Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts

Friday, July 17, 2020

Day 122 (or month 4, if you prefer) and Back To School (?)


The current hot-button issue is whether schools, which have been closed since March with kids at home all day and only virtual classes going, should re-open in the fall with some hybrid of x days in class and y days at home online. Of course the *president and many Republican governors are stumping for full-time in school. Most Democrat governors, teachers, scientists, universities, doctors and many parents are advocating for all online classes. Another portion of people want a hybrid model.
First let me say, I did not write this. It was posted on my local Next Door and seems to have come originally from a FB post. Second, I have cut some of the information that was specific to the original writer’s school district. The original writer has daughters in 8th and 10th grades.


 If you’re a parent concerned about [school in] the fall being virtual, I suggest you read this. 
 Like all of you, I’ve seen my feed become a flood of anxiety and faux expertise. You’ll get no presumption of expertise here. This is how I am looking at and considering this issue and the positions people have taken in my feed … The lead comments in quotes are taken directly from my feed. ... Sometimes I try to rationalize them. Sometimes I’m just punching back at the void. … As I consider the positions and arguments I see in my feed, these are where my mind goes. Of note, when I started working on this piece at 12:19 PM today the COVID death tally in the United States stood at 133,420.

“My kids want to go back to school.” I challenge that position. I believe what the kids desire is more abstract. I believe what they want is a return to normalcy. They want their idea of yesterday. And yesterday isn’t on the menu.

“I want my child in school so they can socialize.” This was the principle reason for our 2 days decision. As I think more on it though, what do we think ‘social’ will look like? There aren’t going to be any lunch table groups, any lockers, any recess games, any study halls, any sitting next to friends, any talking to people in the hallway, any dances. All of that is off the menu. So, when we say that we want the kids to benefit from the social experience, what are we deluding ourselves into thinking in-building socialization will actually look like in the fall?

“My kid is going to be left behind.” Left behind who? The entire country is grappling with the same issue, leaving all children in the same quagmire. Who exactly would they be behind? I believe the rhetorical answer to that is “They’ll be behind where they should be,” to which I’ll counter that “where they should be” is a fictional goal post that we as a society have taken as gospel because it maps to standardized tests which are used to grade schools and counties as they chase funding.

“Classrooms are safe.” At the current distancing guidelines from [our] middle and high schools would have no more than 12 people (teachers + students) in a classroom… For the purpose of this discussion we’ll say classes run 45 minutes. I posed the following question to 40 people today, representing professional and management roles in corporations, government agencies, and military commands: “Would your company or command have a 12 person, 45 minute meeting in a conference room?” 100% of them said no, they would not. These are some of their answers:
“No. Until further notice we are on Zoom.”
“(Our company) doesn’t allow us in (company space).”
“Oh hell no.”
“No absolutely not.”
“Is there a percentage lower than zero?”
“Something of that size would be virtual.”
We do not even consider putting our office employees into the same situation we are contemplating putting our children into. And let’s drive this point home: there are instances here when commanding officers will not put soldiers, ACTUAL SOLDIERS, into the kind of indoor environment we’re contemplating for our children. For me this is as close to a ‘kill shot’ argument as there is in this entire debate. How do we work from home because buildings with recycled air are not safe, because we don’t trust other people to not spread the virus, and then with the same breath send our children into buildings?

“Children only die .0016 of the time.” First, conceding we’re an increasingly morally bankrupt society, but when did we start talking about children’s lives, or anyone’s lives, like this? This how the villain in movies talks about mortality, usually 10-15 minutes before the good guy kills him. If you’re in this camp, and I acknowledge that many, many people are, I’m asking you to consider that number from a slightly different angle. [Our district] has 189,000 children. .0016 of that is 302. 302 dead children are the Calvary Hill you’re erecting your argument on. So, let’s agree to do this: stop presenting this as a data point. If this is your argument, I challenge you to have courage equal to your conviction. Go ahead, plant a flag on the internet and say, “Only 302 children will die.” No one will. That’s the kind [of] action on social media that gets you fired from your job. And I trust our social media enclave isn’t so careless and irresponsible with life that it would even, for even a millisecond, enter any of your minds to make such an argument.
Considered another way: You’re presented with a bag with 189,000 $1 bills. You’re told that in the bag are 302 random bills, they look and feel just like all the others, but each one of those bills will kill you. Do you take the money out of the bag? Same argument, applied to the 12,487 teachers in [our district] using the ‘children’s multiplier’ of .0016 (all of us understanding the adult mortality rate is higher). That’s 20 teachers. That’s the number you’re talking about. It’s very easy to sit behind a keyboard and diminish and dismiss the risk you’re advocating other people assume. Take a breath and think about that. If you want to advocate for 2 days a week, look, I’m looking for someone to convince me. But please, for the love of God, drop things like this from your argument. Because the people I know who’ve said things like this, I know they’re better people than this. They’re good people under incredible stress who let things slip out as their frustration boils over. So, please do the right thing and move on from this, because one potential outcome is that one day, you’re going to have to stand in front of St. Peter and answer for this, and that’s not going to be conversation you enjoy.

“Hardly any kids get COVID.” (Deep sigh) Yes, that is statistically true as of this writing. But it is a cherry-picked argument because you’re leaving out an important piece. One can reasonably argue that, due to the school closures in March, children have had the least EXPOSURE to COVID. In other words, closing schools was the one pandemic mitigation action we took that worked. There can be no discussion of the rate of diagnosis within children without also acknowledging they were among our fastest and most quarantined people. Put another way, you cannot cite the effect without acknowledging the cause.

“The flu kills more people every year.” (Deep sigh). First of all, no, it doesn’t. Per the CDC, United States flu deaths average 20,000 annually. COVID, when I start writing here today, has killed 133,420 in six months. And when you mention the flu, do you mean the disease that, if you’re suspected of having it, everyone, literally everyone in the country tells you stay the f- away from other people? You mean the one where parents are pretty sure their kids have it but send them to school anyway because they have a meeting that day, the one that every year causes massive f-ing outbreaks in schools because schools are Petri dishes and it causes kids to miss weeks of school and leaves them out of sports and band for a month? That one? Because you’re right - the flu kills people every year. It does, but you’re ignoring the why. It’s because there are people who are a--holes who don’t care about infecting other people. In that regard it’s a perfect comparison to COVID.

“Almost everyone recovers.” You’re confusing “release from the hospital” and “no longer infected” with “recovered.” I’m fortunate to only know two people who have had COVID; one my age and one my dad’s age. The one my age described it as “absolute hell” and although no longer infected cannot breathe right. The one my dad’s age was in the hospital for 13 weeks, had to have a trach ring put in because she could no longer be on a ventilator, and upon finally getting home and being faced with incalculable time in rehab told my mother, “I wish I had died.” While I’m making every effort to reach objectivity, on this particular point, you don’t know what the f- you’re talking about.

If people get sick, they get sick.” First, you mistyped. What you intended to say was “If OTHER people get sick, they get sick.” And shame on you.

“I’m not going to live my life in fear.” You already live your life in fear. For your health, your family’s health, your job, your retirement, terrorists, extremists, one political party or the other being in power, the new neighbors, an unexpected home repair, the next sunrise. What you meant to say was, “I’m not prepared to add ANOTHER fear,” and I’ve got news for you: that ship has sailed. It’s too late. There are two kinds of people, and only two: those that admit they’re afraid, and those that are lying to themselves about it. As to the fear argument, fear is the reason you wait up when your kids stay out late, it’s the reason you tell your kids not to dive in the shallow water, to look both ways before crossing the road. Fear is the respect for the wide world that we teach our children. Except in this instance, for reasons no one has been able to explain to me yet.

“[Our district] leadership sucks.” I will summarize my view of the School Board thusly: if the 12 of you aren’t getting into a room together because it represents a risk, don’t tell me it’s OK for our kids. I understand your arguments, that we need the 2 days option for parents who can’t work from home, kids who don’t have internet or computer access, kids who need meals from the school system, kids who need extra support to learn, and most tragically for kids who are at greater risk of abuse by being home. All very serious, all very real issues, all heartbreaking. No argument. But you must first lead by example. Because you’re failing when it comes to optics. All your meetings are online. What our children see is all of you on a Zoom telling them it’s OK for them to be exactly where you aren’t. I understand you’re not PR people, but you really should think about hiring some.

“I talked it over with my kids.” Let’s put aside for a moment the concept of adults effectively deferring this decision to children, the same children who will continue to stuff things into a full trash can rather than change it out. Yes, those hygienic children. Listen, my 15 year old daughter wants a sport car, which she’s not getting next year because it would be dangerous to her and to others. Those kinds of decisions are our job. We step in and decide as parents, we don’t let them expose themselves to risks because their still developing and screen addicted brains narrow their understanding of cause and effect. We as parents and adults serve to make difficult decisions. Sometimes those are in the form of lessons, where we try to steer kids towards the right answer and are willing to let them make a mistake in the hopes of teaching better decision making the next time around. This is not one of those moments. The stakes are too high for that. This is a “the adults are talking” moment. Kids are not mature enough for this moment. That is not an attack on your child. It is a broad statement about all children. It is true of your children and it was true when we were children. We need to be doing that thinking here, and “Johnny wants to see Bobby at school” cannot be the prevailing element in the equation.

“The teachers need to do their job.” How is it that the same society which abruptly shifted to virtual students only three months ago, and offered glowing endorsements of teachers stating, “we finally understand how difficult your job is,” has now shifted to “screw you, do your job.” There are myriad problems with that position but for the purposes of this piece let’s simply go with, “You’re not looking for a teacher, you’re looking for the babysitter you feel your property tax payment entitles you to.”

“Teachers have a greater chance to being killed by a car than they do of dying from COVID.” (Eye roll) Per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the U.S. has approximately 36,000 auto fatalities a year. Again, there have been 133,420 COVID deaths in the United States through 12:09 July 10, 2020. So no, they do not have a greater chance of being killed in a car accident. And, if you want to take the actual environment into consideration, the odds of a teacher being killed in a car accident in their classroom, you know, the environment we’re actually talking about, that’s right around 0%.

“If the grocery store workers can be onsite what are the teachers afraid of?” (Deep breath) A grocery store worker, who absolutely risks exposure, has either six feet of space or a Plexiglas shield between them and individual adult customers who can grasp their own mortality whose transactions can be completed in moments, in a 40,000 SF space. A teacher is with 11 ‘customers’ who have not an inkling what mortality is, for 45 minutes, in a 675 SF space, six times a day. Just stop.

“Teachers are choosing remote because they don’t want to work.” (Deep breaths) Many teachers are opting to be remote. That is not a vacation. They’re requesting to do their job at a safer site. Just like many, many people who work in buildings with recycled air have done. And likely the building you’re not going into has a newer and better serviced air system than our schools. Of greater interest to me is the number of teachers choosing the 100% virtual option for their [own] children. The people who spend the most time in the buildings are the same ones electing not to send their children into those buildings. That’s something I pay attention to.

“I wasn’t prepared to be a parent 24/7” and “I just need a break.” I truly, deeply respect that honesty. Truth be told, both arguments have crossed my mind. Pre-COVID, I routinely worked from home 1 – 2 days a week. The solace was nice. When I was in the office, I had an actual office, a room with a door I could close, where I could focus. During the quarantine that hasn’t always been the case. I’ve been frustrated, I’ve been short, I’ve gone to just take a drive and get the hell away for a moment and been disgusted when one of the kids sees me and asks me to come for a ride, robbing me of those minutes of silence. You want to hear silence. I get it. I really, really do. Here’s another version of that, admittedly extreme. What if one of our kids becomes one of the 302? What’s that silence going to sound like? What if you have one of those matted frames where you add the kid’s school picture every year? What if you don’t get to finish the pictures?

“What does your gut tell you to do?” Shawn and I have talked ad infinitum about all of these and other points. Two days ago, at mid-discussion I said, “Stop, right now, gut answer, what is it,” and we both said, “virtual.” A lot of the arguments I hear people making for the 2 days sound like we’re trying to talk ourselves into ignoring our instincts, they are almost exclusively, “We’re doing 2 days, but…”. There’s a fantastic book by Gavin de Becker, The Gift of Fear, which I’ll minimize for you thusly: your gut instinct is a hardwired part of your brain and you should listen to it. In the introduction he talks about elevators, and how, of all living things, humans are the only ones that would voluntarily get into a soundproof steel box with a potential predator just so they could skip a flight of stairs. I keep thinking that the 2 days option is the soundproof steel box. I welcome, damn, beg, anyone to convince me otherwise.

At the time I started writing at 12:09 PM, 133,420 Americans had died from COVID. Upon completing this draft at 7:04 PM, that number rose to 133,940. 520 Americans died of COVID while I was working on this. In seven hours. The length of a school day.

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Day 107 and same old, same old

My dear cousin Mark has informed me that I'm being a slacker, not posting every day or every week, as I once did.

Once upon a time, way back in the times BC (before the COVID-19 pandemic), I only ever posted occasionally -- usually when I was sad, or mad, or bored, or feeling creative. Then the Bay Area, and later all of California, and later still most of the country, was put into time out, everyone stay at home and try to break the chain of infection. And I got bored, so posted a LOT.

I am still bored, don't get me wrong. But there is nothing new to write about, nothing happy to say. It is as if the world has gone into a holding pattern. Will this virus be contained? Will it wipe out 99% of humans? Will something in between happen?

Today the EU announced that they were banning visitors from 14 countries where the virus is still rampant -- and right up there in that shameful group is the US. We have officially become one of the "shit hole countries" our president railed about and tried limit visitors and immigrants from. The US is a laughing stock around the world and treated like a leper because of the federal (lack of) response to this pandemic.

This week, the newspapers told us that Russian president Putin had put out a bounty on US soldiers in Afghanistan. And our president has known about it for a year. And there was no official outcry or condemnation; instead our president pushed to have Russia readmitted to the G7 (8). Well, looks like it may become the G6 since no one wants Americans to come to the meeting.

Today is 124 days until election day. A lot can happen in 124 days. And I could sit on the edge of my seat waiting and watching. Or I could go back to weaving and quilting and gardening and potion concocting. That's what I think I'll do.

But I'll also try to post more often to help keep my dear cousin Mark from getting bored. He often gets into trouble when he is bored.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Day 65 and the 'new normal'

What parts of our 'normal' today will we carry through into ... forever ... whenever?

I envision having a wardrobe of masks. Maybe a fancy one for going out to shows or dinner. Something fun for when I get together with friends and family. The ones that have been washed a lot and are a bit tatty might do for going to the gas station but not for the grocery store where I might run into someone I know. But, masks are probably part of my life for at least the next couple of years.

What about the weekly neighborhood cocktail parties, 2-3 couples only, spaced 6 feet apart? When everyone gets back to work, school, everyday life, will those continue? Will everyone get back to work, school, everyday life?  Or maybe once a month get togethers with a few neighbors, just to stay connected? Electronic communication will probably lean more toward Zoom, Room, Face Time and less toward plain vanilla phone calls.

What will "work" look like? Twitter has announced that their employees can all work from home ... forever. As other companies realize that employees can be just as productive working from home, will that become the new normal?

And as people realize they don't have to be geographically close to where they work, will there be a gradual (or not so gradual) exodus from urban centers to more pleasant places? Will we choose where to live by the climate, or geographical attractions, or closer to friends or family? This is where intentional communities can thrive -- you can live where you and your tribe choose, not where your employer happens to be.

Some retail workers will still need to go to a workplace, but already grocery stores are pivoting to self-checkout. Mail and packages will still need to be delivered, but drones and robots are starting to take that over. Manufacturing has already been invaded by the robots.

Restaurants and bars cannot be digitized or "remoted" but when will people feel safe again to congregate?

Will most sports spectators still want to watch in person? Or will TV be good enough? How about "live" theater? There is something to be said for experiencing those up close and personal.

How will school change? Will El-Hi school become more fragmented? English and History classes online; Math and Science classes in a lab; fewer students in each class? How will young children be socialized? Will there still be day-care and pre-school?

Note to self: revisit this on 5/20/2025

Friday, May 15, 2020

Day 60 and face masks

Sewing, especially quilting, is my hobby, my "happy time", my diversion and never more so than during this pandemic quarantine.

When I sew a baby bib or a quilt, I think about the intended recipient while designing the pattern, while pulling the fabric, while cutting and sewing and layering and basting and quilting and binding. It is a meditative and contemplative process wherein I pour my love, happy thoughts and good wishes.

When wearing face masks was mandated for seniors, later for all people in public places, I made one for myself. I did that so I wouldn't be dipping into the limited stock available for front line workers. Then, I made two more which I later gave to my gardener and his wife. Recently, a family member requested several for a special event and I am in the process of finishing those.

 I still try to think about the recipients who are friends and family members but it is difficult and the process becomes more of a chore than the act of love it should be. Love, happy thoughts and good wishes seem to be pushed aside when I sew face masks, to be replaced by rage.

Rage. Not sadness. Rage at the stupidity, cruelty and utter malice of our national government's handling of this pandemic crisis. That home sewists are being asked to do this, like we are still a pre-industrialized nation. That the US in the 21st century is not leading the effort to contain and cure this disease, but is asking citizens to die for an economic bailout that will only benefit some large corporations. That many of our national leaders are politicizing this situation for their own benefit; and that they are enabling a large portion of our citizens to selfishly endanger their neighbors for THEIR own political purposes.

At a time when we have the opportunity to band together against a common enemy, many of our government's leaders are taking the politically expedient low road.

So, if you are a friend or family member and ask me to make you a mask, I will. I will search through my fabrics and pick something pretty and appropriate, just for you. I will work very hard to imbue my work with love, happy thoughts and good wishes for you.

But if you ask me to make 50, or 100, or 500, I will respectfully decline.  For my own well being, for my own mental health, I must limit the rage as much as possible; whether this means refusing to watch the political rallies disguised as presidential press briefings, or ruminating on stupidity, cruelty and malice.

I hope you understand.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Day 55 and what is the same

What about my life is the same as always?

  • exercising
  • grocery shopping
  • visiting with my Stitch 'n' Bitch friends
  • quilting
  • reading
  • gardening
  • making 'medicines'
  • weaving
  • talking with my family

How is it different? 

  • exercising -- instead of Pilates classes, I walk through my  neighborhood
  • grocery shopping -- instead of walking to the store 5-6 times a week, at all times of day and evening;  I only drive there once a week, during Senior Only hours
  • visiting with my Stitch 'n' Bitch friends -- instead of meeting at Sue's house (and usually carrying home yummy goodies from Scott's garden), we have a Zoom session and everyone makes their own tea.
  • quilting -- pretty much still the same, since it is mainly a solitary hobby; but I am stacking up tops to be quilted for after the SIP is over and Jenna can help me baste them.
  • reading -- I get library books from the Northern California Digital Library, on my Kindle, and never have to return them -- they just poof, disappear, after 3 weeks.
  • gardening -- not much is changed, except for what I am growing, since the stores have a limited selection and supply of plants. There will probably be no basil this year, unless I can outsmart the bunny.
  • making 'medicines' -- nothing changed at all, at all. Unless the cannabis plants succumb to some ick.
  • weaving -- no change, except for what I listen to during. Governor Newsom's noon press briefings are the usual.
  • talking with my family -- we seem to do this a bit more than before, mainly group get-togethers with Zoom.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Day 53 and America'a short attention span

People are getting a bit antsy about sheltering-in-place. Some states (mostly  with Republican governors) are starting to rescind their SIP orders and allowing all sorts of businesses to open, some with token "social distancing" rules and use of face masks and many not.

Nail salons and hair dressers and tattoo parlors are some of the businesses Florida and Georgia can't do without. Texas is letting restaurants open at 25% capacity so that patrons are spread out from each other and "encouraging but not requiring" patrons and staff to wear masks.

One Texas restaurant chain, which owns a restaurant in the next town over from me, has forbidden its employees from wearing face masks at work because  "face masks don't complement the restaurant group's style or level of hospitality." On the restaurant group's website, they say, "If you are concerned about your well being with respect to masks not being worn by staff or by other guests, we hope you will join us at a later date." Or, translated, "We are here to make as much money as we can and to exploit our workers and we really don't give a damn about our customers."

All of the health professionals say that wearing a face mask may not protect YOU, but it definitely will protect others FROM you if you happen to be an asymptomatic carrier -- and without universal testing, you have no way to know if you are or not. It only makes sense to try to protect other people.

The problem is, the president doesn't want to wear a mask because he is afraid he will look silly, or weak, or somehow not masculine. So he is encouraging his cult of followers to ignore the restrictions and get back to business as usual. He is so convinced that he will lose the next election in November unless the economy recovers that he is willing to sacrifice thousands of citizens to this pandemic.

He is encouraging armed terrorists to storm their state Capitol buildings to intimidate the mostly Democrat governors into relaxing the preventative restrictions.




"face masks don't complement the restaurant group's style or level of hospitality."




Friday, May 1, 2020

Day 46 and time differences

My usual walk goes like this -- turn right, walk 2 blocks, turn right, walk one block, turn right, walk as far as the school parking lot. Then, across the paved play yard to the far end and deosil around the walking track until the park entrance, then left, left, and home. With California still under a Shelter In Place (SIP) order, there is little traffic and few other walkers.

Ordinarily, I walk around 8 am and have come to "know" the few people I encounter every day. There is a woman with her old Golden Retriever; we usually exchange a "good morning" in passing. There is a tall, Asian looking man with a huge, red hued, husky-German Shepherd-wolf-whatever mix. He only ever nods at my greeting but his dog is friendlier and comes up to sniff hello. There is a woman with an Irish Setter that refuses to chase balls; she brings a mirror on sunny days and her dog happily races from one side of the grass to the other, chasing the bright reflection. (He also, sometimes, "attacks" the moving shadows of trees.)

Sometimes, if it is a day when I get a later start, I may encounter my across-the-street neighbor strolling his ancient black Lab. He always greets me with , "Good morning, Rose", and I always reply, "Good morning, how are you?", embarrassed that he knows my name and I have no idea of his, even after living here for 14 years.

But today, due to a new resolve to get up earlier, I walked at 7:30. Same route, but new encounters. All of my old "friends" were still at home, working on their first cup of coffee. The earlier denizens are a different breed. First was a man walking his dog on the other side of the street while engaged in what sounded like a business call. At the house on the corner with a bench full of running shoes, the owner was sitting on the step, taking off his running shoes and scanning the newspaper.

Inside the park, at the play-yard ball corral, was a nice young man wearing a mask. He seemed to be on the spectrum, from the way he spoke to me. He was sitting inside the ball corral with his big Golden named Kona, playing games on his phone. There was the woman walking widdershins on the track having an angry phone conversation in Mandarin. Or maybe not angry; Mandarin always sounds angry to me.

Little things are different: the damp sidewalk at the corner of Walnut and Rose gets that way because the sprinklers are on at 7:30, so I walked in the street.

Little things are the same: The [very] loud mocking bird is still proclaiming his ownership of the neighborhood, probably since dawn.

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Day 38 and the new, fungible, normal

Today at the grocery store there was a 40-something woman shopping during the senior (60+) hours. Faux pas number 1.And she had no mask on! #2 And she was ignoring the one-way signs for the aisles. #3 She stood out like a sore thumb and EVERYONE was talking about her.

It's like she was from a different planet. Or maybe from the year 2019.

As I was checking out, with the Plexiglas shield between me and the cashier, the alien lady approached from the other end of the checkout line; she came over behind the shield, right in the cashier's face, to protest a charge on her bill. She had the shelf price card in her hand, "See, it says right here 99 cents. See here on my bill, I got two of them and was charged $2.00. You need to refund me."  Never mind that the cashier was in the middle of checking out my groceries. #4, #5, #6

The new normal is me, wearing a mask, greeting the two cashiers by their checkout stands, also wearing masks. No more smiling hello, we nod politely at each other.

I noticed a friend shopping as well and we stopped far enough apart that we had to raise our voices to chat a minute.

Strange days.

Meanwhile, our Governor announced yesterday that he is easing the Shelter in Place restrictions so that surgeries can be performed again. So those who need their brain tumors removed, or who need heart valves or joint replacement, or organ transplants have some hope of not dying from something other than COVID-19.


Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Day 37 and those who don't learn from history

Image may contain: one or more people and text

Because of our president's (lower case because he doesn't deserve the respect of upper case) cowardice, narcissism, or stupidity -- or all three -- there was no coordinated, national effort to quarantine in the early days of this pandemic. Decisions for limited or complete quarantines were left to the Governors. Some, notably Democrats, like NY's Andrew Cuomo and CA's Gavin Newsom shut things down pretty early. Other states on each coast followed in a timely manner. 

The South and the Midwest, with more often than not Republican Governors who were tied to the president's coat tails, were much slower. Florida's Governor didn't want to interfere with Spring Break -- and hundreds of college students returned to their home states carrying the virus with them. Louisiana's Governor didn't want to interfere with Mardi Gras. Economics took precedence over Public Health.

Now that NY and CA are showing some slowing of new virus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, the latecomer Governors, and a coordinated cohort of GOP toadies, are calling for all stay at home orders to be lifted. Even in the states with later closures which are still showing huge rises in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths! Open up the Economy, no matter how many people may die needlessly. Georgia intends a slow, phased in re-opening, starting with hair salons, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys!

The most cogent meme trending these days is something about how, since your rate of descent is slowing, now would be a good time to cut the straps of your parachute. Never mind that you are still 2500 feet above the ground. 

People who know what is going on have, for years, decried the state of education in the US. Never has that been more evident than now. The average person has no understanding of civics, public health, history or even basic mathematics. 

Monday, April 20, 2020

Day 35 and how things will change, or not

Of the things that have changed/are changing in the way we conduct our daily lives, what will change back and what may stay changed?

I do like that stores are more often closed on Sunday. I like that stores have reduced hours of opening. Yes, 9-5 workers need to have 5-9 shopping but, see below.

Wouldn't it be nice if all the people who CAN work from home, CONTINUE to work from home? If nothing else, this pandemic has proven to big corporations that work-from-home and flex-time can still be profitable. Managers don't really need to see your body in a chair in your cubical to be sure that you are working; all they need to see is the bottom line. Did the work get done? Was it done on time? Was it done correctly? Then, HOW and WHERE it got done is moot.

A side benefit would be a reduction in the number of cars on the road at "rush hour". If you only go into the office on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from noon to 4; and Jim and Sally only go into the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10 and 5; and Frank and Joe are there Monday from 8 to noon, think of all the cars that are NOT on the road. Corporations could save on real estate as well: you and Sally and Joe share one office space; Jim and Frank share their space with Mary.

The same goes for school. If students can learn the material, and finish their assignments at home, on their own flexible time, what does it matter if they did it at 8 am in a school building or at 8 pm at home? And class sizes could be wonderfully reduced by having students in the building only 3 days a week, for 3-4 months at a time. A different cohort of students attend in-person classes for a different 3-4 months. Perhaps the cohorts overlap for a month or 2, then overlap with a different cohort for the other half of their time. The possibilities are myriad.

Perhaps, the Western world will no longer have a stigma around wearing a mask in public when one is ill. Perhaps, the Western world will no longer have a fetish around shaking hands, hugging, kissing mere acquaintances, touching strangers.

What else could change?

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Day 34 and realization

I planted my cannabis from purchased, guaranteed feminized seeds this year; too many male plants come up when I use my own harvested seeds. The package of 6 seeds had 12 in it, so I germinated all 12. Eleven germinated, so I planted all 11 in solo cups. One succumbed to  ... probably root rot. California law says I can grow 6 plants for personal use, so I offered the remaining 4 to my niece and her boyfriend.

They said the'd pick them up sometime this weekend, then texted how about Saturday late afternoon? I was looking forward to having company. I picked some lemons for them. I woke, fed, and divided my sourdough starter so I could give them a jar of it. I cleaned the stove top because he is a fanatic about clean stoves.

Yesterday -- He came alone because she was surfing; he stayed at least 6' away from me at all times; he thanked me for the extras; he left after 10 minutes.

All along, I've been saying "I'm fine with this social distancing stuff", "I don't mind being home alone with my cats and my crafts all day", "I don't really need people around."

So, tell me, why am I depressed this morning?

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Day 33 and analysis from a friend

My friend Craig posted this essay on Facebook. This gives a very clear and cogent analysis of our current situation.
The Covid-19 pandemic isn't just a once-in-a-lifetime event, it's a once-in-a-century event. Not since the Spanish Flu (ironically named, since Spain was the only country not lying about it) has the world seen anything like this. WWII is close, and there are about seven million Americans old enough to remember how the war impacted their lives, and the sacrifices Americans made to support the war effort.
Among the many challenges we face today are those who downplay the seriousness of Covid-19, comparing it to the common cold or influenza. While many people may catch the virus and show no symptoms, at least as many (probably more, the research is fuzzy) will have severe symptoms, and 250,000 Americans will die from it before the end of this year.
As we have a common enemy, one that shows no bias for politics, religion, or other beliefs, you would think we could unite against it. But in this bizarre era of tribalism and political polarization, nothing can escape partisanship. And for some odd reason, a significant portion of the country has decided to side with virus and against science.
It began back in January and accelerated in February when their cult leader*, the narcissist-in-chief*, dismissed the threat posed by the virus and attacked the media for reporting factually about it and its spread. He was quickly joined by right-wing media who spread dangerous misinformation, as well as prominent Republicans who urged people to go out and live their lives as though a highly contagious disease weren't spreading rapidly across the nation.
This week saw more outlandish behavior, as people carrying guns, waving Confederate and Nazi flags, and proudly displaying signs supporting the Mango Mussolini* staged protests in at least half a dozen state capitals. Though they were advocating and condemning a variety of subjects, their one unifying objective was the lifting of shut-down orders put in place to keep them and everyone else safe.
These shut-down orders are not oppressing anyone. You're free to pick up groceries, medicine, alcohol and even weed (in states where it's legal). You're free to take walks or go for a bike ride. In California, you can even visit the state parks (though the parking lots have been closed to minimize crowding). The goal, as has been repeated for the last five weeks, is to “flatten the curve” – reduce and spread out infections so we don't overwhelm the limited capacity of our inferior health care system.
So why are the protesters so angry? What is it they want? It's not completely clear. One sign at yesterday's St. Paul protest said “don't cancel my golf season” (bringing to mind Patrick Henry's famous quote, “Give me golf or give me death”). After protests in Ohio and Michigan, the orange idiot* sent out a series of tweets to “liberate” several states (all of which have Democratic governors). He appears to be fomenting revolution only a day or so after telling governors “You’re going to call your own shots.”
In fact, his approach to the pandemic has shown no consistency. After minimizing the seriousness, he reluctantly admitted it was real, but one day he'll repeat the advice of experts and the next day he'll contradict it. As has been his habit since his inauguration (during which time he's told eighteen thousand lies), he lies about the virus and his response to it, then lies about his lies. It's easy to say the reason we're not unified as a country is because we don't have the type of leader (think FDR, Churchill) that we need in this time of crisis. Instead, we're cursed with a malignant narcissist* incapable of telling the truth, more obsessed with TV ratings and his reelection chances than he is the health and welfare of the American people.
Besides his constant lying, Delusional Donald* has continually boasted of the rising stock market and falling unemployment numbers as “proof” of his presidency (even though both lagged those of Obama, whom he frequently derides). He often asked how you could impeach a president who had such great numbers. It's been obvious that with no real achievements he could claim, he was going to make the case for his reelection on the economy. Now that economy is threatened by the shut-down, and that's the primary reason he and his cult followers are so eager to see a reopening.
But what happens if you reopen too early? Remember the “flatten the curve” advice? I've no doubt that many states will lift their shut-down orders too soon, and that will cause a second wave of infections. Depending on when they do it, the second wave could be worse than the first. What's the economic impact of hundreds of thousands of sick and dying Americans? What's the economic impact of making this pandemic last much longer than it really needed to be.
George Santayana said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It was our understanding of the Great Depression that allowed us to avert a second one following the 2008 financial crisis. That lesson remained clear when Congress and the Fed acted last month to avoid yet another depression in the wake of the pandemic shut-down (mind you, this time I'm using the phrase both in reference to mandated stay-at-home orders as well as voluntary ones, either out of concern or fear). So why isn't there the same demonstration of knowledge gained from the 1918 pandemic?
Health experts who've studied pandemics are making sensible recommendations, but politicians and right-wing media are dismissing them and encouraging the inane protests we saw this past week, and will continue to see. Florida and Texas are already lifting restrictions, and several states exempted religious organizations from the no-large-gathering rules. I'm not reading about this type of stupidity elsewhere in the world, and wonder if this is another example of Americans choosing to disregard proven science because they find it inconvenient.
H.L. Mencken is credited with saying “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” I don't know how one can profit from the stupidity the American public is exhibiting these days, but there's no doubt they're doing nothing to disprove his assertion.

*in case you don't know to whom these words refer, it is Donald John Trump, 45th (and 3rd Impeached) President of the United States of America.


Friday, April 17, 2020

Day 32 and fermenting

One thing that seems to be happening during these Strange Days -- going back in time. People are making sourdough, growing gardens for maybe the first time in many years. Today, I tried making sauerkraut.

One large-ish head of cabbage and 4 Tbsp of sea salt,  shredded and massaged loosely, fills two quart jars. Weighted down with heavy glass weights and covered with special mason jar lids that "burp", the jars now sit in a cupboard in my garage. In two weeks, I will taste and discover if I was successful. Delayed gratification, to the max!

This week a worker in the Tracy produce distribution center that Safeway uses, tested positive for COVID-19. Yesterday, the produce shelves in Safeway were nearly bare. Life is not going to go "back to normal" for quite a while, I think.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Day 31 and volunteering

Today, I e-signed documents to work as a Health Corps volunteer. I will admit to having some feelings of trepidation. I am pretty sure, as a volunteer, I wouldn't be in direct contact with COVID-19 patients. On the other hand, I will probably be in direct contact with a lot of people and any of them may be contagious.

Still, it is necessary for those of us with some medical training to help take the pressure off of the front-line health care workers. If I can free up someone to work directly with patients, by taking over medical records input, or answering phones, or contact-tracing, or ... I have no idea what ... it is important to do that.

As with so much else during these Strange Days, wait and see.

Meanwhile, the president wants to "open up the country" to boost the economy and my Governor, and most other governors, are holding the line and insisting that any lifting of quarantine be fact-, and science-based. I look forward to reading the history books in 10 years.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Day 30 and a word about gardens

Yesterday our county Board of Supervisors decided to reclassify local Garden Centers and Plant Nurseries from *essential* to *non-essential* businesses. Yes, that IS a big deal as non-essential businesses MUST close, must not deal with the public, must send all employees home for however long this shelter-in-place order remains in effect.

This means no vegetable plants for my garden. This means no paycheck for hundreds more people. And, since these businesses count on income from the Spring to see them through the year, this means many of these businesses will not re-open, will not be around for next Spring planting season. Downstream consequences include the wholesale plant growers as well.

Already, there is talk of food insecurity and more people are looking for solutions. For those privileged enough to have space for a food garden (and it can be done in pots on a patio) why take that away?

At least the Farmer's Markets are still open.

Today I'll be putting in a couple of cucumber plants and some Blue Lake bean plants I picked up at the hardware store. I hope they thrive.

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Day 29 and a strange virus symptom

About 85% of people who test positive for COVID-19, report anosmia*, either at the onset of other symptoms or before. And 25% of those have no other symptoms of the disease! What a clever virus it is.

First, it takes away our sense of smell, so foods no longer have flavor; it may or may not also take away our sense of taste so we no longer can detect sweet, sour, salt, bitter or umami. So we are less inclined to eat. It becomes a chore to cook, why bother when nothing tastes exciting.

With less food/fuel, we are less inclined to move and exercise. It is so much easier to sit on the sofa and binge watch old movies or last year's hot TV series that we, somehow, missed last year. Add in the recommendations for social distancing, and there is less incentive to walk, run, dance.

As we move around less, we tend to breathe less deeply. And then, it has us right where it wants us. Deep breaths, down to the bottom of our lungs' lower lobes, help clear out the virus. It wants us to take shallow breaths, not to disturb its resting place deep in the alveoli. And there it replicates and spreads and ultimately shuts down our respiratory system.

Clever little bugger! 

Every morning, when I open the back door, I smell my lemon tree's lovely blossoms. As I sit, soaking in the hot tub, I smell the wonderful pink rose that has just started to bloom. Sorry, clever virus. Not today. You don't have me today.



*Anosmia, also known as smell blindness, is the loss of the ability to detect one or more smells.

Monday, April 13, 2020

Day 28 and how we shop these days

I talked with my Mom on the phone during my morning walk today. The 3 hour time difference means being creative when finding a time to talk. Like me, she is an introvert and really enjoys her "alone time", so the quarantine isn't as onerous for us as for some people. On the other hand, she is really independent, like me, and much prefers to do her OWN errands, thank you very much! We commiserated about how hard it can be to have someone else shop from your grocery list: no, actually, I prefer *that* brand of rice; thank you, but I'd really rather have hard, crisp pears, not the soft, mealy ones.

At least I can do my own grocery shopping, but so differently now. Before, I would walk a couple of blocks to the store every day or so and carry home just a few items. Now, the store has "Senior Only Hours", Tuesday and Thursday between 6 and 9 am. So, first, I have to get up at 5:45 am instead of 7. And I have to take the car because I can't carry a week's worth of groceries in my hands. All week long I add to my shopping list and if I forget to write an item down, I usually forget to buy it and have to wait another week.  🙁

The procedure at the grocery store is bizarre as well. At the door is a person with a clicker counter, ticking off the number of people entering the store. When the magic number (undisclosed) is reached, you have to wait in line outside the store (6' apart) until someone leaves. There is a bottle of hand sanitizer on a table next to the counting person and you wipe down your hands and the handle of the cart. Lately, shoppers not wearing face masks have been turned away too. Once inside the store, there is no more wandering hither and yon. The aisles are one way only, up one, down the next -- at least I am getting my "steps" in.

The new etiquette is that you don't overtake and pass another shopper in the aisle. Shopping hell is to be behind an old dear with her health aide trying to decide between 2 different brands of spaghetti sauce -- the only 2 jars on the shelf.  Sometimes a polite "excuse me" will get everyone to turn backs to the center of the aisle and you can slip by; other times it will earn you a furious glare.

There are still shortages of many items and lots of "1 to a customer" or "2 to a customer" signs on the shelves by the eggs, flour, toilet paper, or whatever is short this week.

Fresh meat and fish is limited too. Yesterday, a Midwest meat packing plant closed because one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19; this will have a big impact on the availability of pork, nationwide.

My friend remarked that her store was out of mushrooms but DID have bread flour so ... score! She was headed next to Trader Joe's and then to a bodega. That reminded me of shopping when I lived in a small town in Guatemala. Meat and fresh vegetables from the Mercado Central, then over to the bodega a block away for peanut butter, bread and cereal; then some things we only bought once a month when we took the truck into the Capitol.

Strange days.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Easter Sunday and Day 27

In the list of things I'd like to see continued when we return to "normal", along with no more handshaking, air kissing and hugging of people not family members -- stores closed on Sunday.

Yeah, I know people who work Monday to Friday want to have two full days to get their shopping done. But, maybe another thing that will carry over is work from home and flexible work hours as the rule rather than the exception. Everyone should have time to stop and smell the roses, even shop keepers.

Another thing that I hope gets overhauled is our education system. Regimenting kids into structured classroom learning is not necessarily  the best thing to create well-rounded, thinking and reasoning, human beings. Instead of longer and longer, and more and more, school days why not offer more time for imaginative play, and more time for student-directed learning. Teach the "littles" how to read, then let them choose what to read. Yes, Math is important; but it can be taught in smaller bites.

Year-round school with 2 months at school and 1 month off would help keep students' attention better. If the on and off months could be staggered,  classes could be smaller, with more opportunity for individual attention from the teachers. Working parents would have to be more flexible, but school should not be a substitute for childcare anyway.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

It's never to late to start, or Day 26 of Quarantine

When Gov. Newsom ordered a mandatory "Shelter in Place" on March 16, 2020, we thought it would be 2 weeks and then back to life as normal. I thought it might be nice to start a journal, but why bother? In 14 days, it would be all over and would only be a blip in the history books.

Today is day 26. Schools will be closed for the rest of the school year. Today the US logged 524,242 cases, 20,223 deaths, and 28,755 recovered; California had  21,505 cases, and 597 deaths. Santa Clara county had 1,442 positive tests and 47 deaths as of yesterday. It is time for me to start tracking this new normal.

Let's go back to Day 25, because that is a nice number and I still remember what I did yesterday. Day 25 was a gardening day. I planted 2 eggplant plants from Ace Hardware, and 6 Cannabis plants I had started from seeds. They joined the 2 surviving Blue Lake bean plants, a Jalapeno pepper and a Thai Dragon pepper planted a week or so ago. Hardware stores are considered "essential" businesses but Summerwinds and Yamagami Nurseries are not -- so we make do with "big box" plants and seeds, rather than the good nursery plants of yesteryear.

There had been 6 bean plants, one for each leg of my bamboo tepee but either worms or grubs got 4 of them. There are 4 Cannabis plants left for my niece and her friend to take. Out of the 12 seeds ($40), 11 germinated and 10 ultimately survived to transplanting size.

Today, Day 26 will be a baking and a sewing day. I have sourdough mixed up for bread and it is rising now. Each loaf I make is a bit different, but so far, most have been edible and one or two have been spectacular.

While the bread is rising, I will attempt to solve a setting problem with my latest quilt top (planned version below). The setting triangles aren't such a problem, but the sashing between them is driving me mad. Instead of calculating, I've decide to just go with the empirical method.


My Chickens' First Night

 Sunset  was at 8:11 pm so I went out to the pen a little after 8. The three chickens were milling around, scratching and peeping and seemin...