Quarantine: January 2021

Happy New Year.

If you’re reading this, that means you survived 2020. So take a moment to recognize that, despite all you’ve been through and the seemingly impossible circumstances, you’re still here. I’m really glad about that.

Simultaneously, let’s take a moment to hold a light up for the family and the friends and the friends of friends that we lost this past year. Let’s honor their lives and keep their memories close at heart, while we strive to build a better world where no life is stolen from us by a preventable pandemic.

And finally, let us each promise one another that going forward, we won’t complain about birthdays and growing old, because so many of our loved ones were robbed of that opportunity this year by COVID-19. Old age is a privilege. Life is a gift.

And life continues on here for us. January started off chilly, with some blustery Nor’easters rolling through New England. We’ve been burrowing in blankets and binge watching the wilderness survival show ALONE on the History Channel. Mike and I hold in-depth discussions on (if we were on the show) what survival tools we would pack, how we would build our woodland shelters, whether or not we would bring bows and arrows or gill nets for fishing. I mean, neither of us would last more than a week in reality, especially because I’m definitely never going to eat fish heads or slugs. But it’s a nice escapist fantasy to have while you’re safely ensconced in a blanket, pressed up against a heating pad, with delivery food on the way to your doorstep.

We DID have one beautiful and warm-ish day in January and when that happens, you maximize that day. Mike and I drove towards the coast with no other goal besides getting outside to breathe fresh air into our lungs and see different scenery.

Here’s our visit to Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, so named for the unique sounds created by the unique sand. The waves were huge that day. The shore was full of sea foam. And the sky was a shifting palette of blues, purples, and slate grays.

Friendly reminder that sunlight is a natural and free source of Vitamin D, which can boost your mood and alleviate seasonal affective disorder. Also a great cure for pandemic fatigue.

Continuing along the coast, we took a stroll along the seaport of Gloucester. Here’s Man at the Wheel, the Fisherman’s memorial for those who have lost their lives at sea. The surrounding memorial is inscribed with the names of over 10,000 people who have died living, working, or serving at sea, since the city’s founding in 1623 and continuing until this day. You’re probably familiar with at least a few, if you’ve ever seen The Perfect Storm film or read the novel by Sebastian Junger.

And we journeyed again once more to another stretch of coastline, this time to the appropriately named Good Harbor Beach. To whoever lives in the house upon the rocks in Good Harbor, you better be living your best life. You are the envy of all who gaze across the water and fantasize what it might be like to wake up and walk to the balcony, cup of coffee in hand, heavy robe keeping you warm, to watch the sunrise over the ocean and the waves break far below.

I cannot overstate how nice it is to get outside the house. Those days will be few and far between in the next two months during the bulk of winter weather. If I could store up sunlight like a solar battery I would to get me through the dark, desaturated days.

While we wait for the color to return to the world, we adopt more plants from our favorite local boutiques to fill up our home. Between the dull gray skies and the barren trees, we are desperate for some greenery around us. Here’s our new Dracaena alongside a little carnivorous plant I forget the name of.

New succulents added to the growing mini plant family.

And then a lovely little Calathea with pink veined leaves which I put in a little pink pot, naturally.

Beyoncé is doing her part too, blossoming with hundreds of lemon blossoms that will hopefully become teeny tiny baby lemons. Our house right now is filled with the scent of lush, fragrant blossoms.

The backyard bird feeder is the other main source of entertainment for us. We’ve seen Cardinals, Blue Jays, Tufted Titmice, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Dark Eyed Juncos, Carolina Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, Downy Woodpeckers, and (as seen below) Hairy Woodpeckers.