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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.