Here I am, in my golden years, supposedly more prudent and sensible.
I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t drive fast and I always wear my
seat belt. I take my (doctor-prescribed) medicines. I meditate and
exercise regularly. I drink a lot of water, and eat a sensible, low-fat
diet.
And today I blow it all by going to the grocery store and using a cart.
HOSPITALS WEIGH DO-NOT-RESUSCITATE POLICY FOR CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS: The Washington Post recently reported that Northwestern Memorial Hospital is among medical centers considering a do-not-resuscitate policy for COVID-19 patients, “regardless of the wishes of the patient or their family members.”
CVH tells me that today’s coronavirus government briefing will start with some age-appropriate videos.
First they’ll have a video for small children, explaining what’s going on with this virus situation. Then there will be a video for older kids,” she said. “That will be followed by the regular briefing for adults.”
“And what about the video for the over-60 crowd?” I asked. “What will that say? ‘Time for you to move off to the side of the road’?”
Tonight, CVH wanted to watch The Thing (1982 Carpenter version).
As you may recall, the story is about a group of men essentially on lockdown. They fail to practice appropriate social distancing, and as a consequence, risk spreading a contagion that would kill everyone on the planet.
I don’t know what she was thinking.
One bright spot in this dreary lockdown is that the Met is streaming free operas everyday.
They have selected some notable productions from recent live broadcasts. “Notable”, in this context, is not necessarily the same as “finest”.
Nonetheless, this week they are featuring Wagner, composer of my favorite operas.
I mentioned to CVH that today we had Tristan, the next three days are The Ring, followed by Die Meistersinger and Tannhäuser.
“Oh hell no,” she replied.
Like most states, the Kentucky governor has ordered all in-person retail businesses that are not life sustaining to close. We can still get take out. For now. By the way, liquor stores are considered “life-sustaining”; there’s only so much even the governor can do.
You wouldn’t know it by the traffic going by in front of our house. But then in all the years we’ve lived here, we have never been able to figure out where all these people are headed to. It’s been like this ever since we moved here. I think the natives just drive around in their cars, going nowhere in particular. Unless it’s the liquor store.
“Out of bay leaves!” CVH exclaimed. “Can we go find some? The Indian grocery, perhaps?”
“I suppose. I’m about out of Horlicks, anyway.”
The store had bay leaves and Horlicks, all right, but the rest of the strip center was pretty much shut down. It reminded me of those Depression newsreels and The Last Picture Show.
Oddly, one thing that hasn’t slowed down since the beginning of this crisis are the telemarketing scams. Our phone continues to ring all day long.
I mean, are they still trying to give us a free cruise?
These days, I feel sorry for people in the Sun Belt.
This time of year, they are used to getting out and having fun and doing things and being with people.
But that cannot happen in a Plague Year.
On the other hand, years of experience of Midwestern winters have inured us to months of gloomy isolation. So the current situation really isn’t that difficult for us to accept.
Grocery shopping these days is like it was for Martha in The Americans.
CVH was able to get a chicken, some fish, hot dogs, and ground pork today.
The view at our local Kroger yesterday morning, well before sunrise. So much for “social distancing”.
