Crabapples

The coronavirus rages on

Terrifying times.

Seems it takes out the older and fatter people, and I fit that profile. I am eating an entire bag of Lay's Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato chips to prepare for no more chips.

I can't lose weight quickly (or is it quick?) enough to keep up with this virus, but I can try.

Can't go see the children or grandchildren.

Staying away from people, but that's nothing new. No one ever comes to visit us.

Coronavirus

On March 11th (9 days ago, the WHO--World Health Organization--officially determined that the coronavirus is a pandemic.

Wes and Sanja had just arrived in NYC the day before for a 5 day/4 night vacation, but they weren't able to do anything.  About two hours after their arrival to NYC, the governor ordered that all museums, Broadway shows, and large gatherings be cancelled.  The restaurants were still open, and they did go to Times Square and Central Park, but they cut their trip short and came back to Nashville on Saturday, March 14th instead of flying back on Monday, March 16th for fear that everything would start shutting down. And, everything has.

Here in Madisonville, all restaurants and hair salons are closed. School has been cancelled until April 10th. Every day, we hear on the news about more and more case and more and more deaths. It's truly frightening.  Outside of China, Italy has been hit hardest, but Italy actually has the most deaths due in large part to a large elderly population.  We have been told to practice "social distancing." Avoid crowds, stay 6 ft away from others, and even for funerals, only 10 people can be present.  It's a day to day thing, but I think it is going to get worse.

Even before the coronavirus, I had been slipping more and more into terrible habits. I lie in bed most of the day reading or playing solitaire on my phone or taking pictures of birds. I hardly move around at all. I am gaining more weight and getting more and more out of shape.  I need to make changes immediately.

So, back to goals.  Today, I will:

sweep and mop the kitchen floor
get dressed and go walk at the track
sweep the hall floors
dust and clean the bathroom
put my clothes away
work on a crossword puzzle
clean the dining room

It would help if it would stop raining. I could be out in the yard more.  I get so out of breath just walking around the yard.  I must make changes.

Trying Times

A dark-eyed junco in a tree looks at me. 
Hyacinths gently open

in a world that seems broken. 
The patio peach requests 

that you have a seat, and the tulip buds
are still hiding in the folds of green 

hoping better days will be seen. 
I dislike immensely rhymed verse

(actually, intensely), but in light 
of the circumstances, I hope, perchance, 

my descriptions might entrance your wandering
minds and enhance the beauty you may find

in your own backyard in these trying times.

Hydrangea

In The Wake

In The Wake

The dog sleeps on the area rug near my feet.
It is in shades of eggplant, gold, and light
green. She is easy now after a day of pain

and too much excitement.  She can feel
the tension in my body lifting, three drinks
and some chips into evening.  We all choose

our battles. I hate cliches, but that particular
one rings true, true as my phone going off
beside me, someone, most likely my youngest,

responding to my comment about buying
more toilet paper and hand sanitizer, the new
virus encroaching, the seemingly nonchalant

responses I have rendering me to something
of a skeptic. I have more to say, but I want
to look at this message. I want to say--go,

love your life, keep going, always keep
going. And, I will, and I will sleep this night
with the mother's fear of all invaders to her

children's happiness and health doing
their best to wreck her, to wreck life, to create
new pathways to all of the radical unknowns.

Anything But The Thing

Anything But The Thing

I read about flying squirrels and the lesser
known flying frogs. I marvel at their ingenuity,
their ability to take me away from this night's

poll results. I find them far more progressive
than the majority of Americans and can understand
why and how they have lived so long in such

diverse and ever-changing ecosystems, while
their human counterparts keep finding more
and more ways to destroy habitat, soft grasses,

clean waterways, hope. Like many, I concede
to the person who can eradicate this vile monster
who sits as High King in the microcosm

of existence I inhabit on this planet, cleanse
the unspeakable harm he has done. It comes
to this: stand inside a little booth in the middle

of nowhere or the middle of seemingly
everywhere, and cast out your line, the only
line left, for one on the left who knows

the right has clearly forgotten that fish
have feelings, too, and that the soft bottom
of the river cannot hold for long under

the heaviness of ignorance.