BUSY ALL DAY

The end of today was interesting.  Every day at 7pm like some of this country, we go outside and clap and yell to thank the essential workers, nurses and doctors for their much needed work and sacrifice.  I was out there doing it and I see a neighbor turn on his backyard party lights and bring out a cooler.  Then he welcomes a guest.  I am thinking " what the heck?"  The guest looks at me across the yards and says hi.  He says "I'm so bored"  I said "You are supposed to bored and home sheltering in place".  Then I went inside.  I was so mad.  What are people thinking?  Not only are they putting each other at risk but they are putting all the people they come in contact with at risk.  We are in one of the highest risk areas. 

Then I found out another neighbor left our town and went to their other home in a small town.  How do they know if they are carrying the disease and taking it to people in that small town?  I don't understand.  Or maybe they get it in the small town and bring it back here.  Who knows?

And people ask me why I am staying inside for the duration.  This is why.  These people live yards away from me.  I know them as caring people but this I don't understand.  I think they think they are invincible.  Or that they have lived through the AIDS epidemic so they are already on borrowed time or something.  I don't know. 

All I know is I have already had one life threatening illness that almost killed me and that is enough for me for a long time.  I am keeping my butt in this house for the duration.  I had another neighbor see me in my garage and ask how I was doing.  She was afraid for me because she said my house has been dark and she had not seen me around.  When I told her my situation, she offered to shop for me or do any errands for me.  People in my community are very nice.  I have five people who have offered to shop for me or do errands for me.  That brings tears to my eyes thinking how nice people are being during this difficult time.

I had a neighbor stop by to kvetch (at 10 feet apart with masks on) and he told me what it was like out in the world.  Shops boarded up, the public transportation closed down and the lines at the stores.  He is still going out more than he should but he has a small apartment and a roommate and he says he needs to get out walking.  He didn't have a mask so I gave him one of my heavily guarded few.  He also could not find any paper towels at two stores.  I gave him some of mine.  He is a nice guy and would help me if I needed it.  When I fell over a year ago, he stayed with me until I felt well enough to get home and then helped me get a cab to get us home.  He helped me get in my house.  He was so worried, he came back later that day to make sure I was okay.

Lucky update: I spoke to the vet and he agreed that Lucky may be feeling (do dogs feel?) sad about missing Happi but that her stomach is probably still not right.  So he wanted me to come get the medicine for her.  I couldn't and asked about Fed Ex.  Hours later my doorbell rang and it was the tech from the vet.  She walked it down to my house!!  She said it was a lovely spring day and she needed to get out.  It was about a mile walk (I have walked it myself) and she stayed and chatted (at a distance with our masks on) for a few minutes. Now I have a few months of medicine for Lucky.  They are so nice!  After Happi passed I wrote a Facebook post about how wonderful they were and they made me a Star Fan type thing on Facebook.  Fancy!

Anyway, between visits, laundry, phone calls, work, and text check ins I was busy all day.  I have not been bored yet.