Due to a persistent tendinitis in my left shoulder, my (Zoom) violin lessons have been put on hold, just when the book with fiddle tunes from the Portland Collection arrived. I was working hard on two fiddle tunes, a practice now abandoned. I will exchange one instrument for another, the ukulele, which doesn’t require a working shoulder, but can play fiddle tunes. The ukulele has been playing second fiddle to the fiddle, and now the roles are reversed, at least for now.
‘At least for now’ is a new qualifier at the end of a phrase. My business had dried up, for now. I am letting my hair grow, for now. My only cardio exercise is on my stationary bike, for now. We don’t go into shops anymore, we don’t travel, for as long as ‘now’ will last.
As for letting my hair grow, it is not by choice of course. I will have to sit Axel in front of a YouTube video to explain how to do a woman’s haircut. I will do the same for him. We can’t let ourselves go. This is one thing I learned from an British ex submarine commander who told his radio audience how he dealt with lockdowns that could last as long as 90 days – imagine that, under water! His main two lessons for lockdown novices were these: stick to routines (as in ‘get dressed and groom yourself!’) and keep your quarters clean. I am sticking to routines faithfully, the meditation, the cardio exercise, the writing. House cleaning is not quite a routine yet – partially because we had outsourced house cleaning, and Axel did it in between visits from our cleaning lady. We continue to send her a check, but it’s us doing her cleaning. For now.
Sylvia's Journal 
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