Life in Lockdown

There isn't anyone who isn't affected by the coronavirus, COVID-19, that started in China and has swept across the globe. In my case, I've canceled three trips scheduled in April and May, and I'm working on a laptop at home for the first time. It's a strange time for America.

Earlier today, I decided to visit the grocery store. Because I was instilled with my mother's prepper mentality, I have plenty of food in the house. I hadn't been inside a store in twelve days. But eventually the perishables such as eggs and coffee creamer need to be restocked. I had been hoping the stores would've calmed down by now, but in many ways they're worse than two weeks ago.

The first store I visited had two young, imposing male employees stationed outside the closed sliding glass doors, one standing on each side. Above their work aprons, their muscled arms were folded in a bouncer stance. As I got closer, I could see a line of waiting customers snaking along the sidewalk to the right. Then I saw the sign that detailed allowing only a certain number of people in the store at one time. The entire tableau was reminiscent of the old Soviet Union; this was not where I wanted to shop, thank you. I headed back to my car and drove to the next option.

Here I could enter freely, but blue tape marked off 6-foot intervals near the cash register. Masks and gloves abounded on store employees and customers alike. I found eggs but no creamer, so I waited my turn to approach the cashier. I was promptly told to "step back"--well, do you want my money or not? And you have room to step back too, sweet pea. But never mind; I meekly complied, left as quickly as possible, and headed for Store #3.

Here a sign next to the front door warned in bold black lettering "We Do Not Have Toilet Paper!" Well, of course not, silly--nobody does! Fortunately I don't have to worry about that particular product for a month or two. I ventured in and found creamer (not my usual, but any port in the CV-19 storm, right?). I traveled the 6-foot blue tape gauntlet once again (making sure to "step back" at the register), got the heck out of there, and don't plan to go into ANY store any time soon. It's a truly miserable dystopian experience.

There are some upsides to being under pandemic-imposed house arrest. On Sunday I decided to treat myself to Disney+ and immediately watched Frozen II. I "visited" my grandkids via FaceTime yesterday, which was a huge lift to my spirits. I've heard from lots of family, friends, and neighbors, mostly by phone. That's a welcome change from our increasingly dominant text communications. I'm doing more reading, saving gas money, and still getting paid for working from home.

Speaking of work, my lunchbreak is over and I'd better get back to it--right after I disinfect my keyboard and WASH my HANDS. Stay safe and well, everyone!

A Dose of Perspective

The author of this article, "Say Your Prayers and Take Your Chances," is from the generation just ahead of mine. In his analysis of CV-19, he offers some interesting observations and practical perspectives from another, very different time. It's a time that seems so distant, but it's not even a lifetime ago.

In the intervening decades, its appears our coping skills have taken a hit.

Corona Crazy

Like most Americans, the expansive reach of the coronavirus "COVID-19" hype has me in its grip.

My weekend plan was to spend Saturday with my California grandkids. But, after my son called me last evening to express concerns about my venturing out for a visit with two little potential virus vectors, I decided to stay home. After all, I'm well into the over-60 danger zone. Like a good American citizen-soldier, I'm "self-isolating" this weekend.

There are certain benefits to hunkering down. For example, my house is clean--squeaky clean. Everything not nailed down has been washed--sheets, towels, tablecloths, throw rugs, afghans. My countertops shine with the germ-killing sheen of disinfectant wipes. All three bathrooms have been scrubbed clean. And speaking of being scrubbed clean--what is up with the national toilet paper obsession?

Have you seen a photo of the checkout lines of paper-hoarders? It's astonishing. Exactly how much solid waste can one family physically generate in a month? Survivalists estimate a person uses one-to-two rolls of toilet paper per week.  Judging by the photos of quantities piled in shopping carts, people are stocking up for a year. Some of their inventory might outlive a few of the paper-panic loonies.

When the coronavirus first started grabbing headlines about two weeks ago, I did buy a few extra groceries--soup, tuna fish, pasta, peanut butter. I had checked my garage shelves and seen eight rolls of t-paper in stock. There was an unopened 4-roll pack in my upstairs linen closet. Each of my three bathrooms has a roll in service (so to speak) and a basket holding two or three extra rolls. I counted a total of 18 unused rolls; toilet paper did not even make my shopping list. Not to put too fine a point on it, but with what I have in the house I'm good until the second half of May, thanks. (I realize families need more than I do, but I think 100+ rolls in your shopping cart is a bit excessive.)

Another benefit to staying home is cooking. I decided to stop at one of the smaller grocery stores on my way home from work last night. It was just announced yesterday that schools are closing Monday for three weeks, so of course the store was crazy (although nothing like Costco crazy). I was planning to buy some ground turkey or beef to make chili, but the meat shelves were stripped bare. There was one lonely 1-lb. package of meat away up on the top shelf. I pulled it down to see what it was--lo and behold, ground lamb! Free range, organic, and no antibiotics! Score! I tossed the package into my cart and snatched up a few green peppers to go along with it. Today I'll attempt to recreate my grandmother's mouth-watering stuffed pepper recipe.

It's a grey and rainy Saturday in Southern California, so this will be a fun experiment in comfort food. As time-honored wisdom advises, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Better yet, try making Mimi's old-fashioned lamb-stuffed peppers. No toilet paper is required.

Just Sayin'

There's a lot going on in the news these days. Below are just a few casual observations.

• Voters didn't reject Elizabeth Warren because of sexism or misogyny. They rejected her because she's a phony.
  
• Although we don't hear about it on the news, the seasonal flu is more dangerous and deadly than coronavirus.
• The stock market was way up for almost three years and we never heard about it. When it's down for three days, the media is screaming about a crash.
• Chuck Schumer is a liar and a coward. He made a direct threat against two Supreme Court justices but is incapable of admitting it or issuing an apology.

• Bill Clinton has always been disgusting, is still disgusting today, will remain disgusting forever.

• Call me crazy, Bernie Sanders, but I don't believe most Americans are ready to transform the country into a communist nation. That goes for you, too, Joe Biden.

• In the wake of the terrible tornadoes, the brave people of Tennessee are reminding all Americans that the true source of our strength lies in faith, family, and community.

Lent, Again

We're back to Lent, and so quickly. Here I am, five days in and still struggling to decide what to give up for forty days.

It can't be television; I canceled my cable service over a month ago. I now watch local news and presidential appearances on my laptop and skip the network coverage altogether, thank you very much. If there's some clip I really want to see, there are a variety of video links to choose from.

I suppose I could give up my streaming services. Now, that would be a sacrifice. In the spirit of the season, I must confess that I haven't the willpower to sustain such an omission.

My customary Lenten commitment to spiritual reading remains strong. This year I'm slogging my way through Bishop Fulton J. Sheen's Life of Christ. Actually, I began the book during Advent and got 50% through it, then put it aside; I'm hoping to finish it by Easter. It takes some concentration--perhaps that's sacrifice enough?

One thing I noticed this year on Ash Wednesday that was unprecedented--several people had no idea what the black smudge on my forehead meant. Now, I'm accustomed to being one of the few in my workplace that wears the Lenten badge of ash (except for the years I worked in a Catholic hospital). But usually people knew what the mark indicated. Not this year. I had several fellow employees tell me, with alarm, that I had a black smudge on my forehead; one young lady went so far as to try to wipe it off before I stepped back and explained what it was. When I went out to lunch with coworkers that day, the cashier in the deli asked me about it. Again, I explained as simply as possible.

All of these individuals had many follow-up questions for me, which I answered as best I could (with a quick prayer that I wasn't screwing it up too badly). It would seem that, wherever God places us, our mission fields are all around us. Perhaps just in honestly answering earnest questions, Christians can be a witness to our faith. Maybe that's all we need to do for Lent.