Continuing to continue

Posted on June 17, 2020 | 1 comment

I will continue to continue. I will be doing what I’ve done since March 17 when the pandemic became serious enough to put us into shelter-in-place, going out only for essential trips.

I have a pattern I have developed for those trips. I stay close to our home, pretty much in our own zip code, which right now has a low rate of COVID cases. Occasionally I drive across town for something, but I head right home, not stopping along the way. I immediately change my clothes, sometimes even showering and washing my hair. It’s worked for 14 weeks so I will continue to continue.

I’m wearing my mask. I’m using wet wipes as I leave places. Some of the places I go provide wipes as I leave their business. I wipe down the interior of my car after each trip. My mask gets thrown on the washing machine in the garage as I come in.  We are seeing few people, not going to church, as much as I would love to sit and chat with others. The anxiety level is high when I go into new situations.

One of my former students has to go to work. Her dad lives with her. He had a similar heart surgery at the same time my husband had his. Her dad took longer to recuperate and has had some holdover conditions. She is worried about bringing home the virus and effecting her dad. Her anxiety level is high.

A friend has her grandchildren in her home every day, providing their schooling, while her daughter and son-in-law are at their essential jobs. She has elderly parents with some health problems. It makes her anxious that she cannot see her parents for fear of taking the virus into their home.

As we continue to continue, please be aware that many are dealing with a variety of issues, and the anxiety, may keep them from doing all the things they would like to do. Another friend said today that she can’t wait until there is a vaccine. She will be first in line to get it. Actually, she’ll be behind me. I won’t have any anxiety about a vaccine.

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Posted in COVID-19

Best part of the day

Posted on June 13, 2020 | 3 comments

Early morning–and early summer morning–is my FAVORITE time of the day, and I guess you could say, of the year. Sunrise is before 6 a.m. so that when I get out of bed the house is lit up with sunshine. The sun, in these middle days of June, is at its farthest north rise and set points. The sun shines directly into the northside room we use for the office. All that sun makes me happy.

My brain and body work the best in the mornings. I think well. I have lots of energy. This is when I want to get work done. I want to go for a walk. I want to run errands. There is more to do than time to do it. As the clock ticks closer to noon, my energy wanes. Those six hours in the morning are golden, just like the sunshine that comes through the windows.

When evening comes, I’m tired. My brain doesn’t quickly process information. I become quiet. With the last golden rays of the day lighting up the office, I smile and am thankful for the day just finished. I look forward to the next bright, warm, sunny summer morning when I can do it all over again.

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Posted in The world and my place in it

Has COVID-19 changed the way you do things?

Posted on June 12, 2020 | 7 comments

Oh, boy, have we had to change the way we do things during this pandemic, from grocery shopping to work at home to seeing our family and friends. Will things ever go back to the way it was? I have said, for weeks now, that we will never again know the life we had before, at least not in my lifetime. Maybe, just maybe, if we can get a vaccine in a shorter span of time than we have with past illnesses then we will feel more confident about returning to the way we lived before. There are, of course, those out there who seem to think this virus has disappeared, or it doesn’t involve them, only old people. I have had at least three people who I had previously had great respect for say that it’s only old people who have died and they would have died anyway. Grrr.

Today I read an article from McKinsey & Company that describes how consumer behavior has changed during this shelter in place time. Seventy percent of consumers in hard-hit nations anticipate adjustments to their routines for four months or more. Just leaving one’s home and going out is now fraught with anxiety.

As incomes have declined, consumers are spending on essentials and not discretionary categories. I’m certainly seeing an increase in grocery prices. Makes me think about purchases I make. What kind of funds will be necessary for the future?

Consumers are shifting to online and digital solutions as well as reduced-contact channels to get goods and services. We have done this in our household. I’m still shopping for groceries, but I have been ordering more online. We had always bought coffee at a local store but now I order it from a nearby roaster. I ordered a chair from Wayfair, Terry ordered a computer from Dell. At the beginning, when we started doing Zoom and FaceTime sessions, I could see that we needed a tripod. Apple sent me one. Lancome shipped makeup. When I saw a toy online that I thought my grandson would like, I had it shipped to him.

Most consumers across countries still feel they are not back to “regular” out-of-home activities. That is certainly the case  here. We have not returned to church. Although I went downtown for lunch with a friend earlier this week, I’m not doing that again for some time. It just caused too much anxiety. A committee meeting was supposed to happen in 3D on Wednesday, and I showed up, but the chair decided to change it back to Zoom but I didn’t get the message. I handled it well enough, but would have preferred to stay home and Zoom. I had agreed to the meeting in person if everyone wore masks. I will continue to be adamant about mask wearing if I’m going to attend events in person.

Many consumers want the endorsement of medical authorities and the implementation of visible safety measures from stores, restaurants, and other indoor spaces. As consumers determine where to shop in-store, they are prioritizing cleaning and sanitization and are looking for the usage of masks and barriers. That describes Terry and me.

If you would like to read more of this report, go here.

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Posted in COVID-19

Jumping the gun

Posted on June 9, 2020 | 3 comments

A friend who has recently returned to the United States and moving into a neighborhood close to me wanted to start trying local restaurants and suggested we start with a list of Black owned businesses. Since I know some personally, and my love for supporting our downtown, I suggested a place on the main street downtown. Really good burgers, sweet potato fries and onion rings. I knew this particular place would be good for the time of reopening restaurants for dining in. It had, before the shutdown, a sidewalk dining area, perfect for our cool days right now.

I had one idea,  but it was not right. I should have done some more serious research, but since everyone has been chomping at the bit to get restaurants open and people to dine in, I was sure everything would be in place. Turns out the downtown cafes are still doing take-out, with the majority of their customers being those who work close by. Restrooms are closed. Tables have been deconstructed. There is no sidewalk cafe dining. I was very disappointed.

We took our lunches, in styrofoam boxes, to some benches along the sidewalk to eat.  I had wet wipes for us to clean our hands as there was no restroom. When we finished, we hauled our trash to a lone can on the street. The food was delicious, the company was wonderful, weather was cool enough even though we sat in full sun.

It was too soon to go out. The restaurants are still trying to get everything in place to meet the protocols. Just the kitchen rules are enough for some of them to manage right now. Other protocols for dining room, restroom, and outdoor dining will take longer to fulfill. Time, money, and energy to make it happen.

And then there is the anxiety of being out with so many people, some wearing masks, some not. Sitting on street fixtures. When I got home, I undressed in the garage, leaving my purse for later. I took a shower and washed my hair. Redressed. Cleaned the outside of my purse, sunglasses, shoes. Lots of work to go out for lunch. I think I may wait for awhile to do that again.

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Posted in COVID-19

In a jam

Posted on June 6, 2020 | 6 comments

In April I made strawberry jam from berries I got at the university’s farm store, grown on the school property. In May I made apricot jam made with fruit I got at a local organization that brings local produce to schools. The schools are shut down so the proprietor has offered the fruit and veggies to the public. On Saturday I will pick up pluots from that operation for more jam. I have not made plum/pluot jam before so that will be a new challenge.

I share my jars of jam with friends. Our young neighbors bring me bread, I give them jam. A former high school colleague contacted me when I posted photos of my jam production, asking if I sell the jam. No, I responded, I just make a few small-batch jars. A few weeks later, I contacted her and told her I was dropping jars of jam off at her house–blackberry (from 2019), strawberry, and apricot. She was delighted. A retired friend has been homeschooling her grandchildren during the pandemic. The kids love my biscuits and jam so I have made home deliveries a few times during the last 10 weeks.

Another young friend from my teaching days contacted me last week about cherry preserves. She had been given 16 pounds of cherries. Had I ever made cherry preserves? No, too much work to pit the cherries. She agreed. Next time, she said, she would have a cherry pitter to make the job go faster.

As a young child I watched, every summer, my mother spend weeks preserving fruit from our trees and garden. It seemed to be so much work, and boring to a youngster. I swore I would never do that kind of work. Guess I was wrong.

Addendum:  In a comment I referred to a story I wrote about my retired teacher friend who inspired me with his pickles. Here is the link to that story if you want to read more.

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Posted in The world and my place in it

That’s a wrap for another school year

Posted on June 4, 2020 | 7 comments

It took me a couple of days to prepare 102 packets of stickers and other items to hand out to the 6th graders at Columbia’s drive-thru promotion. I hadn’t really thought about how much work it would be, but that was okay because I wasn’t able to do the end-of-the-year awards for the first graders. I had time and energy to put into the project.

It was only an hour’s ceremony, from 9-10 due to the forecast for 103 degrees later in the day. Wearing a mask in the heat can be daunting, but all of us who were there did it. With a smile on our faces. Even though you couldn’t see it, you could hear it in our voices as we greeted each student as well as each other. I knew I had missed this group, but just not how much until I was actually there again on the campus. The staff was all very appreciative of my presence and made a point of telling me they wanted me to come back next year, whatever it might take. I’m praying that God will provide a way. I really want to see more 6th grade promotions.

On Thursday morning I was up early to take my walk as today’s forecast is for 107 degrees. I was on the sidewalk at 6:30, wearing my Fresno High Class of 2000 t-shirt. If you aren’t familiar with high school traditions, each graduating class designs a t-shirt with the graduates’ names on the back and something special to them on the front. I was the advisor for the Class of 2000 and helped in getting the shirt designed, produced and delivered as the group started their senior year. Yes, even after 20 years, I still have my shirt.

As I walked, I thought about yesterday’s event in juxtaposition to the ceremony in 2000. Those 2000 graduates are now 38 years old. Yesterday’s 6th graders are 12 years old and will be the Class of 2026. At the high school level, you only know the students for four years. I had been with those 6th graders for six years. Not every day, but every year I was there and somehow connected with them–on the playground, in the office, at lunch, This year I was in the 6th grade classroom a few times to read a story, bring some books, hand out crayons and advice.

As I walked off of the campus, most of the staff was still in the parking lot, helping to get things put away. I waved goodbye, and said what I often say to my family and friends, “I’ll see you when I see you.”

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Posted in School

What’s the point?

Posted on June 2, 2020 | 10 comments

There will be some 100+ degree days this week, but for today, it is cool. I walked at 6:30 this morning because of the cool, clean air. As we are all back on the road now, the air won’t be clean for long. I’m seeing lots of contrails again. It had been nice to look at blank, blue skies for all those weeks of pandemic shutdown.

I know many are still working at home, like our next door neighbor, but many have returned to their work sites. Some, like the neighbor across the street never left his work site–his big rig, hauling produce all over the state. When I ran errands yesterday, I noticed the traffic was pretty much back to what it had been, pre-shutdown. There was a line outside the Ross store next to the Sprouts where I was shopping. Why would anyone stand in line to get into a Ross store?

Churches were allowed to have up to 100 people in their sanctuaries this past Sunday. Terry and I remained at home. There is no hugging, hand shaking, singing, or coffee fellowship, the things that make church attendance special. The organ music is lovely and I could sit all day listening to it, but for now, I’ll listen to the service from home.

The medical offices are seeing patients again. Terry and I have both had appointments where the instructions were “wear a mask and come alone.” Sounds like a ransom drop! It’s good, though, that the medical people are back at work, helping to keep us healthy, not just treating the COVID cases. But, with all of this running around, dining out, shopping, protesting, will the virus spread even faster? We are seeing an increase of cases here in the San Joaquin Valley two weeks after Mother’s Day. What will the numbers look like in two more weeks from the protest marches. I feel like we are setting ourselves further back.  What was the point of all the hard work of sheltering in place?

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Posted in The world and my place in it