April 23

This has been an odd week because we actually had to go out three days two of which we had planned. Monday we had to go out for Mom's blood work and decided to go to the local dairy since we were there anyway on Tuesday. We had to go to the supermarket and to our dollar store to replenish some of our pantry and cleaning supplies. The unexpected trip was to pickup a prescription yesterday. Oh how things have changed. We normally time our shopping for low volume times and that hasn't changed. However other aspects have changed. There were no crowds anywhere. I don't think the supermarket had even a dozen customers in it and only three at the dollar store. The panicked buying of a month ago has disappeared. Both of the close supermarkets have designated which door is the entrance and which the exit, and have made all aisles one way. I think the clerks are also feeling the stress. The friendliness we are used to has evaporated replaced by a reasonably polite curtness without eye contact and seemingly determined to accomplish her task in as little time as possible with as little interaction as possible. Before the virus we would meander through the store chatting with other shoppers and spend some time at the check out chatting with the cashier and no one in a hurry. I miss that.

I wasn't sure I was going to post anything about reading until I found this. A well deserved and well stated criticism of the Roberts Court.

Not long ago I got really tired (read pissed off) by the "Thank you for your service" uttered by everyone when talking to or about veterans and active duty military. I felt at the time that it was the least our society could do for people called heroes--and by least I mean it was given in lieu of any more meaningful expression of gratitude, like better health care, better terms for mortgage interests, better educational grants. The expression demanded the least effort, thought, or emotion from the people uttering the sentiment. I feel the same about the constant reference to the "frontline" heroes and the "essential" workers. The expressions of gratitude are nice but the least that can be done for those people. Many of the so-called essential workers are low wage employees in delivery services, grocery stores. How about paying them a living wage and providing comprehensive health care? More than 15% of the medical personnel dealing with the pandemic are immigrants whose status is threatened by #45's new immigration executive order. Great way to thank them for their service.

I liked a comment from a commenter on a news segment yesterday which claimed that the United States government is plagued with mediocrity from the top down. I would amend that just a bit because mediocrity is too generous a term for the phenomenon. When I hit on a better one I will get back to you. In the mean time provide your own substitute.

April 21

We have made a resolution: we aren't going to watch #45's campaign rallies masked as  daily "news" briefings. Even when he turns the podium over to some other official it is an exercise in buffing his ego. 

Here is an interesting post on the spate of demonstrations against the coronavirus restrictions. The author is right about the meaninglessness of the various slogans. "Freedom from fear" begs two questions: Freedom from what and fear of what? But I would ask another question which has only been slightingly mentioned in the coverage of the nicely staged events: is this really a grassroots movement or is it astroturf? Nobody has followed the money. By the way why should someone's "freedom" to flirt with the virus mean that I (or anyone else) also have to do the same. 

I found this by Susie Madrak just after I wrote the bit above. Why am I not surprised that the backers are a roster of ultra right-wing idiots? My translation of the above slogan: My right to make gads of money is more important than your right to live.

The spirit of Johnny Appleseed lives on. I noted yesterday the fragility of our industrial system which relies on a narrow supply line often ending in a single supplier in a foreign country. Unfortunately, our agriculture system has developed its own industrial system which relies on a small (and growing smaller) number of varieties of fruits, vegetables, and grains that are suitable to large scale growing, harvesting, transport and sale. I have seen a number of recently developed apple varieties in the produce section of supermarkets including a some from overseas and a couple that are genetically engineered. Perhaps the rediscovery of antique varieties will provide some resilience at least in apples.

I think this comes under the "what goes around comes around" file. Anti-mask league in 1918 San Francisco; anti-social distancing demonstrations today.

David Frum at The Atlantic describes exactly what #45 is doing: basically it is a "heads I win; tails you lose" strategy.

Another interesting article at The Atlantic by George Packer. I have noted for some time the breathtaking decline in our respect for expertise, most of our institutions, and for our political/economic "leaders." There was a time when my father's disdain for "eggheads" was an exception. Now it seems to be vastly expanded to groups even Dad would have respected. But then, considering the item on the 1918 flu response, not necessarily unprecedented.

April 20

Good morning, all. I wasn't sure I was going to post but I am finding some interesting items.

Tomdispatch this morning has a piece by Rebecca Gordon that hit so many chords. We may also be part of the so-called ratings that #45 touts. We started out tuning in to see if any good medical information was going to be announced. Unfortunately, the real experts have been pushed to the end of what is a long diatribe which is either an exaggerated brag session featuring his own "greatness" or a sickening pity party. We turn off the second variety more quickly than the first but haven't sat through the entire campaign-rallies-by-another-name shows for weeks now.

This is an outrageous situation that is continuing. A friend who lives in Colorado had a link to one of the local newspapers that ran the story of the "theft" of 500 respirators the (Democratic) governor had ordered by Federal agents and the "generous" gift of 100 respirators from #45 at the behest of embattled (Republican) senator Cory Gardener who is run for reelection is in trouble. Governor Pritzker of Illinois arranged two shipments by private carriers from China and kept the details secret so the Feds wouldn't interdict (steal) the supplies the states or hospitals traced down and paid for.

I have to be a bit fair to #45. Like a stopped clock that is right twice a day, he can be right every once in a while. Last night at a meandering news conference of the "buff the ego" variety he did make an extensive remark about the problem of supply lines. I don't believe for a moment that he, in his infinite genius and wisdom, had been warning about the fragility of our extended and narrowly sourced supply lines. Sometime ago we remarked that if we ever got into a major war--not the brushfire wars of the past 40 years or so but against a major enemy like Russia or China--we would have to totally rebuild our manufacturing capacity almost from the ground up. Almost everything we need is produced off shore.

We went out today because Mom needed blood tests for her doctor's appointment next week. We went to the small hospital (the local part of a larger regional chain) instead of the other hospital we normally go to because her doctor changed affiliation as of the first of the year. About half of the patients wore masks and all were maintaining their social distancing. Interestingly the nurse (?) who drew her blood said that because we weren't under 18 and obviously weren't pregnant (at ages 71 and  88 I should hope not!) the hospital didn't require masks for us. All the employees were wearing masks and disinfecting pens and surfaces between each patient. We also took the opportunity to go to the dairy which we were going to do anyway tomorrow. All customers waited their turn to enter and wore masks. There isn't really enough room to maintain distance inside--it is a really small space. For the first time in 20+ days (our last 2 visits) the meat freezer was full so someone got production and/or deliveries up again. The clerk told us that another hospital was taking everyone's temperature (not done at the other) and giving the person a tracking device with the warning that if they wandered off the prescribed path to their destination they would be arrested!! Shortly after we got home we got a call from the doctor's office. The nurse asked about her blood work because the doctor needed the results before he would renew her prescriptions and if she would mind doing a "phone visit" for her appointment instead of an office visit. Evidently they are doing that when they can for their willing patients until the coronavirus situation is resolved. No problem.

April 19

The snow, as predicted, didn't last. The temperatures were much too warm. It is already at 52F a little after 9am. We should have a string of nice days in the high 50s and perhaps reaching 70 on a couple of days. From the weatherman's lips to the gods' ears. I just checked the pots outside. One of the large ones have I forgot which flower coming back as well as the creeping Jenny I planted with it. I am surprised because I thought I would have to dig out the whole thing. I did dig out one of the spearmint pots. Nothing at all coming back there and I may dig out the other spearmint pot which shows only two anaemic shoots. So far all six of the spearmint cuttings I salvaged from that one runner are surviving. I will be happy if only two of them make it and ecstatic if all of them do. The bee balm is doing very well--in fact better than it did last year. The yarrow is still doing well. I have a whole bunch of clean up planned for the dry parts of the week and a re-positioning of many of the containers.

Euronews asks an interesting question: Why are so many of you baking bread during the coronavirus lockdown? Evidently our local stores weren't the only ones run out of flour. We had thought to get a 5lb bag because our canister was nearly empty. We bought three: one to fill the canister and two more just in case. We haven't started baking our own bread because we have been able to get adequate supplies--so far. However, we can easily start any time. I stopped baking bread a couple of years ago because our eating habits changed and we were eating less so baking our own wasn't worth the time or resources. I keep a sourdough starter going for pancakes mostly and can easily ramp up for biscuits or bread.

Well, I did more than I intended outside but it is time to stop for the day. I swept out a large section of the patio, moved the wheeled trash tote to its new home and moved the three tiered pot and its stand into place. I wanted it in a position where I could easily reach all parts of it. And I found two cells of it had chives coming back--another winter survival.

April 17

If you thought winter is over you aren't looking out my window. We are getting wet, measurable (predicted to measure up to 4+ inches) snow. Yeah! I said SNOW. My various containers are covered including the ones showing new growth in the bee balm, peppermint and yarrow pots. I'm not particularly worried since they survived being frozen over the worst of the winter. However, it does put a stop to any clean up I had planned. Too wet, too cold. But we are still 4-6 weeks away from our safe planting time. All of the plants I started are doing well. I just potted the cuttings that came off the spearmint runner I brought in about a month ago. They had been in water and doing nicely. The peppermint I accidentally pulled up while cleaning up the pot is also doing well but is still in water. I will give it another couple of weeks before separating the plants and putting them in soil. I also filled nine more pots and will seed them tomorrow.

It is a bit of a shock to realize that we are half past April already. Several people on line and on the various news feeds I listen to or read have commented about how they lose track of days. Is it Wednesday or Thursday? How did I miss Tuesday entirely? We organize our lives around what have we do and where we have to be each day. My time was once organized by semesters and on which days/times the classes I attended/taught were scheduled. Or according to what time on which day I had to be at work.  I have been fully retired for 10 years and my days are not at all organized. I do have things I want to do but no time by which or during which they have to be done. Those bloggers/commenters who live mostly outside the economy (retired or working from home on their own businesses or somehow supporting themselves without a "steady" job, which isn't so steady any more) are doing much better psychologically than so many others who are going "stir crazy."

Ronni Bennett writes about the "virus demons" and how to handle them. And, reading the post and some of the responses, I realize that my days are actually fairly structured. Our furry little alarm clocks (a.k.a., the cats) wake us between 3:30 and 4;30 each morning. We watch local news and then switch over to another news, often the BBC until 7:30 or so during which time I do some form of needlework. Wash up, make beds, dress and have breakfast and then deal with the e-mail and posts followed by our main meal between 12 and 1pm. In between I might do more needlework, tend my plants or fill pots for more seeds planting season being not far off. Or I might do some clean up outside getting ready for transplanting. Or read. We get the afternoon local news and might watch some of #45's so-called briefing so long as he stays on topic and doesn't shift into his brag mode/pity party mode. I have seen the protests against the shutdowns and restrictions. It doesn't surprise me. People want their old life back and they need a paycheck. Last stats I saw indicate that a majority of our population live paycheck to paycheck and have little or no savings. Is it any wonder that at least one food bank in Texas had an astounding line of cars and served something like 10,000. I have heard similar stories from other places. If I had to choose between starvation and the possibility of getting the corona virus, I would choose the virus. And the too-oft-heard argument that such a choice not only exposes me to the virus but everyone in the family doesn't really hold against hungry people at home.

Well, #45 has finally got his way--at least so far as governor are discussing how they might open up the economy. It had no real specifics--not surprising since he doesn't do facts. And it paved the way for him to claim credit if all goes well (after all he told them to do it) and to slither out of the blame if things don't go well (THEY screwed up my perfect plan). And I doubt the economy is going to come roaring back to what it was before the pandemic. People have too much to catch up on--like any rent or mortgage payments that were suspended, like any utility bills that were suspended, like any car payments that were suspended, etc. And we don't know how many business won't be opening up again. How many of those 26+ million people laid off since mid March will have jobs to go back to?
And without a reliable treatment hopefully coupled with widespread, reliable testing we have no assurance that we won't be back in the crapper real soon.

April 13

Well, this week the government promises that the $1200 "stimulus checks" will go out--or at least most of them. We, here, are going to take that with a big grain of salt and expect it when we see it.

I spent part of yesterday getting all my seedling pots watered. Most are doing very well. I will probably have to start another pot of woad. The single seedling isn't looking very well. It took a while but the valerian and several others have finally started sprouting. I will fill a several new pots this week and start several new sets of seeds and transplant several spearmint cuttings. I also cut the pieces for four new masks. We are expecting the pandemic situation to continue for a while. Indiana is still on the upswing of the slope. Illinois may be about to hit peak but they don't know for sure. I pinned the pieces today and will finish the masks tomorrow.

So, here's what I am reading today:

Tomdispatch has a new post by Rajan Menon on the stress tests the coronavirus presents to our political and economic system. So far I would have to say the national political institutions have failed. Some states have done much better in this crisis. Others not so much. Right now pundits are debating whether we have an incipient recession or if this is going into the "D" (depression).

Ronni Bennett at Time Goes By expresses some of our thoughts--without the profanity I use in the privacy of our home and sometimes, when my control slips, elsewhere.

James Kunstler at Clusterfuck Nation.

April 14

As you all can tell, I closed up the computer before I posted so I will simply continue with what I am reading today:

Who's Going To Pay For It?--A question that often comes up here in considering more "normal" medical possibilities. A $1000 bill that leaves us with $200 (hopefully) after Medicare is something we can handle but a $10,000 bill that leaves $2000 for us to pay is another matter entirely. Think about a two week hospital stay with several days in ICU on a ventilator.

April 12.  HAPPY EASTER

Some of what I have found lately:

Obscenity #1: Government agencies talking about reducing the wages of ag workers to "help" the industry. 

Obscenity #2: Medical staffing companies often owned by wealthy hedge fund investors cutting doctors' pay while petitioning the Federal government for "help."

Safety net? WHAT SAFETY NET!! I said back when George W. was pushing to create an "ownership society" he should have accurately named it  a "YOU'RE ON YOUR own(er)ship society."

I have read several stories on this problem. A couple of the earliest claimed that the positive COVID-19 test after a patient had tested negative and been discharged was a problem with the test. Given how new some of the tests are that is possible. But the numbers now coming out of S. Korea and China are disturbing and may signal deeper problems. I have also seen some stories which indicates that the immune response may be highly variable and the hopes some researchers are placing on "herd immunity" or recovery serum treatments may not pan out either. This thing is so new we just don't know what to expect.

This sounds sensible to me. The U.S. should do the same. We should have import duties on all items coming into the U.S. market even if the company is allegedly "American." When any company relocates production overseas they should pay a tax on the difference between foreign labor and domestic labor. And they should pay a tax on the difference between a "living" wage and the wages they offer their employees. Those would be good for a start and I can think of a whole lot of other ways to encourage companies to be "good neighbors."

This is interesting.  I have read for some years now that the U.S. domestic oil industry, especially the shale sector, was not really economically viable. It was, and is, living (sort of) on borrowed money and borrowed time. Makes me wonder what #45 promise Mexico to get their cooperation on an OPEC+ deal. He didn't answer that at his Friday "briefing."

Obscenity #3: I had a comment on the problems states, hospitals and other medical groups are having getting their supplies and that, when they do find them, the shipments are being--HIJACKED I think is the best word--by FEMA or some other Federal agency. Maha has a good piece on that here.

April 10

We did our shopping yesterday which we do about every 10 days. We didn't need a lot but the milk was low and that is what we run low on first. That means a trip to the small local dairy. We had a short list that included some vitamin supplements (trip to Walgreens) and a few groceries (a stop at our nearby grocery). The changes over the last 20 days or so are startling. Twenty days ago we saw only 3 people wearing masks and little attention to distancing. Ten days ago more people were wearing masks but much less than half and no employees. They paid a bit more attention to distancing and the stores had placed markers own the floor to indicate a six-foot space. This time almost all customers and employees were masked and everyone was very conscious of the space between people. That included us.

We listened to much of the discussion concerning masks confusing as it was. Some said it wasn't effective unless you got the N95 variety which they were urging people not to use so they could be reserved for healthcare workers. Some said the surgical masks were only somewhat effective in preventing the wearer from spreading the virus to others but these should also be reserved for healthcare providers. Then different stories described desperate healthcare workers begging for any masks at all and gratefully accepting homemade varieties. Finally, some experts said "Well, it can't hurt." We found several sites on line describing how to make a simple homemade mask and over the last weekend made up six for our use. We still weren't sure whether we would actually use them until #45 had his press "briefing" on Saturday night I think it was when he announced the CDC recommendations that everyone wear the masks when they went out. I lost count of how many times he used the word "voluntary." Every other words it seems was "voluntary." "The CDC recommends...but it is voluntary....voluntary...But I won't be doing it....voluntary...I can't see me doing it at the 'resolute desk' greeting presidents, prime ministers, dictators...voluntary." That terrible waste of human flesh (I think its human) has been totally wrong on everything to do with this pandemic so I decided the best course of action is to do exactly the opposite of what he says. Now, again, he is loudly pushing the notion that we need to open up the economy and get back to work. That makes me extremely glad I am retired and no longer have to go to work no matter how I felt or how bad the weather conditions.

We saw some other interesting changes--some of which were not at all surprising. The little dairy usually carries a nice variety of locally sourced meats but their quantities and varieties had been sadly depleted. They were out of the breakfast sausage we would have bought. We did get the milk, butter, and yogurt we needed. Walgreens had everything we had on our list and at a good sale price. We looked for the nitrile gloves but they didn't have any. We have a partial box we bought 3 or 4 years ago. I use them in the garden when I want a more delicate touch than regular gardening gloves can provide. I also wash the gloves after I use them and let them dry. The empty slot for the gloves didn't surprise us given the news reports; however, the pile of Tylenol and other pain relievers behind the front counter with a sign limiting each customer to 1 item did. The clerk said they had been run out of an earlier supply. The grocery store was fairly well stocked except for the bread aisle of which the whole center sections were almost empty. The juice aisle was good so I got the tomato juice we were out of. Almost everyone had their masks, customers and employees. And many had gloves, as did we.

The Federal government has been so totally inept when it comes meeting the pandemic. I can think of a good description that begins with "cluster" and ends with an impolite "f" word. Stories like this show exactly how badly managed this whole mess is. I was amazed when the "First Son-In-Law" claimed at the last press conference he spoke at (first and last press conference, I think) claimed the strategic stockpile was "our" stockpile not "the states' stockpile." Who exactly is covered by "our?" I read a number of homesteader and prepper blogs for useful information not necessarily for political view point. Most of them are doing very well in the present "stay at home" situation because they keep a deep pantry and grow much of their own food. A number of interesting thoughts arise. 1) The FEMA emergency supply checklist starts with food and water (1 gal/person) for at least 3 days. I remember when the list left out the phrase "at least." People who have been possibly exposed are supposed to self-quarantine for 14 days. 2) According to that article linked above had no answers to the question of what happened to the supplies. Four or five years ago the prepper universe was in an uproar about very large orders of survival foods and supplies placed by the Federal government which depleted supplies venders had available for their usual customers. Many speculated that the Feds were preparing for a crisis that would threaten the "continuity of government." 3) Just a few minutes ago the news carried a story that the Michigan governor is tightening the guidelines for "stay at home' and stores that sell a wider range of goods than food cannot sell any non-essential items which include gardening tools and seeds. Interesting. I bought the bulk of my seeds on line but I did pick up about a dozen while grocery shopping at two of our local stores. Given how many of the online sources  have noted difficulty restocking since the "stay at home" orders began. People have turned to gardening in their isolation. I wonder how many will make growing their own food or whatever a normal part of their lives when whatever new normal is established after the pandemic. 4) Maybe after this mess ends we will be looking at a reset of the role of the Federal government. And perhaps we will look for leaders who are competent and believe that government should be run efficiently but not necessarily "like a business." I never thought that a "businessman" would have necessarily been good or bad, or better or worse than a career politician. What we got was a businessman only in the way that an arsonist is a fireman. An illusionist. A fake.

April 1

We did our shopping yesterday. We generally shop every 10 days usually when we are out of milk. Things have definitely changed. Two weeks ago I saw two people with surgical style masks and one with her scarf up around her mouth and nose. Yesterday about 10% of people were masked. The experts are till in dispute over how effective the masks might be for the general public. Most do agree that the surgical and N95 masks should be reserved for medical personnel. One interesting chart showed that places like Singapore and other Asian cities where even in more normal times people wear masks have had lower infection/mortality rates. We looked up a couple of quick and easy ways to sew our own. I have plenty of pretty fabric.

Other things were different also. The little dairy was almost out of the locally produced meats they usually carry. We thought we would pick up some breakfast sausage but it was sold out. We were able to get our butter, milk, and yogurt. The Meijer we normal go to for most of our groceries had major gaps. We decided not to take advantage of the early hour (7-8am) reserved for people our age and didn't get there until just before 9 since we went to the dairy first. However, I don't think they were run out of their stocks in just two hours. No flour at all. None of the yogurt we normally get. Yeah, I know we got yogurt from the dairy but we use the two brands differently and try to keep a couple containers of each. The canned veggies had big gaps. The juice aisle was half empty. The cat litter was almost gone. We got two 26lb boxes when normally we would have got the smaller boxes. We wanted the flour since our canister was almost empty so we went to our back up supermarket. They were totally out of our favorite brands (King Arthur and Red Mill) and were almost out of most of the other brands. We got two of the last three 5 lb bags Ceresota but Pillsbury and Gold Medal were almost gone. They did have a few 10lb bags. We did find the chili beans the other store was out of and got a couple of cans. They didn't have much left there.

April 2

Cut the pieces to make two masks. Will press and pin tomorrow and then sew on Saturday. We were vacillating because the opinions were all over the place on whether non-medical people or emergency responders should wear then. The consensus seems to have settled on yes regular people should wear masks of some kind when they are out of the house. They won't hurt and may help reduce the spread of the virus. However, the surgical and N95 masks should be left for medical personnel. After finishing the first two I will see if I need to adjust the pattern.

Tomorrow I will get the next set of starter pots filled and prepped for seeding over the weekend.

My jaw dropped last week when the new unemployment claims exceeded 3 million. The newest figures more than doubled last week's tally.