Everyone tell us you're OK!

[Pottapaug1938]

My daughter and her boyfriend are also in North Texas. My daughter's hotel is closed until at least June 1st; and even then, how soon they bring her back is uncertain. Her boyfriend is working three days a week. They are doing okay, at least for now; but my granddog is going stir-crazy because the dog parks, where she is used to running around, are all closed.

[morrand]

Everything has been well in Chicago. I've been working from my kitchen table for 3 1/2 weeks now thanks to the modern miracle of teleconferencing. One of my colleagues has fallen ill, almost certainly from the virus, but she's on the mend. In between stints at the "office" I've been getting to all those home repair projects I've meant to do for 12 years, cooking a lot more meals than I have in a while, and taking swordfighting lessons online since the school had to shut for the stay-at-home order.

[Montana Notasovrun]

So far, so good here somewhere in the middle of Montana. I actually did hear Merle Haggard sing that song here. RIP Merle.
Social distancing is easier where there isn't much population, but it is just as important. Take care and stay safe everyone.

[Arthur Rubin]

Brea, Orange County, California. My "work" on JustAnswer has improved because of the virus. A lot of people are asking about the $1200 payments, and I can get money by telling them "I dunno" and pointing to pages on the IRS website where it says they don't have the protocols working.

I may have been exposed to the virus Wednesday. Trader Joe's closed today (Friday) because an employee tested positive; his last day was Wednesday, and my last run to Trader Joe's was Wednesday evening. I was wearing a mask, per latest CDC advice, but.....

Probably not, though. However, I have a number of the risk factors, amd Ronni has more.

[eric]

So far, so good here somewhere in the middle of Montana. I actually did hear Merle Haggard sing that song here. RIP Merle.
Social distancing is easier where there isn't much population, but it is just as important. Take care and stay safe everyone.

Sounds like out here in Alberta - once you get outside our only two major population centers there is basicly nothing - zero or a couple of cases per county. One issue though in rural areas - older population, too many farmers with bad lungs, rural poverty, and limited medical facilities should something happen. A fair number of frightened people with not enough money so they can't even think about stocking up for two weeks and are afraid to go into the city if they did have the money.

I played easter bunny yesterday. I've got enough meat in the freezer to last me for well over six months so instead of eggs I dropped off packages to various households that would last them through two to three weeks. Max the schnauzer (one of my dogs) refused to wear a bunny costume however and was more interested in killing gophers.

[Montana Notasovrun]

Eric,
Your help is no doubt appreciated. I don't actually live in a rural area, but not in one of our bigger towns. Neighbors helping neighbors will get us all through this. My nearest neighbor just brought a bag of homemade donuts to us. He's worried about some of our other neighbors. He's a good one.

[AndyK]

You guys need to upgrade your neighbors. Within the past week, I received drop-offs of two bottles of home made wine and a half case of home brew beer.

The wine came with a note: "If you don't like it, use it as an antibacterial. The alcohol content is above 25%."

Tasted it. It is definitely NOT going to be used for decontamination -- at least externally.

[Gregg]

My neighbors are a lovely retired couple who spend the winters in Florida and I really didn't much know until about a year ago their dog died.
I put a card in their box and whenever I see them I make a point to let them greet the wiener dogs.
At least once a week she texts me that she's leaving something on the car for me. We're pretty much having a baking contest.
I'm gonna keep my neighbors.

Root Beer and Chili Dog, protecting The Well Armed Bunker Complex from squirrels, since 2006!





We got out to do some social distancing, after my State Trooper neighbor told me they're pretty much ignoring speeding.



*professional driver on a nearly closed course, do not attempt

[JamesVincent]

Greetings and salutations. Still stuck here in Maryland, still stuck in disability limbo and up until recently was still stuck in my poor truck. Been holding on, to what I won't mention. Was hospitalized, again, in December with CHF again and in January with "flu of unknown origin" so there is that. Thanks to the lockdown the local housing commission shut down down the week I finally got DSS to accept my paperwork and of course Social Security is under staffed and working from home so don't expect any changes anytime soon.

Along the way I wrote a book and working on publishing. Had a church give me a tent and a church member allowed me use of his tools so I built myself furniture from old pallet wood for the tent. The price for use of his tools was to teach him more advanced woodworking so that kinda calmed my soul for awhile. This entire thing happened at a point where I was finally making some headway and really set me back a ways, both physically and mentally. With the way things are looking here it will be midsummer, maybe later, before I hear anything from anyone.

Am supposed to be doing an interview for a local paper on the effect the lockdown has had on the homeless yet I feel that it won't ever take place. One thing was really driven home is that policy makers don't care about the homeless.

Montana I may be messaging you at some point. My plan all along has been to head that direction after I get things wrapped up here. Looking for some area away from anyone.

[Number Six]

I work at a major home improvement retailer. Also do ebay sales and side jobs related to arborist work. I am very grateful for what I have gotten in life.

I have an older sister who has been in a nursing home for over a year do to kidney failure and mobility issues, kidneys were affected by meds the doctors put her on for many years, which goes to show that if you don't take charge of your own health and scrutinize meds that are recommended for side effects, you could end up a major hurting unit. I lost a friend a couple weeks ago to lung cancer, was not a recent smoker, not sure what the root cause was. He would have better off without the medical treatments that did not prolong his life and knocked the stuffing out of him.

From everything serious I have been reading about the pandemic, the effects will be long lasting and devastating for the majority. I feel badly for those in tourism like one older sister in Spain, and other in restaurant and service trades affected.

[BoomerSooner17]

I'm OK!

Back in November, I finally secured a position as a instrument engineer at an oil and gas engineering services company. Well, I was laid off at the end of April as the company's customers started putting their projects on hold. On the plus side, my boss said that he hopes to hire me back when things (oil prices) turn around, which they are slowly doing.

I've been blessed with wonderful, supportive parents; they allowed me to live at home after graduation, and I'm still sleeping in my childhood bedroom, as embarrassing as that is to admit. I'm lucky that I didn't go and commit myself to a new car or apartment with my "newfound wealth" before all this happened.

Since my layoff, I have built a free-sailing model of a War of 1812 privateer schooner, discovered the Sharpe series of TV-movies and novels, gone to the beach at Port Aransas (yes, we social distanced and wore masks), and made CAD drawings for a new bathroom vanity cabinet that my father is building.

[Pottapaug1938]

I'm starting to go a bit stir-crazy. I want to be in the woods, with an axe in my hands, or prowling the ghost towns of the Quabbin Reservoir; but my Scout camp shows no signs of resuming normal operations, and the Quabbin hikes which I help to lead are all cancelled for the year. It's as if I'm mentally writing off the rest of 2020, except of course for the election.

The good news is that the reconstruction of my house, fire-damaged in November of 2018, is finally underway.

[The Observer]

I'm starting to go a bit stir-crazy. I want to be in the woods, with an axe in my hands, or prowling the ghost towns of the Quabbin Reservoir; but my Scout camp shows no signs of resuming normal operations, and the Quabbin hikes which I help to lead are all cancelled for the year. It's as if I'm mentally writing off the rest of 2020, except of course for the election.

The good news is that the reconstruction of my house, fire-damaged in November of 2018, is finally underway.

Good to hear, but even more important is how is your wife doing? As I recall, she is facing some serious health issues.

[Pottapaug1938]

She has a chronically bad back; and she is currently undergoing chemotherapy, in a clinical trial which seems to be doing a number on the cancer, but which induces nausea. At least, she is getting treatment from a world-class facility.

[NYGman]

Glad she is getting good treatment, and good luck with the home build, those can be fun. Also good to know that she is getting treatment from a world-class facility, as opposed to some of the internet quackery out there. There are too many of these outrageous fake clinical trial scams you can pay large sums of money to be part of. Some have been running decades, with no proven track record of success like this clinic.

[Pottapaug1938]

There is a special circle of Hell for people like Burzynski.

[NYGman]

There is a special circle of Hell for people like Burzynski.

I can't believe he is still going strong, and hasn't been prosecuted for fraud. He has been at it for 40 years, and has yet to publish anything showing his "cure" works. A broken clock is right twice a day, and yet I wouldn't rely on it to tell me the time. I wish him a visit from the karma fairy, and hope he one day proves its efficacy on himself, which would be killing two birds with one stone. But in reality if he ever does get cancer, I am sure his cure will not be high on his list if at all.

[Famspear]

Just received an Email from my sister-in-law; my brother tested positive for COVID-19 about a week ago. He had a few days feeling very tired with no appetite, but is feeling better.

[notorial dissent]

May you all stay happy and healthy, this isn't something you want to share or experience. A Happy Thanksgiving and Merry and safe Christmas to come.

[Cathulhu]

Good to hear what you're all up to. I'd have gone mad without my hothouse; the malabar spinach I planted this summer is producing lots of fresh greens in there. My chocolate trees are now old enough to bear, but no pods yet. (Backstory; I'm waiting for Carlos, the Trinitario hybrid from the wrong side of the tracks, e.g. Florida, to fertilize Charlotte, my Hawaiian Criollo princess. Or vice versa.) The original Cathulhu, a brown tabby with white points, has attained 18.5 years of age and enjoys the cat grass grown for her. The spouse is still hosting one NPR show a week, having semi-retired. Got thru a few medical procedures this year without yet getting covid.