March, 2020: Isolation First Month

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Viewed: 4/26/2024	Page Views: 850
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui
While Resident Trump knew about the Coronavirus last year, he sat on the information while the rest of us went about our lives. And then…

As previously mentioned, we intended all along to move to my daughter's property in Maui. In fact, we'd hoped to be there last year! But Jenny was having a fancy bamboo hut made for us, and there were design and technical issues that prevented that from happening any time soon. She and the kids (adult grandson Zach and toddlers Gianna and Dominic) came out for Spring Break. They had constructed some metal-and-plastic sheds, large enough for a tiny home, and my husband, Keith, and I made final plans to leave.

Meanwhile, I was keeping track of the news—closer track, it seems in hindsight, than Resident Trump was. And I was growing increasingly concerned. When states started considering closing their borders to visitors, I became frantic. My Spidey sense was screaming at me to get out of Arizona. And so, I pushed my flight earlier, saying I just really wanted to see my grandkids playing at the beach in Maui, and on the property, of course. But deep down I knew it was more urgent.

I arrived one week before Maui stopped allowing visitors.

Travel in the Time of Coronavirus

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/17/2020	Page Views: 592
Topics: #Maui
Taking social isolation to an extreme.

Meanwhile, my daughter, Jenny (the one who actually owns the property) and her toddlers had planned to visit the property for Spring Break. (Yes, even toddlers' schools close for Spring Break!) And I really wanted to spend at least a little time with my grandbabies on Maui. I found I could reschedule my flight with ease, so that I would overlap with Jenny's visit by a couple of days. And then the coronavirus, COVID-19, became a thing.

My First Visit to The Property

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/17/2020	Page Views: 520
Topics: #Maui
My first visit to the last place I'm likely to ever live. (If I'm lucky!)

On this, Day 1 of my Maui residency (first full day), Jenny drove the toddlers and me to The Property, to meet Zach. But when we got there we found we weren't the only visitors: Three horses dropped by to meet us, I suppose.

Sleeping All Alone

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/19/2020	Page Views: 521
Topics: #Maui
Taking social isolation to an extreme.

So…this is it. My first night alone on the property. Or maybe not completely alone, if the dogs arrive.

First Day of Exile

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/19/2020	Page Views: 494
Topics: #Maui
Fighting depression over being so isolated. Toddlers to the rescue!

As always, I woke a couple times during the night to pee. Since I have to do that outside here, the dogs dashed out to do the same. I was worried since they were off-leash, but I needn't have been concerned…they ran right back in as soon as they were done. (It may have helped that it was raining.)

Toddlers at the Property

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/22/2020	Page Views: 689
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui
I get a visit from the grandkids.

Today I got a visit from my youngest grandkids, Gianna and Dominic. This is not in violation of social isolation, as we've been together (but with no one else) several times in the past weeks anyway…including a couple days ago. So the property is a good place to be outside without exposure to any viruses.

Getting Ready for Keith

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/23/2020	Page Views: 721
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui
My husband arrives tomorrow, I HOPE.

Happily, with each day closer Keith's arrival gets, my depression has lifted. Today I'm on the property by myself all day (with the dogs, of course) and determined to make the place as nice as possible for Keith's arrival. Plus, for my own sanity, I needed to tidy and reorganize, since I had some new things (brought by Jenny yesterday) to put away, or to put things into.

Keith Arrives in Maui!

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/24/2020	Page Views: 690
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui
My husband meets me at our new home.

I was cautiously optimistic. The news told us that the islands would be shut down to tourism on Thursday, tomorrow. If nothing else unexpected came up, or went down, or sidewayds—Keith should be able to complete his journey unscathed. But I'm an overthinker with undiagnosed OCD and ADD. And so many things could go wrong.

First Supply Run

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/25/2020	Page Views: 687
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui
Shopping in the time of coronavirus.

Today was the first day since Maui was "shut down" that we drove into town for supplies.

Mud

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/27/2020	Page Views: 694
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui
Mudding in the time of coronavirus.

We arrived in Hana's rainiest season, and despite the furious pace at which the grass grows, eventually the rain outruns it and every step one takes, oozes mud.

A Break In The Rain

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/29/2020	Page Views: 695
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui
A glimpse of sunshine toward the end of rainy season.

Today being Sunday—and it's damned hard keeping track of the days when you don't watch commercial television (remember "Must See Thursday"?!) and you are living in relative isolation from everyone else—we didn't expect anyone to come out to the property today.

Online, At Last!

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/30/2020	Page Views: 691
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui #SatelliteInternet
Thanks to orbiting satellites, we are no longer 100% off-grid.

I awoke early today, as I have been doing. But today was the first I'd seen a sunrise here! And it was appropriate, because my hopes were also rising: Today is the day we are to get Internet access at the shed!

The Jeep

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 3/31/2020	Page Views: 701
Topics: #Coronavirus #Maui
We rent a Jeep so we can get around.

My daughter, Jenny, was excited. "There are so many rental cars on Maui, unused, that they are renting them out, dirt cheap!" Until now, we've relied on Jenny's periodic visits to get transportation off-property. An inexpensive rental, as long as it was serious 4-wheel drive, would be a godsend while we wait for our own Honda CR-V to arrive from the mainland.