Are you racked with restlessness and feeling fidgety? We are all tired of staring at the walls, listening to the news and wondering when and if our lives will return to normal. I had almost adjusted to being an empty nester — until the COVID-19 pandemic. My 19- and 23-year-old daughters moved back in and we temporarily relocated my 80-year-old mother to our home to keep her safe.
The Bond family’s ballpark night.
We all have highs and lows being thrown into this homebound mix, but we are staying focused on the positives and keeping our time productive. The return of the family dinner with interesting conversations every night is my favorite part. We are cooking more than ever, trying new recipes and old family favorites. Bidisha Nag, owner of the cooking classes Create Your Curry, has tested potential items for future classes and left samples on her front porch for her neighbors to sample. She also recommends doing a safe food exchange with friends when you want to try something new.
Exercise your brain!
I love to travel, but these days I can only read about countries I want to visit. I combined my love of traveling with my goal to work on memorization and can now be your “phone a friend” when it comes to geography. So far, I can list the 27 countries of the European Union, 14 countries of South America, 13 provinces and territories of Canada, seven countries of Central America, and 35 of the 54 countries in Africa. You can do the same thing with other topics like Oscar-winning movies or U.S. presidents.
Quiet time is perfect for reading!
I’m finally getting through the stack of books next to my bed. Virtually, you can continue to chat with your book club or even read bedtime stories to your grandchildren. Ten-year-old Madison O’Malley has created Maddie’s Book Nook, where she reads favorite children’s books out loud daily to a private Facebook group. O’Malley’s neighbor friends love to listen and watch her read, and her grandma says she looks forward to it every day.
One of our favorite nights during quarantine was our family PowerPoint Presentation Evening. Each of us created a 10-slide PowerPoint on any topic of interest, but the catch was that you couldn’t present your own. We picked names out of a hat and that person had to stand up and immediately present and answer questions about whatever was put up on the screen. The results were hilarious and topics ranged from Aristotle’s Rhetoric and Why the Earth is Actually Flat to A Ranking of Courtney’s Ex-boyfriends.
Creative theme nights!
We have enjoyed an Italian evening with Frank Sinatra tunes, Chinese night with homemade fortune cookies and a cruise event where we dressed up for dinner and played bingo. We also put on our Christmas pajamas, strung some lights and brought out a small tree for Christmas in March. No one was allowed to purchase gifts, but we had to search our house for items to wrap and re-gift to other family members.
The Tamerlano family travels to Hawaii.
Dublin residents have been extremely festive and posting about their wonderful “travels” and themed evenings. Jessica Allard’s family has held many theme nights including the most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World. Kelly Tamerlano’s family did a trip to Hawaii, brought beach chairs inside and played a YouTube video of beach scenes as well as Moana. Her 8-year-old daughter, Maura, also gave a hula presentation, drew and cut out frogs and other Hawaiian animals, and lined them up in the hallway to take her family on a nature walk.
Diane Bond’s family also visited Hawaii by researching little-known facts about the islands and cooked pork dinner for over 12 hours. Their four kids also created a ballpark night, Indians versus Yankees, complete with a concession stand and Cracker Jacks.
The Sitter family’s Tiger King event.
“It’s great to see the whole family working together to create joyful memories,” says Bond.
Melissa Sitter’s family had a proper English tea party, with fancy hats and elegant china. Beth Starrett had a prom night with the entire family dressed in formal attire for her high school junior, and a very on-trend Tiger King event with smoked chicken wings.
Keep your hands busy!
My daughter, Courtney, is a fashion/business major at The Ohio State University and is using her sewing skills to make masks for locals as well as nurses and pilots in Maryland, Illinois and California. Missy Grether pulled out a needlepoint project from college and is finally working on completion.
“It is a belt for my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time,” says Grether. “Many years later, I’m not sure it will be big enough.”
Jeremiah Kline has designed and made sibling puppets named Chet and Ron Smith. He also built a set for the puppets and is working to create a YouTube channel. Steve Landoll is making cedar bluebird boxes to give to his neighbors and Meg Perez is organizing 40 years of photos.
When you are tired, think about treating yourself to a spa day at home. We did facial masks and bought a paraffin wax machine so we could do relaxing smoothing treatments to our hands and feet.
Share the love!
Our four-legged friends are the only ones who are truly happy that we are homebound. With time on their hands, many Dubliners are also sharing their love with new pets. Debbie Korcykoski and Jenny Ebeling both got new puppies.
“Lincoln keeps our spirits up and keeps us busy with walks and finding ways to tire him out,” Ebeling says.
Meanwhile, Renee Grumblis-Kelly says she has added six chicks to their zoo.
“They are all in my office while I try to work from home full-time,” Grumblis-Kelly says, laughing.
Dana Burkett’s new foster cat family.
Dana Burkett is currently fostering a mama cat and her five kittens from Colony Cats. She says the process is new to them, but the kitties are super cute.
The food banks are in need of financial and product donations, with lines of cars every day waiting for food. Betsy McCollum says her family is safely volunteering at Heart to Heart Food Pantry in Grandview while Patricia Widerschein says the Dublin Food Pantry also needs help.
“Usually donations are brought to the warehouse first,” Widerschein says, “but the need is so great with firsttimers that we are keeping donations right at the food pantry and handing them out immediately.”
Find more ways to help at www.dublin foodpantry.org.
Colleen D’Angelo is a freelance writer who lives in Dublin with her husband, three children and several small animals. She enjoys playing tennis, walking the Dublin bike paths and traveling.
