Corona Thoughts, pt. 6 (Observations; and a bit of Fantasy)

3.24.2020

If possible, I believe this thing is dividing us more than uniting us.  There are those that make the point that the lockdown/quarantine/shelter-in-place is a uniting factor - "Let's beat this thing together" - but more and more I am seeing hateful comments particularly by those who want to see this disruption continue.

President Trump said in the last few days that he wants to see the country reopen in weeks, not months, and the comments are absolutely hateful.  One commenter on a local news FB page said that "if you agree with this, stay the hell away from me or my family."  Mark my words, in the coming days we are going to see more and more people ignore the shelter in place orders because, frankly, we are beginning to question the motive.

After Sadie's homeschooling and a bit of work by myself and Stephanie, we had lunch and played Lord of the Rings edition of Monopoly.  Stephanie won.  Sadie spent a bit of time playing the game with her Baby Pens.

It was warm today, and humid.  The rain has certainly greened everything up!

We got a bit rebellious in that we went to town to Sarah Mae's Fabrics for some materials that Stephanie wanted for a project, and then took the drive-through at Bottle Cap Alley, which is selling burgers for 40% off (due, presumably, to the fact that they have meat that needs to be used or sold with the lack of visitors to their dining room).  

The movie tonight was Willow on Disney+.  Sadie hasn't seen it, and it was a better option than rewatching The Hobbit movies so soon again.  

Lady Stephanie's account of the day:

Day 10:
The day was sunny, and we dared to leave the keep. We smuggled some fabric from a local peddlar and food from a tavern. They quietly passed our evening repast out a window and we quietly took our treasured items home.
I continue to instruct the princess in her lessons. The Laird insisted a game that instructs economics in a competitive manner would be gay entertainment. It caused the princess tears and frustration. I will say I soundly beat the Laird in this game. He suggested a different game tomorrow.

Corona Thoughts, pt. 5 (Another Day of Exile)

3.23.2020

Another day of our exile...

Neither of us slept well last night due to Steph's trouble breathing.  Every time she rolled over I asked if she was okay.  In the morning she told me how close she was to going to the ER.  At 8 she called the doctor, went to get checked out, and got a steroid shot to open her airwaves.  She did not have all of the symptoms of Covid-19, but the shot was actually given in the car.  She also got some steroid pills to help keep the symptoms down.  They think it is a serious reaction to Texas... she is allergic to Texas.  

While she was gone I recorded some videos for my classes, and when she returned I drove to my office to get some books and necessary papers.  It was weird that everything was so quiet. 

At home, I continued to work from home on my classes and recorded a few more videos.  I will need to do a few more tomorrow as well.

Everything is still so wet today, and it is warm.  The antique green rose in the side yard is blooming.  It is the most unique flower.

Tonight we played classic Ticket to Ride - Stephanie won - and then Sadie and I watched another Star Trek TNG.  I suppose this is as good a time as any to finish the series.

We wrapped up the evening with North and South, the British Drama on Netflix.  This thing is very good for the streaming services.

Steph's daily entry in the chronicles of the realm continue to describe the plight...

Our self exile from the realm was broken today when I was forced to brave the journey to the local doctor, who confirmed my ailment is not the dreaded plague and gave me a remedy. Still, the doctor was fearful and would not allow anyone into the abode, and I was waited upon in my carriage. I was told if symptoms worsened, to go seek help elsewhere. It is not as comforting as I had hoped, but on my journey home I saw many of the blue lupine blooms along the roadside. They have caused me ill in the lungs in years past. I pray they are the cause of my ailment.
After returning to the keep, the Laird insisted upon some necessities, and he ventured out alone while I continued to tutor the princess in her studies. We were several times interrupted by a vociferous cockerel outside our kitchen window. He blatantly disregarded the peace we needed for study and made a mess on our garden tea table. The hound continues to lavish and seek attention to excess. He currently makes it difficult to write this entry.

Corona Thoughts, Part 4 (The Laird and the Lady)

3.22.2020.

Is it Day 7?  Or Day 8?  Considering that this thing has no definite beginning or ending, I suppose it could be either.

This morning I slept later than I have in a long time.  But then again, no church to get dressed for this morning.  Our pastor preached his message via Facebook Live, but it kept lagging on my computer.  Steph's phone was smoother, so we listened to the audio from First Baptist Church - Blooming Grove.  If interested, you can find the sermon here.

I worked for a bit on my Navarro classes and researched how to do a role-playing game online with friends in the "social distancing" new normal.  It certainly would be a way to pass the time.  Brandon called and asked me to come to advise him on his beehives and frames.  He is getting his starts of bees this week and is trying to get his hives in order.  I didn't stay long.  All of the dreary, rainy, and cloudy weather I think has me pretty listless.  I need to so get out and spend some time out of doors on a dreary day.

Steph is still having some trouble with her lungs but they will not see her unless it is ER-worthy.  We are pretty sure that it is her asthma and the high pollen count.  It would not surprise me that it is the mold count.

After a supper of "poor man's dinner" (potatoes, onion, pork 'n' beans, and Spam, on toast), we had a game night.  Tonight was Ticket to Ride: Old West.  It was an interesting variation on the classic game.  Sadie even caught Alvin the Alien in Roswell.... Hmmmm.

Apparently, the creative side of Steph is coming out.  Here is her view of the world via Facebook!  By her reckoning, it must be Day 8.

Day 8:
My family has self exiled from the realm until this plague has passed. The Laird is restless and tries to devise ways to go on a secret expedition, but for now the rain keeps him in the keep. The princess is so far happy and taken to this confinement well, however she complains about taking care of the poultry in the rain. To conserve feed, the poultry are currently allowed more freedom, though they abuse this privilege by having taken to roosting near the door to the kitchen--undoubtedly hoping for scraps to be thrown to them by the princess--and they are making a terrible mess of the walkways. Sometimes we loose the hound upon them, and he takes such great joy in this endeavor, that he has turned to being dishonest about his need to go out. The ringing of the little bell he uses to communicate his need to us is now nearly constant. I must devise a plan to address this issue.


The Laird needs a good hike, me'thinks!

Corona Thoughts, part 3 (Day 6) - (Groundhog Day in March)

I found myself today forgetful of what day is was.  Friday? Sunday?  Saturday?...

It is Saturday, but one day feels much like the less.  Even church tomorrow is canceled, but will instead be held via Facebook Live.  Very odd.

Stephanie isn't feeling all that well, but later in the day she called the doctor's office and was told that the only time she could come to the office these days as if the condition reached danger level.  Peppermint oil seems to be having more effect than her inhaler for this particular thing.

After breakfast I went to town to get Stephanie some allergy medicine, then I went to Aldi for a few grocery items.  The parking lot was full and so was the store.  The meat counter was empty, but there seemed to be plenty of fruits and vegetables.  When I first arrived the egg cooler was near full, but by the time I left it was down to just a few.  I bought 2 cartons from Brandon and some other items so hopefully, I won't have to go back for some time.

A good portion of the rest of the day was spent recording videos for my classes at Navarro College which are now going online while everything is ordered closed.  It has been dryer, but colder, today.

After supper, we began the final Hobbit movie - The Battle of Five Armies.  I have not yet seen this one, but I can say that I enjoyed it very much.  It is a fine companion to the Lord of the Rings movies. 

I have seen little new news today about the pandemic Coronavirus, except it is rumored that a form of Quinine has been successful in a number of places where it has been tried.

I follow a number of RV groups online, and more and more they discuss RV parks shutting down because of this, and it makes no sense at all. 

I am ready for things to return to normal... As are many.

Corona Thoughts - (The Corona Chronicles)

Thursday, 3/19/2020

Today the blog is more about my memories than sharing with others.  It has come to my attention that our digital world will be hard-pressed to find primary thoughts from normal people one of these days. So here it goes.

This is nearing the end of the first week of what could be called a voluntary lockdown.   Last week we were in Gatlinburg, yet preparing for the final 9 weeks of school (Sadie and Stephanie) and the last half of the spring semester for me.  We all got word late last week that schools would be shutting down in the face of the spreading Corona (Covid-19) novel virus.

Many states had begun calling for the closing of restaurants and bars, and many had begun offering take-out.  Governor Abbot made it official today with an executive order.

More and more businesses are closing, and I cannot imagine the hardship on hourly employees.

It has been reported that many of the college-age Spring Breakers are still partying like there is no tomorrow at the beaches.  Some states have ordered them home.

Stephanie went to work for about half the day to prepare work packets for her students so they can at least have the opportunity to continue their learning.

I continued to work toward achieving the goal of transitioning all of my government and history classes to go online.

The Senate passed a bill to send $1200 to each adult for relief who make over a certain threshold.  While this will be nice to get, I fear the result of the national debt.

This Corona thing is serious, but panic buying lately, in my view, is media-fueled. I fear that the political leadership is reacting to it.  Maybe I am too skeptical and misplace my worries.  Stephanie says that I am and do.

Perhaps.

Corona Thoughts, Day 2 (The First Day of Spring)

Corona Thoughts, Pt. 2

3/20/2020 - First day of spring.

I suppose you could say that this is the end of the first full week of this "lockdown," and the second day of attempting to document our part in it.  Where this thing goes, who knows?

This, being Friday, should have been a workday for both Stephanie and me, but of course, with both the schools and colleges shut down, it was yet another day here at home.

Today was rainy and gray, with quite a bit of precipitation and temps in the 50s.  There were thunderstorms in the night.  After breakfast, I called the Tax Office about the license plates for the car and was told the car would need an inspection in Texas, so I went to Moore Tire to get that done.  This Covid 19 panic had business slow there, as everywhere. After lunch, I worked on my classes, and Stephanie started cleaning out the pantry.  Supper was homemade chili and Fritos - A Texas staple.  In the evening we started the second Hobbit movie - The Desolation of Smaug.  Sadie loves these movies, and I am glad because I love them too.

I am still off Facebook, but will probably start to check it out a bit more soon.  It is the main source of information these days, yet one must be careful.

I read an article today by Pat Buchanan, and it worries me.  How long will people voluntarily put their lives on hold?  Three days to a week?  Probably, but what about 10?  I think we are going to see more and more people getting back to their lives, devil may care.

Will this be the first year since Christianity was adopted by the Romans that Easter will not be held in a church somewhere?  Gov. Abbott said he is leaving the decision to the congregations, but I can guarantee that the encouragement is to close.

We are still trying to decide what to do about Sadie's lamb.  These are strange times.

Spring Break 2020

Each year during Spring Break we try to travel.  Last year we spent a week in a canvas tent at the Southwestern Regional Rendezvous (SWRR) held in Aquilla, Texas.  This year, however, our spring break was scheduled a week early so we decided to to a family trip to the Great Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  This is one of our favorite places in the world - "My Happy Place," to quote Stephanie. It is an escape from the every day that never grows old.

Stephanie sells Lilla Rose hair jewelry (Click if interested) and there are several Celtic Festivals that we work each year.  One of the biggest is the North Texas Irish Festival in Dallas.

The Irish Rogues

BEHAN!  One of our favorites. I have been listening to these guys at NTIF for almost 20 years!

Deloreans to view.  Cool, but wouldn't want to park one.

It is a hard festival with long hours, and the reality of scheduling meant that we could not leave for Tennessee until early Monday morning.  We did most of the packing on Sunday night and was on the road by 7 the next day.  Sadie was staying with her grandparents in Athens during the Irish Fest weekend, so we picked her up and Stephanie's parents fell in behind us.  They were going to.

Day 1& Day 2 - Monday & Tuesday:  Outside of Hope, Arkansas, Stephanie took over the driving.  It had not been half an hour when the dashboard warning lights came on.  A quick stop at an Autozone told us that it was the fuel line sensor again.  This is the second time we have had issues with this on our 180K miles Outback.  We had debated trading it early but hoped to drive it another year.  We probably could but agreed it was time for something more reliable.  After a stop for the night in Dickson, TN, we stopped in Knoxville and left with a new 2020 Subaru Forester.  It is a nice car, but I am not looking forward to car payments again!

We arrived in Gatlinburg around 7 ET,  We usually have some time in the afternoon but the car shopping robbed us of that.  It is a nice house (Endless View, in the Black Bear Community) with an awesome view!

Day 3 (Wednesday): We got up early and had breakfast, then set out for Cades Cove.  We have been there before, but others in the family had not.  It was crowded as expected.  We stopped at the John Oliver cabin, then had a picnic lunch at the visitor center and Cable Mill, then Steph, Sadie, and Steph's sister and brother in law hiked to Abram's Falls (5 miles round trip).  It was a tough one, and probably should not have been our first hike after 2 days in the car.  It was a beautiful hike, however.

John Oliver's Cabin.  He and his wife were the first white settlers in Cades Cove

Just one of the churches on the Cove loop road. The family singing in the old building brought chills!  Thank you for sharing your talent!

Cable Mill and the millrace that powers the wheel.  It was not yet open since it is still early in the year.

Happy hikers!

Abram's Falls.  It has the largest volume of water of any waterfall in the park.

Upon return to the cabin, it was our turn to cook.  We fixed "breakfast for supper," with eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, and biscuits.  A good hearty meal after a physically taxing day, to be sure!

Day 4 (Thursday):  Kathleen and Matti wanted to do something "nature-y" today again, so we picked an easier trail called the "Old Sugarlands." We have hiked it before!  It is a long one if you go all the way to its end, but we chose to hike to the old CCC camp about 1.3 miles in.  We had planned to meet Mom and Dad, as well as Stephanie's parents at the Old Mill Restaurant!  It is one of our favorites, with a fantastic lunch menu that includes their southern fried pork chops.  Guess what I got!  We also bought a headstone for Salem (our cat who died last year) at the Sandman's Workshop nearby.

Some scenes from the Old Sugarlands Trail - Deer and Turkey were cool to see so close!  

The Old Mill Restaurant was great!  The waitress who served our table was phenomenal!

After supper we Stephanie, Matti, Kathleen, and I met Brandon downtown.  He wanted to listen to the bluegrass bands in Old Smoky Holler (outside of Old Smoky Moonshine).  Together we sampled the different whiskeys at Sugarlands and the Barrelhouse.  Some also sampled the ciders at a new cidery on the parkway.  After our shopping, we listened to a band called Monroeville.  They were very, very good!

                                    

   

One of Monroeville's official music videos on YouTube! They may have to go onto my Spotify playlist!

Day 5 (Friday):  Today was to be a quieter day, but it wasn't to be.   We all met for breakfast at Crockett's Breakfast Camp. I had the Cathead Biscuit Stacker (Huge) and Sadie had the pancake (cake was right - it was every bit an inch thick!).

Brandon and his family left out for Charleston, SC, this morning.  The conference he was supposed to speak at has been canceled by the Corvid-19 panic.  They did put him up in a nice resort for a few nights, however.

Stephanie, Sadie and I drove up the mountain to see Mom and Dad's cabin.  It is a brand new one, but very open and would be difficult if you struggle with noise.  One the way back Steph called her mother and sister, who was about to go on the Craft Loop.  They waited for her, and while they were out the visited a little tea room on the loop.  Sadie and I met Mom and Dad and we played golf, then had ice cream at Baskin Robbins.   We stopped at the visitor center, then went to the parkway to buy some items Brandon had forgotten. We got back about the same time as Stephanie.

Mom and Dad came over to help eat up the rest of the groceries - we had hotdogs.  It was a good visit!  After they went to their own cabin, we started packing.  We left early the next morning and planned on a straight-home drive.

Day 6 (Saturday) - We left at 7 am and took the I-20 route home.  Except for construction over the Mississippi at Vicksburg the trip was uneventful.  We arrived home around 11:15, and in spite of the fact that we all left at different times (Mom and Dad at 6; us at 7; Michael and Valerie around 7:45) we all arrived within 15 miles of each other by the time we reached Athens.

It was a good trip, but certainly not long enough!  Over the last few days we began receiving word of schools shutting down due to the Corona Virus panic.  Spring Break just got interesting, so I am glad we had this time to travel to one of my favorite places!