We had a several-hours-long power outage yesterday containing the time in which I'd planned to write something. While I could have used Twiggy (my oh-so-thin laptop) to write something to post when the power returned, I decided instead to join the family dog on the couch and read my current book about the 1918 flu pandemic. The power came back on just in time. I was about to make sandwiches for dinner but instead got to do the fettuccini, corn, and tomato salad I'd planned on making.
As we enter week 15, some states are reversing some of their reopening measures amid coronavirus spikes that rival the earlier ones in New York City. The state graphs on this website are frightening, as is the graph for the country on this related website. I am of the same mind as Dr. Fauci; these spikes are in no way a second wave. (Aside: There is no accepted definition of what constitutes a "second wave," but in my humble opinion it follows a definite and nontrivial-in-length period of time in which there are no or very, very few cases.) There are currently two states and two what, territories?, listed as "beating covid-19." Not too long ago there were twice that number or more.In other words, we're slowly losing the battle.
When this all started 15 weeks ago, the first grocery list we gave to older son contained the item "coffee filters." He came back with two boxes, each containing 200 or so filters. The husband inquired why he got two; we certainly didn't need that many. Here we are 15 weeks later approaching the end of the first box, and I can't remember where we put the second one. I may have to put filters on Friday's list so that we'll get two more boxes.
Its being Sunday, older son and I took the family dog to the park again. For the first time, we noticed no other people even carrying masks they did not have on. We did see two women sitting and reading. They sat about 10 or 12 feet apart, facing in opposite directions. I will give them a pass on not having masks since they were doing everything else they could to protect each other. Truth be told, they were far enough away that they might have had masks they were not wearing; it was hard to tell.
July 4 looms next weekend. I honestly don't know if it's as big of a cookout sort of day or weekend as Memorial Day. I know some states saw increases attributed to Memorial Day gatherings. I guess we'll see about July 4two weeks later. And Wednesday is Canada Day. We were in Canada on Canada Day several times. Each time, we breakfasted at a community pancake party. As a result, I no longer get a birthday dinner; I get a birthday breakfast of, what else, pancakes. Yes, I share a birthday with Canada, though I'm significantly younger.
Protests continue, with calls for taking down more and more monuments or renaming this or that. Faculty at Washington and Lee University have suggested that "Lee" be remove from the name. There is a move at Princeton University to remove Woodrow Wilson's name from one of the schools. In Orange County, California, there are calls starting to rename the airport currently named for actor John Wayne. While I understand why such tangible names should be changed or statues, removed, I do not want history to be expunged of those people or events. We ignore history at our peril. There's some truth to "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." (It just occurred to me to wonder who first said that. It was apparently George Santayana.)
As for being condemned to repeat the past, can we please remember the novel coronavirus so as not to have to endure it again?
3 comments:
Hoping you have some kind of good celebration on your birthday; maybe someone will make you pancakes? If you were here I'd make you pancakes using Aunt Jemima mix....
There's already a Washington University (in Saint Louis), so I'm not sure what they'd name it to be different. And George Washington Univ in DC, of course.
Yes, we need to learn from history and have better pandemic plans!
July 4th is our big reopening, pubs, dine in, hairdressers and the like. It's the pubs that I find troublesome as I can see it getting a bit friendly by the end of the first evening of social drinking in three months. The weather is going to be miserable so the outdoor seating will be less appealing than it otherwise might have been. I can't do anything about that, there is only one person's actions that I can control and that's mine.
I thought 2kg of coffee beans on the shelf was enough, I was wrong.
I've been making waffles on weeks where I have plenty of eggs (they are the weeks immediately after ones where there are no eggs on the shelves and I buy a tray of 30 from a wholesaler). The waffle maker is non stick and the frying pan isn't so I have a better success/disaster ratio than with pancakes. It's not the same when you have to make it yourself and clear up afterwards but your birthday breakfast will certainly be one to remember. 2020? Yes that was the one where....
In Pennsylvania, restaurants and bars have reopened but some may need to shut down again. Restaurants in certain counties with resurgences will now not be able to serve alcohol with meals. Yes, bars and large groups of drinkers can be spreader sources.
I'll save my drinking for at home, and keep on doing take-out when we get tired of cooking.
My quilt guild has had some email discussions on how to do meetings. If we're sitting spaced apart, where's the camaraderie? If we wear masks, many people will object. If we're outdoors, how we will hear the speaker? My stint as membership co-director is over this summer, thankfully! Then I can just skip meetings until I feel safer attending.
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