Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5
by Marry Wakefield Buxton –
URBANNA, VA. —
March brought a national shutdown of most business establishments due to COVID-19. We had managed to escape Florida, where we had been spending the winter only to arrive home to find that overnight all four law offices had seen revenues drop by 90 percent as health professionals advised everyone to stay home and shelter in place. That was a definite “down.”
Recovery came after we learned how to protect our clients who, of course, continued to need legal help. Through rapid innovation we were able to provide a safe office environment. We did this by admitting only one client at a time in the office, wearing masks, obsessive hand washing and constant sanitization of the office area. The greatest change was creating a central signing room in the Yorktown office where legal documents were presented from behind a glass partition to gloved and masked paralegal and lawyer for notarization and signature.
We knew well while we were scrambling to save the firm and as many staff jobs as possible, that every other small business across the area and nation were doing exactly the same thing. It was a highly stressful time.
It was a little hard during these months to read public health professionals, who continued to receive their government salaries, advise the rest of the not so fortunate public to stay home and isolated. But saving jobs depended on small businesses to stay open. Reality is… without a continuing public sector salary, pension or other source of income, most people have to continue to go to work to earn money to pay bills. We could not stay home. Neither could “essential workers” who, God bless them, took the daily risks of showing up at work and keeping the rest of us afloat.
I’m talking doctors, lawyers, nurses, fire, police and rescue squad, postal staffs, the Sentinel, clerks, and cashiers who checked in each day at grocery stores and other necessary venues who continued serving the public, delivering gas, providing water and electricity and driving trucks throughout the nation to provide needed supplies. Thank you to all who kept the rest of us going! You were an inspiration to the nation!
While so many Americans were fighting for survival, the usual fun summer activities in Urbanna were canceled… parades, fireworks, art fests, church services, swimming pool and even the Oyster Fest along with most Middlesex stores and restaurants. By June many establishments reopened, if only to offer take-out food, and it was truly wonderful to be able to pick up restaurant prepared food.
Some “ups” of summer were delicious take-out dinners at Shirley and Alice Bagby’s benefit dinner on June 13 to raise funds for their churches’ annual Thanksgiving and Airiana Beverley’s delicious spaghetti fundraiser to support her Oyster Fest Queen’s project, “Ballin’ for the Park.” Delicious food, ladies.
We stopped by Big Oak Café one evening for a marvelous sit-down prime rib beef dinner and who could forget our spectacular shrimp-stuffed-with-crab dinner at Eckhard’s? Also, I and several others dined out at Olivia’s in Gloucester — it was one of the first area restaurants to reopen for sit-down service. One never appreciates going out to dinner until all the restaurants are closed and then you look in the mirror and realize the hideous thought that now you (and Chip!) are the chief cook and bottle washer.
A “down” in June came when Chip and I finally realized we are just too old to sail anymore. There is nothing like flying wing on wing across the Rappahannock River on a bright, white-capped day! But the days are over when we can haul up sails and pull in sheets. I found just the boat we needed at Buoy 8 at Cooks Corner… a 24 ft. Romarine with an enclosed cabin, 175 hp outboard motor and a hardtop over head to shade the summer sun.
Proprietor “Wally,” a retired tug boater, really helped us; first, by delivering the boat and trailer to our home in Urbanna and then launching it the next morning in Urbanna Creek. After years of never being able to go under Urbanna Bridge, it was so much fun to take a toot up the creek to the headwaters. I had no idea there were so many homes in that area and so much water.
So, if you catch sight of the “Lydie W.” scooting around the river and creek, please wave. It’s just a couple of “Golden Agers” trying to forget their troubles and enjoy the last few weeks of summer. And that’s a five star “up!”
(The Ups and Downs of Summer continues next week.)
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