Cooperative Living June 2020 - 42

Rural Living | by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Writer
Is It Over Yet?
Months after the onset of COVID-19,
much uncertainty still abounds
I
s it over yet? The deadline for this
column is six weeks before the issue
date. That means I'm writing this in
late April. So: I don't know what I
don't know.
Are the tests for the virus readily
available yet? Are we able to go back
to church? And to brunch after? Can
those pesky but apparently necessary
masks be tossed aside in a lower drawer?
Please tell me we can now go to the
hair salons and barbershops. We've
become a nation of shaggy men and
women with visible roots in a different
shade than their " real " hair. My hair is
normally rather " untamed " looking.
It was always full of unruly curls.
Well, now it has gotten so long, the
curls have given up and deflated.
The worst-case scenario is that
even more of us have contracted this
thing, despite being under house arrest
for almost two months. I pray this is
not the case.
This is the first time in my life that
I've been glad not to be in New York City,
my favorite place to visit and gawk. In
fact, the tiny, remote corner of the world
where I live - Bath County - is, as I
write this, thus far untouched by the
disease. I hope and pray this holds true.
I don't worry that word will get
out, and we will be besieged by visitors
fleeing from more dangerous zones.
There's no place for them to stay. For
the first time in ages, the venerable
Homestead actually closed up and locked
the doors.
I am tired of having to make my own
meals. I cannot wait for the restaurants
to open. Thank heavens, most of
them around here are making accommodations,
so we can order, drive there
and pick up whatever delicious thing
we were unable to replicate at home.
Sadly, there's a lot of that cursed plastic
foam in my garbage.
Grocery shopping was never a chore
for me. Actually, I enjoyed it. Well, I got
over that quickly. A trip to the grocery
40 | Cooperative Living | June 2020
store became stressful and fraught
with perplexing disappointments. God
bless the stores for staying open and
the grocery workers for staying on the
job, though.
I must wonder: What is, or was, the
deal with toilet paper? The shelves were
invariably bare. Signs limited shoppers
to two packs. Shoot - I'd have been
happy with one. It got to the point
where I didn't care whether it was the
expensive, cushy stuff I always buy; I'd
have taken just about anything. (One of
my maxims is this: Life's too short to buy
cheap shoes, cheap champagne or cheap
toilet paper.) I found myself going
into a bathroom storage closet
and counting the rolls I had left.
Another word about those
masks we were advised to wear.
Where were we supposed to get
them? We were advised to make our
own. Well, I am not the creative type
when it comes to that. I do have two
bandannas, one purple, one pink. I wear
them tied around my head in a triangle,
like a gaily attired bank robber. A fellow
I know made his own mask. I asked
him how he did it, and he said he
used a bandanna, staples and shoelaces.
Too bad I own no shoes with laces.
Like all of you, I have been
sequestered in my home, except for
those edgy trips to the grocery store.
I like living alone. I am actually glad I'm
not " trapped " in here with loved ones
who would have gotten on my nerves.
The only place I go without fail is my
daily walk on a deserted wooded road.
My only companions are the dozen
horses in the field. And the occasional
bear, squirrel or family of deer. They
run when they see me. Maybe it's my
hair that scares them?
Stay well and pray it's over soon. ■
Pass the time with a laugh. Order
Margo's " A Party of One " by calling
540-468-2147, Monday-Thursday, or
email TheRecorderOffice@gmail.com.
co-opliving.com
WherezIt?
Look for the CL logo, like the one here, in
the pages of each issue of Cooperative Living.
Let us know what page you find it on and
submit your answer, along with your name,
email and phone number, to WherezIt, c/o
Cooperative Living, P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen,
VA 23058-2340 or go online at co-opliving.com
under " Contests. " The deadline for this
month's entries is June 20. The winner will
receive an Amazon gift card for $25.
The CL in the March-April
issue was hidden on page 32.
Beverly Nichols of Courtland,
Va., is our WherezIt winner.
Congratulations, Beverly!
WhatzIt?
Each issue, we will publish a photo of a familiar
but unidentified object. You are invited to make
your best guess and submit it in writing, along
with your name, email and phone number.
Either mail to WhatzIt?, c/o Cooperative Living,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340
or guess online at co-opliving.com under
" Contests. " The deadline for this month's
entries is June 20. The winner will receive
a $25 Amazon gift card.
DO YOU
KNOW WHAT
THIS IS?
The March-April WhatzIt was jelly
beans. Donnie Peters of Disputanta, Va.,
is our Amazon gift card winner.
Congratulations, Donnie!
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Cooperative Living June 2020

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