Us, January 19, 2020: John, Leo, Shadow, Roy, Ondine
Us, January 19, 2020: John, Leo, Shadow, Roy, Ondine
It's been warm and unexpectedly grayish this week, which is nice because the house stays cooler. We're thinking it's about time to plant tomatoes in the front beds. We've had poor luck with tomatoes lately though, so it may be time to try something else. But the peach tree is starting to blossom, as are the Iceland poppies and sunflowers! Meanwhile, in the back yard, we pruned our pomegranate tree too late in the season so we won't have much of a harvest. But the two hummingbird babies nesting in the cherimoya tree are growing fast.
Coronavirus update: The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracker shows that COVID-19 has been confirmed in over 3.4 million people worldwide, and has claimed over 242,000 lives. That's an increase of over 300,000 cases and 26,000 lives lost in the past four days. The U.S. has over 1,126,000 confirmed cases with over 66,000 deaths, up over 120,000 cases and another 7,700 deaths in the past four days, a reversal of the trend over the past couple weeks even as calls to lift restrictions increase in furor. In San Diego, our local toll rose to 3,711 cases with 134 deaths.
The global economic forecast continues to look grim as the knock-on effect of the virus takes its toll on business and industry. On a positive note, a failed experimental antiviral drug called Remdesivir seems to be on a fast track toward approval as a coronavirus treatment option, as early tests indicated promise. Other potential treatments being tested include pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories, antivirals similar to those used against HIV, and the generic antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine.
Nationally, the closure of several major meat processing facilities, due in part to the spread of coronavirus among workers, will likely cause disruptions as the industry scales itself. President Trump issued an executive order classifying meat production as essential and limiting corporate liabilities for actions taken to maintain production. And locally, many stores now limit packs of meat per household, along with toilet paper, certain canned goods, and cleaning supplies.
National unemployment claims hit 30 million, with another 3.84 million people added to the jobless roll this week alone. Freelancers like John remain outside the system.
Here in California, after opening state parks and beaches with restrictions for several days, it became obvious that some people weren't practicing safe social distancing, so governor Newsom reluctantly ordered beaches in Orange County closed down again. Opposition to restrictions and calls for businesses to reopen continue to grow.
San Diego was one of the counties in which people generally behaved appropriately for these times, so our beaches remain open, although most beach parking lots remain closed. Locally, Cowles Mountain and Mission Trails Regional State Park were not opened during that brief hiatus, and remain closed.
County-wide, on May 1 face masks became required outside the home, and grocery stores have been requiring face masks for entry for weeks. John just ordered two for himself, but for now uses his Mount Whitney topo map bandana, which provides more layers of protection than bought masks anyways.
Turning our attention way, way outward for some good news, NASA's next Mars vehicles, scheduled to launch this summer and land on Mars in February 2021, have names: the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter. Ingenuity will land with Perseverance, but will operate independently. It's a four-pound aircraft operated from Earth, and will be the first attempt at powered flight on another planet. Its main task is to find out if flying on Mars is even possible. Cool!
In other good news, our auto insurance is giving us a 15% premium credit for May, which is helpful. Ondine has gone from racking up hundreds of miles every couple weeks to practically zero, and John has driven a total of about 70 miles since mid-March. Roy has driven exactly twice, two short trips to the stores. Also, despite having everyone home all day, using fans and computers, our solar panels are really pulling their weight.
Leo is hanging out with friends online playing games and listening to podcasts. He hasn't logged into school in weeks - he says he thinks it's pointless because the school district's "hold harmless" grading policy assures him passing grades regardless of his participation.
Roy is still taking classes at UCCS online and working remotely at the Ent Center box office. Just today, he had a group project work session. But, his school year is winding down already! (He'd have finished and come home mid-May.) After the semester is finished, he's thinking about taking an eight-week management certification course over summer. Danielle came by for a visit Thursday afternoon and they sat in the front yard sharing a pizza (delivered) and assembling the Lego International Space Station set.
Later Thursday, Roy and John drove Ondine's Prius to Kohl's to pick up an order of shorts, since all his summer clothes are packed away in Colorado Springs! Kohl's retail stores are actually closed, but they are staffed for contactless curbside pickup. The order also included a set on summer dishtowels for us and a new pair of workout shorts for John. So now Roy has three pairs of shorts.
Ondine completed the 30-day haiku-a-day challenge, wow! She continues to work from home, setting up her office in our bedroom and dismantling it at the end of every workday. Her union voted to approve the proposed contract, so that's a relief! She started occasionally riding the exercise bike after work, a quick 20-minute workout. But she's thinking about getting a rowing machine. And, just this morning she made a shopping run for one of our neighbors.
John is learning Latin via Duolingo and forensic archaeology via FutureLearn. He's also been watching Time Team on Amazon Prime and various theatre productions via YouTube. The National Theatre just did Twelfth Night, which was wonderful. He continues to ride his exercise bike for an hour every morning.
Neighborhood gas prices are about $2.79 per gallon. The stock market closed Friday at 23,723.69.
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