Monday, June 29th, 2020
Somehow my once meticulously tidy house has become a mess. Not in the sense of not clean; quite the contrary with nothing else for J to do it probably has never been cleaner. It gets vacuumed every other day, all bathrooms are cleaned every day, the kitchen gets cleaned twice a day.
Messy more in the sense of untidy, because there is stuff lying around everywhere. Containers reside on the previously vaccant kitchen counter with the various baked goods EM has produced (currently meringues, chocolate cookies and rice crispy treats), which we do not really eat and she distributes among her friends when they stop by or she goes to see them (all of course outside and at least 2 meters apart). Key lime pie and chocolate pie in the fridge accompanied by some left over chocolate pudding as there was too much for the pies, and a jar with pie crust dough. The fridge is bursting following my cooking spree yesterday and there are containers with salads and salsas.
The dining room table had been taken over by EM as her office during school time. Somehow sticky notes, pencils, notebooks and other odds and ends still linger there. They have most recently been joined by a sleeping bag and a pillow on one of the chairs as EM has taken to sleeping outside in a hammock once in a while and cannot be bothered to schlepp things upstairs/ downstairs. T
he knitting yarn tied into a knot has been residing in the living room for weeks as we got weary with untangling it. The chess game is out on another table. And our little entry way is cluttered with a picnic blanket, cushions and masks.
It all feels very untidy. Then again no one but EM, J and I get to see any of this, and I spend most of my life in either the den or the garden anyway, just passing through the other rooms. So not sure why I am so fussed about it.
I got an entire hour in the pool today, which has me insanely happy. Sadly I am still unable to book any of the outdoor lanes at any given point in time which is disappointing, but the B pool is nice, lots of glass and both doors wide open; plus it does not close in the event of a thunderstorm, so it is a guaranteed swim and it feels safe enough as almost everyone swims freestyle so exhales into the amply chlorinated water. I have noticed that hours seem to be extending as I managed to get a 45 minute slot for Thursday, if this were the case it would be excellent as I would then be back at almost my normal routine – at least as far as the swimming is concerned: 25 free, 10 back, 10 breast and then maybe a lap or two of fly if I get an extra minute.
Corona news today is frustrating again with the WHO warning that the worst is yet to come as the spread of the virus has accelerated, even with several countries seemingly in control. In the US it seems to be out of control in large parts of the country, mainly those who moved to reopen quickly. Main avenues for infections are bars and restaurants with indoor dining and other places where people gather closely. This also explains the resurgence of the virus in California. Over Memorial Day weekend people fed up with #stayhome crowded beaches and likely spread the virus again after successfully curbing the spread with #stayhome.
We had plans to go to the beach with our social distancing pod family, maybe it is fortuous that we are unable to find a house anywhere up or down the coast. Given every place on hte beach or a lake is booked, chances are the shores will be crowded, increasing the risk of spread. For us it looks like we will be doing a number of day trips instead.
Worldwide infections are reported at 10.25 million with 2.6 million of these in the USA. The day on day death rate in the USA is decreasing. However, hospitals in Arizona, California and elsewhere are running out of beds already. As a result of increased infections we can expect to see a steep incline in the number of dead again in three to four weeks I am reasonably certain.
Given that especially Republican voters believe the threat of the Virus is exaggerated numbers are likely to continue to rise in red States now as people refuse to wear masks and socialize. While WHO reported today that the spread of the virus is increasing, partially because the Virus has mutated to make it more infectious, research findings around preventing the spread are getting increasingly robust. It is a familiar mantra: wash hands, wears masks.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic the European public is realizing what has been true for a while: they are on their own. The US handling of the pandemic has resulted in a significant loss of trusts and people no longer believe the USA to be a friend and ally.
There is some good news on the treatment side of things: Researchers are working on treatments for corona and are advancing at record spread. There is confidence that a fully functional treatment available in a year from now.
However, the idea of one more year of this lifestyle is not enticing.