PORTLAND — Life shifted suddenly in March when people around the world were told to reduce the spread of the deadly coronavirus by staying home.
Over the months, we have adjusted and some of the modifications to our everyday life may just linger long into the future. We’re eating more meals at home and relying on contact-less online shopping.
We’re gardening and exercising, and finding new ways to relax.
We’ve been figuring it out and continue to look for ways to improve our at-home time.
Here are other ways to make life better at home:
Take a class
Typically, Portland author and artist Amy Stewart would be writing now or speaking before literary crowds to promote one of her bestselling books, like “Flower Confidential” and “The Drunken Botanist.”
When the coronavirus forced everyone to stay at home, she invented a plan: She pulled out her watercolor sketches, many inspired by walks in Washington Park, and she started teaching online classes to encourage people to paint.
She shares her advice online on Skillshare and tells her students that drawing and painting are technical skills, not dependent on talent.
Organize the bathroom
The first struggle of the day shouldn’t be while you’re trying to wash your face or brush your teeth. Your bathroom should be set up to serve you, with towels at the ready and products within easy reach.
Better your barista skills
Do you look forward to your morning cup of coffee? If the rich aromas aren’t beckoning you out of bed, it’s time to improve your home barista skills.
What’s your brew technique of choice: AeroPress, Chemex, French press, pour-over or auto drip? Consumer Reports conducted a review of each and discovered all can deliver a steaming mug of complexity and flavor.
Start a garden
Long before there were stay-at-home orders and stress about food shortages due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ian Wilson was helping city dwellers turn unused patches of their yard into fertile plots to grow their own organic vegetables, herbs, berries and fruit.
Since 2013, when he founded his company, Portland Edible Gardens, Wilson has served as a consultant for home gardeners, with all levels of green-thumb skills, who want to pour their energy into improving the place they live and their access to fresh food.
