I decided this morning to check what the BBC had to say about the covid-19 pandemic. An article, "Coronavirus: What this crisis reveals about US - and its president," contained this paragraph:
As for the American exceptionalism on display, much of it has been of the negative kind that makes it hard not to put head in hands. The lines outside gun stores. The spike in online sales of firearms - Ammo.com has seen a 70% increase in sales. The panic buying of AR-15s. Some Christian fundamentalists have rejected the epidemiology of this pandemic. To prove there was no virus, a pastor in Arkansas boasted his parishioners were prepared to lick the floor of his church.
Based on that, we're certainly not putting our best face forward. Indeed, I have cringed at some of the things I have read about or heard about. I want to shout,"This is not us! We are not those people!" A soon as I finish shouting, though, I find myself asking, "Is this what we have become? Could we really be those people?" I have tried to stay away from politics here; I know how polarizing conversations can become. However, I also know how the world with which I am familiar has changed in the past three years. Walls, figurative and literal, have gone up in various places and between various groups. If those walls and divisions remain or, worst-case-scenario, deepen in, say, 6 years, I don't think this will be a country in which I want to live.
To restore my faith in America and Americans, I remind myself that there has also been positive American exceptionalism on display, though it may be in smaller acts that might be hard to isolate. It may not have originated in America, but Americans are jumping aboard the "Bear Hunt" train. Stuffed or plush bears and, in some communities, other animals, have been placed in windows or on porches so that children and children at heart can see how many bears or how many kinds of animals they can spot on a walk or drive. If I lived in a neighborhood of walkers and had a porch visible from the road, my large bear-friend Ursula would be in one of the Adirondack chairs on the porch with at least one friend, possibly TRex, an addition to the family at Christmas.
I read this morning about cars crowding a hospital parking lot one (last?) night. At 8:00 pm, all the drivers turned on their emergency blinkers and honked their horns to signal gratitude to the health care workers on the front line, inside the building. I have friends who are nurses, one in an emergency department, and at least two high school friends of younger son are physicians, again one in an emergency department. I think of them often and really should signal my gratitude to them in some way. Lights and horns won't work because they're spread across the country in four different states.
There are so many more positive examples. A small neighborhood grocery store here that is preparing and giving out free breakfasts and lunches every day. They try to use only locally obtained items, because farmers, bakeries, etc. need help, too. And they're looking to rent a large kitchen at a local restaurant so that they can serve more people or serve dinners in addition to the breakfasts and lunches. I have a number of friends, local and out-of-state or even international, sewing masks and/or operating room caps. A local running shop has been delivering merchandise locally so that people can keep running or walking for their physical and mental health. They've stopped that now in response to the new stay-at-home guidelines, unfortunately.
Not just closer to but right at home, older son continues to shop for us and make it possible for us, especially me, to avoid all contact even at a social distance. (I have a few things that make me high-risk or very close to that.) And he's extended this offer to our neighbors, a couple in their 80s who both have some mobility issues. I expect that there are other such arrangements here and away, in which one family member meets the needs of others who need or want to stay as isolated as possible.
I feel better having written all that. Balancing positive acts against negative ones, I think the positive ones are winning at least for now. I hope that continutes.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
The View from the Hermitage, Day 15
The governor is making "a major announcement" about the state's covid-19 response today at 2:00. Scuttlebutt has it that he will putting a shelter-in-place, lock-down, call it what you will, our time in the hermitage becoming mandatory rather than voluntary. Our governor is supposedly coordinating responses with Maryland's governor, and Maryland's governor earlier today issued such an order. That order said that the only acceptable reasons for being outside one's home were obtaining food or medical care.
The announcement about the governor's address came in a tweet: "I'll be making a major announcement about Virginia's #COVID19 response at 2:00 PM today. Watch live here on Twitter or at http://facebook.com/GovernorVA ." What does it say that social media have become so mainstream that traditional media, print and otherwise, are not the place to look for things such as a speech by a governor? Needless to say, I have Facebook open in another tab and will switch over there once the talk begins.
Older son has asked for some sort of letter from us stating that by being our conduit to the outside world, he is ensuring that his parents and their 80-something neighbors do not have to leave their homes. He has also been shuttling laundry back and forth between our home and my mother's assisted living facility. Once he takes back the laundry I will be doing tomorrow, he will no longer have to handle that. We've arranged for the facility to do laundry as long as virus conditions require. One less thing to worry about, as if life in general did not have enough right now.
So we do have a stay-at-home executive order effective immediately. The real-time comments on the Facebook feed of the speech were going by almost too fast to read, but there was a fair bit of grousing that there was no enforcement mechanism to the order, so what was local law enforcement to do? Was there a penalty other than being told you should not be doing this? There did appear to be a bit of fluff in the order itself, which is available here. There were more than several comments about the fact that nonessential retail establishments can stay open as long as there are no more than 10 people in the facility at one time. And several viewers/listeners with were upset that construction seemed to be viewed as essential.
While the updated federal guidance is to maintain social distance measures until April 30.Today's state order, which I assume would have precedence over a federal one, lasts until June 10. The governor was asked today how the municipal elections scheduled in May for some localities would be handled. The answer was that they were working on that. No one asked about the Democrat's primary election scheduled for June 9. I'm an assistant precinct chief. While my precinct does not have a May election, we do have a June one. And things just continue to get weirder and weirder.
The announcement about the governor's address came in a tweet: "I'll be making a major announcement about Virginia's #COVID19 response at 2:00 PM today. Watch live here on Twitter or at http://facebook.com/GovernorVA ." What does it say that social media have become so mainstream that traditional media, print and otherwise, are not the place to look for things such as a speech by a governor? Needless to say, I have Facebook open in another tab and will switch over there once the talk begins.
Older son has asked for some sort of letter from us stating that by being our conduit to the outside world, he is ensuring that his parents and their 80-something neighbors do not have to leave their homes. He has also been shuttling laundry back and forth between our home and my mother's assisted living facility. Once he takes back the laundry I will be doing tomorrow, he will no longer have to handle that. We've arranged for the facility to do laundry as long as virus conditions require. One less thing to worry about, as if life in general did not have enough right now.
So we do have a stay-at-home executive order effective immediately. The real-time comments on the Facebook feed of the speech were going by almost too fast to read, but there was a fair bit of grousing that there was no enforcement mechanism to the order, so what was local law enforcement to do? Was there a penalty other than being told you should not be doing this? There did appear to be a bit of fluff in the order itself, which is available here. There were more than several comments about the fact that nonessential retail establishments can stay open as long as there are no more than 10 people in the facility at one time. And several viewers/listeners with were upset that construction seemed to be viewed as essential.
While the updated federal guidance is to maintain social distance measures until April 30.Today's state order, which I assume would have precedence over a federal one, lasts until June 10. The governor was asked today how the municipal elections scheduled in May for some localities would be handled. The answer was that they were working on that. No one asked about the Democrat's primary election scheduled for June 9. I'm an assistant precinct chief. While my precinct does not have a May election, we do have a June one. And things just continue to get weirder and weirder.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
The View from the Hermitage, Day 14
I left the Hermitage today. Older son, the husband, and I took the family dog on a car-car ride. "Car-car" is the magic word that sends her into ecstatic dog noises. If only she or any other dog could tell me why riding in a car, even with the windows closed, is so special.
We went to the nearest park which, fortunately, is a county park. The city government has closed the parking lots of all the city parks and warned that if the parks themselves get too crowded, they will close them as well. The county has taped off shelters and playgrounds and locked all the restrooms but the parking lots are still open. There are reminders of social distancing posted on various fence posts. The dog park is limited to 10 humans, who are, of course, asked to distance themselves appropriately.
As we walked, I consciously avoided touching anything until the morning's coffee needed an outlet, and I had to use the post-a-potty. I pulled my hand up my sleeve and touched nothing with bare skin. When I got home, the sweatshirt went into the laundry, and I went into the shower. It felt odd to be almost paranoid about touching anything. Here in the Hermitage, I touch whatever I want. I still wash my hands though not as often as I would, what to call it, out in the open? The outland? The real world?
Perhaps because I read too many post-apocalyptic novels as a teenager, I find myself imagining what life might be like if social distancing and self-isolating continued, if the "new normal" became "the normal." Would all children be schooled at home even if they weren't home-schooled? What would become "hello" if not a handshake? A bow? What would be a "so good to see you" if not a hug? Waving just doesn't seem appropriate.
A local resident tweeted that he drove around town, not getting out of his car, for an hour, and was surprised at the number of people who evidently think everything is just fine. Older son says the people across the street have nightly cookouts in the front yard whenever the evening temperature permits. Does this mean that those of us who are trying to be vigilant about the advice from the scientists and doctors have to remain vigilant even longer?
How many of us know someone who has been diagnosed with covid-19? Thinking of the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, I am two degrees apart from someone so diagnosed, the cousin of one of my quilting friends. Would knowing someone who has covid-19 put the fear of God into the people who for now seem clueless? Much as I'd hate to wish affliction on someone, if that is what it takes for some people to be careful, it might actually be worth it.
From this morning's Washington Post: "It took about a month from the first confirmed death on Feb. 29 for the United States to record its first 1,000 coronavirus-related fatalities. The number of confirmed deaths has since doubled in two days." It may not take long for the number of degrees of separation to drop dangerously low.
We went to the nearest park which, fortunately, is a county park. The city government has closed the parking lots of all the city parks and warned that if the parks themselves get too crowded, they will close them as well. The county has taped off shelters and playgrounds and locked all the restrooms but the parking lots are still open. There are reminders of social distancing posted on various fence posts. The dog park is limited to 10 humans, who are, of course, asked to distance themselves appropriately.
As we walked, I consciously avoided touching anything until the morning's coffee needed an outlet, and I had to use the post-a-potty. I pulled my hand up my sleeve and touched nothing with bare skin. When I got home, the sweatshirt went into the laundry, and I went into the shower. It felt odd to be almost paranoid about touching anything. Here in the Hermitage, I touch whatever I want. I still wash my hands though not as often as I would, what to call it, out in the open? The outland? The real world?
Perhaps because I read too many post-apocalyptic novels as a teenager, I find myself imagining what life might be like if social distancing and self-isolating continued, if the "new normal" became "the normal." Would all children be schooled at home even if they weren't home-schooled? What would become "hello" if not a handshake? A bow? What would be a "so good to see you" if not a hug? Waving just doesn't seem appropriate.
A local resident tweeted that he drove around town, not getting out of his car, for an hour, and was surprised at the number of people who evidently think everything is just fine. Older son says the people across the street have nightly cookouts in the front yard whenever the evening temperature permits. Does this mean that those of us who are trying to be vigilant about the advice from the scientists and doctors have to remain vigilant even longer?
How many of us know someone who has been diagnosed with covid-19? Thinking of the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, I am two degrees apart from someone so diagnosed, the cousin of one of my quilting friends. Would knowing someone who has covid-19 put the fear of God into the people who for now seem clueless? Much as I'd hate to wish affliction on someone, if that is what it takes for some people to be careful, it might actually be worth it.
From this morning's Washington Post: "It took about a month from the first confirmed death on Feb. 29 for the United States to record its first 1,000 coronavirus-related fatalities. The number of confirmed deaths has since doubled in two days." It may not take long for the number of degrees of separation to drop dangerously low.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
The View from the Hermitage, Day 13
The pandemic is messing with my perceptions of time. How many days have we been hermitting? How many days would be enough? If someone were to be exposed today, when might they become symptomatic? When will the cases or deaths in insert city, state, or country here peak? Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, says the peak there will be in 21 days. When will the curves everyone is talking about flatten?
I have a hard time remembering what day of the week it is. It's not quite the "every day is Saturday" feeling retired friends say they have, but it's similar. It's Saturday now, but it could be any day. Older son came early, bringing the groceries I'd told him we needed. We did an in-the-dark walk with the dog. We got back, older son went back out for a run, and I attacked the newspapers. I often go use the decades old NordicTrack ski machine or do some leg or ab exercises. I decided I needed a rest today; walking would be good enough. When older son came back from his run, he, the husband, and I took the dog for a second, longer walk. That sounds like any day this week.
The time during the day gets fuzzy as well. I have been spending mornings writing or doing small tasks in the kitchen or living areas. Afternoons I try to be at my sewing machine. Coming upstairs to start making dinner means turning on CNN for "The Situation Room." When that morphs into the daily report from the coronavirus task force, I change the station, especially if the husband has descended from his office. He cannot stand even hearing the president's voice let alone seeing him. I don't want to run back downstairs after dinner, so I read or work on something while the husband does crossword puzzles. Right now, I'm making needle-felted ornaments to sell at the Fall Fiber Festival, assuming it is still held.
While the time periods mentioned have been on a more immediate level, the effects of the pandemic extend to periods measured in years as well. Affecting me more than the postponement of the Olympics or any other event, the husband's retirement will evidently be postponed. With the various nuclear physics labs at which he conducts his research going offline for so long, the experiments he had planned to run at various points in time have moved further into the future. Needless to say, understanding the reason behind it does not necessarily lessen my dislike of this news.
From hours to years, out in the world or closer to home, time is relative. Albert Einstein proposed that a century ago, around the time of an earlier pandemic.
I have a hard time remembering what day of the week it is. It's not quite the "every day is Saturday" feeling retired friends say they have, but it's similar. It's Saturday now, but it could be any day. Older son came early, bringing the groceries I'd told him we needed. We did an in-the-dark walk with the dog. We got back, older son went back out for a run, and I attacked the newspapers. I often go use the decades old NordicTrack ski machine or do some leg or ab exercises. I decided I needed a rest today; walking would be good enough. When older son came back from his run, he, the husband, and I took the dog for a second, longer walk. That sounds like any day this week.
The time during the day gets fuzzy as well. I have been spending mornings writing or doing small tasks in the kitchen or living areas. Afternoons I try to be at my sewing machine. Coming upstairs to start making dinner means turning on CNN for "The Situation Room." When that morphs into the daily report from the coronavirus task force, I change the station, especially if the husband has descended from his office. He cannot stand even hearing the president's voice let alone seeing him. I don't want to run back downstairs after dinner, so I read or work on something while the husband does crossword puzzles. Right now, I'm making needle-felted ornaments to sell at the Fall Fiber Festival, assuming it is still held.
While the time periods mentioned have been on a more immediate level, the effects of the pandemic extend to periods measured in years as well. Affecting me more than the postponement of the Olympics or any other event, the husband's retirement will evidently be postponed. With the various nuclear physics labs at which he conducts his research going offline for so long, the experiments he had planned to run at various points in time have moved further into the future. Needless to say, understanding the reason behind it does not necessarily lessen my dislike of this news.
From hours to years, out in the world or closer to home, time is relative. Albert Einstein proposed that a century ago, around the time of an earlier pandemic.
Friday, March 27, 2020
The View from the Hermitage, Day 12
Today marks a dozen days of social distancing a.k.a. playing hermit. It's clear that today's dozen will become tomorrow's baker's dozen. It's not at all clear, though, how long it might last. A dozen dozen days? Gross! (groan) If the coronavirus behaves in other cities as it has behaved in New York City, we could be in for a very long haul. Will New York City be even more apocalyptic in two weeks? Two weeks after that? Will New Orleans be the next New York City? Will Florida be the next Washington (state)?
A friend's daughter and grandchildren are staying with her here, out in the relative country. The husband/father works in public health in an urban area and didn't want his family there while the coronavirus raged. Better to have his children able to run outside in a yard without the worry of people passing by than to have them locked inside to go crazy. How many other such cases are there around the country? It reminds me of the children's being sent out of London during the Blitz.
I try not to feel pangs of guilt at being able, thanks to older son and the family finances, to effectively shut off the world. I know people who are not so lucky, some by choice and others not. An emergency room nurse who can't just stay home. The nail technician who works in a shop that has been closed. One risks life if not limb while the other loses her livelihood. What am I risking in these trying times? Not a damned thing!
A friend's daughter and grandchildren are staying with her here, out in the relative country. The husband/father works in public health in an urban area and didn't want his family there while the coronavirus raged. Better to have his children able to run outside in a yard without the worry of people passing by than to have them locked inside to go crazy. How many other such cases are there around the country? It reminds me of the children's being sent out of London during the Blitz.
I try not to feel pangs of guilt at being able, thanks to older son and the family finances, to effectively shut off the world. I know people who are not so lucky, some by choice and others not. An emergency room nurse who can't just stay home. The nail technician who works in a shop that has been closed. One risks life if not limb while the other loses her livelihood. What am I risking in these trying times? Not a damned thing!
Thursday, March 26, 2020
The View from the Hermitage, Day 11
The "Local Living" section of today's Washington Post has several columns or questions about helping kids cope with anxiety over the way things are right now. I'm not sure how the sons would have reacted had we gone through something like this when they were little. I know we would have explained it to them as truthfully as possible. We would have let them watch the news with us. We would not have censored the information.
I was something of a pariah among preschool parents in 1990 when Operation Desert Storm began. As noted above, the sons watched the nightly news with us, and we answered their questions factually. Older son took the information he had learned and was explaining troop movements to his preschool classmates, none of whom had any idea there was a mini-war going on. Some became quite anxious according to their parents, and it was my fault for letting my son know what was going on.
Children not old enough to understand the details about something mirror their parents' attitudes toward that something. They learn by doing or feeling what they see the adults they know best doing or feeling. Older son was not anxious about Operation Desert Storm because the husband and I were not anxious. We did not hide our concern from him, but it was certainly not the end of the world. I am not sure that would be the case with the current pandemic. I do know that I would have been less nervous about things then than I am now, almost 30 years later. My asthma would still have put me in a higher risk group, but I would have had a much younger age to put in the plus column. And I am less anxious now than I might otherwise be because I am following the guidance about social distance and contact. What anxiety I do feel these days is helping me take the precautions I can after which there's not much else to worry about.
Today's parents may also be handling having their kids home from school for an extended period of time, in a couple of cases for the rest of the academic year. At-home enrichment and reading may be enough for the young ones, but the teenagers in subject-matter classes are a totally different matter. Teenage me would probably be fine with learning online. My first experience with online instruction was when I was in a sixth grade math class, way back in the late 1960s. In many ways student me enjoyed online, independent learning, but I have been told that I am not normal. I hope that today's students in sequential classes are able to grasp the material that would have been taught in a classroom March through May.
The students in social studies classes such as civics, government, or history are watching a future textbook being written before their eyes. I just hope their possibly pariah parents are letting them watch or read the news.
I was something of a pariah among preschool parents in 1990 when Operation Desert Storm began. As noted above, the sons watched the nightly news with us, and we answered their questions factually. Older son took the information he had learned and was explaining troop movements to his preschool classmates, none of whom had any idea there was a mini-war going on. Some became quite anxious according to their parents, and it was my fault for letting my son know what was going on.
Children not old enough to understand the details about something mirror their parents' attitudes toward that something. They learn by doing or feeling what they see the adults they know best doing or feeling. Older son was not anxious about Operation Desert Storm because the husband and I were not anxious. We did not hide our concern from him, but it was certainly not the end of the world. I am not sure that would be the case with the current pandemic. I do know that I would have been less nervous about things then than I am now, almost 30 years later. My asthma would still have put me in a higher risk group, but I would have had a much younger age to put in the plus column. And I am less anxious now than I might otherwise be because I am following the guidance about social distance and contact. What anxiety I do feel these days is helping me take the precautions I can after which there's not much else to worry about.
Today's parents may also be handling having their kids home from school for an extended period of time, in a couple of cases for the rest of the academic year. At-home enrichment and reading may be enough for the young ones, but the teenagers in subject-matter classes are a totally different matter. Teenage me would probably be fine with learning online. My first experience with online instruction was when I was in a sixth grade math class, way back in the late 1960s. In many ways student me enjoyed online, independent learning, but I have been told that I am not normal. I hope that today's students in sequential classes are able to grasp the material that would have been taught in a classroom March through May.
The students in social studies classes such as civics, government, or history are watching a future textbook being written before their eyes. I just hope their possibly pariah parents are letting them watch or read the news.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
The View from the Hermitage, Day 10
The Editorial Board of The New York Times last night, in a rather lengthy op-ed piece, reported "Coronavirus is Advancing. All Americans Need to Shelter in Place." If that wasn't enough, there was this subtitle: "The worst of the pandemic is yet to come. Listen to the medical experts. It's time for a national lockdown." The Board conceded that the President may not have the authority to order a national lockdown, but noted that he can "use the bully pulpit" to pressure 50 governors into declaring 50 state-wide lockdowns. This sounds good to me, though for this to work, I would think that the states that have already locked down would likely need to stay locked down so that the country as a whole can emerge after two weeks.
There is news this morning that the first-in-line heir to the British throne, Charles, has tested positive for covid-19. He had not been with the queen in two weeks, so she may be safe. She has been self-isolating anyway since her age, 93, puts her in one of the highest risk categories. Charles, after all, is 71. I noted to older son that there were likely Brits secretly hoping that Charles would pass so that William would become heir to the throne. I wonder what he feels like right now. Does he feel ready to be the heir were his father to die? Would he be ready to be king? Those are not questions I would want to be asking myself. Older son wondered if Harry might want to return to the royal fold were his father to die. My vote was that he would not. I do hope, though, that he would return to England for the funeral.
Older son and I also discussed the value of royalty in times such as we live in today. The Royals have no real legal authority, but are the absolute champions when it comes to saying "keep strong and carry on." They can lead by example as well such as when the king did not evacuate London during the Blitz. The queen may be isolating herself and not making public appearances, but that may make it easier for some Brits to isolate themselves or just maintain social distances. If the queen can do it, so can they.
The husband and I have, though not during the pandemic, discussed the value of a nation's having a figurehead such as a queen or king. Criticize the president as the elected head of state all you want, but the ranking royal represents the heart of the country and is sacrosanct. In the deep past, husband and I discussed whether Ronald and Nancy Reagan might be good American royalty. In their days, they may very well have been the best example. Today? I have no idea whatsoever. And given the divisions that have arisen here in the last five years, no one does.
Here in the Hermitage, we would have no problem with a nationwide lockdown. At least, I would have no problem with one. The husband often surprises me on the opinion front. We've essentially locked ourselves down. If we gave older son a grocery list, we could have the provisions needed to be totally on our own for two weeks. Son could do his own grocery shopping and then isolate himself. Much as the President who shall remain nameless wants to see the country "opened up and raring to go," that ain't gonna happen. And if it did, the months ahead would be worse than the month in which we now live.
There is news this morning that the first-in-line heir to the British throne, Charles, has tested positive for covid-19. He had not been with the queen in two weeks, so she may be safe. She has been self-isolating anyway since her age, 93, puts her in one of the highest risk categories. Charles, after all, is 71. I noted to older son that there were likely Brits secretly hoping that Charles would pass so that William would become heir to the throne. I wonder what he feels like right now. Does he feel ready to be the heir were his father to die? Would he be ready to be king? Those are not questions I would want to be asking myself. Older son wondered if Harry might want to return to the royal fold were his father to die. My vote was that he would not. I do hope, though, that he would return to England for the funeral.
Older son and I also discussed the value of royalty in times such as we live in today. The Royals have no real legal authority, but are the absolute champions when it comes to saying "keep strong and carry on." They can lead by example as well such as when the king did not evacuate London during the Blitz. The queen may be isolating herself and not making public appearances, but that may make it easier for some Brits to isolate themselves or just maintain social distances. If the queen can do it, so can they.
The husband and I have, though not during the pandemic, discussed the value of a nation's having a figurehead such as a queen or king. Criticize the president as the elected head of state all you want, but the ranking royal represents the heart of the country and is sacrosanct. In the deep past, husband and I discussed whether Ronald and Nancy Reagan might be good American royalty. In their days, they may very well have been the best example. Today? I have no idea whatsoever. And given the divisions that have arisen here in the last five years, no one does.
Here in the Hermitage, we would have no problem with a nationwide lockdown. At least, I would have no problem with one. The husband often surprises me on the opinion front. We've essentially locked ourselves down. If we gave older son a grocery list, we could have the provisions needed to be totally on our own for two weeks. Son could do his own grocery shopping and then isolate himself. Much as the President who shall remain nameless wants to see the country "opened up and raring to go," that ain't gonna happen. And if it did, the months ahead would be worse than the month in which we now live.
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