March 15, 2020 – Never in my lifetime has something like this happened. I don’t know that there is anyone alive who has been through something like this. This virus, COVID-19 (aka Novel Coronavirus), is a pandemic. The world has been through pandemics before but that was a long time ago. Rapid communication among nations and continents was non-existent. Technology was not what it is today. We didn’t know as much as we know today. Yet, it is still happening.
We have been hearing about it for weeks. China has been dealing with it for a month. It has now hit the U.S. People are hoarding toilet paper (no one knows why). Stores are sold out of not only toilet paper, but hand sanitizer, and baby wipes. The hand sanitizer makes sense. The baby wipes sort of make sense, if there is no hand sanitizer. Stores are also out of bread and paper towels. People are stocking up on everything, including food.
The government has said that “social distancing” is what will keep this from spreading as quickly. That means that everyone should stay away from other people. No more hugging. No more kissing. No more hand shakes. Groups are no longer meeting. Classes are no longer occurring. Schools are closing for weeks at a time across the country. Nursing homes are limiting visitors to those there for a dying relative. While this is inconvenient, we all hope that it will work and keep thousand (millions?) from not getting sick. This disease has no cure (as of this writing). There is no vaccine. The only way to get through it is to live through it. The elderly seem to be unable to do this, for the most part. Healthy children have no problem with it.
No one knows for sure how long the incubation period is. No one knows for sure how it is spread. No one knows if the warming of the weather will make this go away (as it does the flu). The only thing that anyone knows for sure is that it is quickly spreading and killing a lot of people.
I’m not going to get political but I know for a FACT that our government has known about this strain of virus since at least October, 2019. A plan should have been in place long before now on how to handle this. But, it is too late now to make a plan. We are flying by the seat of our pants. We are scrambling to fix this, prevent it, cure it – all too late.
Businesses are shutting down or decreasing their hours. Those businesses won’t earn as much as they normally do. Some won’t be able to pay their employees. This will trickle down. I don’t know how people whose jobs are temporarily halted and live paycheck to paycheck are going to make it through this. The global economy will be devastated as will every piece of it.
I know that the world, as a whole, will survive. I know that, unfortunately, not all of the people on it will. I know that this is like nothing we have seen before. I am scared. I am scared for me, my family, my friends, my neighbors, my town, my state, my country, my continent, and my world. These are terrifying times that we must get through. How we will do that, I do not know.
April 13, 2020 – It’s been a month. School is in Spring Break. In my household, that is making things worse. My 13-year-old daughter is a great student! She loves learning! She gets up every school day and does her 3-4 hours of schoolwork without a problem. Now that there is no schoolwork, she is not the same girl. I know that she will come back around. I hope that it isn’t too late.
Anyway, the world has gotten even worse. Most places in the US are shut down. The only people working are the essential ones. People are being told to stay home; stay at least 6 feet away from other people (unless you live in the same house); wear a mask when out in public near other people (homemade masks are the only option); wipe everything down with an antiseptic; let papers sit for at least 2 days so that the virus will die on it; other things have to be left for up to 2 weeks; wash your hands – properly and often (constantly). This is terrifying. The adults are scared and the children are scared. I am scared.
I woke up a few weeks ago with a tight chest which is one of the main symptoms of the visus. I was freaking out! I have had a cough for months (at this point) but that is due to allergies. I am taking my temperature several times a day. This virus is killing people by suffocating them to death. It is worse than the regular flu – VERY high fevers that persist for days to weeks; dry cough; severe chest congestion are the main symptoms. Those who are affected by the virus get very, very sick. If, God forbid, it happens to me, what happens to my daughter? My husband is 500 miles away and, due to (1) there possibly being different strains of the virus and (2) what it would take for him to get here, we have decided that he will stay there until it is all over. Of course, in an emergency, he would come. I don’t want to be that emergency. I don’t want our daughter to be that emergency.
The world is shut down. The entire world!!! There is no place that this virus hasn’t hit and killed people. “They” still can’t tell us how long the incubation period is – they can guess. “They” still can’t tell us how long the virus lives on objects – they can guess. “They” still can’t tell us who is a carrier. “They” can’t tell us how this started – naturally or was it created in a laboratory? There are many more questions than answers.
The President is saying that he wants to “open up” the country again and soon. I would rather have people live than take a chance just because the economy is being killed. The government passed a bill allowing every American under a certain income range to receive a payment from the government to help keep the economy going and to help pay bills. We should receive $2,900 total. I don’t know about you, but that will not sustain us for months.
We are VERY fortunate that my husband is considered an essential worker (at least for now). He is in construction. We are very fortunate that the job that he started when all of this hit is a large one. The payment from this one job is enough to keep us afloat financially for a few months. I know that we are lucky. Most aren’t as fortunate as we are. I am scared that this will last longer than our money. I am not alone – millions of Americans feel the same way.
The world will never be the same. Never! I will keep writing . . . the world needs to remember the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic so that it never happens again.
May 14, 2020 – Here we are – months into this. People are frustrated and pressuring the government to “reopen” our communities. The government is caving and doing just that. Restaurants are now open with inside seating. In some places, it is not mandatory that you wear a mask when around other people. The list goes on and on. . . I read this article this morning (and shared it on Facebook) because it explains why we need to continue wearing masks, whether we are sick or not.
I cannot put into words the anger I feel. It is like nothing I have felt before. I’m sad to think that the reason most people won’t wear masks is because (a) they are uncomfortable to wear; (b) they don’t feel sick and don’t care if they may be asymptomatic but still a carrier; (c) they aren’t in one of the at-risk groups so they won’t get “that sick” if they do contract COVID-19; (d) they don’t care about anyone but themselves; and/or (e) they just don’t care at all. I don’t see this happening anywhere but in the United States. The land of the free – free to make others ill and potentially kill them. The home of the brave – those of us who following the CDC guidelines and wear our masks while among other people even if we are the only ones wearing one (and this happens more often than not). Unfortunately, those of us who are wearing masks are greatly outnumbered by those not wearing them. What does this mean? It means that people will die who did not have to die all because someone didn’t wear a face mask. Isn’t that a stupid reason to die?
So, school has been canceled for the remainder of the school year. Summer camps have been canceled. Those of us with children who require activities to thrive are trying to figure out what we are going to do with them. This summer will be an extension of what we’ve been doing through for the past 2 months. I have come up with some things for us to do and I pray that it is enough. I know my limitations, strengths, and weaknesses and always said that I was not meant to be a stay-at-home mother. The truth is that I was not meant to be a home-schooling mother. I am not good at it. I don’t have the patience for it.
I will keep adding to this post and time goes along. Some day, this will be over and we will be able to get back to living a normal life without fear of being around other people.
August 21, 2020 – Five (5!!!) months into the pandemic. People are still dying. People are STILL not taking steps to stop this – wearing masks, staying at least 6 feet away from those they don’t live with. School are re-opening. Universities have re-opened then had to close due to a rapid rise in cases. Americans are the worst. There are people saying that it violates their freedom rights to have to wear a mask. Well, you wear clothes, don’t you? It is just another piece of clothing that has been proven to stop the spread of this disease.
On top of everything, our President is dividing this country. I try to stay away from commenting on politics but the way that this President is only looking out for himself is horrific. The country is divided as it probably hasn’t been since the Civil War.
Now TWO hurricanes are forming that will hit the U.S. in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time early next week.
Could this be the end of the world? I doubt it but it could be the beginning of the end of humankind. I hope not.
November 7, 2020 – EIGHT months into the pandemic. Things got better for a while so restrictions were loosened. Now things are worse than ever (more confirmed cases daily than ever before). It is not that difficult to stop the spread of this disease – wear a mask whenever you are near someone who you do not live with and WEAR IT PROPERLY!!! It MUST cover your nose AND mouth as well as fit snugly against your face. That’s it. Stay 6 feet away from people, even when wearing your mask. Those who believe that this is not real are crazy! I personally know quite a few people who have had it, in different degrees, and some who have died from it. These people would not have died if not for COVID-19. It is real!!!
A new President-elect was decided today and he WILL get the nation straightened out when it comes to COVID-19.
I have not been to a restaurant since early March. I have done carry-out a few times. I do not think that it is safe to eat at a restaurant, even if it is outside and 6 feet apart. I don’t think that it is safe for the patrons to not wear masks around the restaurant staff (which you have to do in order to drink and eat). I won’t do it.
I am VERY tired of having to cook constantly. You don’t realize just how spoiled you are until the ability to “just go out to a restaurant for dinner because” you don’t feel like cooking is taken away from you. For 8 months!!!
Just a Woman Trying . . . 
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