Voicelessness and Emotional Survival > Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
Coronavirus
Meh:
Yeah too bad about the med grade mask shortage, no surprise there right. Ughh
The fabric masks when I put them on I notice the air does not flow through the fabric part. Instead the air flows along the concave areas on the side of my nose and through gaps in the side of the fabric. Also there is the ocular membrane so yeah better to stay socially distanced.
I have to even tell myself STILL it's okay to do social distancing, I am NOT being rude and I am NOT a hypochondriac for wanting to stay safe and healthy. Social distancing is not a sign of a phobia during a pandemic. It's wild that I have to do this self talk but there are a lot of people who are still offended by the actions of those who are trying to be safe.
Good luck.
On a bright note, even in the cold season here I am starting to see little buds on lilac trees, little tiny leaf bundles popping up out of iris rhizomes, a single rose bud hanging on for dear life in a windy, dark and snow-forecasted climate. Poppy plants are still green, purple heather is blooming, some insects are out, the local hummingbird is still around even though we had a massive windstorm. I see signs of spring even in January. Columbines sending up small new growth bunches of leaves below the older brown stems.
Twoapenny:
I love the signs of Spring! Trees are starting to bud here (even though we just had snow) and I'm feeding the birds twice a day now so the tree outside our house is full of birds, they're so nice to watch. Curious cat sometimes climbs to the top of the tree and peeks in my son's bedroom window, which is so cute. I bought some daffodils this morning to brighten up the kitchen window.
Advice here is to maintain social distancing, Posh, so I think you're right to keep doing it. I'm quite toughened up to people's reactions because we've had it for years with my son's disability - people pointing, staring, demanding to know why you're using a disabled parking bay or disabled toilet and so on, so I've had to get used to just getting on with what we're doing and paying no mind to other people. It's been helpful through this; we just get on with keeping our distance and people can do whatever they want to :) It's good to keep it up; your own safety's more important.
Medical masks are available again now which is good so I've ordered a box and they should be here this week (we're not due to go out again until next week :) ). Local numbers have finally started to drop but they're still very high and much higher than they were during the first 'wave'. Hospital admissions appear to have stabilised; it does seem that this huge increase has been largely down to people getting together over Christmas. The hospitals are still very busy, apparently, but the number of new patients being admitted seems to have settled a bit. The death rate's been mind blowing but just seems to have become a normal part of life now. I don't think that's healthy but I guess we all do to it cope with what's going on. Nationwide numbers are still high, in terms of new cases and that's a worry - if the numbers don't drop rapidly during lockdown how do you ever manage it? That bit still concerns me, particularly with new variants appearing. I feel more concerned now with the long term implications of this being around for several years and the UKs approach being 'we'll wait till the hospitals are full and people are dying in their thousands and then we'll close everyone's businesses down and shut the schools again'. Given that the vaccines reduce the chances of being seriously ill rather than ensuring you won't get ill and/or don't stop you catching it or passing it on to someone else I'm guessing it will still be an ongoing problem and that all they're aiming for is to make it manageable enough that the hospitals don't get swamped? Which would still mean the personal risk level being high if you're older or have other health care problems. Son's future in a situation like that worries me now. The allure of a more remote area, where we can get out and about more but around fewer people, thereby (hopefully) reducing the risk of exposure, is on my mind a lot just now.
Twoapenny:
Johnson's extended the current lockdown to March 8th at least; that's the earliest schools will go back and that's assuming people are getting vaccinated and the numbers are going down. Other things will start to open up after schools go back, assuming that the numbers remain low.
I messed up the antibody test because I got blood on the bit where you read the result so I couldn't see what the answer was. Bit gutting, it would have been interesting to know but there we are - it's a weeny little test stick and I was too clumsy to do what I needed to. I just feel soooo tired all the time, there's such a lack of variety of pace through the day. I'm keeping busy but I have to motivate myself and I find that hard over such an extended period of time. I'll be glad when it's over.
Hopalong:
I understand the waves of fatigue, Tupp. Psychological or physical. Several of my friends seem to be going through a trough right now too--I think the reality of "maybe summer" for completed vaccinations for many, and the uncertainty of when you'll actually get your shots, is eating at serenity. People announce they've gotten a shot and you feel glad for them but worried about when you'll hear about your own. I'm supposedly on a list (signed up twice to get email or text notification) but nothing's happened so far. My poet-friend's partner got his (heart issue + age).
I'm finding myself comfortable in double-masks. The N95s are unavailable but the combo of one of those blue disposable masks covered with a fabric mask feels fine in cold weather, and I just read from a couple medical sources that using both is very close to as protective as an N95. I also like the idea of the simple fabric ones that have a top where you can tuck in a little slice of vacuuum cleaner (hoover) filter. Either of those getups nearly equals the N95. That plus sticking to my imaginary 8-foot distance seems sane enough to me. When I get super-restless in spring I'll just take more lovely drives with Pooch (and maybe M) and remind myself our mountains and lakes haven't gone anywhere, and we can go for walks in varied lovely places. Meanwhile, I go out no more than once a week, generally. Occasionally twice to M's for dinner; he's just 10 minutes away.
The only area where I still get tense is the food deliveries. I know that as they got more information about the virus the emphasis became by far more on respiratory transmission than surfaces so I'm not panic-spraying things the way I was, but it still makes me uneasy until they're all put away out of sight. I ignore the canned or boxed items for days, which means it dies on its own, but don't enjoy having big brown bags out on every surface for that time. Small problem though. Indoors is safer so I'm glad it's winter in a way. Hah. Never expected myself to say THAT.
I'm peaceful in my little home with Pooch, and feeling a bit better. First snow this morning! Just a sprinkle but it's pretty. I think "normal" will include masking for a long time, just the way it does in Asian countries where there's nothing weird about a mask over a face. But that's okay with me. I'll just have to master the art of hold-your-breath-hugging when the all-clear horn sounds.
One positive I am sensing now and then is that the turmoil of the pandemic, and the sorrow, has made many people more gentle rather than less (though that gets no headlines, of course). Like they're feeling a tenderness toward others because of our mutual fragility in the face of this hard pandemic. In my wee circles anyway, I've heard a lot of people regularly say things about gratitude. And when people talk about their distress, there's more kindness visible than before. Less vapid consumerism talk and more, even on Zoom, people expressing how meaningful and good it is to see each others' faces.
hugs
Hops
Hopalong:
Just found Kimberly-Clark N95 respirators (masks) on Amazon -- $50 for a pack of 50.
I go out among people so seldom that I think these'll get me through summer, by which time all Americans should be vaccinated (fingers crossed).
If one can't find N95s, the double masking technique is recommended any time one goes indoors among people (grocery store, non-household members in home, etc.) That's a normal disposable mask topped by a fabric one. You can stick in little rectangle cut from vaccuum cleaner filters if you like.
They're getting very concerned about the U.K. variant which has arrived here, because it's so much more contagious. Next 4-8 weeks (public heath department head from a major univ. just said on TV) are the most dangerous.
Heads up, or heads down -- take care everybody. We'll get through this.
hugs
Hops
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