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Reporting from Marietta. I returned from my snowbird home on St. Patrick's Day and self-quarantined for two weeks, our house-sitter having stocked the fridge and pantry. She had also ordered a case of tp online early in the winter, being a generally frugal young woman.
Since then, I have been among people only twice, once for a trip to Kroger after a pickup order managed to miss half of our requests and once to do a livestream reflection from a church sanctuary (and then the four of us stayed six feet apart and were masked when not on camera).
There have been no serious food shortages here, thank goodness--specific items, yes, but nothing for which substitutes could not be found (at least in our house, as we eat no red meat and only occasional chicken and fish). We did end up foraging wild greens from the yard one day when we could not get kale or spinach to add to a curry.
As an introvert, yard work, writing projects, books, walks in the park across the street and in quiet neighborhoods, and regular Zoom meetings with friends and organizations have kept me well-occupied. I may have problems returning to "normal" when restrictions ease--though I would love fresh chips and a good margarita from our favorite Mexican place. We are also fortunate in being retirees whose pensions have thus far not taken a hit and whose living expenses are generally low.
Reporting from Marietta. I returned from my snowbird home on St. Patrick's Day and self-quarantined for two weeks, our house-sitter having stocked the fridge and pantry. She had also ordered a case of tp online early in the winter, being a generally frugal young woman.
Since then, I have been among people only twice, once for a trip to Kroger after a pickup order managed to miss half of our requests and once to do a livestream reflection from a church sanctuary (and then the four of us stayed six feet apart and were masked when not on camera).
There have been no serious food shortages here, thank goodness--specific items, yes, but nothing for which substitutes could not be found (at least in our house, as we eat no red meat and only occasional chicken and fish). We did end up foraging wild greens from the yard one day when we could not get kale or spinach to add to a curry.
As an introvert, yard work, writing projects, books, walks in the park across the street and in quiet neighborhoods, and regular Zoom meetings with friends and organizations have kept me well-occupied. I may have problems returning to "normal" when restrictions ease--though I would love fresh chips and a good margarita from our favorite Mexican place. We are also fortunate in being retirees whose pensions have thus far not taken a hit and whose living expenses are generally low.
It's interesting that you didn't mention television viewing as one of your diversions. Is that accurate?
Many of us likely are tackling long overdue projects, but what happens when there still is no vaccine months from now and if the epidemic still is festering in the absence of a national South Korean-like campaign to stamp it out?
Won't small gatherings, perhaps at homes if not restaurants, become irresistible, especially among family members?
My recommendation would be a reading of James McPherson's Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Battle Cry of Freedom," regarded as the premier single volume history of the U.S. Civil War, with virtual tours of Civil War museums and battlefields; there are several tours available of the Gettysburg battlefield and museum.
If we have to live like monks, we should take the opportunity to grow our intellects!
The Civil War remains perhaps the most cataclysmic event in American history, and it perhaps offers many lessons for modern Americans as we battle the COVID-19 epidemic.
Book reading should be an activity to be reacquired to avoid boredom, and certainly encouraged among children of all ages.
Tackle the Pulitzer Prize winners for fiction. Ohioans might want to read "The Town," by Conrad Richter, and imagine Ohio as the Great Frontier, preferably as part of Richter's "The Awakening Land" trilogy.
Note that 2018 Ohioana fiction winner, "Little Fires Everywhere," about Shaker Heights, has inspired a Hulu TV series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.
The Cleveland Orchestra, often regarded as the best American symphony orchestra, is releasing a series of insightful podcasts during the epidemic. Consider that many of the orchestra's great musicians perhaps performed together for the last time, depending upon the length and personal scope of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Nothing can top taking a book to a favorite bench or location and just reading during the summer. Personally, I like reading on the beach (Fairport Harbor) in the evening. Edgewater in Cleveland would be magnificent as would the lakefront bluff of Gordon Park, where social distancing should be very easy while offering a lesser known location for great vistas. I imagine Voinovich Bicentennial Park with its many benches in downtown Cleveland also will be relatively empty in the evening for the duration of the epidemic.
Been trying to be positive through this, but really can't be anymore. I've done things like riding my bike along whatever trails, going to parks, ordering carry out etc etc. But it just isn't even close to actual life. Not in any way at all. My days are mostly just long dull headaches and not being hungry at all. No real social contact is a very bad thing for human beings (zoom is not a replacement in any authentic way). I hope maybe warm weather and the sun improve things, but I cannot be the only one out there that hates absolutely every second of this.
And I have it good. Still have a job, can pay all rent and bills etc. My brother has lost his job and had treatments for a chronic condition delayed indefinitely. My mom also can't get treatment. The two jobs I was working before my current job just laid off their entire staff. I'm quite lucky. But to be honest, we haven't even seen the side effects yet.
Been trying to be positive through this, but really can't be anymore. I've done things like riding my bike along whatever trails, going to parks, ordering carry out etc etc. But it just isn't even close to actual life. Not in any way at all. My days are mostly just long dull headaches and not being hungry at all. No real social contact is a very bad thing for human beings (zoom is not a replacement in any authentic way). I hope maybe warm weather and the sun improve things, but I cannot be the only one out there that hates absolutely every second of this.
And I have it good. Still have a job, can pay all rent and bills etc. My brother has lost his job and had treatments for a chronic condition delayed indefinitely. My mom also can't get treatment. The two jobs I was working before my current job just laid off their entire staff. I'm quite lucky. But to be honest, we haven't even seen the side effects yet.
They're going to start opening up businesses, despite a death toll that stays flat or even blips up a bit. We have a pretty high tolerance for death (flu deaths each year are anywhere from 30k to 60k or more per year, around 40k car deaths per year, over 480k deaths per year attributed to cigarette smoking including over 40k due to second hand smoke, cigarettes are still legal.) We demand a robust economy and we're willing to spend a few lives to get it. Quite a few lives in fact.
The question is where is the new bar, do we open up the economy and tolerate a significant death rate targeting the more vulnerable in our society? Probably. My guess is we can handle somewhere between 200k and 500k deaths per year without too much backlash. Particularly as the death rate naturally goes down due to immunity and mortality.
They're going to start opening up businesses, despite a death toll that stays flat or even blips up a bit. We have a pretty high tolerance for death (flu deaths each year are anywhere from 30k to 60k or more per year, around 40k car deaths per year, over 480k deaths per year attributed to cigarette smoking including over 40k due to second hand smoke, cigarettes are still legal.) We demand a robust economy and we're willing to spend a few lives to get it. Quite a few lives in fact.
The question is where is the new bar, do we open up the economy and tolerate a significant death rate targeting the more vulnerable in our society? Probably. My guess is we can handle somewhere between 200k and 500k deaths per year without too much backlash. Particularly as the death rate naturally goes down due to immunity and mortality.
I think as long as hospitals remain below capacity, we'll tolerate the death toll. The line for most people is probably drawn where people are dying because they couldn't receive treatment because hospitals turned them away or couldn't provide a full treatment regimen with a ventilator.
It's interesting that you didn't mention television viewing as one of your diversions. Is that accurate?
Many of us likely are tackling long overdue projects, but what happens when there still is no vaccine months from now and if the epidemic still is festering in the absence of a national South Korean-like campaign to stamp it out?
Won't small gatherings, perhaps at homes if not restaurants, become irresistible, especially among family members?
Not a television-watcher as I don't generally have the patience for videos--would rather read the transcript or the book. We do occasionally watch a movie.
My more extroverted friends are suffering already as virtual meetings do not satisfy their emotional need to be with people, and I suspect that many of us are getting tired of our own cooking. I miss potlucks.
Been trying to be positive through this, but really can't be anymore. I've done things like riding my bike along whatever trails, going to parks, ordering carry out etc etc. But it just isn't even close to actual life. Not in any way at all. My days are mostly just long dull headaches and not being hungry at all. No real social contact is a very bad thing for human beings (zoom is not a replacement in any authentic way). I hope maybe warm weather and the sun improve things, but I cannot be the only one out there that hates absolutely every second of this.
And I have it good. Still have a job, can pay all rent and bills etc. My brother has lost his job and had treatments for a chronic condition delayed indefinitely. My mom also can't get treatment. The two jobs I was working before my current job just laid off their entire staff. I'm quite lucky. But to be honest, we haven't even seen the side effects yet.
Hoping your mom and brother can get treatment once outpatient treatment resumes on Friday.
Myself and others will be less likely to shop in stores patronized by persons not wearing face masks. As a member of the "vulnerables," I don't want to risk my life anymore than is necessary in the many months ahead before herd immunity is achieved or a vaccine is perfected. Nor do I want to contribute to the possibility of workers facing heightened health risks due to the inconsiderate behavior of myself or others.
After many decades of subscribing to the Playhouse Square Broadway series, I'm seriously considering the possibility of not renewing. None of the several persons who used to go to plays with me are interested in doing so for the duration. Do you think these persons are interested in setting foot in a store with such low safety standards that they admit persons not wearing masks?
For healthcare workers, first responders, front-line personnel and the vulnerables, this epidemic simply is NOT a joking matter. E.g., my brother lives in a senior living community and visitors, even family members, are prohibited from entering. As he is even more vulnerable than myself, he has no interest in traveling or visiting even me. I'm not certain that I'll ever see him again in person.
And even among younger persons relatively considered "invulnerables," even among children, there are likely life-long, serious health risks to contracting COVID-19 even if asymptomatic.
Consider the impact on families, especially of healthcare workers and first responders, when breadwinners or even just mentors, are taken away.
Funny stuff, isn't it?
From post 35:
Quote:
Originally Posted by 216facts
The question is where is the new bar, do we open up the economy and tolerate a significant death rate targeting the more vulnerable in our society? Probably. My guess is we can handle somewhere between 200k and 500k deaths per year without too much backlash.
My hunch is your presumption, at least subconsciously, is that none of the 200k to 500k additional ANNUAL deaths, many needless if we handle this epidemic much better without destroying our economy, will include any family member or friend that you value greatly, let alone yourself.
We lost only about 58,000 soldiers in Vietnam in 9+ years of involvement, with over 150,000 seriously wounded. I knew several paralyzed veterans, and several veterans with post traumatic stress disorder. I still have vivid memories of persons who died there, served there, and of families permanently aggrieved. 500K per year is no big deal? Let's pray your callous "guess" doesn't become a reality as you and others will certainly and quickly learn the foolishness of such an assumption.
Last edited by WRnative; 04-30-2020 at 12:44 AM..
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Virtual musuem tours
