For some reason, the week before last was the hardest so far. I was feeling discouraged and scared. The fear seems to have passed for the time-being, but the discouragement is hard to shake, especially since it's become apparent that life will not return to normal soon, if ever.
Sun., Apr. 5
- Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital with COVID-19.
- Trump is pushing malaria drug (hydroxychloroquin) as a COVID treatment, even though it hasn't been tested.
- There are 337,072 cases in the U.S., with 9,633 deaths. 1,000 people died today.
- Surgeon General Jerome Adams said, "This is going to be the hardest and saddest week of most Americans' lives." (He was right in my case.)
- Don's dad was transferred to transitional care at a nursing home. There are no visitors allowed because of the virus, which has been especially deadly in nursing homes.
- Britain became the deadliest hotspot in Europe.
- Boston's mayor, Marty Walsh, imposed a 9 p.m. -- 6 a.m. curfew to support social distancing.
- Sarah and Don went up to my mom's to clean up her yard.
- 97% of Americans are under stay-at-home orders.
- A Washington Post analysis shows that counties that are majority-black have three times the number of infections and almost six times the number of deaths as counties where white residents are in the majority.
- Models are showing things might not get as bad as predicted. Death estimate is reduced from 94,000 to 82,000 nationwide.
- Cases are starting to plateau in New York City.
- There have been 12,500 deaths in the U.S.
- Singer-songwriter John Prine is dead of COVID at age 73.
- Don made a fun math worksheet for Sarah.
- Sarah wrote a spring poem for school.
- Wuhan, in Hubei Province, China -- where the virus first appeared -- is reopened.
- Philadelphia and Washington, DC, may be the next hotspots.
- Bernie Sanders dropped out of the Democratic Presidential race, leaving Joe Biden the presumptive nominee.
- Our neighbor might have the virus (we're pretty sure she did).
- Nothing like banana bread to bring some comfort into the house.
- CNN anchor Chris Cuomo interviewing his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, always warms my heart.
- The first two cases of COVID-19 in our town are reported.
- The amazing Melissa from our little town's coffee shop, Elbow Room Cafe, placed a wholesale order for 500 lbs. of all-purpose flour and re-packaged it into 10 lb. bags to sell at cost.
- Don and Sarah made roast chicken for dinner.
- 16.8 million Americans lost jobs in the span of three weeks.
- I cut Sarah's four remaining magnesium tablets in half so she won't break her streak of taking them (to quiet her popping jaw) before I buy more.
- When talking about how Easter will be different this year, without gong to church, Sarah said, "The pandemic saved me."
- There are almost 21,000 cases in Massachusetts, with more than 500 deaths.
- More than 2,000 people died of COVID in U.S. today.
- I finished the 1,000-piece puzzle started four weeks ago.
Sat., Apr. 11
- 526,396 cases and 20,463 deaths in the U.S.
- For the first time ever, all 50 states are declared disaster areas.
- We colored eggs for Easter.
Sun., Apr. 12 (Easter)
- I had to take an Easter photo of Sarah. Unfortunately, the only dress we had to work with -- a size 12/14, was already too small.
- We watched the First Church Amherst Easter service on YouTube. It was interrupted by a parade of town emergency vehicles going by with sirens wailing (Abby did not appreciate it).
- Our wonderful neighbors Kim and her son Joshua hid eggs in the yard last night so Sarah could enjoy an outdoor egg hunt.
- The U.S. death toll surpassed Italy's and became the highest in the world. There are 686 dead in Massachusetts.
- Don cooked a ham and au gratin potatoes dinner. We brought Mom a plate and some coconut macaroons. We visited at a safe distance, wearing masks the whole time.
- Trump retweeted a call to fire Dr. Fauci (the leading epidemiologist who is trying to guide the federal government's response) because he said the U.S. could have acted sooner to control spread of the virus.
Mon., Apr. 13
- 25,000 Americans dead, nearly 1,000 in Massachusetts.
- Trump says it's his say when to re-open the country. He's wrong, of course; governors will decide when to open their states.
Tues., Apr. 14
- Trump has his signature put in the memo line of stimulus checks being sent to citizens; the last-minute decision caused a delay in printing.
- Trump says he'll cut funding to the World Health Organization because of how they handled the pandemic -- he has to have someone to blame.
Wed., Apr. 15
- I went grocery shopping for the first time in April. Got to Big Y a little after 8:00 a.m. and was thankful to find it pretty empty. Employees were disinfecting carts outside. The shopping went smoothly, but there was no pork, steel-cut oats, or disinfecting wipes, and I had to make substitutions for some items. Checkout took 45 minutes. I waited in the liquor aisle, in spaces taped on the floor to maintain six feet distance. Every other lane was open, again to maintain distance, I assume. The cashier wiped the conveyor belt between customers. There was no bagger, so I helped out. I felt bad for the hard-working cashier. Wish I could keep my glasses from fogging up when I wear a mask.
- 28,000 Americans dead. Nearly 30,000 cases in MA; 1,100 deaths.
- Chris Cuomo's wife has COVID.
- Sarah's latest "practical life skills" lesson was changing the oil in the lawn mower.
Thurs., Apr. 16
- I shared happy hour with coworkers via Zoom. It was a bit awkward, but nice to chat.
- Trump released a three-phase plan for re-opening the country.
- Sarah continues Zoom class meetings on Mondays and Thursdays. Abby likes to sit in.
Fri., Apr. 17
- U.S. had 22 million people seek jobless benefits in the last four weeks.
- New models from the University of Washington say Vermont, West Virginia, Montana, and Hawaii could open 5/4; most states mid-to-late May; rest of states (including Massachusetts) June/July.
- People held open-up rallies in states with Democratic governors, including and Minnesota, Michigan. Trump sent tweets of support.
- Sarah and I visited Little Free Libraries in town and found a new book for her.
Sat., Apr. 18
- We got 3" of snow overnight. Not so fun in mid-April.
- We couldn't put off clipping Abby any longer. I bought clippers on Ebay a few weeks ago but was scared to use them. Turns out they were perfectly safe; in fact, we had a hard time getting them to cut her thick, fluffy coat. She was completely cooperative, but after an hour, we had managed to do only her back, and a choppy job at that. Don worked on her some more in the afternoon. Poor thing...she's still cute but not adorable the way she is when she returns from a professional groom. We didn't touch her ears, and she looks a lot like Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street.
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
- My mom fell and couldn't get back up. I tried calling her at 1:00 and didn't get an answer. After trying a few more times, I went to her house around 4:00 and found her sitting in front of the refrigerator. Brian was putting out hay for the cows, so I called him in, and we lifted her up. She was worn out and couldn't stand, but unhurt. George and Chelsey arrived soon after and stayed with her for a bit while I went home to make dinner.
- Don's dad has been in the hospital and nursing home for two weeks.
- The New York Times publishes a story that says a contaminated CDC lab was responsible for the early failed tests.
- Nearly 2,000 new cases and 156 deaths in Massachusetts overnight.
- 735,366 cases in U.S.; 39,095 deaths. 36,372 cases in Massachusetts; 1,560 deaths.
- Gov. Baker says we're "right in the middle of the surge" in Massachusetts, with the third highest per capita rate in the country, after New York and New Jersey.
- We continue to work on Abby's groom, bit by bit. The $60 I pay every eight weeks is worth every penny.
We may need to stay home well past the current May 4 target for opening up. Some projections are saying it might be June or July before some of the social restrictions are lifted. Testing is still the big hurdle. Until we have readily available, reliable testing to make sure individuals are well enough to go out, we shouldn't let anyone out. Ugh.
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