Morale Busters

 

                        May 1, 2020 through May 8, 2020

The challenges continue. May 1st I managed to take my local grandkids out for a Jeep ride around the area.  They have been stuck in a too small world for too long. We just drove any where they wanted to go and then returned home to bake cookies. The world is still out there .. waiting patiently for sanity to return.

The world also seems to be waking up a bit and stretching carefully.  Yet working from home continues and schools are still locked down.  Proms, Graduations, Spring Sports, Awards assemblies do not exist across the country. Not sure what all is happening in the rest of the world. You just get a glimpse here and there. The quiet is sometimes deafening. 

The "all women should be believed mentality" still prevails.  Obviously those who think that have never worked with cliques of teenage girls or served on a committee with women who have an agenda. Poor Judge Kavanaugh.

• Drive thru covid testing is a real thing.
• Arrows on the floors of stores -- one way traffic -- social distancing
• murder hornets moving east from the west coast (Why does everything weird seem to start in California?)
• Governor Cuomo of NY sends Covid patients back to nursing homes with disastrous and tragic results among vulnerable people.

Those in power and so-called experts are fumbling their way through. Actually we are all.  No one seems to have any idea of what to do. As I struggle through so much that I don't understand, I try to keep my focus on the things that I am able to do something about.  It's not much, but my house is cleaner and more organized than ever before. So ... there is that ... for what that is worth. Am thinking I should invest in hand moisturizing lotion.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

 

                            April 26, 2020 to April 30, 2020

I cannot find a mask anywhere, so am wearing a cowboy bandana when I am forced to go out into the world.  It makes me feel claustrophobic and anxious so much so that I find it hard to breathe. I think I am holding my breath for some dumb reason. Plus wearing a face covering fogs my glasses. How do the women of some cultures do this for their entire lives? I am not adjusting well to this pandemic or to government and culturally enforced rules. 

Meanwhile in the outside world:

• There are signs that the stay-at-home orders will be lifted.
• It has come to light that Anthony Fauci has donated almost 4 million dollars to the Wuhan Laboratory where it appears that the "incident" took place.  
• It also appears that American tax dollars went to fund that lab under the Obama administration.  
• Still no cases of the "rona" locally or anywhere nearby, but Covid Fear is becoming a real illness. Then, in contrast, ... there are those who are beginning to hug loved ones again.  They seem to cry less and smile more than the Covid Fearful.  It seems that Covid Fearful people, more often than not, are mean to and intolerant of those who are less afraid. The world is sad.  Fear doesn't help.
• Birthday drive-bys make me cry.  The mere thought of them is enough to reduce me to tears.  Then again -- whoever thought of them is a genius and kind soul really.
• I feel like I am a captive. I don't respond well to being told what to do or how to live my life.  Good thing I don't live in Michigan where things are really beyond restrictive.
• The world seems to have forgotten about natural immunity and that most masks really don't prevent anything. Duh.
• Like a good friend says: "Some days are so hard that I feel like I am standing in a puddle."  I know she is not alone in this.

So... the pandemic continues.  The difficulties of living during a pandemic continue as well. And today -- I am still trying to figure out what lessons I have learned from all of this.  

Continue to Name Each Thing

                    

                                     April 12, 2020 - April 25, 2020

                              Week 5 and Week 6

• Easter comes and goes. It's not the same.
• At least this enemy has a name or ... we think it does.
• The world continues to hold its breath.
• Tears are close to the surface.  It is the tender moments and acts of kindness that burst through the protective dam.
• Day confusion is a real thing.
• PA liquor stores have been declared essential businesses and are reopened upon reconsideration of the governor.
• Stores begin to limit the number of customers at any one time.
• Being a bit of a recluse by nature is working for me.
• ? Will life ever get back to normal?
• More and more masks are becoming mandatory and people hoard them like disinfectant wipes.
• Everyone seems to be in need of a haircut. 
• Nancy Pelosi shows off her subzero freezer stocked with expensive ice cream ($15/pint) while food boxes are being handed out across the county. She also invites the world to come to China Town in San Francisco. Tone deaf takes on new meaning.
• Covid Checks (Economic Income Payment) are on the way if not already cashed or deposited in fear of potential job loss.
• Local schools are letting students inside to clean out their lockers.
• New and complicated procedures are now in place for emergency visits to a Veterinarian. People consult doctors over the phone or online.
• The PA governor has extended the shelter-at-home mandate.
• April has seemed like a very long month.
• Kim Jong-Un survives heart surgery.
• As a world we are becoming more aware of each other.
• Wedding plans continue to be reevaluated and postponed.
• People continue to crave fresh air and sunshine.
• Children continue to be deprived of an education.
• Socially distancing hiking is a real thing.
• Is it Corona Virus or Covid?

My new mantra is ... "I will try again today."

Who knew?

Am taking a break from remembering the Covid days -- wish we could have taken a break from them while they were actually happening.  Anyway -- today I write about the astounding and unexpected possibilities of Artificial Intelligence.  AI.  I have discovered that Artificial Intelligence has a sense of humor.  Who knew?  The possibilities are endless.

A bit of background.  I am blessed with funny children -- their spouses and children included.  The adults of this bunch, including me, have a group texting chat that is used on a daily basis for important communications including daily greetings, stupid, funny memes,  assorted humorous videos, and "questionable" jokes, etc.  All my children are good at exploring the possibilities of this group chat.  Personally I absolutely love it and am thankful to be included.

This past Sunday was a new experience.  AI came into play.  My brilliant daughter discovered through a random post on TikTok that it was possible to have ChatGPT provide photographs of what your dogs would look like if they were humans. Yes -- you read that correctly. Needless to say -- let the fun begin. She also tried Twitter's Grok but not with the same success.  (I think that perhaps Elon is busy with other, more important things at the moment.)  Moving on ....

Much laughter and funny commentary ensued. Texts were flying back and forth. I could feel the laughter of everyone. Just imagine what a German Shepherd, a Norwegian Elkhound/Shepherd mix and two Bassett Hounds would look like if they were people.  What a fun way to start the day.  I just feel sort of bad for the people in the AI photographs.  I wonder if they are real or if they were created by Artificial Intelligence? They did look like the family dogs. 

What a day we live in!  I also wonder who thinks of these things.  I would very much like to have lunch with them and just listen... and laugh....

It's a gift to have a break from the serious "stuff".

I wish you some laughter every single day.

I wish I had a magic wand.

                                             

                            April 5, 2020 - April 11, 2020

                                              Week 4

• More of the same...  Seclude. Wash. Sanitize. Social Distance.
• Recluse has become a verb.
• Medical care is struggling to become remote. Many are not a fan of patient portals.
• Church services are being held in parking lots.
• Jigsaw puzzles are enjoying a renewed popularity.
• The "grief bat" is continuing to slam people all over the globe. 
• The word Zoom has taken on new meaning.
• Thankful here that two of my grandchildren are only a pasture away.
• The spirit of the American people is shining forth all over the place. Small kindnesses become huge. 
• Clorox wipes shortage continues.
• The stock market is volatile. Some investors are nervous.
• Many jobs are furloughed -- struggles of uncertainty continue.
• Libraries are closed.
• Summer plans are cancelled. 
• Two week quarantines are put in place in Indiana and some other states.  If one leaves his/her home state they must quarantine for two weeks once they get home.
• Many small businesses are forced to close while large chain stores are permitted to stay open. ???
• Senator Kennedy of Louisiana says:  "... if President Xi Jinping was held upside down and shaken, the WHO (World Health Organization) would fall out of his pocket."
• I haven't seen a single plane flying overhead in days.
• It is so quiet. Not much car or truck traffic either. The world seems to have gone into silent mode and slow motion.
• Deep fear of any germs and of Covid is a real thing to many. We are perhaps losing perspective. Who really knows what is going on?
• The world continues to try to do its best.

My grandson mentioned that "every day has the feeling of a cloud or something heavy hanging over everything." I totally get where he is coming from.  

Wish I had a magic wand.

Change Runs Rampant

 This blog entry should have been posted last week. Sorry it is one week out of order.  I will do better from now on. Promise. 😊 

There are times when something happens -- perhaps in one moment -- and nothing is as it was before.  Every single thing is changed. You find yourself in a profoundly different world.

            March 21, 2020 through March 28, 2020

• Rampant confusion about the "lock down" for those 70+
• States in conflict with Federal mandates
• Rumors abound about tax preparation and filing Income Tax forms with the IRS. How?
• Children, especially, struggle with social distancing.
• There is speculation that the National Guard may be called in to set up testing sites.
• Corona virus news changes from moment to moment.
• Early shopping hours set for Seniors.
• Convention Centers are converted to hospitals.
• People are missing hugs.
• Some restaurants offer take-out in an attempt to survive.
• "Stay-in-place" is one new mantra. It will evolve shortly into "Sheltering-in-Place". (Notice the semantics in that.)
• Stimulus checks seem to be a real thing in the offing.
• Grandparents wave and smile from behind glass and cry later.
• Fauci enters the picture speaking of "social responsibility".
• Pelosi introduces legislation on gender and racial diversity on corporate boards.
• Biden appear to be confused at times.
• Skype - Zoom - FaceTime gain popularity.
• Insurance providers refuse to cover Corona virus and vaccine issues.
• Staying in contact with friends and loved ones here mostly by phone, text, Messenger, FaceTime and snail mail.
• Some large corporations lay off 70% of their work force.
• The border between the United States and Canada is now closed.
• Stay-at- Home orders issued as of the 25th.  Ghost towns begin.
• People at home are sorting cupboards and cleaning closets. No one will take donations though because of covid fear.
• I begin to write Thank You notes to garbage pick-up and delivery guys. I placed a basket of "treats" on the porch for delivery people.
• Day confusion becomes a real thing.
• Pasture walking with family (socially distanced) has become my favorite pastime and my family takes me out of that strict quarantine. I feel like I can smile and breathe again. I know now that I will survive. That is no small thing.
• Pelosi et al try to add $35 million dollars for the Kennedy Center and gender equity issues to the Corona relief bill.
• Drove by an empty lot to see my Grandkids with other neighborhood children sitting at least 6 feet apart -- enjoying time together. I wave and they wave back. Neighbors have complained about children being out in the fresh air riding bikes. Insanity spreads.
• The Commonwealth of Virginia closes all public schools for the rest of the academic year.
• It is revealed that about 50% of local students and 23 teachers have no access to Internet from their homes -- makes online learning/teaching impossible here. 
• School packets become available locally. It's not enough.
• AOC wants illegal aliens to receive relief checks.
• Dogs across the world are beginning to beg to stay home. Some hide their leashes.
• Compulsive cleaning and cleanliness continues.
• "Don't Touch Your Face!"
• Joe Biden commented that "...some people are getting this virus who had never had it before."  Duh...  Why aren't more people concerned about him?

Change runs rampant and ... I am so not good with change.  Struggling here.  

Hello Fellow Inmates!

                                              

                                           March 29, 2020 - April 4, 2020

• Mental Health expert recommends no naps.       ???
• Groups of friends are tailgating in parking lots. 
• People are to "distance" for another 30 days and continue to "shelter in place".
• The challenge continues to be -- do well, do right, come out the other end of the tunnel a better person.
• Covid fear runs rampant.
• Several companies, including Jockey and My Pillow convert to make masks and hospital gowns. Others begin to manufacture ventilators, etc.
• Shortages of medical supplies begin to appear.
• China emerges as the possible source of the virus (Wuhan).
• China continues to hide facts, silence doctors, etc.
• Naval hospital ship arrives in NYC harbor.
• Am watching too much TV. I think it is making me dumber.
• After  begging for them, NY Governor Cuomo puts thousands of ventilators into warehouse storage.      ???
• Texas shuts its borders to those from Louisiana, California, and Washington state.
• PA Governor Wolf, shuts down PA schools indefinitely.
• Healthcare workers are suffering by working double and triple masked all day.  Their skin is breaking out from trapped moisture and ears are raw from mask elastic... not to mention total exhaustion from double shifts, etc.
• Speaker of the US House of Representative Pelosi continues to try to attach pet projects on to lifesaving legislation.
• Compulsive cleaning continues.
• Prince Harry and his wife are to move to LA.
• Layoffs continue across the nation.
• Satellite TV is considered an essential business.
• Best gift ever -- fresh air and sunlight.
• Fear continues to make people do ugly things.
• Shortage of Clorox wipes and of masks.
• Online grocery shopping with curbside pickup becomes the "latest thing'.
• Some people are afraid to open windows.  Common sense is dying.
• Stores are limiting the number of customers at any one time.
• Plexiglass dividers make an appearance in checkout lines.
• The world seems cold.

My nine year old granddaughter goes through my junk drawer looking for old refrigerator magnets and puts two back up on the fridge:  

                   "Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful."  

                                                  and

 "Everything will be okay in the end.  If it's not okay, it's not the end."