Non-Essential

     Today was my first full day of working from home as a non-essential employee. That moniker is rather humbling, wouldn't you say?  I am really praying that this pandemic ends sooner rather than later because otherwise I can't be held accountable for my actions.

     It wouldn't be that bad except for the cast of characters I have here. Thinking that they are going to leave me alone while I work for 7.5 hours is one step beyond wishful thinking. There are two little dogs that are like toddlers and a Maine Coon cat that is like a sulky teenager. And they all want to be around me. Or on me. Or talking to me: voicing their little animal commands. "I want nummy! I want treaties! I want the water bowl full, not halfway!" (that would be Victoria, the sulky teen). Then the dogs pull out their little bag of tricks trying to be cute: walking to me on their hind legs or sitting up like prairie dogs. It's adorable but not when you have to work. If I pick one up the other one is scratching at my leg. If I pick them both up: I can't type around them. If I put them on the couch with a blanket they jump down and follow me. If I tell them to go get in their bed with the comforter they will: but then stare balefully at me until I give them a "treatie". It's a lose-lose for me.

     And then there's Marie...who I specifically told that I wasn't to be disturbed from 8 am - 4 pm because those were my work hours with a half hour break at 1 pm.  If you think this happened: HAHAHAHAHAHA! You don't know Marie.

     I can't really be mad at her though. She's 89, has a bit of dementia and a slow brain bleed so her short-term memory is sketchy at best. This makes her ask the same questions rather frequently and I have learned to just answer them no matter how many times. That wasn't too invasive. But then she kept asking, "How's it going? Are you still working? Why are you home? What are you drinking?" If only I could have answered "Watermelon sangria!" But I digress. And then, "I'm cold. I need another blanket. My back is cold. Can you open the shade? Can you close the shade? What does the dog want?" I think you get the idea.

     The computer program go to my PC didn't seem to really want me to go there. I know it was operator error but still: how many times was I going to have to reconnect it? How many times was it going to play hide and seek with my websites? How many times was it going to do the "electric slide" across the screen? So today wasn't my most productive day. Especially when I'm used to two big monitors, not just my laptop screen. Oy vey!

I hope it gets easier as time goes on. I also hope too much time doesn't pass before I'm back in the office where I belong. This COVID-19 seems to be planning on an extended stay in the U.S. Let's pray that it's "vacation" here gets cancelled soon: like the vacations of all of my friends.