Life in the Age of Corona

A Daily Diary

Friday, June 19th, 2020

New Lives

100 hundred days, that is how long we have been hunkering down. #stayhome began for us on March 13th, 2020. The 100 day anniversary also coincides with what would have been dad’s 84th birthday.

FB so aptly reminded me of what we did today four years ago by bring up a memory of the finger food buffet EM and I had made for him and his guests. Hosting this party, knowing it might be his last, was our birthday gift. Given he had been having health issues for several years and Inspired by the book “Tuesdays with Morrison” I had urged him to celebrate this day and use it to be with people he cared about and who cared about him; rather than waiting for them to see him on his death bed. The day had been a great success; a day he thoroughly enjoyed by all and well worth the effort we had put into making all the food. At the time someone actually asked me who the caterer was, now if tht is not a compliment, but then I have, like mum, always enjoyed cooking, and like dad always enjoyed hosting. To commemorate his birthday, mum took a friend, also a widow, out for dinner at La Vela enjoying the Hamburg gourmet summer.

It is hard to believe we have gone through #stayhome for a 100 days and that this may well be our “new lives” for a while to come. We cannot stay locked up in the house indefinitely, so all of us need to figure out how to have a life and be safe at the same time. This will most likely come with weighing which risks may be worth taking and which can be avoided entirely as we need to be prepared for the virus to stay seeing we did not manage to starve it.

For EM and me the weeks since Memorial Day have seen a very cautious opening up. There is a family we hang out with, her best friend, her parents and me. I like Anna’s mum, so it is a good combo. We had a Memorial BBQ and a shared Georgian feast in my garden over the past few weeks. Some joined outings to the farmers market followed by a chat at the picnic tables by the playground on one or two Sundays.

I have met two of my girl friends for a wine in the garden and two of my book club friends joined me in person while the others participated in the book club virtually. So, socializing in small numbers, always meeting outside and with a very select circle of people. For EM not being with her frineds has been particularly hard. Like me, she has two girls she hangs out with on the front lawn at a 6 foot distance and a few neighborhood friends with whom she goes biking. Given she has a job wiht a family looking after their two boys four days a week as of Monday, she is super cautious, aware of their discomforts and not wanting to put them at risk by getting exposed herself. I am proud of how responsible she is.

Even if schools reopen in the autumn, I doubt we will host the back to school BBQ we enjoyed so much last summer and it is wearily that I think of the long winter months when socializing in the fresh air is no option, about my annual Christmas party, which I have hosted for 25+ years and whcih for the first time may not happen in 2020.

Also, my cousin will not be coming with his family in October and neither will my friend and her husband. That makes me sad, especially since I build the extension to the house last year and we now have a guest suite.

Likewise, it is unclear if my booked guest will be able to go to my Cape Town house in November. That is all a few months away though. For now, summer has started and as part of our “reopening” we are exploring new open air activities; just EM and I. In a way it is nice that we have the time together, seeing she will leave for university in a year from now.

We try to sail once a week, if it does not rain and storm like it did this afternoon. And we are exploring parks with swimming opportunities, one of two was a great success, so we may go back on Saturdays, possibly wiht a stop at a winery to end the day.

One of the risks we are willing to take in addition to those above are public pools. Supposedly they will reopen tomorrow (hurray!!!). I know I can get in and out without touching anything and I do not fear the pool water. I am convinced, and my research corroborates this, that the chlorine kills the virus.

While I would love to have my nails done, I am not sure I am willing to take the risk of going to a spa, maybe if I am the very first customer of the day and the only one in the place and if it is a big place. I will need to think about that one.

Overall life is getting a little bit bigger than it has been over the past 100 days, though I am a little disappointed that close friends are not in touch very often, which is nice. As all of us have to learn how to live with the virus for months if not years to come, it iwll be important to figure out ways to exercise and live. In the meantime, the virus continues its evil spread.

Today 8.57 million cases have been reported worldwide and in 28 States infections are continuing to rise, with a total US wide increase of 27k compared to yesterday. That is a 4k increase over the increase reported yesterday. Fortunately, Maryland and Virginia are seeing declining case numbers and have been doing so for two weeks now, hence the beginning of phase 2 reopening tonight.

There were concerns that protest would result in new COVID hotspots. This appears not to be the case, relief. At thsi stage anything that is not more infected is good news.

After the report on the Llama called winter after weeks of silence there is a new report on antibodies developed by Llama’s to Corona viruses giving rise to hope, though the scientists here seem to believe Moderna will be faster to market.  I think I woudl much rather get a Llama's antibodies.

Today is also Juneteenth, a date I had until two weeks ago not been familiar with. It marks the date of the formal end of slavery in this country and there are increasing calls for making it a public holiday, which I believe would be a good think, however unlikely that is to happen with the current administration. Due to the newly invigorated fight against racism marches and protests are planned throughout the weekend. It will be interesting to see how that goes with the rally planed by the Orange Cheeto for tomorrow in Tulsa.