77 days

March 17 to May 29 we've been socially isolated and quarantined although the vast majority of Americans have no symptoms and are not shedding COVID-19 virus.  It's been annoying but not difficult. Date nights have been severely cut back to occasional carry-out.  By the time we get the food home, it's cold and soggy and we still have to clean up after dinner.  The masks are worthless if not dangerous.  They are hard to breathe through and we touch them to adjust them so any germs are spread.  I can't see when my glasses fog up. I need to hold an article up to the light and at a correct distance.  Touching without buying is frowned upon.
This whole experience has been made much worse than it had to be by politicians feeling their power and scientists following models that had incorrect and incomplete data for too long. COVID 19 is bad if you die from it or have complications of comorbidity influences, but the vast majority (so far) of Americans have little to worry about. Even those of us who are in the high-risk age bracket who are otherwise healthy should not live in fear. 

Peck of Dirt

There's an 18th-century proverb that says we all have to eat a peck of dirt before we die. I'm worried that when this COVID 19 pandemic media frenzy is over and we can go about our business without fear of getting close to people and wearing masks, we won't have immunity to any normal bugs. Hand washing is a good habit to remain; not going out when sick is also good.  Hoarding anything is not good; shutting down food supply networks is also not good. 
COVID hasn't changed our retired lives much up here on our hill far from crowds.  I fear the worst is yet to come as service and product networks are repaired.  We will have slowdowns and outages much more difficult to live with than we've seen so far. 

Masks

I'm not in the mask-making feeding frenzy that has taken over quilters everywhere, but I have made a few for family members.
I'm very confused about the best, quickest, and safest pattern to use for these masks. One pattern says pin the pieces together; the next directive says use clips, not pins, so you don't leave holes for the virus to get through. One says use elastic ear loops; the next says don't use elastic as it rubs the ears raw after a few hours. Use flannel next to the skin; don't use flannel as it's too hot. Cut the mask piece 8.5x 16.5; be sure to have the inside plain so the wearer can always tell the outside from the inside which would mean cutting an 8.25 square.  Use a bread twisty or pipe cleaner/chenille stick as a nose bridge to hold the top close to the face; don't put any metal in the mask as it will rust and be poky. Microwave in a baggie to sterilize between washing; friction and soap are what kills the virus so microwaving will do nothing.  T-shirt ties, fabric ties, ear loops, duckbill, 2  or 3 pleats, no pleats, pocket, no pocket, interfacing, no interfacing: what the what??? Since the world has s shortage of elastic now, people are going nuts in their creativity to replace ear loop elastic:  bungee cord dissection, stockings cut in loops, potholder-making loops, 1" elastic cut into .25". Creativity run amok.
I'll just wait until enough have been made and tested that we know how to do these properly. 

These are 2~pleat, interfacing, cotton quilting fabric on the outside with white tightly woven sheeting on the inside, and chenille stick nose bridge. 

Don't even ask about the other plaid!

Feeling safe

While walking this morning, I noticed the 6:30 am plane overhead. That's something we didn't hear after 9/11.  This Covid crisis has been compared to that period in our lives.  I feel much safer now that I did then.  Perhaps it's that I live in the boondocks of central Pennsylvania and not near an important Air Force Base where President Bush might have been sequestered.  Penn State students have been released to go home so we have fewer potential disease-ridden coughers and sneezers here now.  We are retired and have lots of trees around us to refresh our air. We can choose when to seek society, during off-peak hours or even "granny" hours if we choose, and not every day to go to work. We know what the enemy is now and potentially how to protect ourselves. Social distancing and masks may not be 100% effective, but we have choices.  In 2001, terrorists might have been behind every cloud and in every subway. 
I worry for my parents and for some of Paul's siblings who are in poor health, but I do not worry for us.

Date night

Tonight was the first date night of the new normal social distancing. Meh. We ordered our normal dinner from The Greek, paid for it by cc, and Paul drove in to pick it up. It was well packed and mostly warm when he got home.  The beer (from our refrigerator) was the proper temperature. But, I'm not sure it was the same amount of food as is, or was, served at the restaurant.  And we still have take-out trash. 

When the going gets tough...

Centre County joins the party with the first confirmed Covid-19 cases.  No info but they are incubating isolating at home.
I've been social distancing since I got home from Florida last Wednesday (10 days ago) so I decided to do some errands today because I was curious: What does State College look like now?  Not much different, actually. Certain parking lots are empty since there is only drive-through service at all restaurants, but Lowes looked like it was home-school field trip day there.  People were very polite and gave wide berth around each other.  Their shelves seemed fully stocked, but I don't know if they carry toilet paper.  The credit card reader wouldn't accept my finger clicking on its buttons, perhaps because the cleaner used so often is interfering with the sensitivity. Trader Joe's was also fully stocked but more of their greens seemed to be wrapped in plastic than I remember. TJ is the only store open in that parking lot, so the empty spaces were very noticeable.  The bank was drive-thru only, but I only wanted the ATM.
...the tough go shopping.

Social Distancing #1

I thought I was doing well 8 days into social distancing until the eggs I was just starting to boil started squeaking...I thought it was a baby chick inside the eggs I got from the supermarket. #socialdistancing

Day 1 Corona VIrus: Mostly total shutdown

Governor of PA called on all schools, libraries, sports venues, restaurants, Total Wine and Spirits, gyms and spas, shopping malls, and stores selling non-essential products to shut down for at least 2 weeks starting last night at midnight.  Even state parks are closing their buildings and offices although the trails are open as of now.  That leaves grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, and healthcare providers open.  PA isn't the first state to close and we've been given dribbles and drabs of warnings that this was coming.  Two weeks is an optimistic guess.  President Trump is suggesting 2 months might even be optimistic.
I was in Florida with my mother while she had a bilateral mastectomy; luckily she healed well and quickly so I was able to fly home just before the airlines started shutting down.  Manatee County had a virus case and the caution but not panic began.  Since then grocery stores all over the country have been stripped of cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and perishables.  It's like a nationwide snowstorm has carried away all logic and kindness.
Paul went to the library and got a haircut on Saturday. We went to Liberty Craft House on College Ave in State College for our regular date night. We could have parked at the door and had our choice of tables.  Only 4 other people were there when we arrived. I haven't been anywhere else except the post office and Blk Mo to run Gambol since I got home.  I feel very lucky to be "stuck" at home where we have supplies for our mental, emotional, and physical health.  Food, soap, and quilting supplies, as well as friends and family by Internet, will keep me going. Paul won't run out of his wood stash either.

State College was empty at 5:45 on Saturday evening as Spring Break hadn't ended and Covid-19 social distancing was just getting started.