Coronavirus

[Hopalong]

Where would you go if you had the opportunity, Tupp?

I love your reasoning and would love to hear the country/countries you'd be drawn to.

hugs
Hops

[Twoapenny]

Where would you go if you had the opportunity, Tupp?

I love your reasoning and would love to hear the country/countries you'd be drawn to.

hugs
Hops

Oh gosh, Hopsie, I think there are very few countries I wouldn't be willing to try!  I always wanted to travel; in fact it was the only thing I ever wanted to do (Irish traveler blood, I think).  The reason I got into teaching was so that I could work my way around and pick and choose whether to do a 'proper' job (International School, for example) or do voluntary work or something very low paid because I'd have the money from 'proper' jobs to live off.  Even when son came around I still thought we could do it because most he could have just attended school wherever we were so I had grand plans of this nomadic lifestyle with my little man in tow and I just thought it would be the most amazing experience for us both.  But then disability made an appearance and it really does change everything.

Warmer and/or sunnier climates appeal to me (to counteract the SAD I experience).  Places like Greece, Spain and Portugal are all relatively cheap compared to the UK, particularly on a teacher's salary, but the language would be a huge problem for son and we'd have to organise carers for him if I were to work and that seems like a big task as well.  I spent time in Goa when younger and loved it and almost moved there when son was a baby.  Lost my nerve at the last minute and have often wondered if my life would be very different now if I'd gone.  New Zealand appeals enormously but would be very difficult for son and myself to get into due to his health problems and my age/working life left in me situation.  I'd love to spend time in the Nordic countries (don't think I'd like to live there, I think the cold and dark would get me down but would love extended visits).  Places like Germany also appeal but again, all of this is difficult with son needing the care he does, plus money/support/health insurance and so on.  Ireland is a possibility but they have a lot of the same problems we do here (housing cost being high in many places, lack of support for disabilities and so on).  I'd honestly consider pretty much anywhere but it is all so difficult for me to do everything on my own, particularly with little cash.  I do often wish I'd gone for it when I was younger and had a lot more energy.  I often wonder what would have happened if we'd been living abroad and my mum couldn't have caused all the trouble she did.  I read my travel books and pretend I'm there   Lol

Thank you for asking, it's nice to talk about those long forgotten dreams!  I used to go off to sleep imagining I was teaching in a school in Africa somewhere remote and really feeling like I was doing something amazing with my life xx

[Twoapenny]

Well I'm in two minds about what's going on here now.  They're opening up most things next month - pubs, restaurants, cinemas, hotels etc.  Social distancing has been reduced to a metre (three feet).  People can meet indoors in 'bubbles' (I didn't read the details but I think there's a limit on numbers or something.

We are still having numbers in the high 900s test positive each day.  The death rate is lower than it was but is still around 100 a day.  If that many people continue to catch it during lockdown I struggle to see how that will fall with more people going out and doing things.  Equally we can't carry on all sitting indoors indefinitely.  I've got past the anger and frustration of why wasn't more done to prevent this and how badly the whole thing's been handled.  I've stopped worrying about how bad it's going to be after, when they start clawing back the money this has cost.

We can keep ourselves relatively safe.  I can carry on with deliveries for anything we need.  We are close enough to town to walk in if we need to.  We won't be venturing out over the summer season; we're in a holiday area and it will be packed so we don't go out much anyway because it's too busy.  We'll continue to avoid buses.  But I did hug the little girl that comes round today.  I was outside doing the garden and she came up and put her arms round me and I just couldn't not hug her.  So we had a little cuddle.  Officially not a good idea but I couldn't shove her off.  I've showered and put clean clothes on.  We're luckier than most in this situation as we can carry on mostly indoors without it being a huge problem.  I'm grateful for that.

[Hopalong]

Oh Tupp, you ARE doing something amazing with your life.
You were hit with the most incredible curve ball and turned the game into a very different dance, full of agony and resilience and learning and finally some ease...that we who have watched you move have seen as nothing but beauty and courage.

If that's not an amazing life, I don't know what is.
I am sorry those dreams didn't happen but I am positive when it's all said and done, you will see your own value. Priceless.

As to your next post, how incredible that you got to hug a child. How extraordinary a moment. How even more extraordinary that this is happening.

I just look forward to noticing newness in humanity, when this passes us by or if it doesn't, when we find new ways to express love. It could be beautiful.

hugs (!)
Hops

[lighter]

Our State is keeping bars and gyms closed for another 3 weeks, as of today. 

Also, masks are to be worn indoors and out of doors, when roaming.  It's mandatory, but I've heard that before.   My neighbors seem to believe the police might be interested in enforcing that, but I have my doubts.

Lighter

[lighter]

CB:

What "things" do the nurses say need to be put in place?

What kind of things are you stocking, and what are you stocking them for?

lighter

[Twoapenny]

Lighter,

I'm sorry that wasn't clear. There are no "things". My kids have things going on in their lives related to their jobs and health that arent my stories to tell. I didnt mean for that to sound ominous, just an explanation for why I havent interacted much on the board.

As for restocking, after 4 months of sheltering in place I have run out of all the basic supplies that I had stockpiled: laundry detergent, cleaners, paper towels, etc and some of those things are less available than I expected or the price has gone way up. I hadnt really expected that we would be doing this all over again and all of it at once.  I'm having to go back and rethink what I really need to replace and if I need to change to a different store for delivery or if that will even help. I have already noticed that delivery times are less available, so I'm trying to think ahead. I remember that when all this first started it was hard to get some really basic stuff like flour, rice etc. Also, I dont have a job this time around, so I'm thinking through that as well.  So that's my restocking.

I think I'm a little more frightened than I was the first time. I think we know more now and at least my family is getting weary. We don't live close to each other and everyone is isolated. I was on the phone for about 6 hours today.

Thanks for asking, Lighter. We will probably be okay. Just getting tired and ready for this to be over.

CB

CB, I'm sorry this is tough for you right now.  I think the prospect of isolation with shortages, surges and no clear plan of how to manage it (on the part of the powers that be) or when it might end permanently is a tough one to cope with.  I think we can all get through a few months of things not being great but I know I thought we'd be coming out of the woods at this point.  It kind of looks like it might get a lot worse before it gets better and that's not a pleasant prospect.  And it must be hard for your kids to be coping, especially as they are working in it.  I know all the people I know who've worked through it have had to cope with huge changes at work, a lot of extra stress, staff shortages, people being stupid and then also cope with child/elder care, not seeing relatives, no social life to unwind by and so on.  It's a very tough situation to be in for an extended period.  I can understand the isolation peace starting to wear thin.  I hope you know you can dump anything that's on your shoulders here and that people will understand and empathise.

We're still a bit in limbo here.  It's still a constant presence but we haven't seen a sudden overwhelm as we did last time.  We ventured out for the first time together yesterday for son's end of term picnic.  I made us both cloth masks to wear in the taxi and the taxi driver is in gloves and a visor, hand sanitiser available, and he told me he disinfects his cab inbetween each fare (and you could smell it, very clean!).  That reassured me.  I walked into town to get son's meds -some people consciously keeping their distance, others not.  One thing I did find baffling was the pharmacy - given that anyone going to a pharmacy would presumably have a health problem or be collecting for someone who does I'd have thought the staff would be in masks, but only one was.  I kept my distance.

I hope you can get restocked.  I think it's more worrying when it's so close to home and affecting people you know personally.  I hope it starts to settle again soon xx

[lighter]

CB:

I hope you figure out a restocking plan and manage it soon.  It can help restore calm and equilibrium, IME.  Just to have a plan and be able to carry it out.  I started a hunt for more antibacterial wipes today.  14.00 on Amazon with a 14.00 shipping fee.  Grrrrr.  Why can't they produce enough antibac wipes?  I haven't seen them, at all, in stores since March!

Sorry your grown children are dealing with difficulties.  We're dealing with issues in our house, but I think it's easier when you're close.  All that distance adds to the tension. 

Lighter
 

[Hopalong]

At some point, if it's not on Amazon I may not have it.
I may need to order everything three weeks ahead, not two.
I may need to take out those bags of dehydrated veggies and make soup.
I may have to go without a whole lot of stuff but still know I'm okay because I ordered in a lot of brown rice and beans.
I may go vegan rather than just be pescatarian (though canned sardines and tuna go a long way when I order a dozen from Amazon).

WIPES: Tear paper towels into wipe size. Stack them in a tight-lid container and dribble 65% alcohol + 35% water or aloe gel over them. Or do the same with the standard bleach formula. You don't need a lot of disinfectant on wipes because covid-19 is easily killed by just a little.

(I get pure organic aloe gel--the original stuff pressed straight from leaves, not the manufactured kind--from Amazon. It's a perfect texture to replace water in home-made wipes or hand sanitizer. It's watery and not thick but it's wonderful.)

Don't panic, anybody. If cleaners are a worry, order several different kinds now and hit up your local pharmacy delivery for pure rubbing alcohol. A little goes a looong way. Or buy a case of cheap vodka (no shortages there, far as I know). Just look up the alcohol content and adjust formulas accordingly.

Y'all probably know all this already but my unsolicited-advice gene kicked in....

hugs
Hops

[Twoapenny]

Today has been a difficult day.  I'm not sure why.  I texted with a friend and she said she's spoken to a few people this week who have all hit a wall.  I think we're three months in and there's just no real plan or leadership in place.  It's emerged over the last couple of days that the government have only been releasing the test results from clinical settings - hospitals, care homes and so on.  Those numbers are relatively small.  But it seems they've been keeping quiet about the positive test results out in the community and those numbers are much higher.  They're opening up this coming Saturday all the bars and pubs and at the same time announcing a local lockdown in one part of the country because the infection rate is high.

I get that we can't stay locked down for ever.  I'm fed up with it now and we're used to being in and going nowhere.  But if we're going to be out and about we have to have testing and a good tracking system for people who test positive and, in my opinion, masks should be compulsory as well.  I don't see how we can have any other way of managing it now.  The point of lockdown was supposed to be to get the numbers so low that it died out (as far as I'm aware) but they've carried on letting people in and out of the country and of course, there are millions of people in essential jobs who've all had to carry on working as normal (if not harder) throughout this.  And then they've done these sort of partial re-openings of things that all involve people milling about together.  It seems to me it would have been easier to manage social distancing and good hygiene in schools and colleges, for example, rather than pubs.  I can only assume the business leaders have all been pressuring to get the money flowing again and those of us who are more susceptible just have to carry on staying in and hope to Christ we don't get it.  It just feels like there's no end in sight at the moment and I thought we'd at least have some decent information to hand by now.

[Hopalong]

if we're going to be out and about we have to have testing and a good tracking system

You're right, Tupp. And the most frustrating part about "we have to" is that we can't make it happen ourselves. So what we really "have to" do is accept what is and fight off the fear. So we're all stuck with some degree of incompetence from government plus a lack of conscience and common sense from too many citizens. Bad place to be. It's even worse here. Life has changed.

I'm so sorry you're having nightmares, CB. That sucks. (Melatonin gives me them sometimes.) Is there anything you would like to do on Zoom that could bring you into new friendships? Hate to suggest Zooming but as I do it once or twice a week, I get more used to it...and it actually is providing some kind of species comfort. Not As Good As Real. But I can sometimes feel my brain responding to friendly faces/voices in a positive way. I'll take it. Not daily, but having a few scheduled social "meetings" is helping, with people who talk with each other kindly and respectfully. My church has online coffee hour, broken into small groups where folks just talk. My Covenant Group is very loyal and bonded. We're so close by now that we really listen to each other and it's a big comfort.

If I had no such support and wanted to try Zooming, I'd look up women's support groups or uber-liberal discussion groups, etc. I think there are a lot of them.

I'm just guessing about this...truly....but do you think it'd be good for you to have some non-family connections?

hugs
Hops

[Hopalong]

I have this below my email signature. It's my healthiest response to everything pandemic and/or political now. It helps me every time I read it. (I probably already shared it here....). I want to be more like the wild things, even indoors.

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

[Twoapenny]

I'm right there with you Tupp. Our governor is pro party line and began reopening everything at a fast clip about 2 weeks ago. The covid cases, just in my county have doubled in 8 days. We are in serious trouble, with little leadership. He closed down the bars again, but it's too little too late. I'm with you--and I'm at heart a restaurant owner--but to me I dont get the big rush for restaurants to be open when its not safe to open schools.

I'm feeling it this week, too. Starting to have nightmares, although days for me, personally, are uneventful. Just focusing on staying in touch with loved ones and doing whatever I need to to keep in good mental spirits. I embarked on movie watching, even though I rarely do. I just need a story I can dip into during the day to get a break.

How is your son with all of it? Mine is struggling a bit. This is a lot of isolation for him.

CB

You broke my dream CB, I'd forgotten about it but it woke me up in the early hours of the morning!  I dreamed we were at the supermarket and my son had run off across the carpark.  I was trying to chase him but I was running against the direction of the arrows so the security guard was grabbing me to stop me running the wrong way and son was getting further and further away from me.  I hate dreams that involve him Although he is doing fine with all this; he is genuinely happiest in his room on his own and really doesn't crave company from anyone.  I'm sorry your lad is struggling with it now.  It has just been such a long time.  I don't mind now going out but I've not seen a friend now since February and because we live in a holiday area (which is all opening up again next week) I don't think we'll be venturing anywhere until October at the earliest.  That's weighing on me a bit now.  And yes, this practise of opening places up and just seeing how it goes is a fool's errand.  I was chatting to one of my neighbours and she said there's no way she's going to a shop when she can't go and visit her own mum.  My son's tutor has been phoning each week and her mum is in a care home with dementia and they are having their visits with a plastic screen between them, like a prison visit.  People need their loved ones.

I hope the numbers start to drop in your area again soon.  It's like those horror movies when you see your woman going down into the basement and you just know that's where mad axe man is going to be hiding.  Just watching it unfold and not being able to do anything about it.  I'm very grateful for you guys xx

[Twoapenny]

I have this below my email signature. It's my healthiest response to everything pandemic and/or political now. It helps me every time I read it. (I probably already shared it here....). I want to be more like the wild things, even indoors.

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

The poem's lovely, Hops, thank you, and yes, you're right, there's nothing we can do but try to keep ourselves safe as best we can and try to hold on.  There are a couple of people whose pictures I might start throwing darts at, though   xx

[Twoapenny]

Well our death rates are fairly low and so are the numbers of positive cases.  I'm not confident we're being given accurate information.  We've had BLM demos, thousands descending on beaches (half a million on one beach, they had to declare it a public emergency), very little social distancing in supermarkets, very low numbers of people wearing masks - and we've low numbers of the virus, a lower death rate - and an enforced local lockdown in one part of the country.  It doesn't make sense to me that of the millions of people that have been in very close contact with one another very few got ill, when during the lockdown we had in excess of 1,000 deaths a day.  I know those people would have caught it before the lockdown but it still doesn't make sense to me that the risk isn't there now?  We've still got people coming in daily from overseas and they've opened the pubs this weekend (but still no schools - how do you open pubs before schools and libraries?  Surely you can manage good hygiene and social distancing in schools and libraries better than you can in buildings full of drunk people?).  I don't understand how we've gone from 'you can catch it off your groceries, wash everything and don't open your mail for three days' to 'accumulate by the thousand, get drunk out your face, do what you like and it's okay' without any kind of preventative medicine, effective treatment, efficient test and trace (Johnson couldn't even say the words during the briefing, he fluffed it three times.  Twat) or any kind of mask wearing going on.  It doesn't add up to me.  So we'll be carrying on staying home for now, whatever is being opened up or going on.