One of the best historical war books of all time is The Longest Day. A great read (and a great movie too but books are always better). It should be required reading in high school (but sadly noted that people do not read anymore especially in school). But if you have not read this book it will make realize how spoiled we have all become. These people sacrificed.
While June 6, 1944 may have been "the longest day" I believe we need to prepare ourselves for the possibility of "the longest winter." There is a lot of fake news out there. A vaccine will not be available to the majority of us anytime soon. Even if one is finally created that can be used do you want to be one of the first to try out the quickest vaccine ever created in the history of the world? Nope, me neither. And it has to be mass produced - millions and billions of doses. Then it needs to be distributed to millions and billions of people. And who will pay for it? Will it cost $500 a dose? And how many times will you need to take it? No one knows. What happens if it makes you sick? And who gets it first? We are in this folks for at least another nine months and the reality is we won't just immediately return to our former pre-pandemic lives ever again. So it is going to be a very long and very different winter. And afterwards we will all learn to live in a different way. This is likely not the first pandemic we will see in our lives either. Ask Bill Gates about that one.
There are going to be many lay-offs to come. It is starting to happen now and many (some expected and some unexpected) were announced yesterday. People are going to struggle. Our government is not going to be there to help those who really need help. And there will be millions of Americans in this situation.
The best thing we can all do is to plan and if you are able, help. So how do you plan?
Realize first of all that life will be different this winter. We will be stuck inside and we won't be able to go out much. Learn to live with the outdoors. Over time, I have learned to cherish winter much more than I once did. The air is fresh and crisp. The sun is bright. Take long walks at lunchtime if you can. Since the gym won't be an option, plan a daily walk or run at noon. I have a treadmill so I run at night but I try to ride in winter at lunch or around 4 pm (planning my workday around a 4 pm ride). Just put it on your calendar and do it.
Learning to dress warmly is half the battle with winter weather. My Arcteryx clothes are the very warmest I own (the brand originated in Canada) and they last forever. Some of mine are 20+ years old. This jacket is perfect for long winter walks. Layer it with a vest underneath for super warmth. At the Arcteryx Outlet you can find some good deals (the brand is never discounted more than about 40 percent) and the clothing runs TTS. This is my favorite and I have this one in black, a hoody version and the vest. I wear the vest almost every day in winter.
Wear warm leggings too. Love these (I have not tried them) for the coming months.
Put together a reading list and a stitching stash. I have been building my stitching stash all year (and order thread online when I need it). But create a reading list too. I am reading this one right now.
Plan a mini-break. We have trips planned to my family's beach house this fall and winter, which we typically don't do, just to get away. Use Air BnB or go to a friend's place in lieu of staying in a hotel. Having these on the calendar has given me something to look forward to. This is our view at high tide.
Plan for the holidays. I am decorating for fall this year, then Christmas and then Valentine's Day. I ordered this door hanger in orange and will add my pumpkins and mums on Saturday. Celebrate the seasons and the holidays even if just for your own family.
Decorate inside too. Love this blue velvet pumpkin in Etsy (the shop is called Bymrsdaisy):
Plan ahead. We just don't know what is in store for us. So don't wait until the last minute for anything. We have had multiple household repairs lately. It took almost two months to get my oven fixed. Three weeks for the washing machine. Two repairs for the lawn mower. If you think your furnace needs servicing plan for it now. My horses have an appointment with the dentist in late October, the vet for shots and Coggins in mid-October.
Stock up on supplies for winter. Prepare for any possible supply chain issues. Get lots for food for all of your animals as that keeps. Order their meds so you have a few months' supply.
Plan fun things you can do indoors this winter. I love to cook and plan to go outside my comfort zone this winter baking. Hoping that Santa will deliver a new mixer but in case he does not I still plan to cook things I don't typically cook.
Here is a list of great new cookbooks for the fall from the New York Times. This one is looking good to me:
And this one:
And if all else fails, there's always Netflix! Stay safe. Watch the Preakness, the French Open this weekend. Enjoy this fall weather and please wear a mask!
