5/6/2020 of COVID-19 Home Life

Chel Owens

I know, I know: “I’m sick of hearing about Coronavirus. Go away, Chelsea, and take that thing with you!”

woman in white and green shirt holding yellow plastic bag

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

But, it’s not going away. Well -it is, just slowly. Hopefully, all this jazz about calmly sitting at home and glaring at your neighbors’ parties has kept COVID’s coming a slow process as well.

On the subject of coming:

“Remember that time I was sick back in February?” my neighbor asked me recently.

“No…” Personally, I don’t remember what I ate for breakfast most days, but she didn’t know that.

She paused, adjusting something I couldn’t see because we were engaged in an old-fashioned telephone conversation -over cell phones, but still talking. “It was when I flew back from Denver. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and then had a nasty cough. I lost my sense of taste for several days; not just one, like what happens when I’ve gotten sick before.”

airplane wing towards clouds

Photo by Sheila on Pexels.com

The ‘Rona’s been a mysterious mist, revealing more of itself as time goes on. Having done a report on the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl for a college paper, I can’t help but see similarities in China’s revelation of facts to the rest of the world. As many have pointed out, however, such hindsight isn’t helpful. “Should’ve” can’t save us. “Will” just might.

For myself and my family, I feel fortunate that we have not been directly infected affected. Our worst casualty is inconvenience. A relative finally got in to her doctor …to learn she has cancer. Another’s been growing increasingly worse regarding mental illness because of the isolation. Yet another lost a good friend -to the virus- and was sad to not attend a funeral.

I’ve also had some irritation in items out of stock for pickup orders, in trying to plan ahead, and in not being able to keep a device with microphone and camera intact. Yes, another accident befell us. Our derelict iPad of half-a-decade’s age fell to the basement floor in a second karate-related accident. The defendant claims gravity reached its apathetic hands up against an already-unstable iPad stand…

Speaking of technical mishaps, I need to enter a Costco today. I haven’t been in weeks. A computer we purchased recently has had no end of problems with the keyboard input and network card. Why, for the love of gaming, would anyone want a computer to forget ASDWX in the middle of strafing?

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They’ve posted store rules that I’ll need to wear a mask. Here’s me, wearing the PINK one my neighbor made me. Being the only female in a predominantly-male household, she assumed I’d need more femininity.

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In other news of stores and merchandise, Smith’s grocery store told me they were fresh out of chicken breasts. I was able to procure a whole, frozen chicken but not pieces of it. The worker kindly explained that, since the Tyson plant had closed, they were seeing their store-brand meat disappear faster. Others I’ve spoken with said similar things. So, maybe we ought to stockpile a bit of meat…

We actually tried to get a small chest freezer back when things started getting crazy in March. When I called to follow up on our purchase a month later, the representative explained that ALL appliance suppliers’ chest freezers were on backorder till July or August.

Again, inconvenience.

I find myself rushing in thoughts or actions, then suppressing the behavior. We need more: meat, clothes, gasoline, emergency supplies, Tylenol, etc. Frankly, I don’t. I have enough. It’s just an inherent panic and a need to do SOMETHING instead of wait.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

Everyone’s sick of waiting. Here in Utah, the waiting time’s dimished. They’ve stepped the panic level down a titch.

Plan to work - Risk Gauge Image

What a lovely graphic of Utah’s COVID-19 plan.

We’re at Code Orange now. Oddly, this move resulted in an increase of reported cases. 🤦 I guess we’re a work in progress. I suspect the COVID Team suspects such results, and will move the dial down to yellow once we stabilize again.

We’re doing what we can, which is mostly not doing much. The relaxed restrictions are nice; the boys’ room moms arranged for drive-by parades of their teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week this week. We got within breathing range of one of my son’s teachers, for a selfie. She and her aides stood together on the sidewalk to receive presents and posters. I realize I’ve developed an automatic anxiety at the sight of crowds. I ought to turn it off, now that we’re allowed to congregate in groups of 20 or fewer -although that’s still stupposed to be in a social-distanced and masked manner.

Because of bat-man, we are all masking like Batman…

In last news, our European trip was officially rescheduled for 2021. Maybe I’ll get to wave to a few of you after all.

 

©2020 Chelsea Owens

Other Photo Credits: Dries Augustyns

40 thoughts on “5/6/2020 of COVID-19 Home Life”

  2. I like hearing what you’re up to in this “shut-in” world! Reminds me of my life and that yes, there are actually other moms who are feeling the same things as I am.

    Also: I have to do my first Costco trip since this whole thing started next week. I am NOT looking forward to it! 😕

    Liked by 1 person

  4. We’re starting to reopen, too. I’m hoping we don’t regret this. But at least my husband reported back that the meat department at our market is fully stocked.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I’m calling it The cornella virus now, in honor of my neighbor. I quote: ” this cornella virus is making everything worse. You see on the news that 100 people in some nursing home died from the cornella virus. Well of course they died, this one’s 96, and that one’s 98. If I was 98 years old and in a nursing home I’d say, get me some of that cornella virus!” Thank you for your contribution Dorothy.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. My husband said we all look like terrorists or bank robbers. Well, maybe not you with the cute mask. I feel your disorientation. This is such a weird time, and the worst part is it feels like it’s not going to end. We can endure a lot, but we function a lot better if we know how LONG we need to endure. Stock up for the second wave of the first wave, my friend. And know that you’re not alone.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you. And, you’re right about the mask. I didn’t realize how much I smile reassuringly to someone in a grocery store, and now I can’t!

      …Maybe bank robbers should try cute masks.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. You have more freedom than we do. Our restrictions have been peeled back apparently, but our poor population seem to have decided lock down is over while the rest of us are still confined to the house and unable to visit any relatives.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Well, we shut down very early, Chelsea. You must not forget that the Southern hemisphere had a big opportunity to learn from the Northern hemisphere. Our numbers are climbing steadily. We went from a handful of cases and are now at over 400 new cases daily. These daily increase figures have more or less doubled since the government started reducing the lock down restrictions. Our deaths are only 161 to date but most of those are in the past couple of weeks. I think our disaster is still coming, especially as we are heading into winter now.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. I have chosen a bandanna as my face shield. Really need convincing eyes to convey a smile in the iconic bandit garb. With the banks closed and stage coaches not running, there’s not much to do but the daily work routine. It has been anything but routine.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Here in NC, there’s meat distribution days at farmer’s markets and places. Since so many restaurants are closed, farmers can’t get rid of their meat, so you can go to these things and buy meat (as long as you’re ok with like 40 pounds of chicken or fish at a time). They might have something like that in the Utah.

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  14. Since it is just the two of us… I’ve been able to shop every other week. Filling in on little things if needed.
    I’ve some stuff in our small chest freezer. But then inherited the one we have when some relatives moved… (at least I think it is the same one).

    I’ve had two days where I had my home to myself as hubby was able to go on site to a local place (empty of all but a co-worker) for his job.

    Some places are opening. Of all places golf courses. But they have a pool noodle in the hole so you don’t have to sink your ball – if you hit the noodle you’re good. And only one person to a cart. The stores are so weird. I guess for safety… I waited for what seemed like twice as long on line to get to an open register than it took me to actually shop. And though we are all supposed to be wearing masks… some shoppers weren’t. And others were wearing their masks wrong. Below your nose isn’t going to cut it – covering only your mouth isn’t going to do diddly. But I didn’t say anything… I didn’t want to get into a confrontation.

    As hubby who is also volunteer Hazmat (Hazardous Materials for the county) says… your mask should be your last line of defense. First; stay home, Second; social distance and lastly cover up (wear a mask the right way) And also handle your mask the correct way when taking it off and putting it on. And if wearing disposable gloves there is a right way to take them off too.

    Just take care and stay safe. Maybe sanity will return. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s all very interesting. I’ve seen similar things around here -with the exception of the golfing, since I don’t golf.

      I’ve been tempted to go shopping in full HazMat gear to make people laugh, including using a grabbing tool to pick up everything. Sadly, I don’t own any such gear and have, instead, been relying on your husband’s first and second lines of defense. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I remember reading about a guy who almost opened a coffee shop – he passed out free coffee for healthcare workers from his first floor apartment window with his child’s alligator type grabber 😉

        We do the best we can. ((Hugs)) All around.

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