Community Diary Response from Carol W.

Portsmouth (N.H.)

COVID-19 (disease)

Diaries

Entry into the Community Diary.

White, Carol A.

Community Diary: Portsmouth Covid-19 Pandemic 2020

Portsmouth Public Library, Special Collections

2020-08-23

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PPL-MS: 2020.4.015

"I live alone and my husband is in a Portsmouth nursing home and I was unable to visit him for four months. Two days after the quarantine started my son, his wife and their two young boys moved into my house along with their two cats and stayed for three months. I helped the boys with their schoolwork and watched them while their parents worked online. My house is larger and has a large yard so was perfect for keeping the boys entertained. Unfortunately, the cats did not get along with my cat so that took a bit of work to keep them separate. It took some negotiation to work out everyone's roles in this new living situation and expectations etc. but we made it work."

"My son and daughter in law did all the shopping, sanitizing of things and most of the cooking which was wonderful. Also, the chipmunk the cats brought into the house and let loose will always be remembered. Trying with my son and two grandsons to catch it was quite an experience."

"Three months to spend with my grandsons was a wonderful gift that I never expected to receive and will always think of my time with them very warmly."

"I learned that the busy life I previously led may not have been the best choice. Life is much slower now and I'm enjoying it. Plus, I've been able to walk 4-6 miles almost every day and really enjoy that time outdoors."

"Combining two households with different ways of doing things, different meal times, different foods and snacks, different bed times and arising times, took a bit of work to come to some type of agreement on. Also, I used to visit my husband daily in his nursing home, so not being able to visit him at all for four months was difficult."