Life in the Time of Coronavirus, 6/9/20

Summer Skies

At a Loss for Words
Over 10 weeks of self quarantine and the flood gates have opened upon new and unexpected events.  Another African American man, George Floyd, died at the hands of the police. This travesty piles layer upon layer of so many injustices and deaths that have happened for decades. Sadly, these crimes against minorities continue to go on and on for generations.

We are shocked and saddened, and we are angry; so angry for all of the travesties that have been going on for the history of humans, especially for people of color.  We can be such a mean, self righteous and judgmental society, as we hypocritically claim to be holy, peaceful and accepting.  I think this is America's shame.

Time for Change
There are many marches and protests every day. People are expressing their grief, concern, anger and passion about how much they want things to change. I understand how they feel and sincerely hope that we can bring everyone together for the better. We are WAY overdue for change.

Compare and Contrast
When you think about other difficult situations in history, our current issues may seem minor by comparison.  For us, it's been just over 10 weeks of turmoil from COVID-19.  By contrast, the Civil War and residual fallout lasted for over 4 years.  World War II lasted for almost 6 years. The Vietnam War lasted for almost 19 years. I'm not trivializing things, but in the scope of life, what we are experiencing now does not compare to these historical events. We must endure. We haven't ever experienced so much tragedy, in such a short time, in our lives. We are inexperienced, intolerant and impatient.  We are so used to the status quo that we had, which we will probably never see again in our lifetimes.  We needed to wake up and care about what is truly important.  We're getting a huge dose of reality, and it's painful.

Buckle your seat belts for a turbulent ride. It's not over folks. I feel that there is much more to come.

Safe at Home with Selective Outings
We still stay at home 99% of the time, and are blessed to have a great place to retreat.  We've had a couple of errands to pick up online orders, grocery shop and to take three of our dogs to the vet for essential check-ups.

The vet visit was interesting. I was able to get appointments for Sara, Brody and Bones, all the same day that I called. Prior to this, could only get in for sick or emergency. We were to stay in our cars, call and the Vet and Tech came out to us.  They took the dogs inside for their check-ups and came out to relay all information. It was like a drive-in vet visit, but it went very well and we are all set now, which is a relief after waiting 3+ months to see our vet.

Today, we went to Carlsbad Village to check how things are going.  There was a lock down over the past few days because of protestors and potential violence. Most of the shops boarded up their windows, and some are still that way today.  The protests here have been peaceful and soulful. Lots of police cars patrolling, but all peace. There are lots of tourists here to enjoy the perfect weather, ocean and beach. I can't blame them for wanting to get away from the extreme heat of the inland deserts.

Carlsbad Village Boarded Up

For the first time in over three months, we decided to have late lunch/early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, "Barrio".  Their staff is always friendly and welcoming, and the food there is great. We love their soups!  We spent a couple of hours there, enjoying chips and salsa, chicken soup, pablano soup and drinks. They are operating at 50% and following all of the State rules for social distancing and safety. It felt so good to be out again, amongst other people who felt the same way.

First Meal Out in 3 Months at Barrio

Everyday Life Continues

Our Poolside

We are living, "Groundhog Day" every day. When I wake up, I have to remind myself about what day it is. They are all melting together, and much the same.  However, we insert new things to mix it up and challenge our brains.  I work out, do puzzles, take ukulele lessons, draw, sew, garden, cook new recipes, including my first bread from scratch, spoil the dogs and enjoy being online.  Darrell always does the heavy duty housecleaning, extra yard work, home maintenance, laundry and so many other things for us.

My First Loaf of Sourdough Bread Made from Scratch

Time Flies

It is most interesting to watch the reruns of the various talk shows to see how much has happened and changed from month to month. While they are on vacation breaks, the reruns reveal how dire and how ridiculous so many things have been. In a nutshell, our Federal government has failed us in so many ways. Thankfully, our local and state governments have been strong and consistent.

The Future
With all of the close proximity protests, I feel that the virus will peak again soon.  The numbers may even ramp up to where they were a month or two ago.  I know that we are more prepared now with PPE, ventilators and other essentials, but what about our healthcare workers? Can they endure multiple rounds of deathly ill patients and death, yet again?

Exhausted Healthcare Workers

The Hope
Last week, I spoke with my Aunt, who just celebrated a significant birthday.  She has gotten through some health issues and is feeling much better. Her message is that while we are here, we all have work to do. As long as we are alive, we all have work to do.  So keep on doing your good work. #HoldFast #StaySrong. #StaySafe. And know that *ItWillGetBetter

Until next time, I wish you peace.