Cathy Classics by Cathy Guisewite for May 19, 2020

Ah yes. True appreciation of isolation.

Cathy has to find her “happy place”.

I think many of us can agree that after this quarantine, we all need a change of scenery/people. For us who are with the same people day in and day out, we could use a little time to ourselves. And for those who are alone, they could probably use time with others. And my family is nowhere near as nutty as Cathy’s! Overall though, for us, I think things have gone just fine and none of us have gone off the deep end. But we are more fortunate than my in-laws, who were stuck in much smaller homes than ours, not allowed to go outside except for essentials, and with little kids bouncing off the walls. At least we could find a different corner of the house, or go outside for a walk, get some fresh air and a change of scenery.

Hello Cathy friends! Happy Tuesday! Have a great and healthy day, all!

Love Cathy’s happy place. A little more accessible than mine – a small island with a shallow, narrow connection to the mainland on a small lake near my home town. I would hike out to the far side of the lake, wade across to the island, and just sit there for an afternoon or evening. It was only an hour or so from home – faster if I biked along the railway tracks. It was there I had a beaver come up and visit me – also where I came face to face with a bear. Both relaxing and exciting! Just a little out of reach now – have not been here in over 20 years. Now my happy place is buried between the pages of my favourite books – one of which I am re-reading now. Everyone needs a happy place – even if it is a virtual one.

There is one advantage to being a little bit of a loner these days. All I truly miss are my massage therapist and my chiropractor. Although being able to run down to the hardware store or the post office myself would be nice. Even masked and gloved I am still too afraid of being in crowds. Hoping for a vaccine sooner than predicted – but might have to wait a long time.

Another beautiful spring day. My wife is out in the garden planting some more flowers and a few vegetables (we normally grow a few veggies) while I am in here working. Well, working up until I decided it was time to visit the Cathy Clan.

Have a great day!

Yup—now and then, we all need our “bubble” into which we can escape …

HI, MOM. Hello, “Cathy” Clan.

We have alleviated some of our isolation by driving to a large metro park most days…even if it’s raining, different animals and birds come out and we just drive through. I can’t really walk all that well yet, so the trails are not an option, and I’m still fairly paranoid about being around people, even with a mask, so we usually just stay in the car. Right now the baby cranes are making their appearance and there is a bald eagle that comes out some days. The most exciting was the albino deer which we have seen a couple of times. The only problem we have really had is grocery shopping which my husband has to do and drilling into him how to be careful has been a real chore. The stores being out of so many items and our not wanting to go to several different stores is a constant frustration. We also have a big yard and there are 2 floors to our house, so it helps in getting along. Going to the swimsuit dept in a store is not an option because none of the stores are even open yet. Cathy would be really frustrated.