March 28

We got an e-mail early last week that one of the stores we shop at frequently are banning the use of their customers' reusable bags. We normally take our own in and were mildly bummed out but they cited the health of their workers and the fact that the reusable bags slow down the lines because their system is not designed to handle them so we figured we would go with the flow for the foreseeable future. However, this article makes me wonder how much of this is pushed by the fossil fuel industry.   Anything to make a buck!!!

A strain of argument in the coronavirus "discussions" now is being raised by politicians especially at the local level: nobody knew. Well, yes---and no. Back in January as we watched the news from China Mom and I were certain that the virus would quickly arrive here. We knew it was coming. What we didn't know was how bad it would be and how utterly inept the response at the Federal level would be. F-ed up probably describes it best.

Although so many people  have had their lives totally upended and are now "incarcerated" at home, if they have one, ours is little changed. Before this we went out to shop, pay our rent, for doctor's appointments, and, occasionally, to visit with family. We still do that. We are retired so no jobs on which our incomes are dependent. However, I have noticed one change. After years of trying to master a hot (though not physically violent) temper and making progress, I find myself out of sorts and short. One of the news shows this morning had a segment that might explain that and some of the blog posts I have been seeing lately. The guest claimed that we are anxious, short tempered, unusually emotional because of grief. We are grieving for the lives we once had and may never see again. So many of the assumptions we made about our lives, the "givens" we depended on shattered when the virus came. That makes a lot of sense.

There are some unexpected green (literally green) shoots: the yarrow and bee balm are thriving after the winter outside. And I found some new shoots on one of the spearmints also after being outside all winter. I have never had anything survive a winter in my container gardens before. It was, admittedly, a mild winter. I plan to take cuttings to root inside for next year. I also found some purple basil shoots emerging from the seeds started last week. I have six more pots ready to plant tomorrow.

Another common theme in some posts over the last couple of weeks: the failure of capitalism. Or rather, of capitalism as it has mutated in our modern world. I commented to Mom a couple of days ago that even if our political leaders had seen what we saw in January (that the virus would reach our shores) they had little time in which to institute measures that would have effectively mitigated the results. Developing tests to detect the virus, developing a vaccine, beefing up hospital capacity, increasing the stocks of protective gear, masks of all kinds and what ever all takes time and we had little if our political leaders hadn't been in denial for two months. But we also have to recognize the fact that the "just-in-time" mentality has infected our entire society far more pervasively than the virus itself will. Even hospitals (or more accurately nowadays, hospital chains) are infected with that mentality and kept enough stock for normal operation assuming that any emergency would be localized and new stocks would be available from unaffected areas and normal suppliers. As I have said before: assume makes an ASS out of U and ME. A commentator remarked that #45 was, as a former "businessman" (by a very liberal definition), was reluctant to interfere with normal market activities even though the situation was nowhere near normal. Comments about getting the economy going again by sending people back to work before the virus was contained has resulted in accusations, probably justified, that the government values profits over people. I have said before that government isn't business and shouldn't be run like a business. A business needs to generate a profit which is measurable by the usual standard--money. Governments don't have such an easily measured standard.

On happier notes: I have made a lot of progress on the to-be embroidered table cloth--the first corner motif is almost done. The virus pattern shawl in lace weight yarn is growing almost daily as is the reversible Tunisian crochet strip that will be joined to others to make...something. I don't know what yet. The last of the thread I needed to get to work on a cross-stitch tablecloth arrived so I will be winding a whole bunch of bobbins tomorrow and will probably start on it Monday.

For now I am going to go read something.