It is Sunday, April 26, 2020. Our week in Houston is being greeted by a beautiful morning. There is not a cloud in the sky, and the air is still cool from the storms we had the past two days. The tree line that surrounds my backyard is still for a bit, and then the stillness is interrupted by a perfect breeze, which rustles the trees in a Thoreau worthy way.
I changed up my morning routine today. I am sitting outside with my laptop at a table on the back patio. My favorite coffee mug is filled with green tea instead of my perfectly brewed French press coffee. All of the fur kids had their breakfast on the back patio. Potatoe now has his head in my lap, and the cats are chasing each other around.
The only sounds are animals and the sounds brought by the occasional breeze. I think that I hear a woodpecker. I certainly hear plenty of birds and excited doggies. The background noises have been interrupted by the patter of the kitties’ feet. Pumpkine just flew by, running under the table and between the chairs with Storme chasing her, and then they ran the exact same route back with Pumpkine chasing Storme. Trooper strategically waited behind me for the two to circle back, and then jumped out and surprised them both. I guess Trooper won that game. Now they are lounging out in the sun together as if they are deciding on what the next cat game will be.
I normally wake up with my entire day planned out. Actually, I normally wake up on Sunday with my entire week planned out. That is not the case today. Yesterday, once I was done with work, followed by cleaning and organizing the garage, which was followed by a mountain paperwork, I logged out of my computer, without making a plan for the week. I binge watched The Americans, and I ordered from Door Dash at home for the first time ever in my life.
Prior to the “New Normal”, I have been anti-home food delivery because it encourages people to sit at home in isolation and eat unhealthy food. Isolation and poor diet are major drivers of mental health issues, the irony.
I ordered out last night just for the novelty of having a margarita delivered, and because I really wanted some chips and queso. I confirmed what I already knew; I do not like margaritas. Having a margarita with friends is what I like about margaritas. Some like their margaritas with sugar; some like their margaritas with salt; some like their margaritas with lime. I like my margaritas with friends.
With the cats laying quietly on the porch, two squirrels have slipped into the backyard. Trooper and Storme are watching them closely. I am guessing the next cat game is going to be chase the bushy-tailed intruders. That is a Trooper favorite. Potatoe has turned his attention from me to the cats and the squirrels. I wonder if he plans to join in this morning’s cat games.
I should spend the day getting a head start on work for the week, but I am not going to. I should spend a part of the day making a plan for the rest of the week, but I am not going to. I should go to the grocery store, but I am not going to. I am going to sip my tea on the back porch until the bugs or the heat win, neither are any where to be found at the moment. Once the day heats up, and my backyard is no longer a page out of a tourist brochure, I am going to come up some sort of game for the boys this week.
It is my week, which means that I get to decide what we eat each day, and what games and movies we watch. I am going to come up with some sort of game or system that rewards my decision making powers to the boys for doing chores around the house. I have noticed that Little Chirp loves doing the deep cleaning of the kitchen on Thursday nights because it means that him and Brainy Bird get to pick up something for dinner the next night. I am looking forward to a week without chores.
The margarita and binge watching of The Americans are not the only drivers of my failure to create a plan for the week. Like the rest of the state of Texas, I am waiting to hear what the governor has to say tomorrow. He is set to address our state about reopening. It is with extreme doubt that he will open offices or restaurants this week, but one can hope. I never thought that I would say this, but I would love for my plan this week to include a couple of hours of driving from my house in Tomball to my company’s office in Greenway Plaza.
Being at the office would be a sense of normalcy even if the restaurants are still closed. My boss is the king of Door Dash. We always like to let him do the ordering because he orders way more than we would order ourselves, but I am guessing margaritas will be a no-go.
In my heart I know that restaurants and offices are not opening this week, but it would be amazing if the governor would give us a date of when it is happening. I am also hoping the governor addresses the Harris County judge’s misguided order mandating us to wear masks in public. My plan is for us to drive up to Montgomery County for grocery shopping if the mask order is not lifted. The boys and I do not have masks, unless they come back from their dad’s house with some.
I guess that my hope is that the governor has an informative, meaningful plan tomorrow for reopening our state. Until then, I am going to enjoy a little peace and quiet on this beautiful Sunday that God has given us.
It is the little things in life.