We're just across the border and about an hour ago, my mobile received an emergency alert, to which I'm adding a 4th and 5th W, avoid WISCONSIN - where on top of COVID extremes, today there was a mass shooting, in a WAUWATOSA Mall.
Imminent Severe Alert
Effective today, all of Illinois enters Tier 3 Mitigation. Work from home when possible, avoid unnecessary travel, and celebrate the holidays virtually with extended family. To slow the spread of the virus, remember the 3 W's: WASH your hands, WATCH your distance and WEAR a mask. Please stay home to save lives. Learn more at
https://bit.ly/3kKCy7r
It’s scary.
Because of the pandemic, MiniSue’s BF’s boss sold his company as HE was recovering from COVID-19. Luckily, the parent company figured out that they HAD TO hire him, as he was the only person who knew how to cause their purchase to function profitably. They gave him a big raise, but no office. Meanwhile, MiniSue had transferred to her current position THE DAY her employer sent almost everyone to work from home. She went into the city to get an ID phitobtaken and a parking pass. But she had no office, no desk, no phone number, no company computer. And BF has every other week custody of his 5th grade daughter, whose school went to 100% distance learning. All in their teeny, tiny little cottage. (They
could afford to move to a bigger place, but by L.A. standards their rent is dirt cheap and would increase by $1500-2000/mo, which they would rather save for a down payment on a place of their own.)
Guess who has an “extra” room behind the garage. Certainly mot huge. Maybe 200 sq ft. It was built, on permit, as a storage room, not a habitable room. Slab floor, no attic, no heat/cooling, no running water, uninsulated walls and ungrounded electrical that would run too hot for modern electronics. MiniSue will move her office to that glorious location and on alternate weeks, the little one will do school here, too.
Ergo, my kid who is the local Three W’s police, also needs me to have electricians, drywall people, painters, etc here...but nowhere near me...even though I’m the in-charge person here. MrSue is a co-in-charge guy, but his hearing impairment requires my presence.
If what I had in late Jan. early Feb, was not a mild COVID-19 case, and I have no antibodies, all of this adapting to COVID-19 will probably expose me to COVID-19...with all these workers…and kill me. (I’m in the high risk age group with pre-existing pulmonary and other issues. There is no reason I
shouldn't think of myself as a potential COVID-19 fatality. I have too many messes here that I need to clean up, so I am not READY to die. But few are ever REALLY ready, right?)
So, I’ll wash the cloth masks, sanitize the N95s, have plenty of the blue surgical masks, keep my distance and…the hard part…remember to WASH my hands.
I’m trying to NOT WHINE. Anne Frank was 14 when she moved to that attic. She lived there two years and 15 days before being captured. And her diary (and I’m in the “I believe this
IS her diary” group) STILL reveals her optimism...with all that was happening.
