Putting Down Some Thoughts and Images of a New Normal

I did this on my embroidery machine

Well, it is now 2 years and 3 months since my last post! I can't believe how long I have put this off but times have changed suddenly and radically in one short (well, it feels like a very loooong ) month.  I keep thinking I need to put down some of my thoughts, impressions, images, and stories for posterity.  This came about, of course, due to the advent of covid-19 into our lives.  Several of my relatives and I have been reminiscing on Facebook about the stories my mother told about the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, and I think I will put down some of my impressions of this new pandemic for future relatives to refer to.

At the beginning of this pandemic in December 2019, which began in Wuhan, China, we were warned that what was happening there would spread all over the world.  I just didn't believe it because I thought with modern medicine and so much lead time the scientists would get a handle on it and we would have cures and vaccinations long before I would be affected.  Well, that didn't happen!  Here we are at the beginning of April 2020 and the world has practically shut down! They are predicting that over 1 million people in the US will die from this virus! Whoa! And I am one of the at risk people since I am 80 years old and people over 60 are considered more at risk than younger healthy people.

I made this in-the-hoop on my embroidery
machine.  I need to pull it up higher on
my nose, I guess.

So here is the deal (I am writing this for future generations since we, who are living this now, all know the drill): Wash your hands, don't touch your face, practice social distancing (no public gatherings, stay 6 feet apart, stay at home unless for essentials).  Most states have stay at home restrictions in place.  This means only people in essential jobs should be out and about.  Most other people are working from home.  These include teachers and students, as all schools have been closed. Most TV programs are being sent from the news anchors', actors', and hosts' homes.  Teachers have had to adapt to online classrooms and teaching packets they made up and handout at the curb as parents drive by to pick them up.  Online Zoom meetings and gatherings are very popular nowadays.  In fact I have been Carla's guinea pig for her preschool classroom.  Unfortunately my computer is so old it didn't work very well, but I think most Wyoming schools have some type of fairly new computer for each of their students.

Sit down restaurants and bars are closed unless the restaurant does take out.  Danny and Kathi had to close down the bowling alley and lay off their employees.  Kathi is doing the take out for lunch and dinner.  They are making about 35% or less than when they were open.  The grocery stores, gas stations and liquor stores are still open.  Grocery stores completely ran out of many items the first week of the shut down in Colorado due to people hoarding cleaning supplies and paper goods, especially toilet paper.  This is happening all over the country.  Lots of jokes have been made about the toilet paper but it really is serious.  I was in the Dollar store at this time and there were people from neighboring towns 60+ miles away in our stores cleaning them out of essential items!  In our small town, we get a grocery truck in 1 or maybe 2 times a week.  This did give us a big shortage for the locals.

  Staying at home right now does not mean you cannot go outside.  We can still go for walks around the neighborhood and the park, but must maintain the 6 foot distance.  I have walked around town on nice days and have seen very few others out and about. One really cool thing that many neighborhoods all over have been doing is putting teddy bears in their windows and on porches so that kids (and adults like me) can see how many they can find on their walks.  In Walden it is bunny rabbits in the windows, porches and yards.  I have been taking pictures of them on my i-phone.  I even put my Marde Gras bunny in my window (in case any Waldenites want to count it).  The local library has cards the kids can get and check off bunnies as they find them.  They get a little prize from the prize box at the library for every 15 bunnies they find.

A few of the bunnies on my walk

I started my stay "home" rule about 3 weeks ago before it was mandated by the state of Colorado.  Before that I really didn't do much different except I did water aerobics at the county swimming pool every weekday morning and went to bible study at church and "ladies lunch" at the bowling alley every Wednesday.  Once a month I went to book club and I usually went to dinner and a movie at Danny and Kathi's once a week.  I'd go get groceries, the mail, and gasoline when I needed them and that was about it.  This was my schedule when I lived in town all winter.  In May I would move back to the cabin (when snow was gone and mud dried up) and didn't go to town much.  The last few years I worked at the Pioneer Museum 3 hours a day 3-4 days a week during the summer.  I'm guessing that might not happen until later this summer!  Anyway, I'm pretty used to finding things to do around the house and we have always bought groceries in bulk for the ranch so we wouldn't have to go to town that much.  I have always made most of my bread from scratch at home and love cooking new things so I can get along on what is in the freezer and in the pantry. I have gotten used to ordering things to be delivered at home when I'm in town but contrary to their advertising, UPS won't deliver to our cabin and Amazon contracts with them here so it is a pain in the neck to do that in summer.

I guess this is it for today.  Tomorrow I will get to what I have been doing to keep myself busy and hopefully healthy, physically and mentally.  Now, the sun is out, the wind is down and I must go for my walk in search of new bunnies in windows and maybe some new chalk art up near the post office.