Staying Put And Some COVID-19 Thoughts

The big fifth wheel rolled down the driveway early Tuesday morning after we said our goodbyes to Beryl and Ainslie. It was a great visit and we are glad they stopped by on their way home to Oregon.

Tuesday morning I needed toothpaste and checked the food shelves at our local Dollar Store while I was there–mostly bare. Our meat is purchased at Costco which means big packages–so we are good with meat. My pantry in Arizona is no where near the size of the one in Montana but I’ve managed to cram in a lot of stuff–we have lots of beans, rice, pasta, almond milk, cereal, oats, etc., in addition to canned goods. I start to think, “oh no, do I have enough to feed us for at least a month??,” and then start thinking I need to go to the grocery store again–NO! We are good–for a month or more I would say–we might not particularly like what we are eating but we will eat.

I am concerned about all the older people in our community without the transportation resources we have or the ability to order over the internet.

We went out Tuesday afternoon to a small gathering of folks we trust at Linda’s–just 10 of us with fabulous food–Dan cooked the corned beef for Linda and the rest of us provided the sides. We didn’t hug or shake hands and a lot of the time we were outside in the mighty wind!

Left to right, Renata, Linda (standing) and Janice The Cowboy and Dan sporting the hats Linda had for all of us to wear.

And a laden table.

It’s Wednesday and we are at home and intend to stay here. There are no COVID-19 cases in Cochise County Arizona as of yet but that could change in a heartbeat. But the scary statistic is that several days ago there were four cases in Arizona–we now have 27 cases.

Our friends Nina and Paul are living in France which is under a strict quarantine and a pass must be obtained online to even walk their dog. Their cat became ill and Nina obtained a pass to take her to the veterinarian. The clinic accepts only one pet at a time, owner must wait outside in their vehicle, clinic employee comes outside with gloves and mask, takes the pet and brings it back to owner after the exam. Results are by phone call. It could happen here folks if we don’t voluntarily flatten this curve.

My brother-in-law is pastor of a church in Arkansas–they have closed their church until at least April 1–a very difficult decision to make I am sure. I was to travel to Arkansas next week and I’ve cancelled my flights.

A friend of mine in Montana has a daughter who is a physician’s assistant in Auburn, Washington. Her immediate boss is an emergency room physician and was interviewed on Good Morning America today. He stresses quicker testing and staying home. He states their hospital currently has enough ventilators but the nearby hospital is out of ventilators. He also said his hospital has a two day supply of face masks–that’s not good–and here’s hoping they are resupplied soon! This COVID-19 is real, it isn’t “just the flu” and this situation in the US could get much worse. Patient’s with “just the flu” don’t usually need ventilators.

And then we have the oblivious tourists. We have friends who live in Tombstone, AZ. Texting with her tonight she said Tombstone is as busy as ever and many of the cars have out of state license plates. We folks in the United States need to sit up, take notice, and read about what happened in Italy!

It rained cats and dogs today while the Cowboy did some drywall texturing and I painted. We might accomplish lots while staying at home!