September 9, 2020 7:45am  Looking west from front of house

If you are like me, you weren't expecting retirement to be fraught with so much turmoil. If getting old and having creaky bones weren't bad enough, now we get to worry about the Coronavirus, Fires, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Poor Air Quality, Being Housebound, Rising Life Costs, Social Unrest, and our Health. I left politics and the environment off, because of strong opposing opinions, but these topics are certainly on seniors minds too. So how are we coping?

Covid: It has not been easy for Peggy and I. Both of us have health issues that make not getting Covid-19 a living process. We have been living a very strict wash our hands many times a day, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing life.  Covid-19 has added a lot of stress to our lives beyond us. Our son is an Optometrist. He has an auto immune disease and yet has to work very close to his patients. He wears scrubs, a N-95 mask, and a face shield. His wife is also an Optometrist, and goes through the same drill, which is very stressful for both of them. My oldest son is a fireman, and has been very busy fighting California fires and avoiding Covid. His wife is a physician's assistant in an emergency room. Both are exposed to Covid-19 as a part of their job.  And my middle son lost his job due to Covid and also has serious health issues too, so add all of these on to Mom and Dad's "stress plate"..

Fire: Once again we had to prepare to evacuate our house because of the Wallbridge Fire. That makes three out of the last four years that we have either evacuated or were prepared to go. Ka-ching...another layer of stress. I did update our fire insurance after last year's evacuation. If you haven't looked at your insurance, please do. We thought we had good coverage, and then were shocked to find out what the current rebuilding costs are...how about $300-$400 per square foot for a subdivision house where we live? We would have been at least $200K under water if our house had burned down.

Housebound: We want to travel, but I don't see that happening any day soon.So how are we coping? Somedays...not so well. 24/7 together definitely puts stress on a marriage. I am a PC gamer, so I have enjoyed playing games with two of my sons. Peggy never has been a gamer, but our son and I bought her a Nintendo Switch and a game called Animal Crossing. She got hooked and has expanded her gaming to Stardew Valley, which she plays jointly with our son.

I have watched a ton of YouTube videos and podcasts, and discovered some really talented people. Netflix, HBO, Prime Video has also helped pass some of the time. We also play Scrabble and Boggle...Peggy always beats me :0)

I am the grocery shopper and chief cook. I only shop once a week, and packages get wiped down before they are stored or used, so this is a bit of an ordeal.

Throw in some yardwork and a trip to the coast now and then, sprinkle in lots of phone calls and emails, and that sums up how we have been coping.

How goes it with you?

I'd overlooked the 'Member Chatter' til today. So glad it caught me up with you and family, Gary, thanks.

Like so many Californians, we share the same issues here in the Sierra foothills of Penn Valley. Hard not to give in to the virus/shutdown fatigue but we practice all the social distancing guidelines as much as possible. We have InstaCart which is fantastic. For $10 a month and 5% surcharge we have all groceries delivered to our home within just a few hours.

Oct.15 our lake is being lowered again for silt removal so I'm fishing it as often as possible. I'll often take the boat out but mainly use my kayak..especially since my doctor wants me to lose 20lbs., jeesh, 20lbs?!!

I wish you and all our classmates the very best in staying positive while meeting life's challenges.