Human Spirit
In My Bloodstream: Lisinopril, Amlodopine, Omeprazole, Tamsulosin
On The Stereo: Gulfcoast Highway: Emmylou Harris (with Clint Black?)
Life is boring these days. I think all of us are getting a little antsy. Some states are beginning to open up some previously closed businesses and beaches. Of course the great argument ensues. Too soon? Not soon enough? Who knows.
I was talking, over breakfast, with the woman who shares my home. That and everything else. I mentioned to her, that when we hear about cases of Covid sickness and deaths, we are never told whether of not the patient caught the disease while in quarantine, or if they were out in the real world, not keeping themselves sheltered in place. It would be interesting to know what difference social distancing makes in Covid 19's attack on humankind. It would appear that close quarters makes a difference. The crammed conditions in big cities and on ships, including Navy ships, increases the opportunity of exposure. But in less populated areas, the effects do not seem to be as shocking.
Our little community in Florida has had two cases, both travel related. The patients are safe at home and have never been hospitalized. In all of Hernando, our county, the number of people tested positive is 84, with 19 hospitalizations and 3 deaths. Knowing that the deaths involved compromised individuals, the virus damage is not staggering. At least in my feeble mind.
Even in our old home town of Tuscaloosa, the number of cases is far below the previous government estimates. Having the school evacuated would have changed the estimates, I presume. But the alarm bells still seem a little loud, given the actual inflicted damage.
I have been avoiding going out of our home, as much as I can. When Kat says she needs to buy food, we always have a talk about focussing on getting only the necessities on her list and getting out of the store as quickly as possible. She does call several neighbors, in advance, to see what they need, prior to leaving. And we talk about maintaining distance. We have, I think, been model citizens in this regard. On her return, she always has laughable stories. It seems every trip has become an adventure. There are always people going the wrong way in aisles, that are now marked with arrows, in an attempt to keep shoppers from having to face each other in the aisle. Inevitably, those going the wrong way are always upset that they are having to face so much oncoming traffic. And many customers seem more rude and anxious than before. That does make some sense. Sadly. But true, I think. Being cooped up takes its toll.
So, our lawn has needed some topsoil. It has been so for almost two months. And our lawn care people have not been bashful about telling me. This problem, as slight as it is, has been compounded by driveway issues. The weeds are gaining advantage and things do not look at all pleasing. A simple problem. I have, in our garage, the world's largest bottle of weed killer. So what, pray tell, could be the problem.
Life, in times like these, does not give you donuts. It give you donut holes. Nada. The sprayer on the bottle does not work. It has not worked for some time. Because of the self quarantine situation, I have not gone back to Lowe's to get a replacement. This problem did not appear serious enough to involve a shopping trip. Not "necessary", as is the recommendation. Until now.
Unhappily, and reluctantly, I sent myself off on a mission to get a replacement for my family-sized weed killer. As I was going to do that, I thought I might as well get the topsoil as well. A deep breath, and off I went, into the land of Covid 19. Face mask at the ready. I felt it was akin to going to war with a pocket full of bullets, but no actual gun. Good luck.
Lowe's is well prepared. At the regular customer entry, a line for returns is well marked. The fact that the line begins outside the door, caused me some trepidation. However, they had large blue dots painted, probably three feet apart, clearly indicating that one should stand there, until the dot in front of you came open, that customer moving forward. Hanging on to my drum of weed killer, I waited. Then, I moved to the next dot. It was a slow line. Some might say interminable. I might agree. But I waited. My time was not without some humorous moments. Or they seemed so, at the time.
We, the product return people, were many. The staff handling the line were few. In fact, fewer than few. There was but one. A single young man. Quite young, I thought. Although these days, Methusala would seem a spring chicken. Lowe's had built a protective barrier for him. A large , clear, plastic barrier had been installed, leaving a space about two feet, between it and his desk.
A man ahead of me, and there were many, was returning a base for a patio umbrella. For some reason, the pole for the umbrella would not fit in the opening of the base. An uncommon problem, I thought. My mind having drifted to other things. When the refund was issued, the customer and the clerk tried to push the stand through the opening, so that it could be put away. It would not fit. That was obvious from where I was standing. Way back, where I stood. On my new blue dot. I was heaving with silent laughter. Doing my best to be sympathetic. The weak minded need understanding. I was not providing any. They wrestled and tussled with their adversary, but the base remained stubborn. The poor clerk finally realized that he had to come around the desk and into the public domain to retrieve the base from the customer. So much for the protective window. And the clerk was maskless, as well. Social distancing be damned.
Customers around me were not staying on their blue dots. In fact, those who were outside the building, had all come inside. Tired of waiting, I'm sure. The notion of dots was forgotten. But now we were a mob. Any structure we had, was gone. Without exaggeration, one quite elderly man began sneezing. Big messy sneezes. And not into his arm. All over the place. There was a podium beside the queue, intended for antibacterial wipes. And this would be the time. However, a hand printed sign had been left. "Out of wipes".
I handed my spray bottle to the poor clerk, and while I was fetching my card from my wallet, he scanned the code on the bottle and advised me that it was not purchased at Lowes. I am at this store all the time. It is handy. I don't go all the way across the road to Home Depot. Shortest distance wins. Where else would I have bought a gargantuan bottle. Oh yeh. Costco. Now what? I am not going all the way there. Not today.
I returned the bottle to the car and drove to the other end of the parking lot, where the gardening supplies are located. For some inexplainable reason, I was not in the best of moods.
I left the car and headed in to buy a new weed killer and the topsoil. When I got to the gate, I saw the lineup to pay. There was a single cashier. Probably fifteen carts in line. I became unhinged. It was not the weeds that needed killing. This place was ridiculous. I turned, went to the car. And home. No spray. No topsoil. Blood pressure spike. A nonessential trip to a nonessential store, most certainly.
At home, my friend just laughs at me and my tale of woe. Apparently, I am on this earth for the amusement of others. One other, anyway.
Last week I wrote about music, and what it means to me. I purposely set a trap, for the sake of a bit of humor. I called eminem "M and M", to emphasize my lack of rap knowledge. I thought I would be ridiculed by somebody. Either y'all are too busy to jump on me, or too polite, or you, my friends, are beyond young and do not know the difference. Or care. I'll try harder next time.
I finish by thanking you. I cannot emphasis how much I admire and appreciate my small circle of friends. Many of us have survived sickness and tragedy in our lives. We have lost some of those we loved most. Several of you, right now, are fighting for a return to better health.
What is shared among you, is the gift of a remarkable human spirit. The ability to handle the onslaught of our world's problems, and the strength to find your way to the other side. To maintain your dignity and your grace. You are special and make a difference. Please do not stop.
Our grass is struggling and our driveway is being smothered, but all of these gorgeous flowers abound in our yard. They act like premadonnas. At least they don't brag out loud.
Lock yourself in. Sleep tight. Someday our beaches will see footprints again. Kath and I cannot wait for that walk.
Love from our home to yours. Hang tough Rose. This too, shall end. And it will end well.
jrobinmullen@gmail.com
On The Stereo: Gulfcoast Highway: Emmylou Harris (with Clint Black?)
Life is boring these days. I think all of us are getting a little antsy. Some states are beginning to open up some previously closed businesses and beaches. Of course the great argument ensues. Too soon? Not soon enough? Who knows.
I was talking, over breakfast, with the woman who shares my home. That and everything else. I mentioned to her, that when we hear about cases of Covid sickness and deaths, we are never told whether of not the patient caught the disease while in quarantine, or if they were out in the real world, not keeping themselves sheltered in place. It would be interesting to know what difference social distancing makes in Covid 19's attack on humankind. It would appear that close quarters makes a difference. The crammed conditions in big cities and on ships, including Navy ships, increases the opportunity of exposure. But in less populated areas, the effects do not seem to be as shocking.
Our little community in Florida has had two cases, both travel related. The patients are safe at home and have never been hospitalized. In all of Hernando, our county, the number of people tested positive is 84, with 19 hospitalizations and 3 deaths. Knowing that the deaths involved compromised individuals, the virus damage is not staggering. At least in my feeble mind.
Even in our old home town of Tuscaloosa, the number of cases is far below the previous government estimates. Having the school evacuated would have changed the estimates, I presume. But the alarm bells still seem a little loud, given the actual inflicted damage.
I have been avoiding going out of our home, as much as I can. When Kat says she needs to buy food, we always have a talk about focussing on getting only the necessities on her list and getting out of the store as quickly as possible. She does call several neighbors, in advance, to see what they need, prior to leaving. And we talk about maintaining distance. We have, I think, been model citizens in this regard. On her return, she always has laughable stories. It seems every trip has become an adventure. There are always people going the wrong way in aisles, that are now marked with arrows, in an attempt to keep shoppers from having to face each other in the aisle. Inevitably, those going the wrong way are always upset that they are having to face so much oncoming traffic. And many customers seem more rude and anxious than before. That does make some sense. Sadly. But true, I think. Being cooped up takes its toll.
So, our lawn has needed some topsoil. It has been so for almost two months. And our lawn care people have not been bashful about telling me. This problem, as slight as it is, has been compounded by driveway issues. The weeds are gaining advantage and things do not look at all pleasing. A simple problem. I have, in our garage, the world's largest bottle of weed killer. So what, pray tell, could be the problem.
Life, in times like these, does not give you donuts. It give you donut holes. Nada. The sprayer on the bottle does not work. It has not worked for some time. Because of the self quarantine situation, I have not gone back to Lowe's to get a replacement. This problem did not appear serious enough to involve a shopping trip. Not "necessary", as is the recommendation. Until now.
Unhappily, and reluctantly, I sent myself off on a mission to get a replacement for my family-sized weed killer. As I was going to do that, I thought I might as well get the topsoil as well. A deep breath, and off I went, into the land of Covid 19. Face mask at the ready. I felt it was akin to going to war with a pocket full of bullets, but no actual gun. Good luck.
Lowe's is well prepared. At the regular customer entry, a line for returns is well marked. The fact that the line begins outside the door, caused me some trepidation. However, they had large blue dots painted, probably three feet apart, clearly indicating that one should stand there, until the dot in front of you came open, that customer moving forward. Hanging on to my drum of weed killer, I waited. Then, I moved to the next dot. It was a slow line. Some might say interminable. I might agree. But I waited. My time was not without some humorous moments. Or they seemed so, at the time.
We, the product return people, were many. The staff handling the line were few. In fact, fewer than few. There was but one. A single young man. Quite young, I thought. Although these days, Methusala would seem a spring chicken. Lowe's had built a protective barrier for him. A large , clear, plastic barrier had been installed, leaving a space about two feet, between it and his desk.
A man ahead of me, and there were many, was returning a base for a patio umbrella. For some reason, the pole for the umbrella would not fit in the opening of the base. An uncommon problem, I thought. My mind having drifted to other things. When the refund was issued, the customer and the clerk tried to push the stand through the opening, so that it could be put away. It would not fit. That was obvious from where I was standing. Way back, where I stood. On my new blue dot. I was heaving with silent laughter. Doing my best to be sympathetic. The weak minded need understanding. I was not providing any. They wrestled and tussled with their adversary, but the base remained stubborn. The poor clerk finally realized that he had to come around the desk and into the public domain to retrieve the base from the customer. So much for the protective window. And the clerk was maskless, as well. Social distancing be damned.
Customers around me were not staying on their blue dots. In fact, those who were outside the building, had all come inside. Tired of waiting, I'm sure. The notion of dots was forgotten. But now we were a mob. Any structure we had, was gone. Without exaggeration, one quite elderly man began sneezing. Big messy sneezes. And not into his arm. All over the place. There was a podium beside the queue, intended for antibacterial wipes. And this would be the time. However, a hand printed sign had been left. "Out of wipes".
I handed my spray bottle to the poor clerk, and while I was fetching my card from my wallet, he scanned the code on the bottle and advised me that it was not purchased at Lowes. I am at this store all the time. It is handy. I don't go all the way across the road to Home Depot. Shortest distance wins. Where else would I have bought a gargantuan bottle. Oh yeh. Costco. Now what? I am not going all the way there. Not today.
I returned the bottle to the car and drove to the other end of the parking lot, where the gardening supplies are located. For some inexplainable reason, I was not in the best of moods.
I left the car and headed in to buy a new weed killer and the topsoil. When I got to the gate, I saw the lineup to pay. There was a single cashier. Probably fifteen carts in line. I became unhinged. It was not the weeds that needed killing. This place was ridiculous. I turned, went to the car. And home. No spray. No topsoil. Blood pressure spike. A nonessential trip to a nonessential store, most certainly.
At home, my friend just laughs at me and my tale of woe. Apparently, I am on this earth for the amusement of others. One other, anyway.
Last week I wrote about music, and what it means to me. I purposely set a trap, for the sake of a bit of humor. I called eminem "M and M", to emphasize my lack of rap knowledge. I thought I would be ridiculed by somebody. Either y'all are too busy to jump on me, or too polite, or you, my friends, are beyond young and do not know the difference. Or care. I'll try harder next time.
I finish by thanking you. I cannot emphasis how much I admire and appreciate my small circle of friends. Many of us have survived sickness and tragedy in our lives. We have lost some of those we loved most. Several of you, right now, are fighting for a return to better health.
What is shared among you, is the gift of a remarkable human spirit. The ability to handle the onslaught of our world's problems, and the strength to find your way to the other side. To maintain your dignity and your grace. You are special and make a difference. Please do not stop.
Our grass is struggling and our driveway is being smothered, but all of these gorgeous flowers abound in our yard. They act like premadonnas. At least they don't brag out loud.
Lock yourself in. Sleep tight. Someday our beaches will see footprints again. Kath and I cannot wait for that walk.
Love from our home to yours. Hang tough Rose. This too, shall end. And it will end well.
jrobinmullen@gmail.com
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