Welcome, booklovers!
How is everyone coping with the "new norm" and sheltering at home? It gets a bit tedious, I know, but Kath and her dragons are back this weekend to give us some tips (and a lot of smiles.)
Take it away, Kathye!
On Beating the Devil, Working from Home
The Devil whispered in my ear,
"You're not strong enough to withstand the storm."
Today I whispered in the Devil's ear,
"I AM THE STORM."
I love this shirt! As a country, as a world, we face a huge challenge. We have the choice: whimper and whine or stand up and fight. We’re a country born of fighters. We’re a world born of fighters. We’ll stand and fight the Devil. And we will win.
And best as humans, we are creative. We find the way.
A quick word on how I fight beginning with anything we bring in the house. Quarantine level one is in our garage. Hand sanitizer at the back door gets used constantly. ( homemade with ⅔ rubbing alcohol and ⅓ aloe gel) Shoes worn outside the house are left outside.
Deliveries and Pick up orders hit, much to First Husband’s amusement, my cardboard boxes production line. Produce gets to come on inside but is washed at once (tiny bit of soap and lots of water). Anything else is spread out on the boxes that have undergone decontamination, at least 24 hours untouched in the garage or in the sun if possible. Items that can be sprayed with a solution of alcohol and water are sprayed on the cardboard boxes line but still wait a day to come inside. Scissors used to open boxes are sprayed. Hands are thoroughly washed all day long. Whenever I’m not writing, I’m sitting on my hands to keep from touching my face.
And best as humans, we are creative. We find the way.
A quick word on how I fight beginning with anything we bring in the house. Quarantine level one is in our garage. Hand sanitizer at the back door gets used constantly. ( homemade with ⅔ rubbing alcohol and ⅓ aloe gel) Shoes worn outside the house are left outside.
Deliveries and Pick up orders hit, much to First Husband’s amusement, my cardboard boxes production line. Produce gets to come on inside but is washed at once (tiny bit of soap and lots of water). Anything else is spread out on the boxes that have undergone decontamination, at least 24 hours untouched in the garage or in the sun if possible. Items that can be sprayed with a solution of alcohol and water are sprayed on the cardboard boxes line but still wait a day to come inside. Scissors used to open boxes are sprayed. Hands are thoroughly washed all day long. Whenever I’m not writing, I’m sitting on my hands to keep from touching my face.
Weeks ago, here in PA we started out with social distancing and closing the schools. Here’s the empty local high school parking lot with the socially distanced Driver’s Ed vans. They usually park side by side.
Weeks ago, here in PA we started out with social distancing and closing the schools. Here’s the empty local high school parking lot with the socially distanced Driver’s Ed vans. They usually park side by side.
As a writer, I’m used to working from home. Because I don’t live alone in a cave, that has its own challenges.
First, let me deny the rumor that I locked First Husband out of the house so I could have quiet for writing. These so called potential witnesses are looking forward to a large order of cat treats. They saw nothing.
It’s really true that routine is necessary. Get up at a regular time and treat the day as if you are going to an out of the house job. Get breakfast. Get dressed. Report to work. Really, this works.
First, let me deny the rumor that I locked First Husband out of the house so I could have quiet for writing. These so called potential witnesses are looking forward to a large order of cat treats. They saw nothing.
It’s really true that routine is necessary. Get up at a regular time and treat the day as if you are going to an out of the house job. Get breakfast. Get dressed. Report to work. Really, this works.
Specifics:
Getting up: I rely on getting up before First Husband. This alone-time gives me a chance to do a plethora of things without supervision. He is used to supervising, and I am used to doing it my way. So ….
Okay, this photo is why I really get up before dawn. I wait for it each and every day. Sometimes it’s rain clouds dark and light, big and small, today fog that makes me think of spooky stories. But most days I watch the sun paint cloud bottoms orange and then slide like a golden snake over the valley edge.
Of course I’m not watching naked. We have too many windows, and it’s not good to scare the neighbors. So I get dressed. I do this in the dark, careful not to wake First Husband. Which I could use as an excuse for the result, but I do pick my clothes the night before and lay them out in the bathroom. And yes, since I am not going out, I love sweatpants and one of the completely inappropriate t-shirts I’ve been collecting for years. If they’re clean, I choose the chic black sweatpants. I wish I owned the I Am the Storm cat t-shirt.
Getting up: I rely on getting up before First Husband. This alone-time gives me a chance to do a plethora of things without supervision. He is used to supervising, and I am used to doing it my way. So ….
Okay, this photo is why I really get up before dawn. I wait for it each and every day. Sometimes it’s rain clouds dark and light, big and small, today fog that makes me think of spooky stories. But most days I watch the sun paint cloud bottoms orange and then slide like a golden snake over the valley edge.
Of course I’m not watching naked. We have too many windows, and it’s not good to scare the neighbors. So I get dressed. I do this in the dark, careful not to wake First Husband. Which I could use as an excuse for the result, but I do pick my clothes the night before and lay them out in the bathroom. And yes, since I am not going out, I love sweatpants and one of the completely inappropriate t-shirts I’ve been collecting for years. If they’re clean, I choose the chic black sweatpants. I wish I owned the I Am the Storm cat t-shirt.
Did I mention hair and make up? I am a general failure on this one. See photo.
I’m already weeks past a new round of highlights and haircut. I have one of my dad’s old Marine jungle hats. Yeah. That’ll do it.
Breakfast. I’m up first, I can eat anything I want, including the imaginary leftover pizza we are too far out in the country to get delivered. I think I’ll imagine cheese and onion for tomorrow’s breakfast.
If you eat while you work, keep the pizza away from electronics. I am working on removing chocolate bits from between my laptop’s keys. Don’t ask.
I think back to what I would do if this pandemic had happened before Professor Daughter grew up and ran away to be Professor Daughter.
Once the rest of the household is up, work hours are trickier. With all your loved ones locked up in the house that felt like a huge mansion the last time you cleaned, home now feels smaller than the inside of a Smiley car.
If you can, assign personal work spaces to each person in the house. Whether it’s a chair at the kitchen table for school or work work or a corner on the floor. Just a space for each.
Now for your own work space. Short of locking the family out of the house, you need: a closet, a light source- flash light or lantern, pencil and paper and/or your laptop computer. Stay put even if you have to block the door with your body. Make your family prove they’re really on fire if they start yelling to get you out. As you dial 911, scream at them to run outside and roll in the grass that they were supposed to have cleared of the dog’s poop yesterday!
Of course that assumes you are not also in charge of home schooling the next generation. If you are, you are my hero! I taught Professor Daughter to read when she was four. An experience for which I doubt either of us will ever find there is enough therapy. And maybe why she is a Professor of Psychology. I’m not going to think about that.
There is a time when you’ll come out of the closet where you have written the next great novel or done two weeks’ worth of work from home. Dinner. Variety is the spice of dinner. Each person in your household gets a turn being in charge of dinner. Everybody participates. It doesn’t matter if their choice is a sandwich or a bowl of cereal. But make a ‘date’ with everybody to gather for this. Prepare and eat it together.
After dinner, after work, pick a peaceable fun activity to do together. Let me think. Monopoly turned into a war game last time we played. My grandfather taught me how to cheat at cards; which for some reason gets on other people’s nerves. I’m out. I have no clue what to pick.
All that said, I have to admit that I am an accomplished procrastinator. Instead of writing on my newest project, I worked on this post. Which gave me joy.
As we put our days together to stand against this pandemic, we humans will, as the I Am the Storm t-shirt says, “beat the Devil.” We will come out of this pandemic a little sadder, a lot wiser, and definitely stronger.
Kathye
About the Author:
Before Kath Boyd Marsh moved to Pennsylvania to write about dragons, wizards, and other fantastic creatures, she lived in eight states, Panama, and one very haunted colonial house. The Lazy Dragon and the Bumblespells Wizard (CBAYBooks.blog) was her debut novel. Visit her and the dragons at KathBoydMarshauthor.com.
Contacts:
Website: http://kathboydmarshauthor.com
Blog: http://Kath-LettersfromEarth.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kmarshfen
Before Kath Boyd Marsh moved to Pennsylvania to write about dragons, wizards, and other fantastic creatures, she lived in eight states, Panama, and one very haunted colonial house. The Lazy Dragon and the Bumblespells Wizard (CBAYBooks.blog) was her debut novel. Visit her and the dragons at KathBoydMarshauthor.com.
Contacts:
Website: http://kathboydmarshauthor.com
Blog: http://Kath-LettersfromEarth.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kmarshfen
The Lazy Dragon and the Bumblespells Wizard-http://amzn.to/2c6IOH4,
Dragon Bonded- https://amzn.to/2MMNhhF
The Pendragon Crystal from the Dragons and Witches anthology- http://amzn.to/2nOX8tv)
Perilous Princesses- https://amzn.to/2In05gn .
Bubbles and Smush: Closet Monsters - https://amzn.to/2mW7OrJ
Bubbles and Smush: Trick or Treats- https://amzn.to/2mWjf2C
Bubbles and Smush: Dragon Rescue: https://amzn.to/2lQSRas
Dragon Bonded- https://amzn.to/2MMNhhF
The Pendragon Crystal from the Dragons and Witches anthology- http://amzn.to/2nOX8tv)
Perilous Princesses- https://amzn.to/2In05gn .
Bubbles and Smush: Closet Monsters - https://amzn.to/2mW7OrJ
Bubbles and Smush: Trick or Treats- https://amzn.to/2mWjf2C
Bubbles and Smush: Dragon Rescue: https://amzn.to/2lQSRas
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