Pandemic: Week 1
We've been hearing about Corona Virus and even laughing about it a little over here in the US for a few months now. I can't even pinpoint when it all started. But then people started dying. China closed up shop on several major cities. Information was conflicting for the US. Suddenly Italy is underwater in viral outbreak. A cruise ship is quarantined, including US passengers, one of them from Utah, who comes straight home, goes to the hospital, stays quarantined and remains asymptomatic. The very same day he was announced to have been at the hospital, Mike comes down with a cough. It came from contact with Alani who has a much shorter lived version but seems to have brought us all a little treat. After Mike, Airi got it. They both ran a very low-grade fever for part of a day and had a day of just general feeling super crummy. I got it last and it just lingers and lingers. I hadn't been in to my office for almost a week, when Corona aka Covid-19 started taking over the country by storm.
In the past 2 weeks we have gone from 2 cases in Utah, to literally the entire US shutting halfway down. 10 days ago a Jazz player was found with Corona, and the NBA shut down, then Spring Open for Baseball was called off, the next day a teacher in the Murray school district was found to have had direct contact with someone who was positive for Covid-19. I mean, my mind goes directly to. . .this person must have TOUCHED one of these Jazz players, until now there were 2 confirmed cases in Utah, then these 2 Jazz players, the only way to have had direct contact with someone who was a KNOWN positive, would have been one of these four people. I feel so confused about how and when people are tested. I hear that test aren't available, but famous people seem to be able to access them post haste, I hear that test results take time to come back, people aren't getting approved to even be tested until symptoms are bad enough. Then there was drive up testing, only it wasn't. It was drive-up triage to decide if you should be tested, and if you didn't answer the questions right, you were turned away, told to come back if you start exhibiting symptoms you can't control on your own. Even the symptoms to watch for are confusing. So, suddenly famous people are testing positive. Suddenly our school district just up and, in the middle of the day, says, everyone will begin homeschooling with your school assigned chromebooks tomorrow.
And I went shopping on Friday. I guess I should back up to the previous weekend when there was a run on toilet paper and everyone was mocking the people making a run on sanitizer and toilet paper, until there WAS NONE to be found! And that Monday I saw TP at the Taylorsville Fresh Market where we were having our cookie booth, but Airi was still too sick to come hang out at (everyone scared of coughs right now and all), and I thought. . .if THIS place has TP, surely the shortage and the panic will not last long. My mom, sister and I were just sharing TP memes back and forth. But then news that there really wasn't any to be found, or the sanitizer, or wipes. So I stood outside of a Harmon's for 4 hours on Thursday night, for a cookie booth, feeling totally not at all panicked, and I never even thought to buy groceries. I bought a sandwich across the street at Toni Caputto's (well, dinner for all of us) and I bought some hairbands inside the store for Alani. We were already told when we got there, that the store had no hand sanitizer or toilet paper. It was starting to feel a little weird.
Now it's Friday. I decide to hit up TJ's because it's a little more obscure, this is when I started to realize the reality of things. I ran into Renee, we BSed about the weirdness of it all, her girls still had school. That evening. . .her kids had NO school. All of our community sports, and competitions were called off, local off-Broadway plays too. I met with Melanie this day. She and the kids right out of the domestic violence shelter, needing whatever was leftover in the food pantry. I grabbed 3 extra potatoes. At Trader Joe's there had been NO chicken or turkey, there was salmon, but otherwise beef and pork only. There had been like 2 cartons of eggs left, I took them. There had been no frozen veggies or fruits. There were approximately 10 cans of diced tomatoes, and no other canned tomato products, cheese was running low, not the fancy stuff, just the shredded stuff. I bought the fresh veggies I could at the time. But there were, of ALL of the potatoes, only five or six bags of mini potatoes left, 4 days before St. Pat's. So I grabbed up a couple of bags, knowing I had a 5 pounder at home and we'd be fine. . .but once at the food pantry, I second guessed, and I snagged three large red potatoes. We had a cookie booth after that, at the Macey's.
I pulled into the parking lot, I can't even remember why now, at 8:30 on Friday night, and Melissa happened to be hopping in her car, I asked if we were still planning on the gym at 9pm. The gym had shut down earlier that day, and the library had just given notice that they would be closing their doors for an unknown amount of time, as of closing today. We went over and grabbed up more movies than a person needs, a book or two for Alani, and that was that. The library hasn't been open in 8 days. Oh, Jesse and Caitlyn came through for a little bit on Friday evening too.
Saturday we had a cookie booth. We were told just to go along with our business, continue booths, since they were not gathering spaces, and to use extra precaution with sanitizer, etc. We're 2 hours into a 6 hour cookie booth when we're sent a notice to immediately shut down. Within 2 days we would be told that girls are no longer allowed to deliver any cookies still in their homes, for customers, until kids return to school. Mike had gone in the morning for a vasectomy. It was "a journey I have to make on my own" as he said :) He had a rough go. The damage to one testicle made it nearly impossible, and the doctor had to do a procedure he normally does once, to cauterize both sides, twice, to cauterize one at a time. He was a little traumatized, then had a moment to cry about both the trauma and that he will never make babies again. He healed quickly and nicely, but we were as nice as possible for her 72 hour rest period.
So there we were, Saturday afternoon, almost everything shut down. Within 2 days all school districts in Utah had shut. We didn't even go to church on Sunday morning, though they held services, and to my kids' dismay, we elected to stay home. My cough was kind of bad by then, but I never had a fever or felt crummy, just sounded gross. On Sunday, having heard all weekend that the Costco parking lot was overly full for days, we got a notice on the Murray Citizen's page, that Costco FINALLY had a restock of toilet paper and was rationing people one bag per household. The girls and I walked over, Mike still on 72 hour rest, it was windy, but I've committed to 4x/wk 35 min/day exercise, so I walked over to fulfill my promise. We stood in a line, too close, we were allowed in 20 at a time (at this point people were told groups no larger than 100 and Costco, despite other grocery stores being laxidasical) was doing its best. We were handed a cart by a gloved person, after the handle had already been wiped down. Then we went to the back of the store to another short line that wrapped around the dog food aisle, and were offered one TP and one Paper Towel, like we were being offered peas and mashed potatoes in a lunch line. I declined the paper towels, I had no way to carry them home and we already have a pretty fresh stock. We actually still had a six pack of TP at home too, and other secret rolls around the house, but since they had OUR brand in stock, I supposed I should not press my luck and just bought a little earlier than I might normally. I also carried home 46 pounds of drinks in my backpack, while the girls carried home a smaller share of the drinks they'd picked ou.
By Monday the world was quiet. My office is still up and running, which I think is a little insane, but I've still not been in. I've been asked, by Rob, to stay away, since I've reported a cough, even though the cough seems to be benign, letters have gone out saying people who have symptoms will be sequestered and asked to leave. So I've just not gone in. By Monday restaurants were starting to close their dining spaces, we were told no gatherings larger than 50. School "softly" closed until March 30th.
But since Monday? San Francisco and Sonoma Counties both went into Shelter in Place, NYC as well. Then ALL of California. They have to travel with papers to prove they have essential jobs that can not be done from home! Since Monday? We had St. Patrick's Day and everyone knows the phrase "social distancing" means staying at least 6 feet from people at all times, who do not live in your immediate household. Airi and I left a shamrock at the end of each driveway on our street, and online I encouraged Murray neighbors to put up shamrocks in their windows so we could all go on a shamrock hunt. We found 7 purposeful window shamrocks and 10 or 11 others on doors of people accidentally playing along with their festive decor. I'd previously purchased small gifts for the girls, so at least I was covered there too.
My sister cancelled her trip out due to a snow storm, but then concern that she'd get stuck here and not be able to leave. With hotels closing, we would have had nowhere for all these kids to go. And now, with cities closing, she really may have gotten stuck here.
On Wednesday, we woke up to a 5.7 earthquake followed by a day full of aftershocks, one being more of a second earthquake of 3.4. It was 7:30am. Murray schoolers were doing school at home for the fourth day, but many, less prepared school districts were just planning to start their school at home on that day. We were all jolted awake. Alani slept through. Mike was in the bathroom and ran go the hallway. I was awakened, but my brain did not comprehend what was happening. Airi was also awakened, more from the pens falling, then the movement. I took that opportunity at 7:30am to talk with the girls about how earthquakes occur and why, and what it was like living through a really big earthquake in California. Congratulations, science for the day is done . . . at 7:30am. Airi thought she'd never go back to sleep, but she did, for a long time. On Wednesday we let Kendra and Airi do the farm together, while I had to show a house. That was a little bit of a bummer. . .the house that is.
By Thursday and Friday things were more somber, more real, more closures of everything, people ALREADY being laid off because of the unknown time before things can open again. Dentists have closed for 3 weeks. By Thursday all gyms and the movie theaters finally closed too. I'm not sure what took them so long!
And then, the death tolls from Italy, they keep rolling in and they have increased dramatically this week, over 400 gone in one night, and a few nights later, last night, over 700 people have died. People are sharing their stories of having the virus, or recovering or not, of the treatment they've received. Doctors in Italy dying themselves. Shortages of basic supplies for medical professionals. A President who is an idiot through it all and too many people who hung on to an early message and won't change their tune even though he has! Timelines of Presidential speeches where he could have and should have warned and made a plan, but denied the implications of what a worldwide pandemic could and would do in the US.
But oh the humanity. So many famous vocalists, giving concerts from their living rooms. So many gifted and talented artists and writers, giving time and talent to us all, famous humans reading bedtime stories in beloved voices (I'm looking at you Olaf), museums giving out free virtual tours, NASA science classes, Disney dropping things from movie theaters into Disney Plus months early for free viewing, free online homeschool classes, artists teaching doodling, daily zookeeper lives at famous zoos across the US. . . I dare say my calendar is more full than ever before! And people sharing and caring for one another. It's been gorgeous and wonderful and emotional and the most beautiful display ever!
What's next? Today Kendra and Airi both happened to ask to go to the farm about the same time. We met there this time, but Airi stayed longer, and that is the last time. I don't want to kill her little spirit because she LOVES the animals so much, but until the people there are practicing safe social distancing, we just can not open ourselves up to the possibilities! Better sad than sick and never recovering.
I don't even remember the days now, but I also picked up a cool hoop house from Jeff & Christy. I had to go two days in a row, because it wouldn't fit in the truck, so the second day Tom, my client, brought his big truck and hauled it to my house. Oh that was Monday and Tuesday, because I delivered the P fam cheese on Tuesday and there was a shamrock cheese to be had.
It's been a little tough on the girls, no UVault this weekend, no first competition with the Ice Production Team, no time on the ice, no time with friends, no getting together. But a lot lot lot of memes shared between my mom, sister and I. A lot lot lot of time cuddled on the couch with the girls. A lot lot lot of silent worry over whether my job will soon become obsolete or we won't be allowed to leave our homes. Lots of talk about flattening the curve by staying home.
Stores: Friday the 13th Trader Joes followed by Sprouts and IFA between 11-2pm
Melanie and Steve at the Food Pantry 2-3:30
Macey's Holladay: cookie booth 4-8pm and Airi Taylorsville Fresh Market 6-8pm
Saturday the 14th Macey's Holladay 12-2. I did buy a few items during this time
Sunday the 15th Costco 2-3pm
Wednesday the 18th Sprouts 6-7pm Mike grabbed me some cough drops and antacids
Other contact: Farm Wednesday 18th 2-6pm, chic-fil-a Friday 20th, 5-6pm, and Farm Saturday 21st 2-6pm
From here, we probably have a week of groceries if I play my cards right. We need to pull back even further than we have been. My office, as far as I am aware, remains open. I am willing to work with clients virtually or through virtual walk-throughs or with preventative measures. I'm not sure how long my job will go on if we receive a shelter in place notice.
I worry and wonder if there is some underhanded scheme occurring. I wonder why or how this is suddenly in existence and out of control. It's hard not to let the mind wander.
Until I know the next step, I have to work harder than I am working. Last week was SO bizarre, I took the week off. Thursday I had a fun and funloving attitude, but Friday I turned sad and Saturday has been frustrating. I get frustrated when I see others listing and sharing homes, and I call all of the people who've said, yeah, March/April and now suddenly none of them will make a move. Someone is out there who needs me. And I'm okay if I don't make a million dollars on this side of the pandemic. There's a lot of halted bill service already happening, but not all of it, and until it's ALL on hold, I need to push as hard as I can to help as many people as I possibly can right now!
In the past 2 weeks we have gone from 2 cases in Utah, to literally the entire US shutting halfway down. 10 days ago a Jazz player was found with Corona, and the NBA shut down, then Spring Open for Baseball was called off, the next day a teacher in the Murray school district was found to have had direct contact with someone who was positive for Covid-19. I mean, my mind goes directly to. . .this person must have TOUCHED one of these Jazz players, until now there were 2 confirmed cases in Utah, then these 2 Jazz players, the only way to have had direct contact with someone who was a KNOWN positive, would have been one of these four people. I feel so confused about how and when people are tested. I hear that test aren't available, but famous people seem to be able to access them post haste, I hear that test results take time to come back, people aren't getting approved to even be tested until symptoms are bad enough. Then there was drive up testing, only it wasn't. It was drive-up triage to decide if you should be tested, and if you didn't answer the questions right, you were turned away, told to come back if you start exhibiting symptoms you can't control on your own. Even the symptoms to watch for are confusing. So, suddenly famous people are testing positive. Suddenly our school district just up and, in the middle of the day, says, everyone will begin homeschooling with your school assigned chromebooks tomorrow.
And I went shopping on Friday. I guess I should back up to the previous weekend when there was a run on toilet paper and everyone was mocking the people making a run on sanitizer and toilet paper, until there WAS NONE to be found! And that Monday I saw TP at the Taylorsville Fresh Market where we were having our cookie booth, but Airi was still too sick to come hang out at (everyone scared of coughs right now and all), and I thought. . .if THIS place has TP, surely the shortage and the panic will not last long. My mom, sister and I were just sharing TP memes back and forth. But then news that there really wasn't any to be found, or the sanitizer, or wipes. So I stood outside of a Harmon's for 4 hours on Thursday night, for a cookie booth, feeling totally not at all panicked, and I never even thought to buy groceries. I bought a sandwich across the street at Toni Caputto's (well, dinner for all of us) and I bought some hairbands inside the store for Alani. We were already told when we got there, that the store had no hand sanitizer or toilet paper. It was starting to feel a little weird.
Now it's Friday. I decide to hit up TJ's because it's a little more obscure, this is when I started to realize the reality of things. I ran into Renee, we BSed about the weirdness of it all, her girls still had school. That evening. . .her kids had NO school. All of our community sports, and competitions were called off, local off-Broadway plays too. I met with Melanie this day. She and the kids right out of the domestic violence shelter, needing whatever was leftover in the food pantry. I grabbed 3 extra potatoes. At Trader Joe's there had been NO chicken or turkey, there was salmon, but otherwise beef and pork only. There had been like 2 cartons of eggs left, I took them. There had been no frozen veggies or fruits. There were approximately 10 cans of diced tomatoes, and no other canned tomato products, cheese was running low, not the fancy stuff, just the shredded stuff. I bought the fresh veggies I could at the time. But there were, of ALL of the potatoes, only five or six bags of mini potatoes left, 4 days before St. Pat's. So I grabbed up a couple of bags, knowing I had a 5 pounder at home and we'd be fine. . .but once at the food pantry, I second guessed, and I snagged three large red potatoes. We had a cookie booth after that, at the Macey's.
I pulled into the parking lot, I can't even remember why now, at 8:30 on Friday night, and Melissa happened to be hopping in her car, I asked if we were still planning on the gym at 9pm. The gym had shut down earlier that day, and the library had just given notice that they would be closing their doors for an unknown amount of time, as of closing today. We went over and grabbed up more movies than a person needs, a book or two for Alani, and that was that. The library hasn't been open in 8 days. Oh, Jesse and Caitlyn came through for a little bit on Friday evening too.
Saturday we had a cookie booth. We were told just to go along with our business, continue booths, since they were not gathering spaces, and to use extra precaution with sanitizer, etc. We're 2 hours into a 6 hour cookie booth when we're sent a notice to immediately shut down. Within 2 days we would be told that girls are no longer allowed to deliver any cookies still in their homes, for customers, until kids return to school. Mike had gone in the morning for a vasectomy. It was "a journey I have to make on my own" as he said :) He had a rough go. The damage to one testicle made it nearly impossible, and the doctor had to do a procedure he normally does once, to cauterize both sides, twice, to cauterize one at a time. He was a little traumatized, then had a moment to cry about both the trauma and that he will never make babies again. He healed quickly and nicely, but we were as nice as possible for her 72 hour rest period.
So there we were, Saturday afternoon, almost everything shut down. Within 2 days all school districts in Utah had shut. We didn't even go to church on Sunday morning, though they held services, and to my kids' dismay, we elected to stay home. My cough was kind of bad by then, but I never had a fever or felt crummy, just sounded gross. On Sunday, having heard all weekend that the Costco parking lot was overly full for days, we got a notice on the Murray Citizen's page, that Costco FINALLY had a restock of toilet paper and was rationing people one bag per household. The girls and I walked over, Mike still on 72 hour rest, it was windy, but I've committed to 4x/wk 35 min/day exercise, so I walked over to fulfill my promise. We stood in a line, too close, we were allowed in 20 at a time (at this point people were told groups no larger than 100 and Costco, despite other grocery stores being laxidasical) was doing its best. We were handed a cart by a gloved person, after the handle had already been wiped down. Then we went to the back of the store to another short line that wrapped around the dog food aisle, and were offered one TP and one Paper Towel, like we were being offered peas and mashed potatoes in a lunch line. I declined the paper towels, I had no way to carry them home and we already have a pretty fresh stock. We actually still had a six pack of TP at home too, and other secret rolls around the house, but since they had OUR brand in stock, I supposed I should not press my luck and just bought a little earlier than I might normally. I also carried home 46 pounds of drinks in my backpack, while the girls carried home a smaller share of the drinks they'd picked ou.
By Monday the world was quiet. My office is still up and running, which I think is a little insane, but I've still not been in. I've been asked, by Rob, to stay away, since I've reported a cough, even though the cough seems to be benign, letters have gone out saying people who have symptoms will be sequestered and asked to leave. So I've just not gone in. By Monday restaurants were starting to close their dining spaces, we were told no gatherings larger than 50. School "softly" closed until March 30th.
But since Monday? San Francisco and Sonoma Counties both went into Shelter in Place, NYC as well. Then ALL of California. They have to travel with papers to prove they have essential jobs that can not be done from home! Since Monday? We had St. Patrick's Day and everyone knows the phrase "social distancing" means staying at least 6 feet from people at all times, who do not live in your immediate household. Airi and I left a shamrock at the end of each driveway on our street, and online I encouraged Murray neighbors to put up shamrocks in their windows so we could all go on a shamrock hunt. We found 7 purposeful window shamrocks and 10 or 11 others on doors of people accidentally playing along with their festive decor. I'd previously purchased small gifts for the girls, so at least I was covered there too.
My sister cancelled her trip out due to a snow storm, but then concern that she'd get stuck here and not be able to leave. With hotels closing, we would have had nowhere for all these kids to go. And now, with cities closing, she really may have gotten stuck here.
On Wednesday, we woke up to a 5.7 earthquake followed by a day full of aftershocks, one being more of a second earthquake of 3.4. It was 7:30am. Murray schoolers were doing school at home for the fourth day, but many, less prepared school districts were just planning to start their school at home on that day. We were all jolted awake. Alani slept through. Mike was in the bathroom and ran go the hallway. I was awakened, but my brain did not comprehend what was happening. Airi was also awakened, more from the pens falling, then the movement. I took that opportunity at 7:30am to talk with the girls about how earthquakes occur and why, and what it was like living through a really big earthquake in California. Congratulations, science for the day is done . . . at 7:30am. Airi thought she'd never go back to sleep, but she did, for a long time. On Wednesday we let Kendra and Airi do the farm together, while I had to show a house. That was a little bit of a bummer. . .the house that is.
By Thursday and Friday things were more somber, more real, more closures of everything, people ALREADY being laid off because of the unknown time before things can open again. Dentists have closed for 3 weeks. By Thursday all gyms and the movie theaters finally closed too. I'm not sure what took them so long!
And then, the death tolls from Italy, they keep rolling in and they have increased dramatically this week, over 400 gone in one night, and a few nights later, last night, over 700 people have died. People are sharing their stories of having the virus, or recovering or not, of the treatment they've received. Doctors in Italy dying themselves. Shortages of basic supplies for medical professionals. A President who is an idiot through it all and too many people who hung on to an early message and won't change their tune even though he has! Timelines of Presidential speeches where he could have and should have warned and made a plan, but denied the implications of what a worldwide pandemic could and would do in the US.
But oh the humanity. So many famous vocalists, giving concerts from their living rooms. So many gifted and talented artists and writers, giving time and talent to us all, famous humans reading bedtime stories in beloved voices (I'm looking at you Olaf), museums giving out free virtual tours, NASA science classes, Disney dropping things from movie theaters into Disney Plus months early for free viewing, free online homeschool classes, artists teaching doodling, daily zookeeper lives at famous zoos across the US. . . I dare say my calendar is more full than ever before! And people sharing and caring for one another. It's been gorgeous and wonderful and emotional and the most beautiful display ever!
What's next? Today Kendra and Airi both happened to ask to go to the farm about the same time. We met there this time, but Airi stayed longer, and that is the last time. I don't want to kill her little spirit because she LOVES the animals so much, but until the people there are practicing safe social distancing, we just can not open ourselves up to the possibilities! Better sad than sick and never recovering.
I don't even remember the days now, but I also picked up a cool hoop house from Jeff & Christy. I had to go two days in a row, because it wouldn't fit in the truck, so the second day Tom, my client, brought his big truck and hauled it to my house. Oh that was Monday and Tuesday, because I delivered the P fam cheese on Tuesday and there was a shamrock cheese to be had.
It's been a little tough on the girls, no UVault this weekend, no first competition with the Ice Production Team, no time on the ice, no time with friends, no getting together. But a lot lot lot of memes shared between my mom, sister and I. A lot lot lot of time cuddled on the couch with the girls. A lot lot lot of silent worry over whether my job will soon become obsolete or we won't be allowed to leave our homes. Lots of talk about flattening the curve by staying home.
Stores: Friday the 13th Trader Joes followed by Sprouts and IFA between 11-2pm
Melanie and Steve at the Food Pantry 2-3:30
Macey's Holladay: cookie booth 4-8pm and Airi Taylorsville Fresh Market 6-8pm
Saturday the 14th Macey's Holladay 12-2. I did buy a few items during this time
Sunday the 15th Costco 2-3pm
Wednesday the 18th Sprouts 6-7pm Mike grabbed me some cough drops and antacids
Other contact: Farm Wednesday 18th 2-6pm, chic-fil-a Friday 20th, 5-6pm, and Farm Saturday 21st 2-6pm
From here, we probably have a week of groceries if I play my cards right. We need to pull back even further than we have been. My office, as far as I am aware, remains open. I am willing to work with clients virtually or through virtual walk-throughs or with preventative measures. I'm not sure how long my job will go on if we receive a shelter in place notice.
I worry and wonder if there is some underhanded scheme occurring. I wonder why or how this is suddenly in existence and out of control. It's hard not to let the mind wander.
Until I know the next step, I have to work harder than I am working. Last week was SO bizarre, I took the week off. Thursday I had a fun and funloving attitude, but Friday I turned sad and Saturday has been frustrating. I get frustrated when I see others listing and sharing homes, and I call all of the people who've said, yeah, March/April and now suddenly none of them will make a move. Someone is out there who needs me. And I'm okay if I don't make a million dollars on this side of the pandemic. There's a lot of halted bill service already happening, but not all of it, and until it's ALL on hold, I need to push as hard as I can to help as many people as I possibly can right now!
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