Saturday, March 14, 2020

What a Strange Week It's Been

It seems like things have sure been changing fast this past week.  It started out reasonably normal. Last Tuesday was "Super Tuesday" for us and we voted in the primary election.  The number of Democratic candidates have finally gone down to a more reasonable number.

We continued into the week with our usual activities.  Tom and I go to the gym twice a week where we take what I call an "Old Person's" exercise class.  Actually, here it is called a Silver Sneakers class for people over 65 and for us there is no charge since our health insurance pays for it.  Of course there was some talk in class of the coronavirus but not that much.  In fact, there were over fifty people attending the class which was about average.  Apparently no one was too worried about the virus despite the fact that we were all in the high risk age group.

Tuesday afternoon we even managed to get the new cell phones we had been shopping for over the past several weeks.  We were beginning to get concerned about getting them since the shipments from overseas had almost stopped completely due to the virus.  Tom just kept called around and finally found them.  Of course now we have to learn how to operate all the new changes in them from our old phones.  Yea, you know how that goes!

Life around here saw a sudden change when in the middle of the week the mayor of Kansas City declared a state of emergency for the city and canceled all public events that involved a large number of people.  Kansas City hosts the Big 12 Basketball Tournament each year and it had just barely begun.  It attracts thousands of people from all over the country and is a big income source for the city besides being a popular and fun activity.  Other popular games and other activites were also canceled.  Comic Con was to be here next weekend but not now.  There's also no St. Patrick's Day Parade next week and they even canceled the Easter Bunny appearances!  The Easter Bunny!  I do know this is all necessary as a safety precaution.  People need to stay home until this virus is under control.  I guess it just hit home with me how serious this is when they canceled everything in a city that NEVER cancels sporting events.

Of course after that the governor declared a state of disaster for the state and then the president for the country.  And that is when the bottom fell out around here.  We thought we should stock up on a few things (not hoard large quantities).  We went to Costco to shop and were shocked to see that in the middle of  week in the middle of the day there was not one roll of any brand of toliet paper!  And of course there were no disinfecting wipes, cleaners or hand sanitizers.  Now I understand people buying those items but why the rush on toliet paper???  From what I hear this seems to be a problem worldwide too.  This is not "that" kind of a virus.

Building a wall of protection maybe?

I will admit all of this is unnerving especially for those people that are at high risk which unfortunately includes those of us over 65.  I think our country is just now starting to deal with the situation and maybe they should have acted a couple of weeks earlier.  Our government has really screwed up in how they have handled getting the tests for this and now they are frantically trying to catch up while we know the number of people infected is much higher than what has been reported.  I think that is the main reason for encouraging people to stay home.  Maybe if more people stay home less will get sick and the hospitals and organizations that take care of things will have time to catch up.  To me the most frightening thing about this is all the unknowns.  We have never seen this particular virus before and we don't fully know what to expect from it.  But we do know it spreads incredibly fast and for some people can be deadly.  We have stocked up on groceries (not toliet paper!) and we plan to stay home except for a couple of doctor's appointments we have.  And for those appointments we plan on calling first to make sure they still want us to come in since so much has changed.  This is not a time for any of us to freak out but we should be sensible and be careful.

I appreciate all of my blog friends so much and I hope everyone stays safe and well!



24 comments:

  1. I've quit the federal government and am paying attention to my state and local. Not only are they closer to home, I know them and trust what I'm hearing from them. The fact our governor is out there on public radio every day, with the latest updates of what his team is doing is good by me.

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    1. It sounds like your governor knows what he is doing and he is also keeping the people informed. I'm glad to hear you know and trust him. We all need someone we can trust regarding all this right now!

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  2. The unknowns in this virus are what's troubling.Like you I will be staying home s much as possible. Keep healthy!

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    1. You are so correct about the unknowns. It is always harder to fight what we don't know. I think it is smart to stay home at this point. You and the Micro Manager stay well!

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  3. I am staying home alone since Tuesday, although a friend came over for tea on Wednesday. Lots of events and social things I enjoy are cancelled. To help out our local bookstore I ordered a book online from them today.

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    1. It is hard to see so many activities canceled, but then I suppose that makes it much easier for us to stay home. It is a good time to read a book or work on hobbies. I imagine Bounce loves to have you home! Take care of yourself!

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  4. Yup--scary. Mainly because without the testing we know there are many, many more people infected and contagious...so I am glad they are closing things down to try to slow it down so the people who really need help can get it.

    Personally, we cancelled Gramma Days and my craft nights with Leah for now and we are stocked up enough to go a month easy. I'll see what it is like before my dr visit on the 27th. Be easy enough to reschedule that one. We are self-quarantined--and I am grateful for video chats! ;)

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    1. It is probably a good thing you canceled Gramma Days for now. Kids come in contact with so much, and even if they are not sick they can carry bugs. That is the last thing you need, to catch something else! We are stocked up for a couple of weeks but we'll probably need things like bread and milk. Take care of yourself Rita!

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  5. It is certainly wise to stay home when you do not absolutely have to go out for work or other duties. So far, a few of my clients have cancelled meetings or changed them to telephone conferences, but we have not yet been asked to work exclusively from home, unlike my sister, whose work has been ordered to be done completely from home until further notice.
    I still intend to have my birthday party next week, with about 12 attending, no children there and no elderly people, since I had already planned for a seperate event with my parents long before corona threw a spanner in the works.
    My home town has cancelled the annual Horse Market in May, a big event that has been going on for around 250 years and has never been cancelled except for the last war years.

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    1. It is strange to see events that have taken place for many years suddenly canceled. I'm sure your birthday party should be fine as it won't be a huge group of people. One of my sons is a programmer and works from home all the time and now his wife is also going to be working from home as well as my other son. I think some of this will be more difficult for my two young adult grandchildren who usually take part in more public activities. Since we are both 67 we feel it is best to stay home as much as possible.

      I hope your Mother is doing well and staying safe. What day is your actual birthday? I hope you have a wonderful day despite all that is going on these days.

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  6. According to an aside on television this morning, they might be asking all us oldies to stay home for up to two years! As I said elsewhere, blogging is going to get very popular and I'm going to be a whizz at music sight reading.

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    1. Two years?! Wow, but I do understand why they say that as it can take that long for the virus to completely settle down and it is more dangerous for us oldies.

      Yes, I agree about blogging. It has always been a major source of communication and friendships to me but now the importance of that will certainly increase. It is important to avoid any kind of social isolation even if it is by way of the internet. All of my blog friends are important to me and I am grateful for them all.

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    2. Are you learning an instrument? This is a good time to learn a new skill such as sight reading music.

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  7. They banned The Easter Bunny! How could they? Good job this crisis isn't happening in December or they'd have banned Santa Claus and Baby Jesus too! I suggest that you prepare to read The Complete Works of Shakespeare to Tom - followed by Tolstoy's "War and Peace" and The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (3000 pages). That should keep you occupied for a few hours Bonnie.

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    1. Thank goodness it is not Christmas - can you imagine what this would do to a big holiday like that!

      That is some pretty heavy reading you suggest! Are those your choices to read to Mrs. Pudding?

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    2. I only read her love poems that I have written myself.

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  8. I believe it's better to be over-cautious than be "too little, too late" with social distancing. Of course, that's much easier for an introvert like me than for those whose lives are more social. I can happily stay at home for long periods. Others find it hard. We are being encouraged to use other means of keeping in touch with folks - telephone, internet, Facetime. I'm worried about my mom - she is 90 and declining mentally to the point that she is not taking in the information she is hearing on the news very well, but she still lives alone and I can't really enforce her comings and goings. Yet I'm her contact person in case of emergency, so if she gets sick, so will I. And so will my husband, eventually. Ugh.

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    1. In reality we do tend to stay home a lot anyway so this will just keep us home a little bit more. I have more things to do here at home than I will ever get done so there is no problem with what to do. I also have many hobbies and books to read.

      I wish your Mother well. I'm sure all this is even more difficult for someone her age. Maybe you can come up with some activities she can do at home that will give her something to do instead of going out.

      I wish the best to you and all of your family!

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  9. Our granddaughter's school is cancelled till Apr 3 when they will decide whether to come back or not...

    I am hoping Roger will see fit to stay home more. He really has trouble comprehending what is going on.

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    1. I've been thinking of you and Roger. I know he likes to eat breakfast out but now might not be the best time for eating out. Maybe he would be happy taking drives out in the country to places where you like to take photos. There should be no harm in doing things like that. Both of you take care!

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  10. Stay safe...who knows what drives people to hoard TP. :)

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  11. Thanks Connie, these are strange and frightening times.

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  12. Common sense must prevail, although in many quarters there appears to be a shortage on that particular commodity!

    It worries me not staying at home. I'm a home-body at all times...so nothing will change for me in that department. I enjoy my own company, and that of my two furry mates. I've always got...and always have had...a well-stocked larder, fridge and freezer. I won't starve, nor will my two furry rascals. And I won't get bored...never do.

    Take care... :)

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  13. Hi Lee, like you I am usually a home-body most of the time. I certainly have more than enough to do here at home as I have many hobbies, books and other things to do. It does help having our sweet and fun cats doesn't it?

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