WEIRD TIMES

The Coronavirus already had gained a foothold as people were starting to get sick and die close to home. Everyone was now being urged to self isolate, sheltering in place. That AM I read my online horoscope, paraphrasing it read: "Today is the day to get out and socialize meet as many new people as you can!" I almost burst out laughing! I don't have a death wish.

I am not a believer in astrology although I took it quite seriously back in my teens during the 1960's. -- I'm a Capricorn, moon in Aquarius, Leo rising. But I came to my senses by the time I enrolled in Community College.

Who but Nostradamus could have predicted our current world pandemic? Many are swearing he did, others insist his predictions are deliberately being molded to fit the situation as jello into a goblet. Preachers do this all the time, advertisers, too. And I've done this myself at networking events to promote my books.

Still the world has gone weird! Seeing cashiers behind plexiglass shields at grocery stores plus having to stand 6 feet away from everyone seems downright bizarre. Add to that all those face masks on shoppers and life feels downright surreal. Could any of us have imagined this a year ago?

I cannot get my hands on a face mask! I'm still waiting on Amazon! However do-rags work better than scarves, they have long ties. Also I wear a small canvas hat with a brim all the way around. No longer do I put on make-up to go shopping. Between the rag and the hat no one can see my face. I may as well be wearing burqa.

And suddenly I feel self-conscious about my acid reflux cough. I worry about having a spell in the store and men in hazmat suits appearing out of nowhere dragging me away.

Plus they're enforcing safe distancing at a time I've never seen stores more crowded or shelves more empty! Senior Shopping Hour is early and this is Florida & Vero Beach, most of the citizenry here is seniors!

Ferreting thru an old purse I discovered a huge pile of napkins I'd squirreled away from various restaurants. It felt like Christmas! And I had a box of disposable plastic gloves left over from my hair-dying days. Now was their chance to shine again!

I needed to deposit a refund check and since I don't own a mobile phone (& no plans to get one) I had to stop at the bank. Attired in my hat, dark sunglasses, & do-rag worn bandit style I went in the drive thru. A few months ago this would have caused alarms to blare and police sirens in the distance heading my way! However I did see a flash of fear in the teller's eyes when she first spotted me.

Directly afterward I bought eggs, fresh fruit, & veggies at the grocery store, no T.P. but I still considered my day a success!

Traffic was similar to summer (after the tourists & snowbirds have gone home) with the exception of the mall & big shopping plaza behind the bank. They looked deserted and abandoned.

My big fear is that after the Coronavirus ends life will dramatically slide downhill never to recover. We don't exactly have the most competent or honest people running our country now. There's constant tension in the air.

But there are some bright spots. I got my Starz-Showtime package back. Of course I'm paying more than before! "You don't have anything else to spend your money on," a friend told me. That's true, my income goes mostly to frivolous things like Food, Electricity, Water, Taxes, Insurance, etc. -- But I never needed that movie package as much as now! Theatres are closed!

And then there's my friends, Rose dropped off a few rolls of toilet tissue which have become more precious than gold or diamonds. Marie left me a small blooming plant with pink flowers which I placed in my bedroom window. And that same week Sue sent me an early Easter card.

I look forward to the day when my friends and I can meet for lunch at a restaurant again. I'm hoping that wonderful day will not be far away.

CORONAVIRUS EASTER

Easter Sundays for the most part are enjoyable but forgettable. The ones that stand out are memorable usually for the wrong reasons. This will be such a one due to pandemic occurring outside.

Even in normal times never do I get together with relatives for holidays; most are dead and the ones who aren't live in other states. Plus I have no husband or family so there's no taking any grandkids to see the Easter Bunny or on egg hunts. I don't go Easter brunches in restaurants because I can whip up an amazing and tasty one right here at home to be enjoyed in serenity and peace. In other words, if I had more money my life would be perfect.

And I never attend church because I don't believe in formalized religion. I see God more as a cosmic consciousness.

My friend Marie phoned to inquire as to how I'm doing here alone. I told her that life for me isn't that different from before. Except that now I only come out of my lair to grocery shop.

Fortunately I bought all the items for my Easter dinner a month ago. Despite being out of fresh fruit & vegetables I've vowed not to grocery shop for at least another week or two. Shopping has become too nightmarish and risky.

Nor do I own a protective mask. I can't get my hands on one! April 2 I ordered some from Amazon. On April 8 I was informed that they would be arriving May 26 --June 16. Good grief! The quarantine may be over by then; but in the meantime I'll probably need to shop. Had they told me this upfront I wouldn't have wasted my money! Now I'll be wearing my scarves bandit style.

Thankfully at the moment I'm well stocked and in no danger of starving. I'm now into all the canned & frozen stuff. Recently I discovered a big bag of shredded potatoes in the back of my garage freezer that I'd forgotten about. I became as excited as if I'd stumbled upon a pirate's bag of gems!

Inside my house I am happy despite what's occurring outside.

My Easter dinner was beautiful and felt special. I enjoyed a chicken breast stuffed with veggies in orange sauce served over jasmine-coconut rice with a side dish of chickpeas. For dessert I ate a colorful piece of rainbow cake. Everything was washed down with coconut-flavored tea.

It was my last meal on the formal dining table under the chandelier until Thanksgiving. Till then it's back to my kitchen table. Hopefully in November the virus will be a memory.

CORONAVIRUS GO AWAY

Gazing at my youthful 69 year old face in the mirror I say, "Coronavirus take your best shot!" Between all the healthy foods I force myself to eat and all the vitamins I take, if I catch that virus I'll kick its butt right out of my body! -- Of course those could be my famous last words. 

However I was self-quarantining before it was cool, social distancing is second nature to me, plus I carry hand-sanitizer everyplace and always have.

Since the outbreak of the virus I've also been taking apple cider vinegar pills 4 times a day to boost my immune system.

The only place I go these days is out for groceries and that's only because I'm too poor to have them delivered. And now with all these eye flashes & floaters I dread driving in the dark to be there when the doors open for senior shopping hour. Always I feel a big sense of relief pulling into my driveway afterward.

Otherwise, I'm doing fine here in my house alone. The people who aren't, are probably the ones who never learned how to entertain themselves.

I was the kid who went all thru public school without catching any of the childhood diseases. In fact when a measles epidemic broke out in the Fourth Grade I hated school so much that I actually licked the desk of an infected student hoping to stay home sick, but to no avail.

For me, this pandemic is an inconvenience but I've endured far worse. As a Floridian I've experienced plenty of hurricanes and several alone. I am certainly familiar with bare supermarket shelves! That's why I stock my hurricane pantry early in the season. However there are always last minute items, during the previous threat I was unable to find enough batteries for my lanterns & flashlights. -- But then, I remembered that I made it thru the 2004 hurricanes with only candles & matches.

What I don't understand is why the store shelves are being stripped bare of so many items now! This is not the zombie apocalypse! Who is buying up all this toilet paper? Nobody I know can find any! Attics and garages must be piled high since there are no basements in Florida. I never dreamed that toilet paper would become a luxury item in this country!

Most people in North America do not own bidets. I never heard of one until my 20's when I started traveling the world. And many in my travel groups didn't know what they were! Some thought they were for washing feet. I recall as a child our widowed neighbor renovated parts of his home for his new bride. She gave my mother a tour. Mom told us with astonishment about the master bedroom now having 2 side-by-side toilets. Dad joked it was probably so they could hold hands while sitting on the john.

And why is everyone buying bottled water? Don't these people having running faucets at home? -- It's not like the aftermath of a hurricane! Stores remain open, only with shortened hours. If not for all this panic buying there would be enough of everything to go around. The streets are free of debris, traffic lights aren't dangling in the wind and stop signs are up.

Plus I can sleep in my own bed and not a bathroom floor while ferocious winds are ripping my house apart outside. Still these are scary crazy times.

Now we have this Trump Virus! Remember, he dismantled Obama's Pandemic Response Team and cut funding to the CDC. Not to mention all the precious time wasted by calling it a hoax! So now we have shortages and people are dead and dying because of him.

Oh and now he has declared himself a "War President"! What do you want to bet he'll use this as an excuse to remain in office even if he is voted out! Plus he's willing to cheat and buddy up to any dictator who can help him stay in office.

Personally, I think Trump and his entire corrupt and cultist administration should be dragged out by their tongues, tarred & feathered and paraded down the streets to be spat upon. Of course that will never happen, but a gal can dream.

All anyone can do is try to make the best of the situation and wait this out. Be grateful there's electricity and internet access.

I'm enjoying my DVR library and books with overhead lighting to read them. My refrigerator & garage freezer are stocked with food and all 3 ovens: Micro, Toaster, & the big one are all working. Also there is garbage pick-up. This should feel like a vacation compared to the aftermath of a hurricane!

Still it's depressing not to be able to jump in my car and see a movie on the big screen. Also I miss meeting friends for lunch. We are all senior citizens (High Die Category) and must be especially careful.

If this situation drags on, my friends and I will be buying tissue, soap, hand-sanitizer, & cleaning supplies (if we can find any) as Christmas & Birthday gifts. Back in 2004 all those scented candles really came in handy!

I worry about a major appliance breaking down and not being able to get a repair person out here. The average life of a refrigerator is 12 years and my fridge is 18.

A new hurricane season will soon be upon us. Signs are pointing to it being active one.

 We desperately need a different leader in the White House and not this pompous fool who is now trying to buy our votes with those Trump checks. Isn't that (GASP! Get me the smelling salts, I'm clutching my pearls) SOCIALISM!!!

This pandemic won't last forever. As surely as it came, one day it will be gone.  But life will be altered forever just as it was after the 2004 hurricanes, only this time it will be the entire world. Let those changes be positive ones!