10 Positive Outcomes from Sheltering at Home

It has been a weird and interesting 7 weeks of “sheltering at home”. Several states have entered Phase 1 of the “Reopening America” plan. Our time at home may soon be coming to an end. As I reflect on the past 7 weeks, I have come up with some positive things that have happened from being stuck at home. I don’t know if you are having a hard time in isolation(I’m sure many are) or if you have been able to stay positive. The opinions in this post are my own and not intended to make light of the current situation.

List of 10 Positive Things

More time with your significant other/spouse
More time with your kids
A renewed appreciation for nature
Plenty of take-out containers
Learning to cook or improving your cooking skills
Taking an online class
Learning a new skill
Time for current hobbies; reading, writing, photography, etc..
Learning a new hobby
Working from home

More time with Loved Ones

How has it been to spend more time with the important people in your life? I have really enjoyed having my husband home, and working from home. It’s kind of a” trial run” to see how it will be when he retires. I really enjoyed it! He has been helping with housework and helping me care for my Mom, and we have spent more time talking. We don’t have children at home but we do have a dog and, WOW, does he love Dad being home! Are you enjoying spending more time with your family?

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Trains, Planes, and RVs, Which one is safest during a Global Pandemic?

54 Comments / Travel / Cathy

These are strange times! Many of us still don’t know when the stay-at-home and travel bans will be lifted. I guess that it will happen in “phases”, with each state choosing its own time frame. This will make it extra difficult to start traveling again. If you live in a state that still has restrictions in place, can you travel to another state that is wide open? The biggest question is how will we travel? What will be the safest way to travel? What precautions will be in place? In this post, I’m going to review a few possibilities.

TRAINS

We have been researching traveling by train. I admit that I have never traveled this way but it is intriguing. One specific trip we have discovered is traveling the Canadian Rockies by train. The Rocky Mountaineer looks like an amazing experience! They have 3 different routes: First passage to the West, Journey through the Clouds, and Rainforest to Gold Rush. Some of the train cars have a glass dome for optimal sightseeing. I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip, it’s definitely not a budget trip! This particular train is suspended until July 1, 2020. I found Alaska Tours by railway, which would also be a “dream” vacation, they are booking tours in 2021. There are many trains that travel across the United States as well, here is a website showing the most scenic train rides.

How would this be a safe way to travel while the coronavirus is still with us? Well, you could have your own private Train car and isolate yourself from everyone else. Maybe in the dining car, they could seat people at every other table, and in the main passenger car, they could keep social distancing rules by only using every other seat? Of course, we could all be required to wear face masks as well. Are you willing to take these precautions if it means you can travel again?

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5 Virtual Zoos – Staying Entertained While at Home

67 Comments / Travel / Cathy

I have always enjoyed going to the zoo! It’s really the animals that I love! There was a time that I thought I might become a veterinarian to help animals, but then I discovered I really can’t bear to see any injured animals, and that would have been part of the job. Now, I give to zoos and conservation centers to help with wildlife conservation and rehabilitation.

Virtual Zoos

This post is about some great Virtual Zoo websites and Zoo Cams. Since most of us are sheltering at home, we have had to find things to occupy our time, and if you have small children, that is even more challenging. I have seen some zoo videos and animal cams come across my social media feeds, so I thought I would research some of these zoos. Not only did I want to watch the live animal cams now, I also put these zoos on my list of “must-see” places to visit later in person. We are all hoping that there will be a return to “normal” life soon, I am confident that there will be, but when? My thought, is that a zoo might we able to open sooner than other places? Most are pretty wide open, would social-distancing be possible there? I don’t have any answers to these questions, but I do know that every place will be open one day! In the meantime, we need to have some fun things to do at home and a way to keep our dreams of future vacations alive! I found quite a few zoos that have animal videos as well as live streaming(animal cams) with some of your favorite animals! There are many zoos across the United States that are providing some kind of online experience. I have come up with a list of 5 that I think are doing a great job! If they have a Penguin cam, I’m all in!

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6 Great Camping Destinations

72 Comments / Camping / Cathy

North Carolina

It’s the time of year when lots of us start planning our camping trips. In our state, North Carolina, the camping season runs from April-October. This year is different, as we all know, with the coronavirus rearing its ugly head, everything is up in the air! We don’t know when this thing will end, we don’t know when life will get back to normal, what is normal anymore? Despite all that, we are choosing to move forward and plan some camping trips for the summer and fall. I’ve put together a list of new and existing campgrounds that would provide a great camping experience. I am choosing to stay within our home state of North Carolina for the time being. I have a few reasons for staying close to home;

Limited vacation money
Save on gas money
Our State has some awesome places to see
Mountains
The Ocean
First time camping in over a year(camper breakdown)
My elderly Mom lives with us(in case we have to get back home quickly)

View from the Blue Ridge Parkway — **View from Blue Ridge Parkway**

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