While being in “stay at home” mode hasn’t always been fun, it hasn’t been a real “downer” for me. I have had family to do shopping and other errands, I have had my church services on Zoom as well as my writing class. A retired pastor leads that so there is always an uplifting spiritual feeling as members read their writings and we converse over them.

The Zoom exercises with Steve have been a real lifesaver. At age 82 I moved here to Rancho Yolo. I had attended Curves sessions where I used to live. I also had a walking schedule, but was a little out of shape because in the last three months there I had been packing, been to the hospital, and been on a long trip to Iceland. After moving here there was the unpacking, etc. and exercises were sporadic. Luckily the class at Rancho Yolo Clubhouse opened. I loved the variety of exercise, meeting people in the park, and getting acquainted. My physical condition was stronger as was my mind, as some of the exercises were a little mind challenging, especially on the Zoom classes.

During the pandemic I have spent a lot of time quilting and finishing projects that had been put by the wayside for months (years). A lot of thinking and planning goes into that, too. I still enjoy walking the paths in Rancho Yolo alone or with others. I turned half my carport into a garden patio with plants and furniture so my family and I could eat together (me at a separate table). So when I turned 85 recently, I accredited it much to Steve’s classes, my creative quilting, friends, and family.

The time I felt most isolated was during the fires when there was so much smoke and ash in the air and we were really encouraged to STAY IN but again I was thankful for all the Zoom classes.

When most of this community is vaccinated, I feel quite hopeful that “soon, but not now,” things will be back to normal. This little saying — “soon, but not now” — is what my little granddaughter always said to her mom as she was getting toilet trained. So now it is an expression our family often uses and makes us smile. One of my favorite mottos is “Life is better with a purpose” and my purpose now is to take care of myself and live long and healthy and be of help to others.