My gardenias are currently in bloom and the smell is amazing so I suggest that. I am in Eastern NC so zone 8a.

I am happy where my life is right now but if I could change anything back in my 20's, I would go back and have more fun. I have been "responsible" my entire life and always chose the "safe" option. I had my first baby at 25 and DH and I worked alternating times (I only worked two days a week) so one of us was always at home with our kids. That leaves five years prior to having kids where DH and I could have done more. I feel like we were always preparing for something...finishing my degree, getting married, buying a house, having kids. Vacations, except our honeymoon, were always visits to family. If I could go back I would spend more time with friends, see more of the world (though I am doing that now), dance more, etc...

I love a bit of dark chocolate from the freezer each night. DD and I try to take two 2 mile walks daily. We take the dog on one and go by ourselves on the other. I love the ourselves walk because we talk more then and I love those talks with her. Yoga nearly daily. We are eating really well. DD is trying a lot of new vegan recipes she's wanted to try. We had Ethiopian food last night and it was as good as any Ethiopian restaurant we've tried. Sitting on the back deck reading (when the weather is cool enough).

I retired in December when dd "graduated" high school. I began homeschooling with my oldest ds almost 20 years ago. Both boys went to public high school but dd home schooled all the way through.

I drove past, was stopped at the light where the daycare is on the corner, one daycare last week (probably open for children of essential workers). The playground outside the daycare was full of children of all ages (which is why I think it was probably for children of essential workers)...kids on playground equipment, kids sitting together at picnic tables, kids playing with balls, etc.... It's a very small playground/outside area and there were at least 25 children plus six adults out there. Possibly one classroom? Maybe the entire daycare is a "family"?

Parents? I have driven past a local daycare and the children outside were not social distancing and no one was wearing a mask.

Our state enters phase 2 of re-opening on Monday. According to the order we will no longer be shelter in place. Public playgrounds will not be open but day camps, overnight camps, and daycare centers will be open. Can anyone explain how playing at a public playground is more risky than spending the entire day with others (who could potentially be infected)? I seriously do not understand how they go about assessing risk and deciding what is open and what is not. Especially since, according to the New York Post today, the CDC just came out saying the virus is not spread from surfaces...so glad everyone has been sanitizing everything that comes into the house. Also under phase 2 restaurants and hair salons will be able to open at 50% capacity.

This is the longest DD and I have spent at home in the two years we have lived in this house. It feels strange to not have any travel/gigs for her even planned until (possibly, if it even happens then) in late December. She's going a bit stir crazy. She had tours/work on the schedule to pay for her next year of college plus money in the bank. We can't even figure out if she's eligible for unemployment or how to file since she worked in so many states for not more than a week in each and even calling the number for assistance daily has yielded no help as the call either hangs up, goes in circles on automated choices, or says "the wait is too long, call another time." We are keeping busy but it's not how we are used to living. I enjoy having DD home but it is not where she was supposed to be right now. She was meant to being toward the end of a six month tour here in the US and headed to Ireland the end of June. No knowing when she might be back to work. In the meantime she is getting college classes out of the way. She misses her friends (bandmates/cast members) though, luckily, they all stay in touch with Zoom calls each week. I have been unable to see either of my DSs or my granddaughter (except online) since the beginning of the mess because they all live 7 hours away. Things are in the first phase of opening here in my town. It seems most people have decided they are finished and CV-19 is no longer a worry. There were never many cases here in our county. If we go to the market, about half the people are wearing masks. The grocery stores are well-stocked now. Meat may be an issue but we are vegan so I have no idea how grocery stores are doing though DH does food delivery and says some of the fast food places are commonly out of beef products.

I don't wear a lot of make-up and now, I think I've only put on make-up twice since mid-March. If I am going somewhere, I will always put on at least some mascara....I am blond with blond (ie. invisible) eyelashes. Full make-up for me includes foundation powder, a little blush, lipstick, and eyes done and is only for special/dress-up occasions. I do like to have my toenails painted during summer.

DD is brushing up on her Irish language skills, teaching herself piano and guitar, painting, and learning to use sound/editing equipment. She's gotten pretty good at the sound equipment (definitely a learning curve there) and has been able to take on a couple recording projects, including one for a Gr*mmy Aw*rd winning composer. He was happy with the results so she must be doing well. She has also taught herself some creative editing for video collaborations with musicians and Irish dancers she has been putting up on her FaceBook music page every week or so. DD is composing daily and is going to begin taking university courses for the summer sessions and a full course load in the fall because she won't be touring. She had planned to take a few courses (online) at a time beginning in fall because she was meant to be on the road all year. I am learning to play Irish concertina and improving my gardening skills both ornamental and edible (weeds beware!! I am finally home long enough to have time to keep them under control and my gardens have never looked better). I also would like to catch up on scrapbooking but haven't gotten around to figuring out a location in the house where I want to leave stuff out to work on...my goal for this weekend. We've both been doing a lot of reading.

I understand your frustration with lack of proper PPE but I know my DH had three n95 masks he had purchased from a home supply store last year in order to work in the crawl space under our home. The mold and mildew he was remediating after hurricane Florence left water in the crawl space worsened his asthma so he needed the masks. When the coronavirus quarantine began, he washed the masks so he could use them when getting groceries and doing food deliveries. There were no other masks available anywhere for purchase and with his asthma and RA, he is high risk should he become infected. All that to say, it is possible people had masks for other reasons prior to the outbreak and are using them now.

DD got her first cell phone at 13 because that was the age when I began to leave her at her music lesson or orchestra alone and I wanted her to be able to contact me in an emergency or to coordinate pick-up.

She has more of an Italian greyhound body and legs. Large chest, tiny abdomen, and normal length legs....fast as lightning with the dachshund attitude/stubbornness. She's so vocal...sounds like a horrible dog fight going on when you play with her and she moans and "talks" whenever she's being pet. She's not big, only 15lbs.

Our governor extended the stay at home order until May 8th. The past few days we have noticed way more cars on the road than previously. I think a few more businesses opened up downtown as well (a fudge shop, clothing stores, etc...) but not sure if what I saw on fb meant they were opening this week or on May 8th (I didn't read it closely because I have no plans to leave home for more than my nightly neighborhood walk). Dd and I take a walk every night and every night there is one home with a group of 8-10 youngish people drinking and barbecuing in the backyard some nights it looks like they just got off their boat because some are hosing off the boat. No social distancing. Last night we walked past 3-4 other homes with their front porches full of people. Not 6 feet apart. No masks. It feels like people are just done. There aren't many cases in our county so maybe they feel the risk is not high. I look at it as there aren't many cases because we've been staying home.

We have two dogs....a toy fox terrier (almost 15 years old and a little crotchety) and a crazy dachshund/Italian greyhound rescue who loves to watch the anoles who live in my greenhouse and on the deck (dog tv). We applied to foster puppies but waiting to be approved until the stay-at-home order is over so we can get the shots our dogs needed in March. (The vet would only do their rabies vaccines.)

Yes. Selfishly positive- I'm enjoying having dd at home again. She would have been on tour with me only seeing her every other month if this hadn't happened. (Mostly this is a negative because she is not on tour doing what she loves and earning money but I do enjoy spending time with her.) Seeing and meeting more neighbors (from a safe distance). We moved here two years ago and dd and I have been away from home more than home since so it's nice to see/meet so many people on their porches and taking walks. Dd is teaching herself to play piano and guitar. She wouldn't have the time to do that in her normal life. She is also creating little music projects for herself collaborating with other musicians and has decided to take summer courses since she'll be home. I worried a lot about her feeling down because of everything she is not able to do now but it's been positive to observe her resilience and energy as she makes the most of the situation.

1) How insane is trying for a Sept. 2021 NYC trip? Namely in regards to crowds and prices. Would waiting a month be sensible? Longer? September should be fine (supposing the virus thing is under control). 2) Drive or fly? It's really going to cost about the same, I think. Are economy plane tickets worth the savings? Or is the seating miserable? I haven't been on a plane in this millennium. I'd prefer to fly. I don't mind driving in the city but parking is crazy unless you know where and are lucky enough to find a free spot (which often are available on one side of the street some days and not others and signs are near impossible to understand while driving...anyway, I hate parking in the city). I don't mind economy tickets just watch extra costs for carry ons and luggage...read the fine print. 3) IF we drive, the fastest route takes us straight through D.C., Baltimore, and Philly. Should I find a different route? Would you stop in D.C. to sightsee if you were driving through? I drive from NC through DC, etc...to get to NYC and if you time it right, it's fine. I usually try to leave NC so I'll hit DC around noon-1pm to miss the worst of traffic. I love the Smithsonian museums (which are free) in DC. 4) I hope to have 3 full days there; apart from the memorial and church, what top 3 things would you recommend/wish to see/do? I love the MET and walking through Central Park. 5) Ditto for food? I prefer hole-in-the-wall places. We are vegan so probably have different restaurant choices. 6) Would you stay in the city and use public transit, or stay in one of the suburbs? I would stay in the city. Check AirBnB for a place in the East Village or booking.com for a decent priced hotel. If you book ahead, you can get a place for not too bad. Recently, well we only got to stay there one night because of the pandemic, we found a place for $89/night very close to Times Square but rooms are often very, very small. We live AirBnB because we'll have a kitchen and can eat breakfasts and have snacks without eating out. 7) For getting around while we're there...subway? bus? taxi? Subway and/or Uber depending on distance and whether or not we are lugging bags.

Thank you for finding and posting this. The original article was wrong on so many levels I had difficulty parsing it down to a short response for this forum. The author of this article does a much better job at stating many of the things I was thinking. Public school, with its teaching to the middle and lack of gifted funding, could never have provided my DD with the education adapted to her needs and learning style like I did through homeschooling. She has thrived on so many levels than simply education. I sent both DSs to public school for high school and wish I had kept them home. Their educations were lacking on so many levels. Even they would tell people, school was much easier and required less work than mom. For Elizabeth Bartholet, to assert, "Homeschooling not only violates children's right to a meaningful education and their right to be protected from potential child abuse, but may keep them from contributing positively to a democratic society" is insulting at best. Obviously she has not looked at any of the research on homeschoolers compared to public schoolers.

I did find it creepy. I remember wondering at the time how many people even thought about it. If I had had to stand in front of a camera or something when checking in or going through security, I might not have found it so strange.

One of the airports I passed through recently (well, a little longer than recently now that we've been quarantined for 6 weeks), had face recognition to board the plane. I didn't even have to scan my boarding pass. I fly quite often and that was the first I'd seen that. I remember vaguely wondering where the "recognition" came from....social media? the ID I used to get through security? Not sure.

Marinated tempeh, boiled new potatoes with vegan butter and parsley, and kale with garlic and lemon juice.

Personally, I don't have a fear of death as it pertains to what happens after I die but I do want to live a full life. I do fear the actual event of dying and possible pain involved. If I knew, when the time was right, I'd die in my sleep, I wouldn't fear it. I want to be around to see my loved ones go through their lives and be involved in the lives of my children and grandchildren. I want to see as much of this world as possible and experience everything I can. I will fight to live. Two nights before my grandmother died at 84, she told me she was ready to die that night and was mad at God for not taking her that night and making her wait two nights.

In NC, about 75% of people wearing masks and gloves. Prices are the same. Availability depends on the item and the time of day DH shops. Early mornings right as stores open, he can usual find nearly everything on my list but any later and items like flour, toilet paper, and certain brands of things we use are gone. We are vegan and don't eat meat, milk, eggs so maybe that makes things we are looking for somewhat different than many people. We stocked up on dried beans and rice/quinoa early and eat a lot of fresh veggies/fruit and have not had any difficulty with fresh items. (Soon my garden will be producing enough we won't even need much of the fresh stuff.)

Both but I vacuum twice a week (we don't wear shoes in home either but somehow stuff gets on the floor) and dust once a week because it takes a little longer to build up.

We freeze bananas, too. DD used to make banana "ice-cream" with them but then developed a banana sensitivity to raw bananas so now she uses them for banana bread and just last night tried baking them before putting them into the freezer and wants to try banana "ice-cream" with the baked ones.