snow covered lawn chairs
the sun, hiding behind clouds
the air, crisp with cold


News - Bob starts back at work Monday.  Working from home, with hope to transition at least part time in the office, and an awareness that while that might not work, we'll try.  His manager seemed to be hesitant around the idea of Bob working fully or mostly from home once his folks go back to the office, but open to the idea that there might be modifications to his role to support his needs.  Either way, he was off for nearly 8 weeks - and he's done some good work in that time.  He's stronger, more thoughtful to the situation, and has been volunteering and keeping busy.  I worry, though, that the transition back has the risk of him going back to full-asshole mode - even yesterday he was doing some email cleanup and got uppity about me not "bothering him", but perhaps we can discuss boundaries to keep us both sane. 

The last time I was at the office was March 12 - and the last time I ate out or went out "normally" - even slightly, was March 14.  Even then, it had started - but we didn't know the full scope of what would happen over the next four weeks.  Schools were closing for March break, and an additional 2 weeks - and we didn't yet know about essential services.  Four weeks later, the world is so different.  I had trouble finding dog food yesterday.  There are line ups for grocery stores.  Some shelves remain unstocked.  Curbside delivery is everything.

I'm making broth this morning and the house smells wonderful.  I'm one of those people who don't like waste and whenever I cook with bone-in meat, also make broth from it before throwing away the bones.  It's veal - so a beef-style base that I think I'll use for an irish stew tonight.  I have carrots and potatoes and some stewing beef, so it may be time to do a stew and use up some wilting vegetables and not have to freeze the stock.