Day 3754

I try to go out for supplies once a week now. When I made my weekly run this morning, the world looked a lot different than it did last Saturday. For the first time I felt like I was walking around inside a Steven King novel. It was easy to sense that something apocalyptic was happening. Almost everyone was wearing masks. You could tell people's professions by the type of mask they wore. Men in the building trades were wearing well made masks that dry wall workers, painters, and woodworkers often use on the job. My own mask fell in this category. It was old and smelled of sawdust. I found a few in the tool shed and I'm sure I'd used them once while sanding something. Nobody was wearing a N-95 mask, but quite a few obviously came from medical supply rooms. I don't think hospital workers are stealing masks but I'm sure they are taking a few home for their families. Who could blame them. The only people I saw who weren't wearing a mask were the senior citizens who probably needed them most. The stores weren't crowded and everyone seemed very polite. People were methodical about their buying and didn't linger. I got the impression that everyone knew that things weren't going to return to normal for a very long time.

There weren't any problems with overcrowding in the parks today. It was cold and rainy and the streets we're virtually empty. Janet and I timed our walks between storm cells and managed to give Dawn a nice walk and get our daily exercise without getting too wet. Only the most dedicated runners and cyclists were out today. It was pretty nasty. Technically, I guess it is Spring, but it definitely felt like Winter is Coming today.

I have mixed feelings about the non-stop news coverage of the virus. I guess it's good to know what is going on, but there is no new information. People still don't know how this virus works or how to stop it. The talking heads just repeat the same information day after day. Unless you've been living under a rock, you already know to clean everything obsessively and to stay away from other people. Mostly what the news coverage does is stoke unnecessary fear. We should all be cautious and methodical but it won't help much to be fearful. The situation is what it is. This virus is like a runaway freight train. It will eventually run out of gas but we aren't going to stop it.

Janet and I are a good team when adversity strikes. I think we are going to be OK. I'm glad Dawn is with us. We had no idea that things would get this bad when we adopted her, but this is definitely not a good time for a dog to be alone in a kennel. I'm glad that Dalmatian Rescue has done such a great job of placing dogs this year. Six months ago we had dozens of dogs in the rescue program and now just about all of them have found their forever homes.

I didn't even bother to get gas today. At this rate a tank of gas will last me all year. I'm still having problems wrapping my head around the idea of exponential growth. Too many people seem to be dying unless we are all already infected. It would be nice to know how long it takes to show symptoms. Is is four days or four weeks? Nobody knows. When I have to venture out, I would like to be able to count the days until I felt safe in my house again.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1217

The saddest thing about today's bombing of the Boston Marathon is that these horrific events are no longer surprising. Bombings, school shootings, mass murders and other horrors have become so commonplace that they are now just part of the tapestry of everyday life. I have to remind myself that the world wasn't always this way. I grew up in a small town that didn't have a single murder during the entire time I lived there. Neighbors didn't even lock their doors at night when I was a kid. I suspect that those days are gone forever.

The bombs that exploded in Boston weren't the only sign of the apocalypse today. The market had a huge sell-off, with the price of gold falling at an unprecedented rate. This extreme volatility is no longer uncommon either. The world has simply become a volatile and increasingly dangerous place.

If I hadn't turned on the television, I would never have known about all the turmoil however. My own world is quite calm. I walked the dogs, exactly like I always do, and ate a bowl of oatmeal mixed with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries when I returned. I watched an old episode of Dr. Who while I was doing the laundry and cleaning up the kitchen. I paid a few bills, took my quarterly estimated tax voucher to the post office, finished an estimate that was due today, and even got a couple of checks in the mail. It was an absolutely normal day as far as I was concerned.

I hope I can maintain this fragile illusion of normalcy in the days to come. I have no desire to live on the bleeding edge of anything. A simple life like my parents enjoyed in the 1950's would be fine with me. Is this even possible? Probably not. If I'm being honest, I'll have to admit that during the 1950's, my Mom was wrestling with manic depression and my Dad was immersed in the cold war, making secret trips to the Nevada desert whenever there was a nuclear test. Maybe life never was normal.

I still find the innocence of the 1950's alluring however.  I enjoy watching old episodes of Perry Mason and The Twilight Zone as I drift off to sleep in the evening. The world seemed so simple then. It would be nice if we could figure out how regain the innocence we lost. I don't think it's going to happen though.

Dot has to fast for her CAT scan tomorrow. Janet and I have come up with a complicated plan to feed Dash in the morning without Dot knowing what is going on. The plan probably won't work though. Dogs always know what's going on when food is involved.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day