The Cold Seeps into a Soul

16 April 2020

Sunny but cold this morning.  Weather has been so drear the past few days.  Snow and then more snow, none of it amounting to much more than a dusting. None the less, the precipitation chills the spirit hoping for spring. Still cold this morning, but cold and clear is better than cold and cloudy. The water fountain we have in the front yard is almost frozen over but not quite. The fountain, like myself, is refusing to give up in this unseasonable turn of weather.

Sitting next to my right hand as I type is my coffee mug filled with day old coffee.  With the pandemic raging it has been a little difficult getting coffee beans in any quantity.  Yesterday I did not finish the pot, so this morning I just reheated some in the microwave.  I know what microwaved tastes like, well it is pretty awful. Despite the taste I am not going to waste half of a pot of java barely a day old.

Days in this pandemic are starting to blur together.  The only changes in patterns of meals, dishes, walks, laundry, meals, dishes, sleep are when we go out for a drive in the country or when we pick up groceries from the Kroger grocery store. Robbie Robertson wrote a song a long time ago called Acadian Driftwood.  There is lyric in the song about 2/3rds the way thru that goes, “Too much repetition, makes a man want to leave the only life he has known…” I retired three months ago.  For more than a third of that period I have been locked up in my house.  I get the lyric, I really, really do.

Other people are getting antsy too.  Yesterday we had a big protest about the scope of the restrictions put in effect in Michigan.  Understand I am not a fan of the impacts of the social distancing order, but my age group has a high likelihood of death after contracting the disease. Therefore, I am scrupulously adhering to the social distancing rules.  I had no problem with the conducting of a protest.  We have a long tradition in this country of such behaviors.   There were aspects of the rally I found troubling.

I had three specific issues with the protest however.  One, some people were clearly not following social distancing protocols exposing others to potential infection with the coronavirus.  This was foolhardy.  Two, some of the participants intermittently blocked access to a local hospital thus interrupting patient care. Some people ended up having to reschedule appointments due to access problems for the public parking.  This was rude and inappropriate. Three, was there any valid reason for using the stars and bars at the rally?  I mean the confederate battle flag is a clear sign of racism and hatred.  So, it goes.

Well, I am going to bundle up and get the first round of my walking done for the day. May the day be a good one for all.