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Lillian here, happy to be hosting OLN on this 16th day of April, National Poetry Writing Month! Looking forward to reading all your posts. I’m certain there will be many!
So if you feel like reading before posting, here’s a glimpse of living in a Boston high rise in the midst of a pandemic.
1) Our building is across the street from Mass. General Hospital. Last Friday the city asked everyone to lean out a window, stand on their porch or deck at 7 PM and whoop it up to say thank you to health care workers, delivery and grocery store persons, mail carriers etc. I was on our deck with MGH right in view, hollering out my thanks!
2) In our 17 floor building, everyone must wear a mask or scarf covering their nose and mouth, the moment they walk out of their unit: IE in the hallway, the lobby area, by mailboxes, the communal laundry room. No one is allowed to congregate anywhere and only 1 person is allowed in an elevator (exception is your spouse etc) . I do laundry at 5 AM once a week to insure no one else is there – and wipe down every inch of each machine with a germicidal/alcohol wipe before I touch it.
3) I have rekindled my passion for sewing and knitting again and my “study” is now a bonafide craft-room mess.
4) I do yoga and meditation daily; watch shows I’d never heard of on Netflix and Prime and enjoy British shows on Acorn tv (which is free this month). My kindle is loaded with electronic books from our Boston Public Library.
5) George walks to the grocery once a week (we do not own a car) and is cooking up a storm – and we take a walk by the Charles River every day the weather is amenable – suiting up with mask and gloves and keeping our physical distance from everyone else. We’ve found a less traveled path, complete with daffodils and forsythia in bloom.
6) And as I keep saying, I am so grateful I married my best friend!
Ready to post to OLN? Here’s what to do:
- Post ONE poem of your choosing to dVerse. ONLY ONE. NO special form or content required. Insert the exact URL for your poem to Mr. Linky below.
- YOU MUST EITHER TAG dVerse in your post, or include a link at the end of your poem that leads readers back to dVerse (https://dversepoets.com).
- IF YOU DO NOT INCLUDE MENTION OF dVERSE, I WILL GENTLY REMIND YOU TO ADD IT OR I WILL REMOVE YOUR POST FROM MR. LINKY.
- Sorry to be so harsh…..but this is just part of the requirements of dVerse AND it will bring you more readers and lead more folks to dVerse so they can participate as well!
dVerse 
Welcome to the pub! I awoke to huge flakes of snow….like the clouds were sending confetti in an insult to spring. But now it is bright and sunny, albeit chilly. Day ??? I don’t know what number of staying inside as much as we can….not seeing anyone. Last time I hugged someone other than my hubby was March 12 when our daughter came to see us as we returned from San Diego. She brought us 6 rolls of toilet paper and little did we know then how precious that gift would be!!!!
So step right up to the bar folks….looking forward to your posts today!
We have plenty of toilet paper, and the stores are full… no problem here…
I think there are people in the U.S. who have stockpiled enough toilet paper to last until 2023! Also I’m hearing that pasta is nonexistent on many shelves; alcohol wipes; and now flour as many are taking to baking while they are stuck at home.
So Bjorn: Are the restaurants busy? Movie theaters?
Movie theaters are closed, restaurant have huge problems, and we actually buy one meal per week to support a local place… there are lot of things that have stopped, and it seems like we have a model that can work over a long time… so let us see.
Life here in Stockholm is very similar… masks are not prescribed anywhere, but we stay apart and work from home. I have been home six weeks now and it starts to feel strange that there is an office somewhere.
Fortunately, we can go out as much as we like, and we walk both before and after work, but shopping we do only weekly. You might have heard about all the open restaurants and shops in Sweden, but 90 percent still follow a way of living very similar to the rest of the world.
grrr…..problems with my technical expertise of lack thereof….comments not publishing? Let me try again.
Okay…now I’m in! 🙂
Hi Lillian- thanks for a peek into your life. I haven’t seen another person other than my husband, unless you count the person who loads the groceries into my car. I don’t shop, I order online and pick up. Life is strange indeed. Thank you for hosting!
Well….it is fun to host a large gathering ….even if only online! 🙂
Haha! Yes.
Hello Lillian and All. Lillian, I like hearing the logistics of how you and hub have adjusted to get through. It’s been sunny all day here but snow-cold. Hoping you two and everyone else continuing safety and peace of mind through it all.
ah yes…..may we all stay healthy!
Good evening everyone.
We had a windy and mostly sunny day. So I took a ten kilometer walk along the water from a now unusual meeting in town. Yes, there are people out, but more like it was the middle of the night, not before lunch a weekday.
Healthy wishes to all.
Nice to have you at the pub! Social distance not required here! 🙂
Happy Open Link Night and thanks for hosting, Lillian. Just stopping by to say hi.
Hello Frank! Nice to see you at the pub tonight! It’s a place where social distancing is not enforced 🙂
I love your word pictures of your life in Covid!. Sounds like you are in a good place to be. Stay safe!
You too!
Hi Lillian, really appreciate your insight into your life in lockdown … maybe that could be a prompt at some stage? Those very crucial daily basics will vary greatly for each of us and yours was fascinating.
Also great to hear you married your best friend, sadly many are finding they didn’t 😦
Oh yes….living in close quarters day in and day out….no social outings….becomes quite telling, right? We’ve been rejuvenated (never say retired) for about 7 years now so very used to being together without the huge “to do” list that comes with jobs. We’ve often said how glad we are that we married our best friends!
that’s such a rare quality, enjoy!
2:18 am here 💝 I have enjoyed my reading and commenting of the poems so far 🙂 will be back first thing in the morning with some tea to catch up. Thank you for being a wonderful hostess, Lillian! 😘😘
My pleasure, Sanaa. I always enjoy tending the pub!
Lillian thanks for hosting and sharing a glimpse of your new life. It is much like what you describe here. I have to wear a mask to go outside, nothing is open and the stores are insane. The shortage of TP is mind boggling. I have been telecommuting since the first week of March. It feels so strange.
Nice to see you at the pub….a space where sitting up to the bar on stools close together is encouraged 🙂 Stay safe in this surreal world.
Okay folks. It’s been a long day. I shall leave the key under the mat so please do come on in to the pub and post your poems. I shall be back in the morning with fresh black coffee in hand, ready to read and respond.
In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy….and wash your hands!
Oh Lilian, thank you for that lovely glimpse into your day. I live alone but fortunately have two wonderful offspring and the spouses who I talk to often and my best friends whom I have “seen” more through all this than I normally would, ironically. I live on what is essentially the only house in a cul-de-sac so I’d look like a madwoman standing outside applauding essential workers, but I am full of awe and honor for them. Thanks for leaving the key; I’ve made myself a Kir, my favorite cocktail, and linked a poem about the glorious sun, which shines through all this to lead us to the other side, one way or another. Blessed Be.
So glad you let yourself in! I’m back to do some catch-up reading. I was in the laundry room at 5:15 this morning: gloves, mask and germicidal wipes….no one else there that early. But it’s taken me two cups of coffee now to get back to the pub so I can give the posts my “awake” attention! 🙂
Stay safe….a cul-de-sac would be nice now!
hey fellow poets! we just had some intense snow, for about 12 minutes. very strange. sometimes it seems like nothing is unaffected, and other times it seems like only irrelevant and excessive things are gone. Spending time with family has been a boon. I’ve been writing a lot for April, hard to pick only one to point out to you all.
Nice to see you at the pub. Yep — inside time means lots more time with spouses, kids; and Zooming with family and friends too. We actually had an extended family zoom the other night to watch my granddaughter blow out the candles on her birthday cake after we all sang happy birthday to her! Singing in sync is a challenge on Zoom, but it sure made her grin!
Things are not so different in Australia. Some people stay home pretty much, others still go to the parks or beaches. No face masks or gloves to be seen. I like the Swedish approach but here is where we are at.
When we are out for our walk, we take a less traveled city route (we don’t own a car), all the masks really look surreal. Boston’s mayor has asked all citizens to wear masks when they must go outside their home. It’s like the land of the Masked Marauders!
Thanks for the vivid description of apartment life in Boston – and for taking time out of your busy schedule to host the bar. Great to see the daffs in bloom – and looks like a bloom of great writing to enjoy this evening.
I was in the laundry room at 5 AM this morning: mask, gloves, and germicidal wipes besides my laundry baskets, detergent etc. So — I’ve waited until I’ve had my two cups of coffee and I’m a bit more awake now to jump back into the pub and do my reading. Glad to see you here!
A little late on posting this one even tho it’s an older poem. But it’s good to keep up the routines when most things have gone haywire.
Haywire indeed! It’s a surreal world out there. I can not complain as my troubles are minisccule in comparison to many others.
Good morning from a snow-free UK (at the moment). I’m sorry I’m late linking up but I have shingles – no rash but all the pain. I saw a doctor yesterday and I’ve been prescribed anit-virus drugs and painkillers, so I hope to get back to normal in a week or so. I’m looking forward to reading poems in a moment.
I’m so sorry, Kim! I hope your condition is not too severe. I know shingles can be extremely painful. (Sending gentle and virtual hugs.)
Thank you, Merril. ❤
Oh that is such a painful thing…..treat yourself gently. And here is a huge virtual hug for you!
Thank you, Lill. Hugs are much needed.
I love this site and don’t participate as often as I’d like. Of course my poem deals with the pandemic. So here I am….better late than never and I will visit everyone as soon as I’ve had my coffee here in this cold, dark pandemic-ridden land.
Nice to see you here, Yvonne! I was in the laundry room at 5 AM this morning to avoid and others….so had to have my two cups of coffee before joining the pub again. But I am now awake, continuing the chat here with all who, like you, used the key under the mat to come in and avail yourself of the pub while I was out. I shall get back to reading in just a few moments. Again, so glad you stopped by!
Good morning, Lillian. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your life during this time. And thanks to everyone else, too. I’m thankful to be with my husband, and we’ve visiting with daughters on Zoom and through calls and texts. I’m used to working from home, so that part hasn’t changed. I usually go out for walks early in the morning, and I don’t see too many people.
I’m having a rough week, so I may not be able to get back to read right away.
Good to see you here, Merril. Take care of yourself….treat yourself gently. No problem about the reading….I’m just getting back to it now myself. Was in the laundry room at 5 AM and needed to nap a bit and have my 2 cups of coffee before I could get back to the pub! 🙂
Thank you for hosting OLN Lillian 🙂
I always enjoy tending the pub!
Hi Lillian,
Thanks for hosting. I like that you’re getting back to sewing. That’s my goal too😊. I like the mask, looks fancy😊.
Have a good night.
Pat
Nice to see you here, Pat. Stay safe! Stay healthy!
You as well!
Pat
Hi to everyone at the pub and dverse in general. I have been hanging around for a couple of years. Im not one to complain and it most likely is my own personal problem but I still really haven’t really got used to the format for dverse. It is a wonderful site and I really like the different ideas presented and of course I love the writing. But the time restraint is so hard to meet and by the time I think of something, its closed. I was wondering if Im the only one who struggles with it . Just wondering…Thanks.