6:20
“I don’t feel so great,” I tell Marnell. “My sore throat is back.” I’m not super worried, since I woke up with one on Sunday which then disappeared without turning into anything more. Marnell is leaving for work soon, although he will be working mostly from home in the coming two weeks of Indiana’s “stay-at-home” order.
7:00
I take my temperature, just to be sure: 97 degrees. Totally normal. I have no reason to believe I’ve been around anyone with COVID 19, or I would be more worried.
7:40
I’m on my way to work. I get a message from my brother, the accountant.
Really odd how this crisis has changed for me/us. I spent the first 10 days in agony over the economic bloodbath I saw coming. Not panic, just realistic gloom. Then as the lockdowns started actually happening, my impossible schedule suddenly began to clear out. Almost like a miracle. I haven’t felt this free in months. I was planning to be traveling yesterday through tomorrow, then again next Monday night/Tuesday. I was behind on client work. This morning I’m at home with my family drinking coffee. Our travel/gas bills are plummeting. Maybe I’m a lone voice in this crisis but I really wonder if this isn’t God’s way of bringing the country’s families together. Even just economically, the impact of that may ultimately offset the short term losses. Cheers everyone!
-Scott Hoover
Also, Scott has written a great article for business leaders which you should be able to see here.
Then my sister added a thought.
I have been remembering too one of our neighbors lamenting how everyone is so busy now, no one has time for each other, or something like that. And I’ve been thinking how with the world quieter and slower now, maybe people (myself included) will hear God’s voice better and slow down for each other.
– Kelsie Troyer
8:15
Arrive at client’s house. Say hello to her mother and prepare medications.
9:00
I feel a dry cough coming on and turn away. I go find a mask and put it on. The cough worries me. Maybe I made the wrong decision in leaving the house. (Yes, everyone feel free to say, “For crying out loud Katrina, you’re a nurse! Why didn’t you just stay home?” Well, yes. But I’m nurse. Nurses always go to work. Sigh…)
9:15
Patient’s mom asks me if I’m sick. I explain that I hadn’t noticed the cough until arriving at work, although I had noticed the sore throat. We discuss. Neither of us think I actually have the COVID 19 virus, but who’s to say? Better to be on the safe side. I pack my bags, disinfect my area, and leave.
11:00
Oddly, I just can’t quite get up the energy to do much of anything, even to read. I listen to audiobook instead, Epidemic by Reid Wilson about the ebola crisis in 2014. It’s striking that there were conspiracy theories and political fighting then too. Apparently it’s part of the virus package.
4:51 pm
I still don’t think I have the virus, and I have no reason to think I’ve been around anyone who has had it. I don’t feel great, but it’s likely from a common cold. I’ve checked my temperature twice more, and it continues to be normal. However, considering everything, I feel right about staying at home. My supervisor at work has advised that I don’t need to get tested for the virus unless my symptoms change.
What’s happening where you are? Shoot me another description of your situation in the comments. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from everyone last week, and I would love an update or a brand new entry. Just keep in mind, political opinions or conspiracy theories are not relevant on this post. I’m sure we all hear enough of that anyway.
P. S. Don’t forget, through tonight, you can still enter the drawings for an Ultimate Weekly Planner. I forgot to mention that you should check out their cute website even if you have your planner for the year. But if you don’t have your planner for the year, or if you need a backup during this crazy time:
40 thoughts on “Coronavirus Diaries March 24, 2020”
I’m dreaming of the stories folks will write in years to come. I think the title will be The Day the World Got Sick. My children will tell their children….. school closed for the remainder of the term, and Mom became our teacher. Recess time was as neccessary for her as for us. She made the most of the precious silence, while we went outside to fly the new kites that took ages to arrive from Amazon. Mom craved time at the sewing machine. She was so delighted when she learned about the opportunity to sew face masks for the local hospital. It was a perfect little project to squeeze in the cracks and satisfy the urge to sew.😷😊😊 So far my mental health hasn’t gotten COVID-19! For that I am extremely thankful. But I know myself well enough to know that it could very well happen. Just one day at a time! 😊Blessings to all!
Good for you! You sound like a great mom 😁
Home schooling is what we do- so no change there. Our stores are out of the same things everyone else’s are. We had a two week trip planned to TN and PA before all this happen, it is our once a year time to see family since we live in AK. We flew into Nashville and got to visit my sister and family. Then things starting shutting down, canceling, and closing so we decided to head for home before we couldn’t and didn’t get to see anyone else. That was so sad. I was sure if any one gets sick we would because waiting for several hours in an airport with a family of 9, well, they start hanging over chairs, licking things, rubbing noses on windows, eating stuff that dropped on the floor, ect. 🙂 I am thankful we are safely home and didn’t get stranded any where and so thankful none of us got sick. Now we will be “hunkered” down for awhile.
What’s going on here? Well. the stores are certainly cleaned out of certain things, like flour, sugar, and TOILET PAPER…our neighbor called us and said we could buy some Quilted Northern at another store…we’re holding our breath, waiting to see if the virus will make its way up here, in Aroostook County, or not.
I had to look up Arrowstook County! And now I want to take a trip to northern Maine!
As of Monday, Belize had the first confirmed case of the virus. And as of today (Wednesday) they are saying their is only one more case. It’s comforting that’s its not rapidly yet but it’s also pretty soon to say for sure. For now, we will stay locked inside the country and drink ginger tea.
Being here as a teacher, it feels strange to keep having ‘Saturdays’! Our school is out next week yet then it will be decided from there.
Hand sanitizer and face masks are hard to be found, But we should be fine on TP since the softy brand is made here in Belize!!!
Ha! Nice to have your own TP factory at hand. Blessings in your lockdown.
My daily life hasn’t changed too much since I’m a stay at home mom of 2 little boys. I’m pregnant, due this Sunday and had a prenatal checkup scheduled for today. Yesterday the Dr’s office called asking if I have any cold type symptoms. I did start with a mild sore throat yesterday and when I said that, they said I need to self isolate and can’t come in for my appointment. My Dr wanted me to get tested since I’ll be delivering this baby in the hospital soon and if I test positive they will have to put me in an isolation room and be in full protective gear, etc. So I ended up running in last night to get tested. I have been dealing with cold symptoms for months, I think due to the pregnancy, so I really don’t think I have covid 19, but since the sore throat just developed, we can’t take any chances. I really hope the test is negative and the results come before I go into labor…..if I have the baby before the results are back they would have to treat me as if I was positive…
Oh dear! I hope they get test back post haste. And that it is negative.
Lockdown begins here in New Zealand at midnight tonight. My husband will be off work for a month at least, most likely. Our son’s job is “essential”, though (he’s a mechanic), so he’ll be working. Only supermarkets, fuel stations, banks, and a few other essential businesses are allowed to be open. I have a feeling the next month will be rather “interesting.” We homeschool, so no changes in that area for us–of course, all schools are already closed. We are wondering what will happen to our son’s boss’s family. They went on holiday last week to the other island, before anything was restricted. As soon as the news was out Monday that all businesses are to close tonight, they turned around and headed for the ferry, but as of yesterday they didn’t know if they would be able to get across. If they don’t get over the strait today, they are stuck away from home for the duration. We’ll find out when our son comes home from work this evening.
Wow! What an interesting situation with your son’s boss. Blessings as you weather through this time.
We went to school and picked up the girls school work for the test of the term, Homeschool from now on , whether we are ready or not. Husband has no more work scheduled as of today. I went to the grocery store today since I was out and about. Felt like a luxury to be in public, yet I was very aware of the fact that I was risking contact with germs, at least to some extent. Paper products continue to be scarce or non existent.
Last night we made a quick run to Menards to get some things for our new basement bathroom. Long lines!
The face masks y’all! That’s a hotter topic than TP. I love the way people are helping each other, no one needing credit or hero status…that’s golden. And what Christ would do, I think.
Blessings in your school endeavors. I hope it can be a good memory for you all!
Here is Ky we are staying in as much as possible. Went for a walk to the river yesterday. Saw a neighbor lady out in her yard… she waved…went straight to her door and closed it! We totally understood. People are scared in times like these. God sends great peace though and for that, I am thankful. He’s our shepherd… we shall not want.
Happy birthday Carla. Hope tomorrow is special for you!
God bless everyone and please stay safe.
That’s a little unnerving to have people slamming doors. I’m glad you were able to understand her.
I work at a local deli/bakery in Ohio. Since the “shelter-in-place” order took effect last night, we had the first “normal” day at the store in a little over a week! So although most people probably don’t like it, I was very thankful for the “shelter-in-place” order today. The quiet opportunity to catch up was a blessing. We ran out of yeast last week, got more in last night and had around 9 packs already spoken for this morning! By the time I left work this afternoon, most of the yeast we had gotten in was gone again. I’d really like to know how everyone’s bread is turning out. 🤔😊
What a fascinating perspective! I would never have thought of yeast.
8:30 AM Grabbed a breakfast consisting of buttered toast and fried egg. Made hot tea and packed a lunch.
9:15 AM Arrived at school to begin my newly acquired “office job.” I put away the much enjoyed library books the students have returned and chat with my co-teacher.
10:00 AM Sorted through all the paperwork dropped off by my students and proceeded to grade it all.
11:30 AM Took a break from checking papers to answers a question from one of my students’ mothers.
1:30 PM Put checked papers and tomorrow’s assignments in their proper places for the students to pick up sometime this evening and headed home to enjoy some quality time with nieces and nephews.
“Newly acquired job” or role is something I’m sure a lot of people can relate to right now!
What’s happening where I am?
I think today is Tuesday. Every day kind of runs together when you dont have a school schedule to follow.
Sunday we had church at home. The sermon was Live streamed over YouTube for the first time at our church. We went for a walk in the field across from our house after church was done. I saw the faintest hints of spring coming. There were a few wildflowers starting to poke their leaves out of the ground. Half an hour after our walk, it snowed.
Monday we homeschooled for the second time & it went a lot more smoothly then the first time. I watched the Live video of Governor Holcomb announcing the Stay At Home order for Indiana.
Tuesday, today, I had to quickly run our papers to the CPA to file our taxes. I stopped at a little country store on the way home. I was able to buy bananas, sweet potatoes & apples:) They even had milk & eggs in stock.
Tomorrow is my birthday. Maybe I should bake myself a cake 🤔
Happy birthday Carla! I hope you get your cake! I liked “I think today is Tuesday.” That does as well as any comment to capture how many of us are feeling!
Monday we made the decision to close our small diner in Richland PA. It was not an easy decision but after doing 5 days of carryout, it just wasn’t worth it!
Tuesday morning- it’s posted all over social media that today is ‘ Great American take out day’ encouraging everyone to support the restaurants that are taking a hit these days. Just our luck! I’m hoping all the restaurants hit their peak in these days of carry-out only and I have high hopes that the Railroad Diner will soon be open for dine-in and the line to get in will wrap around the building twice!!
How I wish I could get in the line! A restaurant called “Railroad Diner” sounds like a perfect combination of my favorite hobbies. 🙂 I hope I remember to visit the next time we are in PA.
That would be so cool if you could visit the diner! If you like to watch trains there is a good chance you would get to see some pass as we are located right beside the tracks! Our 20 year old son is part owner and is the manager at the diner. In May it will be 2 years since we bought it, gave it a face lift (especially inside) and had our grand opening!
Hope you can come to PA soon!
My day to day schedule hasn’t been affected much with my children being toddlers. Obvisouly all social events canceled. My husband is a teacher so working through setup for school in homes has been a lot of talk. So far here in PA it will be 3 weeks shut down for schools. Time will tell how much longer it will be. We take it a day at a time.
Today canning turkey from my in law’s turkey barns. Thankful for the extra meat we can store for later!!
It really makes me wonder how all the home schools are proceeding. I hope it can be a good experience for everyone in the end.
What are we doing?
Homeschooling. Roaming about restlessly thinking about snacks. Bathing the dog in the middle of the day when I should be sewing. Collecting orders for my new book (does going to the post office count as essential?!) Sewing in-between mediating sibling rivalries & snack crisis, watching it rain, AGAIN. Remembering Noah & his seriously shelter-in-place pandemic. I’m expecting more than 8 souls to survive this. Rejoicing we aren’t refugees. Keeping tab on the current status of my friends & family.
I love the Noah analogy! Tell me about your new book.
I work at a small custom meat processing shop. It’s business as normal with our 5 family members who work there. This week we had scheduled less so we could attend an out of state cousins wedding. The wedding was reduced to “immediate family” only. So I’ve got some extra time to sew. 😊 I haven’t been out of the ‘holler’ for a week.😁 My married siblings families have been hard-hit with the type B flu. I spent quite a bit of time at my brother’s with their children last week, because on top of the flu his wife had a miscarriage @ 16 weeks. We are thankful she is okay, though very weak from blood loss. I used lots of sanitizer and bleach and so far I’ve not come down with the flu! 😁 God is good!
As an interesting side note my brother and his wife got tested for corona cause they ended up in the Dr’s office & hospital with the miscarriage. They haven’t got the results back yet. She did test positive for type b flu.
Sounds like some tough times in your family. I’m sorry for the stress and sadness and glad you are still healthy.
Yesterday morning I started painting the basement, I’ve used a good 9 gallon of Primer so far, so no sitting around here (:
Barb! Gracious! Don’t overwork yourself!
We’ve had a weird time here, we had a week completely off of school, and now have fully transitioned into e-learning. It’s been a long couple of days getting everything rolling, but hopefully we are past the crazy and can find our new routine. No school for 6 weeks and then only two weeks at most until summer is a strange feeling, one I have not taken the time to fully process yet.
“Haven’t taken the time to fully process” probably summarizes everyone right now. Blessings.
Katrina, I had the dry cough, sore throat and a runny nose but no fever for 2 days…then the fever & fatigue hit! 104.5 temp, hurt to breath along with the rest, trip to the ER and a diagnosis of Flu A. Two weeks later and I still have a dry cough, sore chest, fatigue and a low grade temp of 99-100.5. I’m basically still social distancing because I’m afraid I’ll catch something else! Rest, lots of fluids, and take care of yourself (something nurses don’t do very well!) & I hope you feel better soon!.
That’s scary! Thanks for the info. Still no fever, so I’m counting on it being allergies or something.
I’m getting lonely, so I invited my daughters and their children to my house tomorrow. Since I’m fixing dinner for them, I went shopping for some supplies. People are scarce in stores. Are their pantries bulging from last weeks panic shopping? Only the drive-in window is open at the bank. I was the lone customer at the Thrift Store.
I ordered books from Thrifty Books, for fresh reading material.
I’m planning craft projects for my grandchildren tomorrow. Thankfully I hoarded my children’s beads, and buttons, and papers.
Hmmm. Interesting, but not surprising, that you are glad for the things you hoarded!
Tuesday morning, was spent in the kitchen making whoopie pie bars, granola, baking bought roll dough, and gluten free brownies. Plus getting lunch on the table and pulling meatloaf out of the freezer for supper. With 8 people at home all the time food disappears at a rapid rate. Tues afternoon, took a nap to recover.
That’s a fascinating perspective. If you publicize that list too widely you might end up with more than eight. 🙂