The new normal
When COVID-19 hit us in March, we thought it may last a couple of months, maybe over the summer, and then everything would be back to “normal” by Labor Day. Well, guess what, this is our new normal! I’m still not used to carrying a mask with me everywhere, maybe because I’ve mostly been sheltering in place. My friends with younger kids are at their wits’ end as they try to juggle everything between work and entertaining/watching/managing their kids who aren’t on autopilot yet. I also have friends who have been laid off, filed for unemployment and only received their check recently, waiting three months after filing. I’m lucky that work has been steady (and even a little crazy) for me, since I work in Human Resources and my company’s business has not declined much. There is so much that is unknown and many new policies and procedures to create around safety, working from home, and returning to the office (whenever we actually do go back), on top of the day-to-day work. It’s been super intense with web meetings and they seem to be non-stop. I’ve encouraged my team to take a few days off, if not longer, to prevent burning out.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, Northern California caught on fire! WTH! One of my employees had to evacuate and our office in Scotts Valley was also issued an evacuation notice. We weren’t open to the public but I had one employee who was tending to the office as she also didn’t have work-functional internet service amongst the Redwoods in Aptos (she has no cell service there, either). She grabbed some of our new laptops just in case and headed over to my house to work for a week.
I am trying to stay positive during this time, and I do have so much to be grateful for. I have beyond the basics to survive along with my family and friends. My mother finished her chemo treatment in April and has been clear since. My brother and my sister-in-law had their first baby in June (I still haven’t held her due to being ultra safe).
Time for a road trip!
Besides the freedom that I used to take for granted, I miss traveling and going on vacation somewhere besides my family room. Thanks again to Tony and Kris for hosting that tour back in mid-June–great turn out and it felt good to get in the car, drive some twisties, and see fellow members, despite social distancing. But that was sooo long ago, that I was itching to see some sights and get out of California. What better way to do that than go on a road trip? I think it’s safer than flying at this point, as long as I wasn’t socializing along the way.
Long story short, I decided it was time to pick up some of Mandy’s Pomeranian “cousins” who have retired from the biz. The airlines are still not shipping pets so it has to be done in person. I connected with my friend, whose parents are the breeders/showers (Mountain Crest Pomeranians) of these super cute and award winning pups, and set a date to visit her. We tricked her parents into thinking I was going to make the trip to Tennessee to meet them, but she went for an overdue visit instead, surprised her parents, and brought back my two future pups with her when she returned home to Plano.
My road trip in total would last a little over a week, including staying with friends for a couple of nights. On the way out, I went through Salt Lake City so Mandy and I could visit my friend, making the drive in less than 10 hours. The next leg of the drive was to Albuquerque, NM, where I stayed at a hotel and that was ok. I discovered a nice brew pub that made some great cocktails and had a yummy brussel sprout dish.
We made it to Plano in less than 9 hours the following day where I would meet a 5 year old boy named “Pit Bull” (now known as “Bubba”) and a 3 year old girl named “Perri”. They are both very sweet, weigh a little over 5 lbs. each, and don’t bark much.
I stayed for a couple of days at my friend’s house, where she also has three of her own Pomeranians, so we had a total of six of them running around. THAT was a lot! But they’re all good dogs and once we were kind of settled, they didn’t require a ton of attention.
Driving home, these dogs would sleep most of the time. I realized they were such good travelers because they’re used to going to dog shows in a RV. Great! I drove back in three long days. And now I have three Poms!
Some things I appreciated and observed on my trip:
- seeing my friends–I really missed connecting with them. I only saw two and was super careful in public spaces (mask and disposable gloves) to minimize the risk of spreading COVID.
- seeing some open space and changing scenery
- many gas stations still don’t have bathrooms open so this “female urination device” and a bottle saved me when there wasn’t a restroom for miles!
- the highways outside of California are amazing! So smooth and no potholes and well marked.
- in general, the highways were somewhat empty except for big rigs, many Amazon branded ones, and I saw a number of people moving using U-Hauls
- some cities, such as Salt Lake City, were functioning at almost normal with the roads being crowded and traffic during rush hour
- La Quinta Inns and Suites are awesome for traveling with pets. They don’t typically charge a deposit, and I don’t think there’s a limit to how many pets you can take in with you.
- a radar detector is very useful–I was very happy to have mine alert me to those hiding highway patrol cars
- the Audible app was my friend–I listened to two great mystery thrillers and a health book on my trip
- there are some very nice rest stops in Texas. New Mexico and Arizona had “picnic stops” that were made up of a pull-out on the side of the highway with some picnic tables and no bathroom. Not great as it was HOT.
My friends wonder why I like to drive and think I’m crazy for doing trips like this. Well, it helps to be in a car that you love and I am already starting to think about where I can go next…
All the best, Kat
P.S. I almost forgot to mention that we won 3rd Place for the Prieta POST newsletter in the National PCA competition! But more on that next month.
