NOTES ON OUR PANDEMIC RESPONSE

We had a dip into winter over the weekend with a little snow over Saturday night. It’s warming up again now but all danger of frost isn’t past.

Here we are in the midst of emergency response to pandemic, and while I’m sure caution should be practiced, it’s just so hard to stay home. We aren’t sick. We know no one who is sick. The novel virus has yet to be identified in our community. But here we are at home, trying not to go anywhere public. Of course, since I’m a homebody, I don’t really want to go anywhere except to JoAnn’s and the grocery store, but I would like to feel that I can go to those places.

We went to the grocery store again yesterday – “just topping off,” as Mike put it – and I felt guilty for going.

Probably most of us were taught to wash our hands among our first lessons.  “Nothing has done as much for world health as washing the hands,” my Mother was the first to tell me, and of course, that's a well-publicized fact. At first, I was no good at it. It was boring to stand there rubbing and twisting my hands with soap and water, so I would cut the process short and dry my hands on my towel. Because I wasn’t thorough – and evidently I was also into some very dirty activities – my dirty towel told Mother that I wasn’t getting my hands clean. “Kathy!” she called from the bathroom, “come here! Just look at your towel!” Can’t you just hear her?

To tell you the truth, I don’t think I became a meticulous hand washer until I had my first baby. Having children in the home will make a believer out of you. So glad I don't have to worry about children in today’s environment, but then, we always worry about the children.

How about disinfecting? I gave the bathroom counter a good cleaning the other day – something I don’t do often enough. I used my Clorox Kitchen Cleaner only later to discover Clorox Bathroom Cleaner stored in the bathroom. I didn’t even know what cleaning products I had on hand, so today I researched my cupboards and placed disinfectants on counters where we can reach them. It’s tough to take disinfecting seriously since it’s (mostly) just the two of us here. We laughed this morning when I insisted Mike move six feet away from me at our yoga class.

Yes, we went to yoga. The group agreed to keep meeting until further notice. That may come sooner than we think, whether it seems necessary or not. And Mike's visits to retirement / nursing facilities have been cancelled.

“Some people call me elderly,” said Mike. “I don’t think of myself as elderly.” And neither do I.

In other news, Mike bought a 2002 Dodge Ram from a used car dealership in Weiser last Friday (March 13). As luck would have it, the dealer had plans to visit family in this area and delivered it to us. We haven’t driven it much, but so far, it seems good. Because the driver’s seat is worn while the passenger seat is in good shape, we think it was probably a one-man vehicle. It has seen use but has only 108,000 miles on it. Perhaps it was someone’s farm truck. Perhaps it still is. KW

LET US EAT CAKE

“I hate to say this,” I announced to Mike this morning, “but we could probably use more toilet paper.”

So, after yoga, we went to Walmart, where the shelves were bare of TP, disinfectants, flour, etc. I think it was an eye-opener to Mike, who sorta felt all of this virus scare was happening elsewhere. I picked up a package of paper towels, some chicken broth, herbal tea, baking chips (very important), several boxes of cereal, etc., and we checked out.

“Now, take me to Albertsons,” I said. I got several loaves of bread, eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese – you know, the stuff I buy at Albertsons. AND -- one 4-roll package of store brand toilet paper.That should give us enough for the duration.

“I have never seen such interest in toilet paper,” laughed the cashier. I provided that Walmart is out. “So is Costco,” she said, “and we’re almost out.” After lunch we went to Winco where the TP shelves were also empty.

I admit that in the last couple of years, I’ve let my pandemic readiness slip, but we do have food and supplies, and when I go to the store, I pick up a few boxed or canned goods for a future need that seems to be immanent. Cake mixes on sale appeal to me, so we can always eat cake if push comes to shove. Our meals might not be nutritionally sound, but we won't starve.

And why is it we aren’t going to the store anyway? Are we afraid of catching the virus? Are we afraid of each other now? Or, are we afraid we’re going to be sick and won’t be able to leave the bed, let alone the house?

As for non-edibles, I have plenty of hand soap, cleaners, and disinfectants. (I like to buy cleaning supplies but hate to use them; hence, I already have those on hand.)

I used to have hand sanitizer – and maybe I still do on the farm where water is occasionally unavailable. The recipe for making my own with rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel is online, and I could do that. Yes, it IS odd to have aloe vera gel on hand, but we needed it for some reason a few years ago, and I actually remembered and found it. They say we should use hand sanitizer sparingly, though, because it also destroys the good microbes that live on our hands. Hmmm. And in the event we need face masks, there’s always my old bras.

I’m a practicing homebody, so I don’t worry too much about contagion. We’re thinking about escaping to the farm some time soon, but although it’s looking more like spring, it’s still cold, especially in the mornings. We’ll probably make a preparatory day trip next week just to take some stuff and make a list of what we’re going to need.

Mike is wearing a wrist brace now. Physical therapy was postponed to next Tuesday due to the therapist’s illness. He’s sleeping better, I think, but still has occasional soreness. KW

ADJUSTMENTS

The setting moon, March 9

As we moved back to daylight savings time on Sunday, Mike and I took a rather relaxed attitude. I meant to get out early to the grocery store, and it was 10:30 before I left the house. It seemed earlier. The afternoon disappeared quickly, and it was 5:00 when Mike suggested we walk the dog. It seemed earlier. By the time I started supper, it was late by the clock, and then I watched in horror as the crust of my quiche burned while the middle took its sweet time setting up. (I did not give that recipe a positive review.) It was after 7:00 when I finally had supper on the table. It was after 8:00 when I was finally showered and ready for bed. It seemed earlier, and I was angry that it was late. The only thing we did by the clock was to go to bed at 9:30, and I wasn’t ready to sleep.

On Monday I decided I had had enough of playing to the inner clock and making concessions. I determined to go strictly by the clock. I was up at 6:00 while it was still dark. Mike was up before 7:00, and when he went out to get Bess, he noticed the moon setting in the west. I caught the photo above just as it disappeared over the hill.

“What time is supper?” asked Mike.

“6:30,” was my emphatic reply.  

And the weekend was difficult in another way. Our neighbors of 15 years – they moved in about six months after we moved to this house – have gone their separate ways and sold the house. The move has been coming on for a year, so it’s not like it's a surprise, but the adjustment hits us now. They won’t be coming and going any more. We will miss them.

Life is full of changes – some big, some little, some recurring (like the time changes). KW