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Readers Share Shelter-at-Home Activities

Gardening, playwriting and tending baby cows are among projects during quarantine

by Sarah Elizabeth Adler, AARP, Updated May 5, 2020

Senior woman knitting while sitting on sofa in house

Getty Images

Home is where the heart is — and these days, it’s where most of us are spending the majority of our time thanks to social distancing measures intended to keep us safe during the coronavirus outbreak.

From starting a new exercise routine to finally having the chance to sort through old photos, here’s what AARP readers wrote from around the country when we asked them to describe what they are doing to stay busy in these strange times in 10 words or so.

Cows at a farm

Mona Bond

Calving season in Iowa. This Nana is busy!

— Mona Bond, Ankeny, Iowa

a man sitting at a desk in his home office turns from his laptop to smile for the camera and show the title of the book he is writing on the laptop monitor

Bruce Karp

Attending weekly playwriting classes via Zoom instead of in person.

— Bruce Karp, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

dozens of old family photos school photos and portraits are spread out on top of a bed

Cindy Smith

Sorting old photos and memorabilia and sharing special memories with family and friends via text.

— Cindy Smith, Arcadia, California

close up shot of a magnolia blossom with the photographer shadow in the background

Elisabeth Wheeler

Visiting plants in my yard. Here’s the magnolia and me.

— Elisabeth Wheeler, Raleigh, North Carolina

home exercise equipment in a spare bedroom of a house

Gerry Pete

Diet and exercise at home will yield results during COVID-19. I dropped my weight from 222 pounds on January 4th to 198 pounds [as of April 22].

— Gerry Pete, Millsboro, Delaware

A handemade, cross-stitched towel

Catherine S. Stewart

I’ve been cross-stitching! 

— Catherine S. Stewart, Idaho Falls, Idaho

We are eager to hear more stories about life at home. Are you baking, playing an instrument, reading to grandkids via Zoom?

Whatever it may be, please send a photo and a short description to aarpfeatures@aarp.org, including your first and last name, city and state, and a way to reach you by email or phone.

We may use your story as we continue to cover life during the coronavirus outbreak.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 1, 2020. It has been updated with user-submitted photos.

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