The 2020 Series continues with us in May. After eight weeks off, our office and others at WIS went back to work. It’s nothing like Spring with cold temperatures and snow flurries in the air. It feels weird going to work now as there are conditions and precautions. Masks become mandatory and temperature checks have to be done. It’s very eerie indeed and things don’t seem to be getting better. Thankfully, our OfficeMax in Bridgeville doesn’t last long. But it was a precursor for what we were up against in the months to come.
Most of us came back on Mother’s Day Weekend, but a few wouldn’t come back until mid to late June. A few of our people didn’t come back at all, moving onto greener pastures. Some of our stores really enforced the masks while others were laid back. Anyway you slice it, everyone would be totally divided on this issue as well as how our administration (state and national) was handling the crisis. Plus, the debate had risen over whether or not we were essential workers (like the hospital workers, for example).
Meanwhile, in Toastmasters, we were starting to get acclimated to holding our meetings online. I was somewhat used to Zoom as we had used it for our Financial Peace University meetings. I didn’t have a computer like most others did though so it would be tricky to take part in meetings but, I made it work with my iPad and later my iPhone. Let’s just say it was an acquired taste.
At home that summer, there wasn’t much Annabelle and Katie could do. Big events were cancelled and you couldn’t go to Kennywood or Idlewild. Well, you could but there were restrictions and reduced hours. Malls began to open their doors back up but hours were reduced and you couldn’t sit anywhere. We had our pool and that’s about as good as it was going to get. I was able to go to the Olive Garden for my birthday. Menus were different than what we were used to as they were thrown away after every meal.
Summer events that we enjoyed like the Arts and Heritage Festival and the Westmoreland Fair would be cancelled. My former church’s annual community service program, Uncommon, wasn’t going to go this year. The start of baseball season was pushed back to the end of July and would be 60 games. The Summer Olympics were postponed until 2021.
At work, I was still falling for my crush after she had returned in late June, sporting her now pastel pink hair. My fashionable sister got married in May but it was a small wedding. She’d have a nice one next year to make up for it and I would be there to celebrate with her and her husband. We were beginning to make up work lost during the layoff in Spring. My last year in my 30’s had begun.
Despite having limited choices for what to do this summer, I still took vacation in July with my aunt and Benny. We went to Erie and spent time in the pool, but we did other things as well. They went to Waldameer for the day and met up with my cousin and her little family. I went to a bookstore and drove around downtown Erie, stopping at the landing and looking at the beautiful view. We went to Presque Isle multiple times. We made the most of our time there.
The year 2020 taught us about red, yellow, and green and that they weren’t just for stoplights. We couldn’t shake hands, hug and kiss, or go out to eat. Schools had to resort to distance learning and this would hit home for us when Annabelle had to be home schooled in the coming school year. Working from home really became commonplace in 2020 as the virus raged on. The pandemic would be the death knell for some movie theatres, as well as malls that were already dead. JcPenney announced closures in 2020 including Century III Mall, which meant the mall would be closed for good.
Coming up this weekend, I’ll be talking about Century III and some of my memories of that place as the wrecking ball will be coming soon.
My fashion journey began to heat up as the summer began to wind down. I started buying bags as well as scarves and got some compliments. You can credit my crush or my sisters (who all have great fashion sense); but, they all just had a hand in bringing it to light.
Stylish 🍒 