parkland life Archives -

Neil and I along with millions of others are entering another month of primarily staying home. As I wrote last month, I recognize that as time continues and projects wane, I have to think of new ways to spend my time in a productive manner. Let me catch you up.

Mickey Booboo is growing in leaps and bounds. He is learning many new things daily. Some I like, others I tolerate. When the devil dog emerges, we butt heads. He is vocal, opinionated, happy, and confident (he certainly takes after the two of us). He occupies a large portion of my day and I laugh out loud
at his antics, tell numerous Mickey stories to anyone who will listen, and enjoy our exercise program of walking and swimming. Yes, Mickey is a true water dog and swims all over the pool catching bubbles and bugs. I love my time with him and have looked to augment only a small portion of the day with other things.

Neil is busy with his many undertakings, yet makes time to play two-handed Canasta with me at least once a day. Besides his business and the HOA, he is working to create a mentoring program with the Broward County
Board of Education. Although we are both in the house, we generally are separate except for the card game, dinner, and whatever after-dinner activity we plan.

The biggest enhancement I have made is for my friends to occupy more of my time again. I now play both Canasta and Mah Jongg online with friends (simultaneously using Houseparty) three afternoons a week, I have a couple
of friends over to swim one day each week, and try to do an occasional lunch, dinner, or coffee and dessert outside (socially distant). By creating a regular recurring weekly schedule of these things, I am more satisfied both socially and having utilized my time in a positive way. This addition has made a world of difference.

I continue to try new recipes, and while some turn out to be delicious, others have been mediocre at best. Prepping and cooking combined with planning a shopping list for Walmart pickup occupies a number of hours, and this is something I have thoroughly enjoyed.

My cousin Sharry has tried a number of my creations and shares many of
hers with me. Again, I think I always get the better end of this deal as hers are
always delicious.

While I have nearly run out of house projects, there is one remaining that I have consistently hesitated to start. The project is going through all of my and my mom’s old photographs. I know that this should be done as it will preserve family history for my grandchildren, but somehow, I dread the poignant, emotional hours and days it will entail. Maybe I’ll start this month.

There is a word that describes my life during the pandemic: Pentimento. It is the reappearance in a painting of an underlying image that had been painted over, usually when the later painting becomes transparent with age. The earlier image may be visible initially, become visible with age, or revealed through X-rays. I feel that way about my life now. I have changed the surface of my life, substituting things that enable me to be happier in my new normal, but the elements of my previous way of life are still there, under the surface, waiting to emerge. I pray for a vaccine.

By Jill Vogel

Whenever I look at my Apple Watch it says No More Events Today! As the pandemic accelerates in Florida, and since I am in the age group that is considered the most at risk, I remain sequestered at home. I go into stores for necessities, sometimes a couple of times per week, but most of the time not at all. My hair, as I have said before, is still
the one thing that I feel is important enough to make me risk exposure. I have returned to the salon to have my hair colored, cut and for a keratin treatment. Silly, but true. I no longer have manicures and pedicures, but do my nails myself. My nails aren’t nearly as pretty, but it does suffice. Shopping, game playing, volunteering, classes, social events, travel and all other daily excursions are gone. I recently said to a friend that I feel as if life is simply passing. Besides looking at the time on my watch, I check the day and date and am constantly amazed that the months have steadily passed.

I am not complaining (much). I am lucky to have Mickey Booboo growing daily as he fills our home with joy, love, and laughter.
I am lucky to have friends that I speak with regularly and sometimes have socially distanced, outside get togethers. I am lucky to have family that I FaceTime with daily. I am lucky to have Neil to share this strange and scary time with. But with all of that, I still see my life going by with days that are the same and often lack focus and purpose.

At 69, I expected the next few years to be filled with travel while I am healthy and agile. I expected to go back and forth to New York to see my family and share in all of our grandchildren’s small and large milestones. I expected to enjoy my volunteer work, theater, and daily activities. All of these things have been put on hold.

Younger people are continuing their lives more completely. Some are able to go to work, or work at home. Some choose to still travel and enjoy outdoor activities. While stymied by the virus, they are able to weigh their risk/reward ratio more leniently than I do.

When can I change my risk/reward decisions?
After another month? Few months? After a year? I am not sure if there is an answer to this, but if no vaccine or effective treatment is created, how long can I live in this pleasant but boring limbo? I know I am lucky, but my optimism is running thin.

I need to create a way, beyond Mickey, to be productive enough to be happier. There have been a number of times in my life when I felt the necessity to recreate myself to achieve a fuller and happier life.

I changed careers mid- stream. I got divorced and remarried in my mid-fifties. I retired and started a whole new life in Parkland in my sixties. Each time it took thought, faith and hard work to begin again. But each time the daily life that followed was far happier than the one before I made changes. I now recognize that this is a time to do it again, this time in my seventies. Life will never return to what it was before the pandemic, but I have the power to think this through and work hard to achieve a change for the better. Stay tuned, I am working hard on this and hope to find my way soon.

By Jill Vogel

Tag: parkland life

My pre-COVID self lies just under the surface, waiting to emerge

Parkland Life: Time to recreate myself again