Palm trees, puffy clouds, coronavirus isolation

The picture is really kind of pretty. Those green fronds of the palm trees starkly contrast with the white and blue hues in the sky. But what does that have to do with COVID-19 isolation? Nothing.

So much is happening in the country, the world, our state and our street. No, I take that back, very little is happening on our street. But the country? We got our stimulus money from the IRS. Trump put up a campaign ad disguised as a “briefing” in one of his press conferences. He backed down a little from his “I have total authority” statements. But those statements really tell a lot about who Trump thinks he is. Have you noticed that he likes to cut off reporters before they can even finish their questions? And in some cases he then yells at them because the question they want to ask might put Trump in a bad light. And don’t get me started on Trump’s asinine use of Twitter.

When is our isolation going to end? As one who has  a list of those underlying health concerns I am really hesitant to think about soon returning to a “normal” life out and about. Until they (whoever they are) can come up with an effective treatment or an effective vaccine I am not sure when Sher and I will feel comfortable or safe going out. It will be interesting to see what conditions state or federal governments will need to see prior to “opening for business”.

Thanks for allowing me to “rant” a bit and share the frustrations that so many of us are feeling right now. I just hope that as soon as possible we can all get back into the new normal, whatever that turns out to be.

 

Saguaro National Park in Arizona

Sher and I are not traveling now due to coronavirus, so we thought we’d share some of our BC pictures with you. (BC = before COVID-19)

One of my favorite places on Earth is the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. This photo was taken in the Western Mountain District a few minutes before sunset. The stunning landscape is dotted with the magnificent saguaro cacti.

Things we miss during COVID-19

We are using video face time, text messages and even phone calls to keep in touch with our families while we are ‘safe’ in our home. With underlying health issues we can’t take the chance to go visit any of them.

Sher walking with our granddaughter to a game room at a Texas RV Resort

We miss the hugs. We miss the conversations. We miss eating out with the family at a nice restaurant. Probably most of all we miss the normality that no longer exists. We don’t know when we’ll be able to be with our families in person again.

Keep up the social distancing and other recommendations. How ever you are keeping yourself safe, friends, continue doing so.

Will COVID-19 restraints end and safety return?

We and millions of others around the world are intimately aware of the terms shelter in place, isolation, quarantine, stay at home and social distancing. Trump and Pence and his experts are starting to hint about “re-opening” the country.

Our 2019 Highway 40 Yard Sale set-up

All of the Flea Markets and Shows we usually go to are closed due to COVID-19 mandates. One of our best is the annual Highway 40 Yard Sale which follows US 40 across the country. It is held in May.

Even if things are “open” in May, will it be safe for us to be out mixing at all with the public, no matter the conditions? Right now we are thinking we best not get out until there is a proven treatment for this killer virus.

What information/news is going to be enough for you to get back to “normal” activities? Will we ever see BC normal again? (BC = before COVID-19)

Sunset on a day of different doctor appointments

It was very nice this evening, and the sun setting greeted us as we stepped out into the back yard. Had to try a picture…

Sun disappearing below the trees. There is a unique feature in the photo: see it and know what it is?

The different doctor appointments? I had two today, one with my GP and one with my pulmonologist. What was really different was that both were tele-health (video) appointments. My doctors are not doing in office visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Good, because I would not want to leave the house anyway. Once the initial set-up of the phone apps was done, these video things worked well, in my opinion.

Have you had one of these video appointments with your health care doctors?

A break from COVID-19 and the net

We’ve been in “isolation” at home since February 25th. Just shy of 40 days. Only been out three times, and those just driving around, never got out of the car. Days include watching TV, streaming Netflix and of course the news conferences of both federal and state ‘leaders’. COVID-19 always there. Oh, and reading blogs, writing for this blog, and in general spending way too much time on this computer.

One I made yesterday

Yesterday I just could not get my brain to think about anything computer or COVID-19. I took a break and decided to get out my leather stuff. I make leather pouches (sometimes called medicine bags) to sell at the festivals and shows we love attending. With the coronavirus related shutdowns and closures it will remain to be seen when we’ll be able to go to one.

I really enjoyed the break from the computer.

Excitement during coronavirus isolation

COVID-19 can make people sick, kill people, wreck the world’s economy and isolate millions in their homes. But….  It cannot stop a good old fashioned thunder and hail storm.

It was in the low 70’s, our first really warm day of the year. We had heard some thunder with a little rain, then calm. All of a sudden and with no warning the hail started. Good sized hail!

Impressive hail stones fell

Sign of spring

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was over in a few minutes. The sky began to clear and you could smell the freshness in the rain cleansed air. Fortunately there was no apparent damage to the house or our vehicles. This storm gave us a nice change of pace during our isolation.

Texas distillery now at 100% hand sanitizer production

Treaty Oak Distilling in Dripping Springs, Texas is one of the best whiskey distilleries in the Hill Country west of Austin. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has shut down their restaurant and their distillery. To at least keep some income coming in, Treaty Oak is now only producing hand sanitizer.

According to KXAN TV, the NBC affiliate in Austin,  on March 26th reported that the FDA is allowing distilleries to produce hand sanitizer. It must be at least 80% alcohol, have no other ingredients and be in a bottle with appropriate labeling. Starting next week Treaty oak will only produce the sanitizer, thus allowing some employees to remain working.

Last November we visited Treaty Oaks Distilling. Little could we guess back then that this distillery would be in the fight against a killer virus. You can read about our 2019 visit here. 

LEGO long distance babysitting

Our 5 year old grandson lives in Seattle with his parents. Both our daughter and son-in-law are currently working from home because of the coronavirus, work that requires both phone calls and meetings via video-conferencing, as well as other tasks that require their giving full attention. Our grandson is also staying home from his pre-school.

Sher and I have the absolute pleasure of distant babysitting our grandson via video conferencing technology. He loves building things with his extensive LEGO collection.  When we connect, we are treated to a little show complete with his latest Lego creation and its associated story line. We get to see a new play each time complete with a song! We absolutely love talking with him and seeing all those LEGO creations he is working on daily. Being home is hard for him as he is used to being in preschool with his little friends. Lots of pent up energy there!

Not only do we get to “babysit” our grandson which is a treat for us, but we can give his parents some time while they are working from home that they can have to themselves. Plus it gives us something else to do. This isolation thing does get rather boring at times.

What are you doing to pass the time during these tense and uncertain times?