Well, it’s the last update, not because Lent is over, but because the COVID-19 (coronavirus) has hijacked the whole world! Lent is probably pretty much a moot point since there will be no Easter (or Passover) as we have known it. No Seder meal. No Ramadan. No Easter church services, no Easter egg hunts, no pretty new spring clothes!
A week ago Tuesday (March 10) was pretty much a normal Tuesday, an Alameda shopping day, with the farmers’ market for eggs then Trader Joe’s and Safeway for everything else. Yeah, the news carried a lot of stories about the coronavirus, but it was mostly in other countries—China then Korea and Italy—and one Princess cruise ship that was quarantined with thousands of passengers and a lot of sick ones. They were not allowed to dock in its home Port of San Francisco.
I watched the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt every day, so I was aware that the coronavirus was spreading rapidly, that there were now confirmed cases in the United States, mostly in Washington State, residents of a nursing home. Still, my daily life continued pretty much as usual—taking care of web clients, ongoing editing of Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics website, making breakfasts and dinners for the three of us.
Friday, March 13: Just got a notice from our mobile home park management that all group gatherings over 10 people will be closed for the foreseeable future. They are also closing the exercise room and sauna. 
A lot of the old people really count on those social groups and services in the clubhouse. I bet we’ll see a lot more ambulances coming into the park for stroke and heart attack victims.
Saturday, March 14: I woke this morning to what sounded like vicious wind (it was actually a hard rain) only to find that Windows had hijacked my computer in the night and I had to log in and go through some tutorial about Edge (*heavy sigh*) and then open all my apps again. Now it’s raining again and I’m done seeing everyone complaining about empty store shelves and 2-hr lines to get into grocery stores. I have NO need whatsoever to go out into the world until next Tuesday when I run out of eggs and milk. (*another heavy sigh*). Until then, it’s just the two of us, home in bed with our dog. 🥰 🐶 🥰 3/14/2020 2:14 PM PDT
On Sunday, March 15, I posted on Facebook: I am SO over all of this craziness! I know how to wash my hands and wipe down my kitchen and take my vitamins. I don’t want to look at Facebook anymore. I think I’ll just watch TV and color for the rest of the evening. And wake up tomorrow ready to start my week’s work as usual. If there are any real emergencies, I’m sure we’ll hear sirens!
And: I honestly don’t know how we could possibly be any more isolated than we already are. 🥰 🐶 🥰
Then, suddenly, the six Bay Area counties were mandated to shelter-in-place, beginning at midnight on Monday, March 16. Apparently, there was a rash of COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County (Silicon Valley). So now residents were required to not travel outside their county of residence. Or, if they did, they wouldn’t be able to get back in. (Don’t ask me how they expected to enforce this!) Theoretically, this would mean that Aaron, who works in Livermore (Alameda County) would not be able to go home to San Joaquin County. Yep, Aaron was mandated to work from home. At least he has a job where that is possible. My mind raced to imagine what their life would be like. Alex’s preschool was closed. Lisa’s Etsy shop was all but dead, since orders stopped coming in and she wasn’t able to get her needed supplies from China! More importantly, Grammie and Lola could not go see them at all.
Tuesday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day, if anybody even noticed), was our usual routine Alameda shopping day. We got up at 0-dark thirty and got to the farmers’ market when it opened at 9:00 a.m. Linda suggested we get 4 dozen eggs unless they were restricting the number. They weren’t, so we did.
The next (and only) planned stop was South Shore to Trader Joe’s and Safeway. The above picture shows what the line to Trader Joe’s looked like at 9:15 a.m. After about a half hour, a TJ’s employee pulled me out of the line and told me to go up to the front of the line. Apparently, they were doing that for all the “elderly” that were in the line. I got into the store at about 10 o’clock. Another employee had a line of shopping carts ready for those of us entering the store, and another one told us that the cart handles had already been wiped down with disinfectant.
The store inside looked fairly normal except for being fewer people, all of us 6 feet away from each other. I had memorized my list so I didn’t have to get out my phone. I selected my items as usual, including the grass-fed lamb from New Zealand for Emily, and I got two packages. The only items they did not have were the tuna and smoked sardines in olive oil. I was a little shaken to see my total at the cashier’s station, but I realized that I might not be coming back for a couple of weeks. Or longer. Outside the exit door, another employee stood giving away potted orchids, so I took a lavender one for Linda. I have never asked for assistance to my car before, but I did this time because Linda had parked a long way from the Trader Joe’s store. So a pleasantly cordial employee pushed my cart out to the van and unloaded it for me. I was so grateful for that.
Then I grabbed my Safeway reusable bags and headed there next. There was absolutely nothing different about Safeway except that they were all out of shopping carts, so I had to use a hand basket. They were still out of 5% Fage Greek yogurt, so I found another brand that I hope will be acceptable. They did have some canned sardines in olive oil, so I got 6 cans, but I don’t think they will be as good as the Trader Joe’s. They had no acceptable canned tuna. But they did have Linda’s Ortega taco sauce, still on sale, so I got two more bottles. The check-out lines were long, even though people were not staying 6 feet apart, so there was a long wait. I got into conversation with a woman behind me, which normally I wouldn’t do. But it was nice.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Drive home, unload the groceries and put them away, then wash my hands and fix brunch for Emily and Linda. Life almost seemed normal.
But every day for this past week seemed like a month. Or a year. On Wednesday, I got a check in the mail from a web client. I struggled to deposit it online with my phone, which was not cooperating at all. On Thursday and Friday, I took out the trash and recycling then brought the empty cans back in, between working on web client tasks. Even today, Saturday, March 21, just thinking about events of the past week, seems like another lifetime.
Posted Tuesday night: QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.” [9T11]
Wednesday (March 18):
THINGS TO DO DURING THE 3-WEEK LOCK DOWN:
* Take down the Christmas tree and put away the decorations
* Finish the tax returns
* Reorganize the home filing system and file or shred all papers
* Clean out and use the refrigerator/freezer on the deck room
* Shampoo the carpets
* Steam clean the bathroom and kitchen floors
* Reorganize the pantry
* Wash all the drawers and cupboard doors in the kitchen
* Figure out why the old tower computer isn’t working
On Thursday evening, March 19, Governor Newsom ordered all Californians to stay at home except to access essential services, such as health care and food. This necessary order will stay instated until further notice. Bay Area residents have already been sheltering in place, but this order from the Governor applies statewide. In the best interest of the public health, let us all try to stay in place as much as possible. And if you do go outside, please make sure to practice social distancing. As Californians, we must step up and lead the way to flatten the curve so we do not overburden our health care system. Together we will get through this!
From Senator Dianne Feinstein
@SenFeinstein
The deadline to file your taxes has been extended to July 15 with no penalties or interest. If you’re due a refund, you can file before then to receive that refund as soon as possible.
3/20/2020 1:19 PM PDT
We have an 80-year-old neighbor in fragile health. As I sit here at my computer, I’m watching two of her grandkids who pulled up by the curb and are unloading a trunk full of groceries to take in to her. Looks like bags from Trader Joe’s! I know that our kids would do that, too, except we in 6 Bay Area counties are not allowed to travel outside of our own counties. And they, too, are not going out to grocery stores.
Maybe we could have some Soylent Green delivered….
This is how I am coping! I spent this whole afternoon running around the house with my cell phone, taking pictures of everything in my refrigerator and pantry in the event I am forced to have someone else do my grocery shopping. I have other collections (that I haven’t uploaded yet) for Safeway, Target, Walgreen’s, Amazon, and Bob’s Red Mill.
Last night (Friday, March 20): Well, as I peruse FB tonight, I see people posting beautiful flowers, art, poetry, books, and music. I love the pictures of pets and children. Some post ideas of how they can help others less fortunate, more vulnerable than they are. Others keep everyone informed of the latest news and developments in the COVID-19 saga. Still others make and share jokes about it all. Oh, and playing games! They all are sharing those parts of their life that give them the most comfort. Me? I’m running around taking pictures of food, editing and cataloging, creating databases. Go figure!
Then it suddenly made sense to me. If local and state governments could so easily and so quickly mandate shelter-in-place and complete lock-down for seniors (anyone 65+) and anyone with a chronic illness, it does not seem so far-fetched to imagine that a national Sunday law could be enacted. Not that I believe it will be, but it could be!
Remember when we were growing up in the Adventist Church and we used to wonder what it might be like for people who would be living “in the last days” and might actually still be alive when Jesus comes?!? I’m thinking now that’s an exciting thought! I don’t know how much longer I will live, but it’s increasingly possible that I could live that long!
What does all this have to do with a “Year Without Carbs”?!? Nothing, really. Except that something that impacts my entire existence so fully and completely has to be affecting my diabetic health! My average daily glucose seems to be rising instead of falling, in spite of intermittent fasting and an average daily carb quota of 18 grams. I’m very slowly losing weight but most days my calorie intake is less than 1000 calories (and that triggers strong warnings from MyFitnessPal).
Love your writing. Please don’t quit
😁