May 22, 2020
Dear Everyone:
When all this “Stay at Home” business began, a scant ten weeks ago, I
thought, “Well, how long could it last?”
Nevertheless, I checked the Emergency Supply Box.
Everything there was OK.
Next, I checked the supplies in the kitchen cupboard.
Which is when I discovered a can of cooking spray that had
expired a mere four years ago.
Several cans of tuna fish that should have been consumed two
years ago or sooner. Too
late now. And we’ve already
covered the slight catastrophe that came from trying to throw out too
much unwanted brown rice at once.
To be perfectly honest, I began stockpiling diet cola and tonic water
back in February. In all the
weeks since then, I’ve only seen one time when there was very little
diet cola on the shelves when I went shopping.
In the meantime, I buy the same amount as usual.
I just have to rotate the bottles stored in the back bedroom as
new ones come in. Right now,
the oldest ones only expire in June, so I’m OK.
I did wonder why baking soda suddenly became so scarce.
I mainly use it to neutralize odors in the refrigerator and
freezer. These boxes get
rotated out on a monthly basis, so I had until the beginning of June to
find more. And I was
successful last week, so that’s covered for now.
As to why everyone is buying baking soda:
Apparently a lot of people stuck at home have decided to do a bit
of baking. I guess it’s one
way to keep the kids under control for a little while.
“Let’s make some cookies!”
That will entertain them for a few hours.
It would take longer to clean the kitchen.
When we were kids, the Columbus Day Storm of 1962 knocked out power to
most of the state of Oregon.
We were without electricity for over a week.
All schools were closed, of course.
We kids considered it a cause for celebration.
No school! No TV or
radio either, but that was just the cost of our unexpected liberty.
The weather was mercifully mild, so we played outdoors during the
day. In the evenings, we
played board games or read books by candle light.
In those days, losing power was not exceptional, just the length of
duration in this case. In
fact, losing electricity was not an acceptable excuse for not completing
your homework.
Now people in some states are storming the governor’s office, with
firearms no less, proclaiming their inalienable right to endanger the
lives of others so they can get their hair cut.
True, a lot of people are blocked from working.
That’s no reason to throw tantrums.
Would this whole mess be better if there had been someone competent in
the White House? Maybe.
Would people be less crazed if the Great Grey Tortoise (Mitch
McConnell) had allowed Congress to appropriate the funds needed to tide
everyday people over?
Possibly. Only time will
tell.
How much time is yet to be determined.
Nineteen years ago, Bin Laden attacked New York and Washington with
airliners. Today, we still
go through the security protocols put in place back then.
Years from now, will people still automatically wear a face mask
whenever they leave the house?
In the Victorian era, no self-respecting woman would go out in
public without gloves on her hands.
When I was a girl, it was considered a sin for a female to enter a
church without covering her head in some way.
Why? Because it was
the custom. The actual
reason had been lost in the mists of time.
God bless Jackie Kennedy!
She wore a lace scarf over her head and single-handedly liberated
us from the tyranny of hats.
Meanwhile, we will continue to “Stay Home.
Slow the Spread. Save
Lives.” After all, it’s only
been ten weeks. So far.
Love, as always,
Pete
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