03/27/2020, TGIF

My daughter is very troubled about friends/family who are nurses and are working without the equipment they need. One of her best friends is an oncology nurse. Her floor is being turned into a Covid isolation ward. She is scared. She doesn't have equipment. Young medical personnel are dying from Covid, and they don't know why. My niece is at Mayo, in an ICU step down unit. She says she's okay for equipment right now. My cousin is a labor/delivery nurse. She is still getting one mask a day. She is not allowed to use fabric masks people have made for her. Why the hell not? She doesn't need a N95 mask typically, but the ones they did have have been removed and replaced with some that expired in 2004. I am at least comforted that she will probably not get reassigned, because babies ars going to continue to be born, so they will need her there. I've got nothing to offer to my daughter to comfort her, except to listen.

I have friend that have done research on expiration dates of supplies and medications. Seems our government requires a date but that the date doesn't mean much. Meds are still good for years past the date if they have been stored in normal conditions. Except for injectable cardiac meds. I would much rather use an out of date n95 mask than a cloth mask because of the seal. I do feel guilty because I know how to run a ventilator and I am skilled at keeping people alive in the ICU setting. I just don't have the nerves to do it.

Weight 123.8, WW Bluepoints 32. We got takeout from one of the local restaurants last night. Very efficient and good - they have reduced the menu to a core of excellent choices. One of the higher end restaurants at home is packaging restaurant quality assorted uncooked meats for take-home so people can cook it themselves (the restaurant is marking up what they pay their suppliers). I think that is an enterprising idea!

I ordered a "mister" from Amazon in case I want to sit outside and it is hot (since I can't go to the pool or beach). We will see how that works. I am thinking more and more that it is safer for SIL and I to stay here instead of going back to Cape Cod. Our little town there is reporting 18 confirmed cases (population 31,500 so .057%). There are only 4 in the entire county here (population 185,000 so .002%). Even DS might be in agreement.

Blinds and windows are all sparkling clean. DD already had her interview for her potential promotion this morning and finishes work at 12:45 on Fridays. We will probably take a ride somewhere for a change of venue.

Stay Healthy (and do what the doctor orders - esp. Shirl)!

At lunch we discussed what is our part in this crisis as we listen helplessly to the distress all around us. We are inconvenienced, but fine. Our incomes are intact, we have a comfortable home, food, the company of each other. We think our role/contributions are:

Abide with our friends/family on the front lines, listen

Stay home, break the chain of transmission, while conversely, DH has to work, and since he must, , he can offer calm, compassion and his problem solving expertise to his customers.

Vote, vote, vote

Be prepared for the aftermath. Help my students pick up the pieces. Daughter was already applying to masters programs to become a therapist specializing in PTSD and moral injury. Previously, moral injury was more focused in the armed services (moral injury occurs when people have to follow orders or make choices that conflict strongly with their deeply held morals/values). Imagine the toll on medical professionals when this is done.

If there comes a time when we've been sick and can prove antibodies, and it is considered safe, volunteer where needed.

I needed some action plan as I watch the horror unfold. This morning I felt like I was fiddling while Rome burned. I now think it is okay for me to continue being playful, etc. I need to keep well, because my time to serve will come. Right now, it is my time to abide with those serving.

Good Morning All, Sipping a cup of tea from bed after a bit of a rough night with Ankle pain. I virtually did nothing yesterday as I have learnt a big lesson from my activity the day before. As hard as it is for me to sit around, thats what I need to be doing in order to heal. DSD and her partner came to visit for the last time before we go into full lockdown. I think it will be within a week - maybe even this weekend. Who knows. It was wonderful to see them. She works in childcare and has had her hours halved but it looks like they will cease childcare very soon - so she will be suspended for whatever period that will be. I helped her start to sign up to the My Gov site (central place for benefits, medicare etc) but she will need to go into their offices Monday morning and present id proofs etc etc. We facetimed with my DSS, his partner and the grand babies - kinda felt like we were together as a family. We have agreed we will facetime with each of them at least once a week. My DSS is an electrician and waiting like the rest of us to see what happens next. At the moment he is working but his boss has told him and 3 others that if they are shutdown he will pay out their leave and cover bills for as long as he can then re-start as soon as possible. The apprentices may loose their jobs He is the soul income earner for his little family. Stressful and worrying times. We will help the kids as much as we can. Going to call my other DS today and catch up on whats happening with him and his work situation

DH left to go to the farm around 6pm last night. DS is here with me. He cooked me dinner and cleaned up. DH has reported all is ok at the farm and sent me a picture of the calves who are now 12 months old. They have had a field day with the round of hay we left them in the paddock. He will do some more chores then head back home. We are not sure when he will be able to get back there again. Im hoping he can go next weekend again - as the calves will likely need another hay round. We will see. Here is a picture of them with their handiwork. They are growing like mushrooms. Marcus (the bull) is still with our girls for another month. So we should see 5 calves in around 8 or so months time. New life is special - a positive to look forward too

Nothing big on my list today. I will work for an hour or two as Im still trying to catch up. My boss had a "discussion" with me earlier this week. We may need to reduce our hours and Im hoping I can hang onto my job but it will be a wait and see. DH's job is very stable so we are luckier than most.Trying not to dwell on it and focus on making sure my family is all ok. My mum has her case out n list ready so she can pack to move here at a moments notice. I have been coaching her for over a week to ensure shes going to have everything she could possibily need. DH and both my sons will go to the farm we buy our wood from tommorrow - to stock us up for winter. There will be zero contact with our firewood guy. It should just be leave the $, load up and drive it home. We decided to get it early as we dont know how long lockdown will last and its a lot cheaper to run the wood fire. Will need the house snug especially when my mums here.

Thats really all from me. Im going to parcel up the Grand Babies Easter Gifts and send them over via courier so they have them to open Easter morning. Hard that we likely wont see them but least I can still get their gifts to them. Im sending the ones from my mum also - so they will have a bunch of things to open. I bought a lot of clothes for them whilst in the states. Still dolling them out :) Your clothes are amazing quality and so much cheaper than ours

Weight - 171.6 - same as yesterday

Love to you all and stay safe xxx

S

Very proud of you, Shirl. Such a challenging time. So many new lessons to learn for us all.

Shirley, I'm a little miffed with you! You promised yourself (and us) you would not do such things as wash the dishes and gardening whilst recovering. I'm so sorry you had such pain, but I do hope you learned your lesson. And please remember, John is perfectly capable of doing dishes, whi*****ludes washing, drying and putting away in the cupboards. He's a strapping fellow. Won't hurt him one bit!

The Pandemic. Wow! It gets more intense by the day. Certain things I hadn't really ever thought about I am thinking about: unpacking groceries for safety, getting banking done safely, what needs to be cleaned after leaving the house and returning, planning for fresh food for a week (I'm very much a European's child and shop for veggies and fresh meat the day they are to be cooked and eaten), is it okay to use hand lotion or does that protect the virus from soap????? (My hands are so dry from all the washing....) I guess these are all very good things to be thinking about though.

I do not want to get the virus. It speaks to the fear I had as a smoker that one day I would die of lung cancer drowning in my cancer and phlegm. That said, it almost seems inevitable, the way some people project the numbers, that some 70% of the human population is going to contract this virus. I don't like those odds.

Have to figure out a routine for our new life. It's pretty different for me - this stay at home stuff. There is a pull to keep some semblance of normalcy, but the overriding inner message is, "Stay safe. Stay home. Protect and cocoon in your bubble." I do better when I am occupied with learning my new work reality.

Wonderful thing is that eating has been pretty good through all of this. Had a nice session with the RD today on FaceTime. She is pleased by my progress and work, but more importantly, I feel good about how things are going.

Social distancing.... The trail head at the end of the road where my school is located was insane today. (I had to go pick up the stylus for the iPad... I accidentally left it on Wednesday.) I was shocked to see cars parked down the street as if school were having a special event. I'm not sure how terribly clever this getting out for a walk in the great outdoors is, if one gets out and about in the same area as so many other people. Just seemed weird to see so many cars where there are usually only a few cars parked. Evidence:

Well, I guess it's time to sign off and celebrate Spring Break! Whooo Hooo.... yeah, starts today.... LOL!

Weird times.

I deserve all of that crossness Peps and I have stopped. Yesterday I sat around - hated it but it needs to be done. This morning I have done much of the same. Its lunchtime and Im still in my pjs - ice pack on my knee, just had brunch and Im thinking of a nap before I tackle the afternoon.

John has finished all the tasks at the farm and been into the Fruit & Veg wholesaler to do the shopping. Including 26 kilos of sauce tomatos. What better way to spend lockdown but make chutney, relish and sauce. I will help but only sitting with my leg up and chopping :) Lesson learnt. He will be home by dinnertime I think

Enjoy your spring break - well deserved x

Im off for a nap

We keep having that too with all the beautiful weather! And every time the idiots overwhelm an area, they close it, and the idiots move on to crowd themselves into another area. Frustrating!

Couple of things, Peps ...

Re hand lotion ... I've read that it's a good idea to keep the skin from cracking or developing little crevices. Therefore, using hand lotion actually improves one's ability to ward off disease. There may be something more recent / different on this, so Google is our friend (when it's not our enemy). ;)

Regarding your point that 70% of us will eventually get the virus, yes, that's probably true. Maybe even more of us will get it. But the major point of all the dramatic, expensive things we're doing now is to "flatten the curve," i.e., reduce the SPEED at which we're spreading the disease so we don't destroy our healthcare facilities and personnel.

I'm currently thinking of this pandemic in terms of Act I, Intermission and Act II, just like the 1918-19 flu pandemic. We're now in Act I, stumbling around to respond. Towns, cities, states, countries are generally doing **** poor job of organizing themselves quickly to deal with it. To some extent that's understandable, given that it's a brand new experience. But I also think that the US federal government could have and should have done a MUCH better job of getting this show on the road than they have.

Anyway ... right now, during Act I, the reasons I'm quarantining myself and being exceedingly compliant are (1) to keep from getting the disease now while medicos barely understand what they're treating and have limited knowledge or resources to treat it (2) so I won't pass it on to others and (3) thereby prevent some other poor schmucks and several nurses and doctors from dying.

I look at the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 like some folks do when they're diagnosed with cancer. I want to do what I can to keep living as long as I can because, while I'm alive, research will continue that may lead to more effective meds, treatments and survival lifestyles I can benefit from.

In the coming 18-24 months , we'll get better at treating this disease and, eventually, I hope, preventing it with vaccines. We'll find out about all kinds of things, e.g., different strains of the virus, post-infection immunity, virus super-spreaders, drugs that really help people survive, better diagnostic testing so we can actually do some epidemiology (which is barely happening right now in the US given the under-supply of test kits), not to mention the ramping-up of medical supplies and resources of all kinds needed to respond to this pandemic.

Sorry ... went off on a riff there. I know you know all this already.