Taking chances

  I am watching and waiting to see what exactly we will be doing this summer. Parts of my state and the surrounding areas are opening slowly. Hopefully they will stay that way. Since we can't count on people being intelligent, however, it's hard to tell for sure. Governors are threatening to reclose things if people don't behave and I can't blame them. There are reports everywhere that a lot of people survive getting the corona virus but how much comfort is that when it's your ass that's sick?
  There are way too many unknowns for my comfort. We control freaks aren't exactly cool with that. I feel somewhat forced to take a chance on our usual summer rental this year only because giving up completely would be too sad to think about. A lousy day at the beach is better than a good day up here. I'm sure things are going to be very different this year. We are also going on a different week than we normally would. The plan is to expect the worst and hope for the best. I may have to settle for some solo walks along the beach in the evening. Who knows? I hope it ends up being worth it.
   Thankfully I managed to find a decent landlord who understands our dilemma. She's not sure how to proceed either. The only comfort I can seem to find is knowing I'm not alone in this. The game plan for this problem, at least, is to watch and wait. Summer camp looks like a nonstarter this year. We will be saving some money on the upside. (My alcohol expenses will definitely increase.) I may also spend some money at Staples to help me retain perspective. I wonder how much it will cost to have a giant poster or three made? Mine would say stuff like 'This beats the ICU!' and 'Prisons don't permit wine!'
   Trying not to think too far ahead has never been easy for me. Mostly I dread my daughter getting way too much screen time and living like a little vampire. She's not a big fan of the outdoors. This is my dna, I admit. It took me forever to see the value of getting outdoors myself. I just wish she would learn my lessons earlier, but I guess that's every parent.
  I will work on coming up with ideas to drag my kid away from her screens as much as I can manage. Since we won't be spending money on a summer camp, maybe I can splurge on a pool? I'm open to home based activities, dear reader.
  In the meantime, release the red shirts! I'll wait.