What do we do while spending with ourselves "sequestered afternoon"?
We explored a hiking trail (pictured above) that we hadn't visited in a while. It was a decent day yesterday; either a very late winter day, or a very early spring one. We had the place to ourselves, except for one person we met going the other way. We weren't tempted to disobey the "no diving" sign on the bridge. The blackbirds were singing their hearts out. Today we walked a different path closer to home, and heard cardinals and collar doves.
Book club is cancelled until May. Just as well, I haven't even started the selection yet. The library is closed until further notice. That will put a crimp in things for people who depend on it for print media, and also computer/internet time.
Art club is cancelled also. The members were encouraged to work on their projects for the spring show. Which likely won't happen in April as scheduled. But I am making good progress on my painting.
The St. Vincent de Paul thrift store is closed until further notice. People can still apply for rent and utility assistance from the store manager, along with other needs. Fortunately they just had a good fund raiser. But it will go quickly if a lot of people are thrown out of work. There is a food collection bin at church. I sent an email inquiry to the group president to find out if they are still accepting donations of food for their pantry. As many things as the stores are out of, they will surely need it.
I went to the empty church this morning and played the new organ. It was lovely, and doesn't make horrible unpredictable squawking noises like the old one did. I played Easter songs. Not that we're having Easter. But it made me feel more hopeful to play them.
Under the "people are crazy" category, a news item came out that the restrooms along the interstate are closed during hours when an attendant isn't present, because people are stealing all the toilet paper.
How are all of you spending The Quarantine?
Fortunately it is the beginning of the garden season. I put some snow peas in last week. Looking forward to them coming up.
ReplyDeleteThe broccoli and cabbage are growing well on the sun porch. In the next few days they will go out into the garage to begin the process of adapting to the outdoors.
The tomatoes are about four inches high in the basement. The California wonder peppers are about an inch high.
I love gardens. Too bad I'm not any good at growing them. But I enjoy other people's. Sounds like you will have a lovely harvest of vegetables.
DeleteJack, gardening is a great idea. We do (translation: "my wife does") some basics: tomatoes and peppers. Maybe this year we expand the repertoire a little bit. I'm already tired of watching television. We aren't locked down yet, but there is no place to go.
DeleteMy family was supposed to visit my parents this weekend, but we decided to cancel because they are in their 80s, and we have no idea whether any of us are unknowingly carrying the virus.
One of my brothers lives in the Bay Area and they're virtually in a lockdown situation there. (Jim McCrea, same for you?) A few Chicago suburbs (Oak Park and environs) are going to do the same thing; essentially, nobody is allowed to leave their houses. So if it's happening there already, chances are, our governor will issue a statewide decree by the end of the week. So depression-inducing!
Gardening: I transplanted a couple of plants otherwise growing out of their pots. Let's see how that goes!
DeleteFlorida still seems a little looser than everybody else, but today the seven Florida bishops got together and decided to shut down Masses and all other church activities Friday for three weeks or until further notice. Special arrangements will be made for funerals, whatever that means.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn and I threw in the towel this morning and stayed home. I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow or Friday, but reports I am getting say the stores are war zones with vast deserts of nothing. Hmm. So what did we do with a whole day of self-quarantine? Talking on the phone sucked four hours out of my day, and Marilyn tagged on two additional hours because she is a masochist. In between and during calls I answered emails. I have plenty to read but didn't get to much of it.
I see that our president says he saw this coming -- this being the Chinese flu -- way before anyone else, and that was why he is so well prepared. Also, he is a wartime president now, so that takes away the argument that maybe Lincoln had a harder term. Good to know.
We still don't know how this will play out in our lives. I have any family ir friends who are presenting symptoms but I'm waiting for it to make an appearance in my circle. I know two nurses, one who is now in a COVID unit and was exposed to a patient who later tested positive. I guess I'm trying to get my house cleaned up and ready for who knows what. I don't know how I'd be handling things if my mother were still with me.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go into total lockdown ("E-mer-gency, E-mer-gency, Please to leave the streets" -- The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming), how do you get groceries? Publix has free delivery of orders over $35, but it requires an app. I do not approve of apps. But if I had them delivered, how would I get to an ATM to get the money to pay for them? Am I supposed to withdraw enough cash to last through August? What would the Fed think of that? Just askin' today, but it may become a serious question tomorrow,
ReplyDeleteTom, hopefully it won't come to that. But debit or credit card would probably be how to pay for it. Cash seems like it would be a possible means of passing germs back and forth, I'm surprised they haven't been discouraging people from using it. But some people, especially poor people, don't have any other option.
DeleteThat reminds me, I am down to $1 in my wallet. I like to carry more than that, even though I pay for groceries with a debit card. But I won't use the "cash back" option at the store, since I'd be getting recently handled money. I'll use the walk-up ATM at our bank. It's stocked from an armored car, presumably there is a time lapse from when it was handled.
DeleteMost places expect you to stock up now. Which is a joke because supplies are limited already. National Guard has delivered food in some places.https://www.rt.com/usa/482782-national-guard-coronavirus-cuomo/
DeleteYesterday favorite market had a line around the corner. Today, Nada....one of the pluses of high density living is that things seem to change every day.....until they don't, I suppose.
DeleteNowhere in our state are we on total lockdown. No church or school, or gatherings over 10 people, including the library and senior center, which are closed. The YMCA and aquatic center are closed. But kids are riding bikes around, and we can go walking in our neighborhood or on the public trail system. We can go to the store and get necessary supplies, Some places of work, including my old employer, are still open, with stringent precautions.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how confining people to their homes would be helpful, since outdoors there is minimal danger of contamination if people maintain distance. Outdoors is good for people's mental health as much or more than their physical health.
The outdoors has a strong advantage with respect to viruses. Ultraviolet light, which is becoming stronger as we approach summer, beats the hell out of pathogens.
Deletehttps://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/increased-uv-exposure-may-limit-spread-of-new-coronavirus/703393
Going outside and keeping distance has to be good practice.
Has anyone heard what they are doing for homeless people in their area? There is a homeless mission here, but the numbers aren't such that it's going to max out the crowd limits. Urban areas are another story. Hard to obey sanitation protocols if you are on the street or even in a shelter. I don't know if they have closed soup kitchens, but that would be a catastrophe for some people.
ReplyDeleteWHO now says ibuprofen is ok. No evidence that ibuprofen worsens COVID-19.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.sciencealert.com/who-recommends-to-avoid-taking-ibuprofen-for-covid-19-symptoms
They have started having daily Mass on television by one of the local priests at 8:15. He wore white vestments and sang an acapella Gloria in honor of the solemnity today. Was weird to be in our basement watching a Mass at a church we could easily walk to. But it is appreciated and makes one feel a little more connected.
ReplyDeleteThanks for starting this thread, Katherine. Salvation Army near us is doing "grab and go" lunches. Thanks for the reminder. I need to send them some $$ for that effort.
ReplyDeleteLike Stanley, I have thought about what it would be like dealing with an ailing and very elderly parent at this time. Senior services who helped with my mom seems to have stopped everything but meals on wheels.
My brother says it may be Friday before he gets his C19 test back. He is hoping that he has it, as it has not been severe and he thinks this will give him immunity and he won't have to worry about it ever again. Science doesn't back this up yet, but not going to bust his balloon if it helps him feel better.
We got our first alert about severe weather. Had a locally damaging tornado last March. Floods and tornadoes that put people in shelters will be a problem at this time.
Meantime, we scored two dozen eggs from the local guy. He is sold out of chicken, but lots of eggs.
I have been bugging Raber about getting the Men's Club to hand out their stockpile of toilet paper, one roll per person, if the parish is closed entirely. Local sewer systems are in danger of severe back-ups as people flush alternatives.
I am spending time outdoors every day and, as temps permit, opening windows to get the winter fug out of the house.
Ground is still partially frozen, so not thinking of garden yet, but Jack's peas make me want to get my hands in dirt. Catnip, chives and my oriental poppy are just poking up under the mulch. Cats are excited about that!
I don't want to gross anyone out, but a homemade peri bottle made from a recycled squirt bottle of any kind can be a substitute for tp.
DeleteYeah, I think the outdoors is good for people, and sunlight is a good disinfectant, as Stanley pointed out. I have some extended family members who suffer from anxiety and am concerned for them.
My dad was basically homebound anyway and family members are making sure he has everything he needs and keeping tabs on his health. And bringing him books. I am very grateful to them.
Not too expensive. Easy to install.
DeleteRinseWorks Aquaus 360° Premium Hand-Held Bidet with Patented Dual Spray Pressure Controls in Chrome - NSF Certified
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RinseWorks-Aquaus-360-Premium-Hand-Held-Bidet-with-Patented-Dual-Spray-Pressure-Controls-in-Chrome-NSF-Certified-ABT-360/300571816
At the high end
TOTO S350e WASHLET Electric Bidet Seat for Round Toilet with EWATER+ in Sedona Beige
https://www.homedepot.com/p/TOTO-S350e-WASHLET-Electric-Bidet-Seat-for-Round-Toilet-with-EWATER-in-Sedona-Beige-SW583-12/300825256
A patch around the knuckles on one of my hands became cracked and dry. Must be the handwashing and sanitizing. Put some Nivea men's hand cream on it and it is ok again. I don't miss the acne, but the oily skin I used to have had its benefits.
ReplyDeleteYesterday: Carried on with the usual in spite of feeling zonked. Both of us. The usual reading, some writing, taking a walk, venting spleen on the great leader, admiring the young person in our building who's volunteered to shop for vulnerables. Managed to figure out the local pharmacies plan for renewing prescriptions. And read some more.
ReplyDeleteThe Zonked feeling naturally brought on thoughts of an impending viral attack.
Fortunately, last evening the coffee maker realized that he had grabbed the decaf bag for yesterday's brew. Much good humored rejoinder, remonstrance, and rejoicing.
So today we are caffed up and that zonkedness has dissipated. Not a vaccine of course, but, here we are, still.
Our patch of New York City is preternaturally quiet. We are not "lockeddowned" strictly speaking, but there is a lot of social distancing on sidewalks and street crossing. Our governor and mayor continue to vilontly disagree until they don't. The youngers have decamped to the summer retreat along with 5000 piece puzzles and impossible to understand board games. I warned about supply lines to the far-out, so they emptied the freezer, etc.
RCIA cancelled along with everything else Catholic, except prayer, meditation, etc.; friend proposing to go to the Greek Orthodox liturgy a few block over. Friend who loves movies faces the closure of AMC theaters... Neighbor delivered an extra red onion to our door knob.
The story thus far.
I got two extra coffee cans. First things first!
DeleteI wonder if this may be the end of movie theaters. The people who always go can't, and as they can't, they will increasingly get used to streaming movies at home. "Emma," a biggie scheduled to open in theaters this week, is opening on line. Once you've got them down on the couch, how will you get them back in the seats?
DeleteI lived through the end of the great theatrical palaces here you went for the atmosphere as much as the movies. The Oriental (guess what the decor was) and Chicago were still running four-a-days then. A fist-run film with live vaudeville between showings: Burl Ives, Les Paul and Mary Ford, the Four Aces, Gordon McRae, Jimmie Wakely, the Step Brothers, to mention a few I remember seeing live. Then everything got tacky. Then everything got Multiplex. Now everything has been getting Multiplex with love seats, cocktails, canapes and waiters. But is that going to be enough to pull them back?
How true....I am considering a second, mid-day coffee ceremony. I wake up at 2 AM anyway. Why be under-caffed now when there is so much to think about?
DeleteMy parents said that one of the main draws bringing people into the movie theaters back in the 30s and 40s was that t they were air conditioned in the summer, which people's homes rarely were.
DeleteI still like going out to the movies but I'm a dinosaur. Nearly extinct Stanleysaurus. But "A Hidden Life" is now rentable from Amazon for $5.99. Otherwise, I'd never get to see it.
DeleteUpdate: Thanks to all for prayers for my brother. His C19 test just came back NEGATIVE.
ReplyDeleteLesson learned is that a lot of regular viruses can look just like coronavirus. Anybody who gets sick now has an added later of anxiety. Glad his health department will not have to try to track down his contacts! He is a gadabout, knows everyone in his small town, and half of Oklahoma and southern Kansas through his Western swing band.
Glad to hear that your brother was cleared. Better for his wife too, if she has underlying health problems.
DeleteYes, but hope this forces him to re-think gadding around. Bad enough he's probably infected other people with his unspecified respiratory virus.
DeleteJean, I am so happy to hear that about your brother. Hope it's the first of many negatives for the NewGathering extended family.
DeleteA couple of reminders of what trump really said and what Fox said and now says
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/ch7_t2Ri2Zg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKbwDf51bA
Trump is such a gaslighter. Not only does he lie, but he lies about lying. And Fox was irresponsible in the first place. Now they're trying to walk it back, but some people already drank their Kool-Aid
DeleteA little while ago the guy who took my place at work called asking advice on making homemade sanitizer, since they're running out, but insisting everyone use it on the way into the building. He looked up the WHO recipe, which is good. The main ingredient is isopropyl alcohol, which they have 120 gallons of on hand (it is used in a rinse process). The other two ingredients are glycerol and hydrogen peroxide. This guy always overthinks stuff, he was trying to make glycerol out of vegetable oil and it was taking forever, not to mention he might have too high a pH. I told him just use the vegetable oil and don't try to make glycerol, since it's only there to not make it so harsh.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't legally locked down, but are "social distancing". A lot of stores have closed, but some local restaurants are still open. Some are offering online ordering/carryout only. Most churches have stopped services. Sherwin Williams will take telephone and online orders and deliver paint to the curb! Once the weather is OK and windows are open, may paint! It's needed. We mostly stay home, but I have had to go to the grocery store several times because some essentials are sold out with each trip. I have had a hard time getting the low-sodium versions of foods needed for my husband's diet. He was hospitalized with heart failure last Aug for no reason they could detect - arteries fine, valves fine, no afib, etc. They said a virus may have damaged his heart. Certainly don't want him getting this one! Different shelves are wiped out each trip - one day pasta, the next trip it's potatoes and onions. Of course the meat aisle and paper goods are almost always empty. Yesterday I decided to check out the meat aisle first - bought a couple of things I haven't used in years, and will be making beef stew soon. I'm trying to get some healthy soups ready to freeze also and on one trip all the dried beans were sold out. Got some yesterday. The big score - walking down the 95% empty paper aisle, a man who was shelving a fresh shipment of paper towels, held up a package of TP and said "it's the last one. Do you want it?" Sure!. Our local grocery chain delivers - but the available dates are about 4 weeks out. My niece lives in the country. She made a big online order at Walmart. It took several days, but she got the notice it was ready and just had to drive there to pick it up.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned before, we live in a community with many Jewish families. The other day I saw a woman whose cart was loaded up with big packages of matzo.
Jim, you have multiple adults working in a smallish home. My Silicon Valley son and family are locked down. He and his wife are working in a small, open plan home with a 4 year old and 2 year old (their daycare center closed of course). Fortunately they have a big yard with lots of running room and lots of play equipment.
They are scheduling their online meetings with colleagues around each other so that one parent is available if the kids get too rambunctious. One computer in the master bedroom, but one is in the open plan living area. The in-laws live next door and take the children for a couple of hours in the morning, then they nap. In the afternoon the parents trade off to entertain them. My son in LA and his family are self-isolating (most things are closed anyway. The freeways are empty). They have a 2 week old, and apparently young infants are vulnerable. Their 5 year old is at home but can’t risk play dates etc. The school is streaming the teachers from the classrooms. My son has not had a client in a year (freelance TV producer) and had started looking for a job - no luck and now it's impossible. His wife's company does not give maternity leave - and won’t let her take her sick and vacation days. She's on disability - 60% of base. She's mostly commissions in a legal services company. Her clients (law firms) don’t need services now because the courts are shut down. That's why the company undid their approval of her 4 weeks off plan. I don't just worry about the strain on their finances (we will help, but his extended unemployment had already started putting stress on the marriage. Not as serious has getting COVID, but if anyone here wants to pray for them, prayers are welcome.
Too early to garden here - but we plan to take some hikes to vary our daily walk. We walk through the neighborhood and the neighborhood parks most days - about 3 miles.
Our Oz son made it home just in time. The Virgin Australia and Qantas flights from the US cease at midnight. Don't know about the other carriers like United. He is in mandatory 14 day isolation.
Jean, such a day brightener. Thanks for letting us know!
Glad your son made it home, Anne!
Delete"The in-laws live next door and take the children for a couple of hours in the morning, then they nap."
DeleteWho naps - the grandchildren or the grandparents? :-)
Offering a prayer now for your son and daughter-in-law. I fear there already are many others looking for work now and soon will be many, many more. Let's pray that the summer sun reins in this virus; I don't think anything else will.
Jim - LoL! I’m guessing that as soon as the kids are returned to their parents that the grandparents beat them to the naps!
DeleteIn case Gene Palumbo is following the blog these days, I'd like to hear whether COVID-19 has reached El Salvador and what the situation is there?
ReplyDeleteI went to a routine scheduled medical appointment this afternoon to get wax removed from my ear. The entrance to the doctor's suite was guarded by a nurse who went through a series of questions and then took my temperature before I was admitted.
ReplyDeleteThe nurse assisting the doctor took my temperature again before I saw the doctor. The session was much more professional and swift. They obviously are aimed at cutting down their exposure and that of their patients.
When I entered and exited the building I used the stairs rather than the elevator to go up one floor. When I came home I left my coat and a sweater in the car. Then took off my pants and shirt in the garage. Later I will put them in my car which is sitting in the driveway.
The car is a Honda C-RV. On these spring days it will get plenty of sun and warmth that will hopefully take care of any virus that I might have picked up on my clothing.
My doc's office called and said they are screening patients via phone if insurance pays for it, and that, as Medicare patient, I was eligible (like this was good news).
DeleteI cancelled my annual physical for the 26th and asked for an "office visit" (which may be via phone) in April to consult about a couple of minor issues and med refills.
I have a feeling this is going to be the new norm.
Frankly,I still like Jack's idea from a couple of years ago--that oldsters be hooked up with six-month checks with a nurse, physical therapist, and a dietician. I would love that set-up, and it makes so much sense for those of us focused on quality of life and avoiding a lot of invasive interventions.
I'm hoping that my dentist doesn't cancel out on an appointment I have next week. I want to get a problem taken care of before it gets worse. And more expensive. Would sure be nice if Medicare would cover dental. That is without joining a sketchy Advantage plan.
DeleteJack,
ReplyDeleteThe UV portion of the solar spectrum is what kills pathogens. Apparently, windshield glass blocks 96% of UV. Side windows not so much in varying degrees. Best to park car and arrange clothing so sunlight passes through side windows and onto clothing.
A friend of mine washes clothes and hangs it on outdoor clothes tree. Maybe we should return to some old methods.
Jim Pauwels: It really hasn't hit here yet; so far, there's one confirmed case. If it hits hard, there'll be big problems, because the health care system is limited and fragile. Prayers would be very welcome. One result of the clampdown: the cancellation of the activities planned for the 40th anniversary of the murder of Archbishop Romero. In case you'd want to see an excellent documentary about him, for free, click on this link on the website of the Romero Trust: http://www.romerotrust.org.uk/videos
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gene. Prayers up!
DeleteThe entire state of California is now locked down.
ReplyDeleteThey keep finding more shoes to drop. The Chicago Archdiocese has canceled liturgies for Holy Week (including Palm Sunday), Triduum and Easter.
ReplyDeletehttps://wgntv.com/news/coronavirus/archdiocese-of-chicago-cancels-public-celebrations-for-holy-week-easter-mass/