One thing we’re getting during this strange time in our history is a whole lot of numbers. I’m not a numbers person. Never have been. I write a blog, after all. Words are what I do.

But lately with all the numbers bouncing around and some time on my hands to read about them, I’ve started thinking about my own data set from this past strange month…

244 – the number of dollars I spent on my Instacart order from Kroger yesterday. I’m confident this is a new record in my entire 47 years. The threat of becoming ill makes everyone feel very snacky.

80 – the age my mother turned on April 1 in Florida. No one made it to her party. She understood.

45 – the number of real school days we will lose this year. e-learning is fine, but not the same…said Captain Obvious.

28 – the number of days typically required to form a new habit. I’ve developed some that are quite good. (better patience, kinda’-sorta’-maybe?) Some that are not much good. (wine!) This is also the number of miles between my home and my office downtown.

25 – the number of days since I’ve been to my office downtown.

23 – the last date I had Starbucks. As in March 23. The struggle is real. Anybody who claims that the coffee they make at home tastes just as good is lying.

18 – the number of days I’ve been trying to make my coffee at home taste just as good as it does from Starbucks. #failing

13 – the number of ways to control feelings of panic that I wrote about for work (on a day when I was panicking).

11 – the age the younger half of The Precious Pair turned earlier this week.

10 – the date I was supposed to fly to Phoenix with my girls to spend Easter Weekend with family. As in April 10. As in today. I ordered a DQ ice cream cake to make me less sad about it. Dessert vs. Desert.

9 – the number of family-friends who surprised my sweet kid mentioned above with a Birthday Parade. They dropped off signs and gifts and a plastic flamingo in the yard. It was the most heartwarming thing I’ve experienced during Quarantine.

8 – I can’t think of any significance for this numeral, but I needed to list it. Otherwise there woulda’ been a hole in the countdown from 10.

7 – the number of days since I’ve seen one of my favorite people. This number will grow for I-don’t-know-how-many-more-days. It’s the right thing to do for our families.

6 – yes, of course, the number of feet we must maintain. Also, the number of people in my department at work, counting my boss. I miss these folks. They bring out the best in me.

5 – the number of cloth facemasks I luckily now own, thanks to the mad sewing skillz of a few people I know– including a talented 13 year-old!

4 – the number of weeks I’ve gone without filling my gas tank.

3 – the number of bottles of red wine from Aldi currently on my kitchen counter. And the same number of nights it will take me to drink them. This is also the age both my little nieces just turned! Photos of their cute mugs make for some great therapy.

2 – the number of dogs in my home who might send me off a cliff before this Quarantine is over. The barking, bickering, and begging never stops. They are the canine equivalents of toddlers, like those cutie nieces of mine who are driving their parents bonkers.

1 – the number of mice I’ve caught in a toaster during Quarantine.

0 – the number of toasters I currently own.

These are my stats. Until they change. And as I say all the time right now “It’s a day-by-day world, and we’re just lucky to be living in it.” Check back soon, and I’m sure to have an entirely different set of numbers for you. Or better yet, I’ll stick to the words from now on…

Numerically challenged,
Meesh