Welfare check-in: How are people faring with the shelter in place orders?

[Tom Geiger]

We have not seen our three granddaughters in almost two months now. We are used to seeing them every week or two at the most. Even then the nine month old twins change or have progressed every time we saw them!

Now they both have sprouted a tooth and feed themselves cereal puffs. Little Brielle now can pull herself up to standing. And we’ve only seen pictures.

We were Skyping with them today and my two and a half year old granddaughter couldn’t understand why we weren’t there and was crying! Heart breaking!

And tonight my wife told me not to change the TV channel because she was going to watch “Saturday Night Live”. I had to tell her it was Friday!

Yea, we’ve had enough of this! 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by Tom Geiger

[Joe Handley]

Well Tom, there is always this option!

 

[Tom Geiger]

30 minutes ago, Joe Handley said:

Well Tom, there is always this option!

 

I think I will pass on that one!  

Today there was a birthday procession in my neighborhood.  I was out on my front yard and noticed SUVs lining up down the street.  I thought someone was having an illegal gathering!   Then they all started moving up the hill, I noticed they all had balloons on them and Happy Birthday 12 was on the windows.   So they made some 12 year old on our street sorta happy!    

And on a positive note I am making some ribs on the barbie!  

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by Tom Geiger

[Joe Handley]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

I think I will pass on that one!  

Today there was a birthday procession in my neighborhood.  I was out on my front yard and noticed SUVs lining up down the street.  I thought someone was having an illegal gathering!   Then they all started moving up the hill, I noticed they all had balloons on them and Happy Birthday 12 was on the windows.   So they made some 12 year old on our street sorta happy!    

And on a positive note I am making some ribs on the barbie!  

 

Those pop from time to time, not a horrible thing considering the other kind or procession seen over this!

[charlie8575]

The Census stopped, but they paid us for the month, which was helpful. I still have some of the other dribbles of work I've had, but it's nowhere near enough. It wasn't before, and now it's even less. I've been busy enough with other stuff that unfortunately, I haven't managed to do much building. I'm hoping this week I can do something to change it.

Dad is now working from home, which is good for him. He actually rather enjoys it. He's considering asking to have it become a regular thing, as he really isn't needed at the hospital very much, maybe 3-4 days a month he really, really needs to be there, so he might end up doing something like a 4 day remote/1 day on-site.

My mother is scared out of her wits. Living in a seniors building, and this thing hit a couple of people, but because everyone has been cowering in their apartments, the problems have been somewhat minimal, but the isolation, lack of contact, and lack of being outdoors is causing her more harm than good.

My friends are going completely insane. We're all Zoom'd out, (and there is a good reason why-, according to an article in NatGeo, our brains can't deal with it well), and everyone is going stir crazy. I've managed to get out for a drive a couple of times just to go look at something else. My job hunt for normal 9-5 work has ground to a halt, except for a couple of things that came up on my radar, so hopefully something will come of that. I miss being able to go to lodge, have dinner with my friends (although I've gone over to a couple of people's houses a couple of times because we were both going out of our minds), and actually being able to function like a somewhat normal society. Making matters worse, our governor is now threatening to extend the lock-down, which may literally lead to riots, based on the discontent I'm seeing.

I'm genuinely concerned about everything from the well-being of friends, family and those who work in close contact to this garbage virus, to the people involuntarily idled, and our political and economic stability as everyone walks a tight rope between sensible policy and totalitarian-esque regulation of daily life.

I'm quite sure we'll survive, but I have genuine concern for what life on the other side is going to look like.

Charlie Larkin

[Dave Ambrose]

Someone asked how I was doing. We're holding up pretty well here. I'm still working and very busy. Our clients are having to modify their systems to accommodate working from home They need our help to make that happen and work well. I work from home anyway, so in that regard, this isn't a change for me. I built a nice office that also houses my hobby table. 

I miss my grandson, but we're having twice weekly Facetime sessions. I also miss the beach, but am having more time to build, which is also nice. I think we're fortunate that we have a hobby we can still enjoy through all this. Our model car club has been having biweekly online meetings. Everyone who've joined is enjoying those a lot. The weather is finally cooperating for both spray painting and astronomy. I won't lack for things to do, that's for sure. My son is unemployed and hyperactively building Gundams. We've been trading build tips which, to be honest, feels wonderful. We may also have a bit more furniture out of this pandemic.

Unlike other parts of California, people are social distancing here, even at the beach. It has helped a lot. Most businesses are requiring face masks, which will prevent you from spreading the virus to others. I'm fine with that. I don't want to inadvertently harm anyone. The curve seems to be pretty flat at the moment, and the healthcare system has spare capacity. That said, I'm not likely to hold up very well if I contract Coronavirus, so I'm being very careful, even as things open up. So far, I haven't lost any friends to Coronavirus, but have lost three friends of friends.

This is going to be a long haul. There's a lot we don't understand about the virus itself, and about its spread. We just have to accept that, and do the best we can. It will be the sum of a lot of little things, just like building model cars. 

 

[Rob Hall]

Still working from home, getting groceries delivered, not going out other than to the vet.  Lost one of my dogs due to heart failure a couple weeks ago, that was a bummer..he was 14 and died at home.    But trying to enjoy the Spring weather so far, working on the yard, enjoying evenings by the fire pit, grilling..

[StevenGuthmiller]

My wife will be finishing up teaching the final semester with her nursing students next Tuesday.

Just today she accepted a job with the state of North Dakota to begin COVID testing at sites throughout the state beginning next week

 

 

 

Steve

[Joe Handley]

Still working from home here, thought it would be done with O/T but call volume picked back up. Dad got the stuff to replace the rotten sections on fence between outlet back yard and the neighbor’s to our south. I helped Dad a little after work let night and apparently he got my BiL to come over to help with all but one panel today while I was working (the library he and my Sister work for is closed until June, so there has been lots of Mommy and Daddy-Daughter time lately for them) and got all but 1 panel up and we need to get the broken post out of the ground first before we finish the last panel section.

[oldnslow]

   Been staying busy with my garden , picking banana peppers , tomatoes and zucchini . Wife and I have been able to go out to dinner now that the restaurants are starting to reopen ( at 25% seating) . That's really the only real inconvenience we've had to deal with , oh , that and the fact that the DMV is closed and I can't register my new toy ! 

[ewetwo]

I'm doing fine. I social distanced long before the virus came around. To the store once a week. Lots of chores to do outside. Serviced the mowers. Cleared and burnt some of the fallen branches from the hedgerow. One thing I'm doing is using my stimulus check money to support small local restaurants by ordering take out. No big box stores for me. Support the family owned establishments. :-)

 

[espo]

My wife is still working from home. She has had to go into the office a couple of times last week and this to help the one or two people still in the office when they get behind. I have been working on the yard and spreading Mulch around the trees and the flower beds. Four cubic yards of mulch so far. I got a new cordless chain saw that will reach up to 12 ft. so I can trim some of the trees and reach into the Cedars to trim some lower branches. I hope then to finish with another couple of yards of mulch under them. I enjoy the yard work as I'm outside in the fresh air and the sun.  

[Ramfins59]

As has been said above, being retired and receiving Social Security and managing to squirrel away a small amount each month, I'm feeling more fortunate than a lot of my fellow Americans.  My wife is also receiving S.S. and is working at a local bank.

Being 73 and recovering from recent heart surgery, I'm in that "vulnerable" group healthwise.  Other than spending some time on my back deck on warmer sunny days, I haven't left my house since I returned home from the hospital back in March.

I haven't done much modelling unfortunately, but look forward to getting back into it.  I check in on this Form on a daily basis just to keep up with things.

I'm hoping that everyone stays healthy and well as we work our way back to what I'm sure will be a "new normal".

[Tom Geiger]

Hey Rich! I was thinking about you, so I’m glad you posted, are well and staying safe!  You are in one of the safer counties which is a blessing!

We are staying at home, taking our daily no contact walks in the neighborhood. Once a week I go grocery shopping and beer pickup, and we haven’t even had take out food. We’ve been cooking here and doing a fair share of grilling.  Getting some model building done, doing yard work and house organizing,  and somehow the days and weeks have been going fast.

My wife and daughters were talking about getting together for Mother’s Day.  I was concerned about driving into New Jersey since it’s in the Covid epicenter and although we aren’t far away in the Philadelphia suburbs it’s still a lot safer here. 

They were reasoning that we’ve all been staying isolated so it should be relatively safe. And we’d stay distanced in their back yard. Today that all fell apart. My son in law is a professional firefighter and someone in his work tested positive. So he’s going for testing this afternoon. And we are staying home!

My wife’s brother works for the post office in a large sorting center in NJ. He had been sent home to isolate about a month ago because someone on his shift tested positive. He shares a house with a friend who also was exposed and spent time isolating. He has been going to work as essential, and now he’s feeling funky and going for testing. It’s getting real here on the east coast. 
 

 

[Joe Handley]

Well, Dad found that broken fence post isn’t broken, just pushed over a little bit so he’s going to try and pull it straight with his tractor and put up the last panel!

I found out that the next 2 weeks at work will be even more overtime, an added 4 hours a week from what we had already been getting!

Now the not so good news, my Sister got a call from the doctor she took her daughter to, apparently they had a patient come in  on the same day they did that had COVID-19, so now they have to self-quarantine for the next couple weeks......and of course, she finds this out a couple hours after getting back from the HyVee run she, her hubby, and our 78 y/o Dad went on, which is 45 minute drive each way?

[stavanzer]

I saw this and wanted to share it. Given how members of the same board in different states view things, I thought it apropos.

"

"Don’t know who wrote it, but it’s spot on!

 

Perspective:

 

WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT ...

I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it's not like that. WE ARE IN THE SAME STORM, BUT NOT IN THE SAME BOAT! Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa.

 

For some, quarantine is optimal. A moment of reflection, of re-connection, easy in flip flops, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate financial & family crisis.

 

For some that live alone they're facing endless loneliness. While for others it is peace, rest & time with their mother, father, sons & daughters.

 

With the $600 weekly increase in unemployment some are bringing in more money to their households than they were working. Others are working more hours for less money due to pay cuts or loss in sales.

 

Some families of 4 just received $3400 from the stimulus while other families of 4 saw $0.

 

Some were concerned about getting a certain candy for Easter while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk, and eggs for the weekend.

 

Some want to go back to work because they don't qualify for unemployment and are running out of money. Others want to kill those who break the quarantine.

 

Some are home spending 2-3 hours/day helping their child with online schooling while others are spending 2-3 hours/day to educate their children on top of a 10-12 hour workday.

 

Some have experienced the near-death of the virus, some have already lost someone from it and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don't believe this is a big deal.

 

Some have faith in God and expect miracles during 2020. Others say the worst is yet to come.

 

SO, FRIENDS, WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT. We are going through a time when OUR PERCEPTIONS AND NEEDS ARE VERY DIFFERENT.

 

EACH OF US WILL EMERGE IN OUR OWN WAY, FROM THIS STORM. It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. NOT JUST LOOKING, ACTUALLY SEEING.

 

We are all on different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey.

 

PLEASE REALIZE THIS AND BE KIND."

 

 

[espo]

13 hours ago, alexis said:

I saw this and wanted to share it. Given how members of the same board in different states view things, I thought it apropos.

"

"Don’t know who wrote it, but it’s spot on!

 

Perspective:

 

WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT ...

I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it's not like that. WE ARE IN THE SAME STORM, BUT NOT IN THE SAME BOAT! Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa.

 

For some, quarantine is optimal. A moment of reflection, of re-connection, easy in flip flops, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate financial & family crisis.

 

For some that live alone they're facing endless loneliness. While for others it is peace, rest & time with their mother, father, sons & daughters.

 

With the $600 weekly increase in unemployment some are bringing in more money to their households than they were working. Others are working more hours for less money due to pay cuts or loss in sales.

 

Some families of 4 just received $3400 from the stimulus while other families of 4 saw $0.

 

Some were concerned about getting a certain candy for Easter while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk, and eggs for the weekend.

 

Some want to go back to work because they don't qualify for unemployment and are running out of money. Others want to kill those who break the quarantine.

 

Some are home spending 2-3 hours/day helping their child with online schooling while others are spending 2-3 hours/day to educate their children on top of a 10-12 hour workday.

 

Some have experienced the near-death of the virus, some have already lost someone from it and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don't believe this is a big deal.

 

Some have faith in God and expect miracles during 2020. Others say the worst is yet to come.

 

SO, FRIENDS, WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT. We are going through a time when OUR PERCEPTIONS AND NEEDS ARE VERY DIFFERENT.

 

EACH OF US WILL EMERGE IN OUR OWN WAY, FROM THIS STORM. It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. NOT JUST LOOKING, ACTUALLY SEEING.

 

We are all on different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey.

 

PLEASE REALIZE THIS AND BE KIND."

 

 

This is the best prospective ever for what is happening today. 

[Bernard Kron]

15 hours ago, alexis said:

I saw this and wanted to share it. Given how members of the same board in different states view things, I thought it apropos.

"

"Don’t know who wrote it, but it’s spot on!

 

Perspective:

 

WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT ...

...

 

 

Thanks for that. It sums up the challenge we will all face as we slug our way through this.

I've just read through all the comments and am relieved and pleased by how seriously everyone is taking this. I am concerned that absent a sudden major change for the better on how we can deal with this (i.e medical treatments with a far greater certainty of a positive outcome, and eventually, hopefully, immunization) this will require tremendous discipline, tolerance and sacrifice from all of us. I worry about those without the financial means and information to manage what remains our only option for now - social distancing. This bug has such a wide range of possible impacts, from essentially nothing although infected (being asymptomatic) to a long and serious illness with a dubious outcome. Even among those who have gotten it and gotten better sometimes recovery can take many, many weeks. So, as I said, I'm so glad we're taking this thing seriously.

In our neighborhood here in Seattle there are many breadwinners working from home, and many households with children now online schooling, so families have been living in close confines since early March and Cabin Fever is a fact of life. (Sometimes you can see people sitting in their cars in their driveways on their laptops and cellphones!) We even have our own version of Happy Hour or maybe Rush Hour at around 4:30 or 5:00 in the afternoon when everyone piles out of their homes and whole families go for a walk. It's the end of the work day. As a result we see more of our neighbors and talk with them more often than perhaps we once did.

Financial hardship is not evident in this middle class corner of Seattle, at least not yet. But with the prospect of living like this well into next fall and more likely into the new year it is already something we and our neighbors are concerned about. School will be out soon, even the virtual kind, and the pressure of isolation will increase. Some of us have discovered that we can visit with friends even if it means sitting 6 feet apart. I can't believe it took us so long to figure that out! We had a friend over the other afternoon and it was such a pleasure and relief, even at a distance, that we plan to do it much more often.

In our home things haven't changed all that much except for the reality of internet meetings. I'm an enthusiastic cook but I do miss the occasional dinner party and going out is no longer the option it was when I inevitably grow bored with my own stuff. Otherwise we're having an unseasonably dry spring so the weather is warm and pleasant which is conducive to the daily walks we take. But I miss do my sports indulgences (motor sports and bicycle racing - both of which I fear will be m.i.a even into next fall).

Wishing us all the strength to get though this,
B.

[stavanzer]

Well, I work in the Transportation/ Oil Industry. (We run flatbeds, and haul exclusively for Big Oil Companies, and some small ones too). I don't see the economy giving the USA the luxury of staying in lock-down much longer. I've lost three customers to this. They've not been sick, but the Oil Price drop has killed their companies. Nieman-Marcus has just declared a BK. We now know how to treat this disease, and I foresee that opening some places up, cannot be put off longer. I'm employed for now, but there is no guarantee that it will continue. Circumstances are changing rapidly, and "Shelter-in-place", is now causing more harm than good in SOME areas. It's time to stop with One-Size-Fits-All solutions and get back to making thoughtful decisions. The time for panic is over.

[DonW]

Does anyone remember the TV series 'Survivors'?

Probably only shown in the UK, I remember a sequence where a guy was defending his farmhouse, with a shotgun, from an attack by neighbours.

I quote Wikipedia:

'Survivors is a British post-apocalyptic fiction drama television series created by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC, that broadcast from 1975 to 1977. It concerns the plight of a group of people who have survived an apocalyptic plague pandemic, which was accidentally released by a Chinese scientist and quickly spread across the world via air travel. Referred to as "The Death", the plague kills approximately 4,999 out of every 5,000 human beings on the planet within a matter of weeks of being released.'

We're getting off lightly it seems.

[Joe Handley]

6 hours ago, alexis said:

Well, I work in the Transportation/ Oil Industry. (We run flatbeds, and haul exclusively for Big Oil Companies, and some small ones too). I don't see the economy giving the USA the luxury of staying in lock-down much longer. I've lost three customers to this. They've not been sick, but the Oil Price drop has killed their companies. Nieman-Marcus has just declared a BK. We now know how to treat this disease, and I foresee that opening some places up, cannot be put off longer. I'm employed for now, but there is no guarantee that it will continue. Circumstances are changing rapidly, and "Shelter-in-place", is now causing more harm than good in SOME areas. It's time to stop with One-Size-Fits-All solutions and get back to making thoughtful decisions. The time for panic is over.

I wouldn’t say it was all Covid related, Norman-Marcus was already hurting from much of what took out Toys “R” Us on top that kind of store dying off as it is. It’s not like their sales can’t be done on line either.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/business/neiman-marcus-bankruptcy.html

I really hate to mention this, but I’m kinda curious if any of the companies you lost were already not doing well, only to have the Saudis and Russians have their little oil war as this was starting, just to put a nail in those coffins sooner rather than later.

[Bernard Kron]

In general things were already very fragile with huge overcapacity in many different fields, for example retail sales (both on line and bricks and mortar), restaurants, automobile production, energy (fracking brought North America back as a net exporter, but pushed things over the edge in terms of world supply), industrial metals and commodities, biotech and even online entertainment and social media. Having to pull in our horns like this may very well be a tipping point but it sure isn't gonna make things any easier. I fear policy makers will find there are no good choices and it will be by no means clear what the least bad ones will be... The temptation will be huge to over-simplify and patience will be at a premium.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Bernard Kron

[STYRENE-SURFER]

Lots of responses to digest here.

this whole situation has left me dipping into my investment funds.

that is not the smartest thing but no other avenue.

It's getting tough for most of us and I'm afraid that only the big

businesses /corporations will survive as usual.

I am unfortunately expecting a massive economic shift.

One that leans towards the top 1percent side again.

My own sister who runs an Non profit (Aquability.org) google it

has closed her office and forced to lay off all but one employee.

Myself, can only manage a couple more months of this BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH.

(some swear words =Blah-Blah-Blah) was only a minor thing they say on the Telly 

practicly every day.?

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by STYRENE-SURFER

[Ace-Garageguy]

I'm in Ga. We were among the earliest of states to begin reopening 3 weeks ago, amid much derogatory and fear-mongering rhetoric in the media. Our new case count continues to decline as more and more businesses open and things begin to look somewhat normal.

Make of that what you will.

I've been working full time, business-as-usual (not from home) since I got back from Az in the middle of March, when this whole mess broke wide open.

A National Park near me reopened parking lots and trails last week, and I was able to go for a 3 hour hike yesterday. 

[DonW]

That's encouraging news for us across the Pond. 

Thanks Bill.