Community Diary Response from Tina R.

Portsmouth (N.H.)

COVID-19 (disease)

Diaries

Entry into the Community Diary.

Reed, Tina

Community Diary: Portsmouth Covid-19 Pandemic 2020

Portsmouth Public Library, Special Collections

2021-04-12

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eng

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PPL-MS: 2020.4.016

"My situation during this time: You ready for this? 1. My husband died suddenly leaving me heartbroken, penniless, and homeless. 2. I had to live in my car for six months. This is due to my own stubbornness. 3. Found out I was chronically and possibly terminally ill. 4. I became sober. All during a pandemic. Ha!"

"An uplifting story that made you smile: My very good friend Patty got upgraded to best, best, best friend. Our time together reminded me of stories my granmother told me about being a young woman during the depression. She would say 'Teetee, dahlink, my girlfriend and I had not two nickles to rub together but laugh! Laugh did we laugh.' Patty and I cracked up constantly."

"What memory of this time will always stay with me? Being in my car alone early in the morning and seeing what beauty, strange, dangerous, things were about at 4 am."

"Has this experience changed me? Oh yes has it! I am far more patient."

"What has been the most challenging part of this experience? 1. The weather. Having to navigate using a public restroom in my makeshift pajama/snow suit from my car to said bathroom. Akward! 2. Doing all this without my husband. He always knew what to do. Always. Then I realized there was no alternative. Crawl into ditch and die or buck up and trudge on? I opted for the later."