It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Publicly, the worst. Privately, sometimes the best. It was the time of Covid-19 and of goodness and nastiness. —– In a small dry-country town, a health club owner whose business was ordered closed for being “non-essential” during the pandemic panic checked with the sheriff: Could she conduct exercise classes outdoors, with small groups, everyone staying six feet apart? Yes. Midway through her first class, deputies of that very same sheriff arrive. A busybody has spotted the “deadly” and “illegal” activity and they’ve been dispatched to shut her down.…
Author: Claire
I’ve been mulling a longer, seriouser blog post, but not (yet) writing it because I’ve been occupied with a happy little house project. Two of them, actually, and as it happens I finished both today. Only one is photo-worthy, but I admit I’m quite proud of that one. When I bought Ye Olde Wreck, two attractive but misshapen archways (clearly the work of Jim Beam and Jack Daniel) opened from the living room onto the long, crooked wreck of a former covered porch. I’ve been trying to make something of that porch ever since. One part of the “something” is…
So I received a text from Neighbor J two days ago: Would you like to participate in a community garden? X says we can use his fenced area; it’s full of raised beds. Every year since the truly heavy DIY work on the former Ye Olde Wreck (now Mo Saoirce Hermitage) was finished, I’ve been promising that this will be the year I build raised beds and plant a veggie garden. Every year, the expense of the project plus the fact that I’m a really, truly, terribly awful black-thumbed gardener means I put on my guilt and put off the…
… but on the other hand, I also don’t know how significant it is. Just passing it along. Friend TSO said that, at the large post office where his brother works, the postmaster read a memo this morning that made two points: first, that all USPS employees should start using direct deposit because of potential “communications disruptions”; second, that they should begin carrying their work IDs at all times because if and when the nation goes on lockdown, “only law enforcement, postal service, and medical professionals will be able to travel to and from their homes.” TSO verified the news…
Last week the local grocery store was out of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. Of course. That’s old news. Covid-19 business as usual. The new normal as pundits keep telling us. This week they received new supplies, but when I dropped in Friday they were not only out of the infamous items, but either stripped of or light on dozens of others. Eggs were unavailable. Butter was gone except for a few pricey specialty types at $12 a pound. Yogurt was sparse and only a few gallons of milk remained. Items featured in the week’s sale flyer were…
I began writing this post after California ‘crats shut down the Bay Area and Governor Jay Inslee of Washington state demanded that all restaurants in his state close their doors except for take-out and delivery. I also began the original version of this post with a fulmination about the insanity of specific measures (“You oldsters stay in your homes and don’t go out even to buy food.” In other words, “We don’t care if you starve for want of helpers to run errands for you; just don’t clutter up our hospitals or disrupt our attempts to make ourselves look like…
I hit the library yesterday to do some ‘Net surfing and emailing, only to find it “canceled” like so much else. It was open and minimally staffed, but had the air of a haunted house. Patrons could check out and return books, but the banks of library computers were shut down (“until at least March 31,” said the signs), chairs were removed from all the carrels and upturned on the long reading tables, and the ever-present din of children was absent. I never thought I’d miss the shrieks of rugrats, but I did. The place was a freakin’ tomb. They…
Wow, that was gratifying (again). Patreon sent money yesterday and your contributions have barely dropped at all. One new contributor even signed up in the last few weeks. It’s not large in terms of dollars. But my lord, your moral support for me and my mostly inactive blog nearly move me to tears. Yes, keep this up and I’ll have to start blogging again. In fact … well, more about that in a moment. —– In the meantime, the human race goes on being governed by its collective amygdalas and the rest of its limbic system rather than its individual…
Please forgive this post if it is misspelled, ungrammatical, or incoherent. I had surgery a few days ago. Minor. But painful. The medicated aftermath has left me as fog-brained and useless as the Iowa Democratic Party. —– I received a Patreon payout this morning and (for the second month in a row) was astounded to see that your contributions have not gone down. At least one donor even increased his monthly gift. I announced “I’m Done” nearly two months ago and you’re still sending me money. Aside from the Patreonage, I’ve received several hundred dollars in donations by snail or…
Note to GL and D3: I wanted to contact you privately before writing this, but I lost your addresses in October’s computer crash. Please forgive the surprise notice; you deserve better for your faithful, long-time support of me and this blog. —– I dread writing this. But … I’m done. I’m finished blogging. The blog will remain online for the foreseeable future, but I’ll no longer be posting regularly. Or even semi-regularly. I don’t know whether I’ll be posting at all, but if I do, it will be more in the style of a hobby blog than a serious endeavor.…