by The Land Connection Staff

Here are some musings on life in isolation as some of us semi-return to work with the opening of the Champaign Farmers Market…

Julia

Over the years, I have had a dilemma finding the right place for my favorite lamp. It became clear that it was going to be part of my online video backdrop within the first week of starting at TLC. I moved it several times and finally, it ended up in the perfect spot. I took a deep breath and enjoyed the illumination. Brings new meaning to “stop and smell the roses”.

 

Cassidy

With the passing of Mother’s Day, I realized that I have been neglecting not one, but two mothers (sorry, Momma, I love you!). My kombucha mother or “SCOBY” (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) has been working away in the cupboard eating up sugar and churning out goodness. But, with all that’s been going on, I kind of forgot to check on her for a bit, and now it’s time to bottle! As an aside for any other home-brewers out there, this SCOBY was born from the pickling of very hot peppers which has led to a nice kick in the final brew. And something about that also makes the final product the most carbonated, dryest kombucha I’ve ever had.

 

Jacquelyn

Odin, the most revered god in Norse mythology, is supposedly the god of wisdom. In our house, though, he is the cat god of neediness. I keep reading all of these quarantine cat memes suggesting our cats do not want us interrupting their naps, sitting on their sofa, etc. etc. Apparently, Odin did not get the pretty widely accepted cat memo that you should leave your humans alone out of anger that they have taken over your cat castle. Instead he has blessed us with a severe version of “FOMO.” He walks in front of video conferences, meows, tries to climb on your back, follows you around the house, wreaks havoc on the greenhouse (see photo), and the list goes on and on and on. I’m afraid at this rate he is going to figure out how to be a stowaway in one of our work backpacks when we head back to the office. Send help!

 

Cay

Cay’s top 3 solo activities: reading, podcasts, writing. Cay’s allotted time of solitude since quarantine: zilch… with one exception. After offering myself as tribute, my husband has entrusted to me the responsibility of restocking our home with much-needed supplies. After work every Thursday, I pack my mask, wallet, and hand sanitizer then venture into the world of germs from 5-8 pm. Now, does it take 3 hours every Thursday to purchase said necessities? That would depend on who you ask. One socially starved husband, four energetic kids, two stuck up cats, and a very mischievous pitbull (sorry 2nd-floor neighbor) would answer YES… so I go with it. This week instead of pulling into “Drive up” and alerting the amazing Target staff of my arrival, I scouted a discreet parking spot and headed in that direction. After parking, I opened my windows, let my seat all way the back, and began #1 of my top 3. I may have intentionally scheduled pick up for 7:30 so I would have extra time to burn… Curbside for the win! My best-kept secret 🙂

 

Taidghin

One of the things that I’ve been actively missing is going to the gym after work. Typically, Rey and I would get home from work, take care of the dogs, and head over to the gym for about 1-1.5 hours every day. That, obviously, has not been happening as of late. One of the issues that has plagued us is that there are very few places in our house where you have enough space to be active and exercise. There is, however, enough space in our office to get in a decent workout. Rey recently bought us a “home gym” resistance band kit and I dug out the Perfect Push-up grips that I’ve been carrying around with me since college and using very rarely. I’ve been really trying to make sure I get in a quick 30-minute workout before showering every morning, it doesn’t always happen, but I’ve consistently been breaking about a 60% success rate. It’s not great, but hey, it’s something. And, while everything is whirring by and blurring together, sometimes you just need to make your body as active as the ever-changing world around us.