Confinement during COVID-19

From the Chez Rockwell Kitchen: Cream of Asparagus with Salmon Soup

with Toasted Herb Bread
(recipes available upon request)

A recent email from the Iowa cousin: “You have years of experience in self isolation. I consider you somewhat of an expert in this area. Have you considered writing an article instructing newbies the best procedures to follow? With so many world wide now requested to self isolate, you could be a very valuable guide for their safe  survival.”

Wow! It’s official I’m an expert on the hermit life! Who woulda thunk that my bulk buying, bulk baking and cooking would come in so handy and actually be quite necessary tools to my continued health and wellness during these past weeks and going forward.

  No, I don’t have a stockpile of toilet paper in the spare bedroom, so don’t even bother thinking about showing up at my door with your hand out! What you can do, though, if you do go out and about from time to time, is to check on neighbours. Most city dwellers have a mailbox beside their front door, so leave a note, offering to collect a few essentials if they need them. It’s a great way to get to know those who have been isolated for years and you never knew. 

Prior to these very serious and yes, deadly times, I didn’t ‘self-isolate’ in any real sense that suggests I am a hermit. Admittedly, I do enjoy being alone but I also enjoy being out and about. Alas, I don’t drive and after the death of my husband in 2007, I relied upon the generosity of neighbours to include me on outings to the city when their own schedules allowed. Sometimes, a few neighbours would actually make themselves available to take me to Fredericton to pick up groceries at Victory; groceries that were waiting for me because, for years, the kind staff there have done my shopping based on an email I would send them a few days before I showed up at the market. I cannot thank them enough for their generosity. No doubt you’ve read about their expanded services during COVID-19. They are owed a huge thank-you, people! They’re making the lives of seniors and shut-ins so much safer. 

I’m glad my bulk shopping has not been a problem for one friend who has been amazingly support of my needs. Sometimes, the dogs are with us, crated, to be dropped off at the groomer — on those occasions, I can’t get a lot of groceries. My current wheelchair won’t fit in the back seat as my old one did. Accommodating my needs within the parameters of my disability poses some challenges particularly as my friend is older than I and I cannot help her get the chair in the trunk; I feel like such a slug at time, but she reassures me that she’s happy to help. Before we left the city, we’d swing by Victory to grab the grub and hit the road to booniesville. For now those outings are on hold.

For those with children who are singing that ‘I’m bored, Mom’ song, consider turning this isolation time into something like the Olympic Games. Organize the days based on things each person in the home is good at and enjoys doing so that everyone will have his/her day. Hold a competition to see who’s prepared the best dinner meal. For younger children, turn baking and cooking into a reading and math lesson. Yes, it’s do-able with a bit of creativity. I’ve come across many articles about folks actually embracing home baking and cooking. What is sort of sad really is the number of young adults who actually don’t know how to cook. It wasn’t  part of their growing up the same as it was for me and others of my generation. Now is their time to shine, learning how to make an exquisite braided bread, baked to perfection. Hey, that’s an idea. Home made pizzas with a medal awarded for the most creative. Pizza dough is really easy to make and is weird topping friendly. Get in touch and I’ll give you my favourite dough recipe.

Try to keep to a routine of personal care and go with 3 different sets of PJs - your work at home jam-jams, a  pair for when you’re curled up on the couch binge watching favourite shows, and the ever popular ‘I’m stylin’ in my dinner at the table jammies’. Don’t become a total slob. That’s so unbecoming.

Remember! If you don’t HAVE to go out, STAY IN. Lives depend on the co-operation of EVERYONE during these trying times. Binge watch BritDrams; Darling Buds of May and Rosemary and Thyme are very good.

Take care and be well, all.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at camacrockwell@xplornet.ca