Day 97: Masks
So much being said these days, pros and cons, about wearing masks. Stores make us, employers and employees are wearing them, people selling them on Etsy and other online buying options. Some are angry and boycotting stores, others feel more protected that people are wearing them. Now, some stores are not allowing anyone under 16 to come in. Well, that doesn’t work very well if you are a single parent and need groceries and no one is available to watch your kids. Besides, I thought it was the kids who WEREN’T getting sick.
I wonder when we will feel safe to go back to ‘normal’. I said to a neighbor today about how the summer will be so different. We live by a lake that has several social gatherings that won’t be taking place — the Monarch Festival, the Milk Carton Boat Races, running, walking, biking venues that were used to raise money for a variety of causes. No Twin Cities Marathon, no 5Ks, (I don’t run, anyhow, nor do I watch but I know it drew large crowds.) There won’t be a National Night out, where a potluck meal took place. Virtual webinars can be nice to do at home, but I met many good people in my field by attending seminars. It was a new way for me to finally force myself to get out of town if even for a weekend.
I will feel it when I can’t go to the Art Fairs, this summer. I was going to participate in one this August. There will probably be no church festivals, no craft bazaars, no going out for drinks and dinners with friends. Even people complain if they hear more than two people in your yards— as if it couldn’t simply be a family.
I’m still not back to work, and I still have not gotten my unemployment straightened out. Turns out I received a stipend early April, a one time shot for about $300, and it only complicated things for me. I think I’m finally figuring out why… the home office for my employer is out of state and they don’t have jurisdiction to access the online here in my state with the Unemployment office. As a matter of fact, had I not found out, inadvertently, I wouldn’t have even known that was the issue why my case still says ‘pending issues’. But, the questions never got to my employer because of this whole online boundaries between states, I guess. SOOOO FRUSTRATING! Mainly, because I don’t know how to connect the two pieces together. I can’t even get through the phone lines to tell someone.
So, truthfully, the mask is a minor thing to do, except that I can’t breathe well in them. With asthma, it’s like breathing through a straw with one on. Maybe I need a bigger one. But, why now? Why are these things starting in the stores about masks, now? One person on FB made the comment that it was like deciding to wear a condom AFTER you’ve been having sex. He’s right. The number of people, at least in my state, getting sick has dropped, I believe. We are probably either sick, have strong immunities, or are carriers. But, we can’t live in fear, forever.
Now, I have seen some good things happen because of this, too. Like no one seems to be stealing as many packages off doorsteps, or the car jackings are less. Less cars on the road have dropped the emissions, and gas prices are quite low, again. I’m sure the drunk driving is down, too, since no one can go to the bars. I didn’t do it often, but I did like going out to hear music and go dancing. The neighbors across the street from me came out with guitars and started playing and those of us who watched, did so from their homes. The pandering seems less as there are no people hanging out on street corners with signs. I have no idea where the homeless went because I do not see them on the streets, anymore.
My son just told me that downtown is dead, except for a few who probably live down there, and the hospital. All the stadiums that our tax dollars and tuition dollars used to build them will sit idle. No college sports and those who got athletic scholarships into colleges won’t be using them. Doesn’t matter much since the colleges and other schools are now empty. But, I hear the microcenter store that sells computers and all the trimmings has been very busy. I guess the online gaming will increase, as will probably online gambling. The casinos will be empty, and I am sure the owners of them will feel the sting of loss (as do many of us).
I received a letter from my mortgage company that I don’t have to pay my mortgage now for six months, and I will not be charged interest, nor will it affect my credit scores. My scores have been rising, lately, so I’m not sure why that is. Credit scores are to hard for me to understand, anyhow. The least movement seems to cause a fluctuation in it, anyhow. My gas tank is still full, and I don’t think I will have to buy new tires, this year.
Most of my yard is cleaned but I will give it a deeper clean. My seeds are planted, and this will probably be the first year I will be able to keep up with pulling the weeds. I bought a power washer last year, so I will be power washing everything from the sidewalks to the stucco.
Well, as my mother used to say, “Time will tell”. She also used to say, “Time and tide wait for no man”. And, “What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander”. She had lots of cliches…
