
100 Day Project
Polaroid Project
Thought long and hard about cleaning… not today!
Binge watching “The Expanse” (don’t judge me. I’ve not watched anything since October)
April 5, 2020
Day 10: The snow is going away fast. When we arrived home, our house was snowed in. We had to break a trail through deep snow to haul necessities in. Now? The driveway is mud.
News: Texas issues “stay at home order”
Coffee & 100 Day Project
A walk
getting fancy… have the easel in the house for the painting now
more “the expanse”
Monday, April 6, 2020
Day 11: I realized I was checking out of reality. I put NPR on this morning and I couldn’t even finish my coffee before I was back in bed. So check out of reality it’s going to have to be if I want to be awake. Or save news for a bedtime snack.
News: prime minister Boris Johnson in the ICU and the Queen gives a rare speech. A tiger in a zoo is infected.
Coffee and 100 Day Project
Nap
Painting
TV
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Day 12: It rains.
Coffee
Sleep
100 Day Project
TV
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Day 13: The sun shines. The cat cries.
Coffee & 100 Day Project
Read
Sleep
Read
Sleep
TV
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Day 14: Hope. A year after my husband lost his job. A year of stress and worry and adventure. Good news today. Fragile news amongst the sea of uncertainty. News that could evaporate as the world continues to be tossed upside down by a virus.
Coffee…