It was back in Mid-March, 2020 that restaurants and gathering places in Colorado were closed due to the imminent threat of the coronavirus. This suddenly brought a new reality to our family; we were stuck at home. Since their Mom’s husband has an immunocompromised health issue, there was never a question that the kids – and their dog! – would come stay with me for the duration. Certainly no point in them staying at their apartment down by the University of Denver if school was also shut down and switch to an online format.
But switching from a social life to being stuck at home proves to be quite an adjustment for more social people and my kids are all social in their different ways. Interestingly, it’s my youngest, K-, 16, who is the most social but in a remarkable bit of prescience, she had switched to an online high school at the beginning of this school year, a full six months prior to any problems with public health in the United States. Unfortunately for her, that meant that there was no “readjustment” excuse and she had to just keep being productive with her weekly academic goals.
Still, while Zoom video chats and incessant FaceTime can help, what’s a group of young adults to do when they’re stuck at home with Dad? Here are a few pics from “phase one” of this quarantine period to illustrate, starting with a literal walk in the park:
Having a big dog in the family means that walks are the order of the day every day. Meet Gus, our dog. Actually, he’s Ashley’s dog (Ashley is in the middle, on her phone in the photo). Imagine getting kids this age to go on a walk with you!
There might not be any restaurants where we can have a sit-down meal but there are lots offering to-go and delivery. So one night we decided to indulge in sushi from a family favorite, Hapa Sushi on the Pearl Street Mall pedestrian area downtown. Instead of paying the extra $$ for delivery, we figured it’d be safe to go pick it up.
Which gave me the opportunity to see something very strange; a popular tourist destination that’s usually swarmed with people on a warm spring afternoon instead looking more like a ghost town or, perhaps, like Boulder of old the day after a big silver strike up in the Rockies was announced:
The food was delicious, my mealtime companions were excellent and we rejected the idea of giving Gus any of this precious food. Instead, we went on another walk…
Yes, that’s a Colorado state flag collar. That was my Hannukah gift to him, actually. I’m guessing that 99% of people with pets get at least a token present for their pet during Christmas/Hannukah. Are you the one who doesn’t? Tell me why in the comments!
Still. Home. Still home. I knew things were going to get interesting when we set up a home yoga studio in front of the TV. Does it look like they’re worshiping the television? Perhaps best not to answer that question, now that I think about it:
While I’ve done yoga myself, that wasn’t in the gameplan for today, so I just watched them stretch out and relax while I read a book. In our own ways, we all will get through this “Q Time” as I like to call it. Meanwhile, what day is it… ?
You mentioned Hapa Sushi. It’s one of my go-to Sushi restos in Denver and the other is Sushi-Rama. You should try it too. Anyway, I love your article.