The book I’m currently reading (almost finished) and the next two in line are curiously color coordinated. That rarely happens, so I had to take a photo of it.
I didn’t respond to your comments yesterday because I know you know how I feel and letting you express how you feel without my running commentary seemed to be the right thing to do. I read every one of them. I’m with you. And for those of you who live with a partner who is a Trumper, I simply cannot imagine how hard that must be for you. Sending you love and a big hug. I am ever grateful that Don and I are on the same page.
A lovely guy that I coached at Hartford Stage and who remains a friend lost everything he owns in the Oregon fires. He is an actor, but is also an educator and he had moved out to Ashland, Oregon to work at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in that capacity. His apartment burned to the ground. Another friend, who is a stage manager at OSF, is currently watching the fires which are frighteningly near her house.
It’s devastating.
Our friend Bob Hays (of Airplane fame) lost everything he owned: his house, his belongings, all the memorabilia from a long career in theater and film, outbuildings, his son’s recording studio, in one of the California fires a couple of years ago. He barely got out with his life. Fires aren’t discriminating. They don’t care who you are.
(Don and Bob were roommates when they were just starting out. They remain quite close and I had the pleasure of working with Bob in a production of Mister Roberts at the Old Globe.)
Climate change is real.
My heart is with all of you who are seeing this firsthand, who are worried about the air you breathe, about loved ones. I can’t imagine the devastation to the landscape, to wildlife, to homes, property and to lives.
My god, it’s a beyond-frightening time.
Yes, I know it’s September 11th and I certainly remember the horror of that day. We were living just north of the city. But there is an ongoing horror NOW. We are nearing 200,000 deaths from COVID, a number almost too big to comprehend. People are dying in hurricanes and fires. Our country is being run by a fascist who wants to be a dictator. Children are still in cages (have we heard anything about that lately? Not enough.) A corrupt and soulless man holds the office of Attorney General. The GOP has zip to say about the revelation that the OM knew.
One could surely wonder if the world is going to hell.
Don and I had a conversation about it yesterday. We are desperately trying to remain hopeful about our future, even in the face of no work for who knows how long. We are trying to remain hopeful about the state of the world, of our country, hoping against hope that masses of us can bring about change.
I’ve been taught not to hate. It’s deeply imbedded in my spiritual beliefs. But what I feel toward that disgusting excuse for a human being is awfully close. In fact, I could simply choose a synonym: loathe, abominate, detest, despise, abhor. Combine them all together and add a few more.
Then we might come close to what I feel.
I revile him. I have fantasies about what I wish for him, which shall remain unspoken. If there is such a thing as an Antichrist, we may well be looking at him.
Who would have thought the Antichrist would wear orange makeup, a badly dyed combover, and lifts in his shoes?
Let’s all try to find some beauty this weekend. Some lightness, some laughter. Escape into the pages of a book. Take a long walk. Watch a butterfly. Sing. Listen to music. Eat something sinfully delicious. And pray for our country and for the world.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
Hi,
This is crude and I should not write it…but I will.
I have had a fantasy that “he” will suddenly have a case of explosive diarrhea while he is speaking at one of his disgusting rallies and it is being televised. Sorry.
I will see beauty in the mountains today.
Take Care,
Kaye
I love that! (Strangely, I had a dream about diarrhea last night!)
I’m going to visualize that one – maybe it will happen!
Stay safe, Kaye.
hej, kaye …
your fantasy made me laugh out loud (that hasn’t happened in way too long) … thank you for sharing and for the laugh!
glad you have something majestic and beautiful to enjoy. which mountains do you see (if you don’t mind the question)? i am in iowa, not at all close to big moving water (my favorite) or mountains or even big sloping hills, but i find peace through God, talking with my family and being outside and find beauty in trees, plants, squirrels, all nature.
hope you stay safe and well.
kathy in iowa
LOL!!!! Thanks for the laugh today Kaye….I guess I really needed that!! ;)
I loved reading this, thank you for making me laugh. If enough of us think it, perhaps it will come true??
Best thought about OM ever! Made me laugh like a hyena!
Don says it should happen during the debate. Just picture it…Biden getting a whiff, turning his head toward OM, looking shocked and waving a hand to try and waft away the smell.
“Who would have thought the Antichrist would wear orange makeup…”. The banality of evil.
Exactly.
Stay safe, Margaret.
I remember THAT DAY…I was in my second year teaching in my home state-having done my first five with at risk kids in the deep South…We were in Latin class (I was a new old teacher)…We had a huge huge television…We were going along with a professor in Latin…we turned the television to the news and students saw it all…they said, “Could we stay with Mrs. B? IF we are going to die, we know where she is going.” They were serious…they were terrified…That day signified the next few years of teaching and life…just as November 1963 did when I was a junior in high school-my class going to D.C. in spring to put a wreath on President Kennedy’s grave. I suppose each generation has a defining day or period of time remembering always…it seems this Covid has defined everyone from my five year old grand to my 21 year old grand and all above and beyond…I don’t discuss politics with most because I live in a R. state..it seems…my granddaughters 15=21 have great insights…thank you for your blog where others can vent…opinion…etc…you are such an amazing woman, and you can’t know what you do for others. prayers prayers prayers…brenda b
That memory must be seared into your brain, Brenda. Thank goodness you were there for those students.
Stay safe!
I saw a picture posted of two rally hats, one for Trump and one for Biden. The one for Trump was made in China and the one for Biden said it was made proudly in America by union workers. Makes a statement doesn’t it. Those Trump supporters don’t know what’s on their heads let alone what’s it it!!! Thinking good thoughts and prayers for a beautiful November. Thanks for all you share and stay safe both of you.
They wear blinders and responding to them about something like the hats – that are made in China – is fruitless. They have drunk the Koolaid.
Stay safe, Janet.
I’m very unhappy with the hate in my heart, especially as it spills over onto everyone in the Republican Party, some of whom must not have supported you now who. And while I am not religious, I believe he is what was written about the Antichrist, and half of Americans are A-OK with that. This kind of thinking does not endear me to others nor give me much hope. I am terribly sorry for your friends’ losses. I know as a Californian, it must break your heart to see the state on fire, for the humans, animals, geographical spectaculars and it worries me for a deep economical depression. So yes, I am the lowest I’ve ever been, even after my mom died. But I try to look for beauty–I mostly find it in nature when I can stop myself from hating. And I’ve found some pleasure in my Little Gypsy Wagon. She now has rose wallpaper with a floral and stripe combo, and a teensy hummingbird nest in her Welsh dresser, a china rose plate on the wall, and a kitten on top of the dresser, as well as a few chickens in her yard. Really, this was easier than I thought it would be but I have a lot to learn. Very unoriginally, I’m calling her Gypsy Rose Lee. LOL. May you and Don keep wrapped in love and may we all keep hope alive. XO
Send me a photo of your Gypsy Wagon, Nora. I’d love to see it!
Stay safe.
wishing and praying for ease, comfort, treats and whatever else lifts your mood, nora mills.
and your little gypsy rose lee sounds lovely. glad you’re having fun with it!
stay safe and well. and know in your heart there’s always reason for hope and that better days are ahead for everyone.
kathy in iowa
Thank you again for mentioning the children in cages.
I will be going to the library this afternoon to pick up my reserved copy of “Seperated”
I have never forgotten those children and yet you just don’t hear anything about it anymore.
I think I will buy a pumpkin this week end and smile!
I know. I think about them all the time. So does Don.
Stay safe, Linda.
I have some pretty bad fantasies about him too. And I don’t feel guilty about it!
The day he stood in front of that church holding a bible gave me chills and the thought of the AntiChrist popped into my head.
I was raised Lutheran and we don’t take the end times and book of Revelation as literally as some. I don’t believe in the Rapture either. If however, we are in the end times we are just getting started. I believe mankind has the ability to unite and change course, but I am losing faith.
Anyway, I have a granddaughter here today (virtual school day). We are going on a nature walk l
later.
Stay safe
Also raised Lutheran – the more liberal branch. And was a camp counselor at a Lutheran summer camp. So I don’t believe in the end times and the Rapture. But…if ever there might be an Antichrist…Orange Man might win that prize.
Thanks, Marilyn.
Stay safe!
I had my hubs bring up my Fall bin. I am picking out 8 or 9 of the various pumpkins I have collected over the years to set out through the house. It has been cold and rainy here, so that will be my joy. Will also dust as I set them out, so in some way I guess that will bring some joy as well. I don’t dust often in the summer as we are usually outside, and by the looks of things, dust does accumulate!! Out of sight truly is out of mind.
I loved Kaye’s vision. That would be absolutely amazing. I wonder how he and his pal Kayleigh would ‘splain that away. Now THAT would be joyful!! He truly is a waste of skin.
Enjoy decorating with your pumpkins, Chris!
Kayleigh would say, “The President has never experienced diarrhea in his life.”
Stay safe, Chris.
apropos of your comment about the Antichrist – have you seen this? It’s literally all in the Bible! Right down to the fake news and the chronic lying! “He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior… He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.”
Daniel 8:25, 2 Thess 2:10
https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/?fbclid=IwAR0GpiV0O8qQsARmOmyX8DP0EbgKCBQqrTJOI4PFzGijRwXGSsNPZ75CjkU
It does make one ponder, doesn’t it?
Stay safe, Anne!
The country is in a state. Since, I can’t do anything about it..I will clean!! I always feel better when I clean. And, not a light cleaning, but, a move the furniture, get on your hands and knees kind of cleaning. The kind that makes your momma proud. The kind that gets my anger out!
Enjoy reading….stay safe! ;)
Cleaning always helps, Donna! I didn’t clean today but I did escape into the world of The Starless Sea.
Stay safe.
Claudia, it feels like everything is just gone to hell. My Mum (86 years old) and I were discussing this yesterday . She stated she doesn’t remember a more horrible year ever.
I too remember where I was at 8:46 September 11. By myself in our kitchen in Nova Scotia, baking, watching a news program waiting for Martha Stewart to come on at 9:00. My husband was in the Royal Canadian Air Force at that time so everyone went on high alert. Absolutely devastating.
My happy time this weekend is visiting my Mum in her long term care home. She has a small apartment which we are finally allowed to visit with her in. We are visiting as often as we can as we are worried the home could ban visitors again (four months without seeing her) if the Covid cases continue to rise here.
Your posts are always a bright spot in my day Claudia!
I’m so glad you can see your Mum again, Robin! Blessings to all. It’s been a long time coming.
I was outside with the dogs. We lived right by the Hudson River, so those planes flew over our house, though I didn’t hear them. Later in the day I heard the sound of fighter jets – that was the only sound that day – flying out of the local air force base and down the Hudson.
Stay safe, Robin.
I read your blog everyday and rarely comment but your words today touched me. I’m married to a Trumper and I’m trying to hold on to my sanity. Every election season is bad but more so this year. We’re retired and with the pandemic stay home all the time. This election is elevating my medical issues like hypertension and anxiety. Talk radio fills his day so I turn up the TV volume. I hate Trump with a passion I didn’t know I had and have lost friends over the political turmoil but I can’t listen to one more argument. Thanks for the opportunity to tell my story.
You are always welcome to share your story here, Sondra. I’m sorry you have to deal with all that on a daily basis. As I said before, I can’t imagine how hard it must be. Know that you can come here and vent if you need to.
Take care and stay safe!
Kaye,I want you for a next-door neighbor! Claudia and Don you may also live on our street. xo
xo
I agree with you entirely, it’s just TOO MUCH! I am going to mask up and go to the eerily empty library to look for a Ruth Ware book…One by One…just read a great review on it, and if I don’t find the new one perhaps another book by that author. SO HARD to be positive…but I am going to try.
Good idea, Melissa. Reading is such a wonderful escape right now.
Stay safe!
those books share one of my favorite color combinations … brown and blue = earth and sky, sand and sea!
enjoy those books. nice to have one at the ready, isn’t it?
so many hardships, so much heartbreak all at once … almost unbelievable, surreal. while i fight depression (still on medication; i think it is slowly helping), i believe good will win. to that effort, here’s a short version of my peace/beauty/gratitude list:
God
my family (the people and the animals)
friends (including you all here)
helpers
that i found some name-brand bleach wipes for my family yesterday
i get to see/talk with members of my family one way or another every day and will deliver those bleach wipes to them tomorrow
all animals, plants, the natural world
that it’s been raining softly off and on a lot this week with deeply dark beautiful blue-gray clouds
that i have a job
that today is friday
creativity, plenty of supplies and a bit of time each day to do something with it (i love to write [working on at least children’s books], paint, knit, sew, do counted cross-stitch …)
that every day there are people trying/doing the right thing
that we are, every day, that much closer to a vaccine against covid-19
that we are, every day, that much closer to november 03, 2020 and january 21, 2021
that iowa is sending me my absentee ballot in a couple weeks
music
books
movies and documentaries on dvd
indoor plumbing/lighting
that cooler weather is coming and soon my landlord will remove the air-conditioner and store it all winter
going on walks and that i can walk, see, hear …
that you, claudia, have created and maintained such a wonderful place for us to gather (thank you very much) …
………
hope you all stay safe, are well and have sources of relaxation/stress-relief/joy and whatever you need plus treats.
i care about you all and pray for you all every day.
love,
kathy in iowa
A wonderful list, my friend! Gratitude always makes a difference. Thanks for sharing it with us. xo
Stay safe!
kathy, that’s such a beautiful list; it really helped me to just read it; thank you for sharing…
I hate Donald Trump and I hate everyone in his family except for that poor child, Barron. (“Barron?”) I would like to see them all behind bars with diarrhea. In the same cell. With the same smell. May they all go to the ninth circle of hell.
.
Oooh! In the same cell? Perfect.
Stay safe, Ginny!
I have had a bad day. Can’t even write about it. I didn’t want to dwell on it so I called my friend to come over and sit on my back porch……12 feet away from one another and masked. Gave her a little figurine that looked like her little dog that died two days ago and we spoke for an hour . Didn’t mention my troubles and listened to her pouring out her grief and loneliness. I think I helped her but now I am empty. Made chicken soup this morning and the whole house smells great. Hoping for a better day tom. Wish I could sleep this year away.
I’m so sorry you’re having a bad day, Maria. Sending you a hug. But the wonderful thing is that you helped your friend today. Have some soup, read a book, and start tomorrow fresh.
Stay safe.
glad you and your friend could spend time together. i am sure that visit and sweet dog figurine helped her a lot.
things will get better. we all need to let out the bad stuff and get re-newed with good stuff … so i hope you take it easy, do nice things for yourself and rest to re-charge your own “batteries”. hope that soup is for you, maria, and that you kept some of those cookies for yourself, too.
things will get better.
praying for you to know that, too, and to feel better!
stay safe and well.
kathy in iowa
I had an uneasy episode this morning. Dentist appointment day; VERY behind in my routine of well-care/proactive care since I missed an appointment and then didn’t want to reschedule due to Covid earlier in the year. (My dentist was actually shut down for four months and couldn’t reopen til July anyway; waiting on PPE.) I realize I was already quite nervous; only the second time I’ve been in public in six months (sometimes I count this back wrong, one day blending into the other; but, yes, brief in/out on March 12, til a doctor appt two weeks ago that was sloppy and I was disappointed at their setup to keep me safe).
So, they’re all friends of mine for years (the dentist’s wife and I have known each other since age 22, and so on); I didn’t want to question too much; but I felt there was a lot of unnecessary conversation going on with the dentist and hygienist so close to my unmasked face, with the hygienist not guaranteeing my total safety and instead saying, “We do the best we can.” Gulp.
I was surprised the dentist wasn’t wearing a face shield. Because the hygienist had on a double mask AND a shield. But I had the first appointment (no receptionist had yet arrived), the dentist himself was trying to do my check-in, dropped the thermometer thing and I figured he’d broken it; then he handed me their pen to sign something I wasn’t expecting, when I’d wanted to keep my glove clean for taking my mask on and off. Oh well. Didn’t feel smooth, none of this, but I know I’m on hyper alert. I’m not conditioned to being out of my house. I guess nobody’s feeling comfortable about much of anything these days, even the dental staff. It’s like we’re all out of our skins.
My husband was supposed to pick me up at a certain time and he didn’t come. I was finished and locked out of the dentist’s office so had to stand near the curb to watch for him and it’s always a heavily-traffic’d intersection for such a small city. That is, I stood there until I saw one of the town’s homeless-psychos (well, that’s unkind, but this guy is nuts) coming toward me who’s notorious for pounding on your car window asking for money, like in the ‘olden days’ if I happened to be in a drive-thru, such as Starbucks. They have to shoosh him out of fast-food row constantly; he’s a traffic hazard. I’ve had him stand in front of my car to where I couldn’t proceed, like when I’m in the middle of a parking lot and holding up other cars. I’ve had an instance where I was parked, going over my mail or taking a few minutes to eat a sandwich somewhere and he’d just keep circling my vehicle after I didn’t give him a handout. He’s tall and big and young, like a collegiate football player. The guy must weigh 350-400(?) lbs.
He never stops talking to himself but he’d zeroed in on me from across the wide, busy street (I think because I was the only other human out in the smoky air), so I retreated to the dentist’s ‘porch’. He actually used the crosswalk and then stood there at the dip in the curb, staring at me. No mask. Just kept standing there, staring. So, like, okay, what’s his next move and if he starts walking across the lawn to me, where do I go, because the dental receptionist wouldn’t immediately be able to get to the front door to unlock it. When he turned to get out of the way of a car, I literally scurried around the building and stood behind some thick bushes (like a hedge/privet), figuring I could hammer the dentist’s rear employee door.
I try to be understanding, but I didn’t want this guy’s germs or proximity and sometimes people with mental illness (so many troubling kinds/types of illness) can be unpredictable, especially if they’re also taking illegal drugs (which is the primary difficulty with the homeless population who’ve set up in my town, according to homeless advocates who try to help them; I’ve seen this guy get very agitated and I’m wary of him). It isn’t a crime to be homeless; I just wanted to avoid the possible encounter; this time, I didn’t have the protection of my vehicle.
My husband FINALLY drove up and I scurried to the car; the guy must have given up on me (would probably have been an entirely harmless scenario, but who knows; it felt iffy, kind of a trapped feeling for me) and he had already reached the boulevard for his fast-food hits. But I got creeped out. I think I was just feeling overall vulnerable anyway. I’ve had those early-Covid dreams/nightmares (like in the beginning of things when we all were trying to learn about the virus) where I was trying to run away from people not wearing masks or who were trying to touch me [I’ve heard more than myself had dreams like that some months back]).
So, I was rattled. We went to the cemetery and parked the car under a tree. So ugly out with the smoke and bad air to breathe. But my husband helped me think things thru about any virus exposure I might have had at the dental office. I tried to settle down about the dude on the street who really is a rather intimidating presence. He’s not like a big ‘ol luvable teddy bear, no way. I know I’m risking paranoia here and I’ve got to put things in perspective. Just feels like too much going on for me, what with everything on the news and then in my first, tentative outings. Sure did feel a relief to get home, though; I don’t know how people do this day in, day out. The ones who still have jobs. I’m going back to the gratitude thing again of how lucky I am that I can indeed be Covid-safe at home, even when I do feel I’m just that mole in the hole.
I know I’m making a generalization but nothing seems simple anymore.
I think your fear is quite understandable, Vicki. That guy sounds scary whether he had a home or not. Glad you were able to get home and relax somewhat.
Thanks, Jenny.
I sense I’m OTT on a lot of this, but I just have too much fear built up about the virus. And when my husband and I have been out here & there, we’ve noticed the drive-thru restaurants don’t have nearly the amount of customers they did before Covid, so a guy like that could be getting fairly frustrated at fewer people from whom he can beg for money.
We have good, consistent, reliable resources for free food daily to the homeless population in my small city; no one gets left behind. There’s a homeless shelter and a church who are extremely diligent on behalf of these tormented souls. The sad thing is that they mostly want the money for drugs and booze; cigarettes; energy shots. Which is why our homeless advocates continually ask the citizens not to give them money.
Some time back, though, I guess a year or more ago, I had my eye on a young woman who surely was legit homeless but no kind of addict or mentally-suffering person, although I’m no kind of expert; nothing obvious is my point. I just kept running into her; she wasn’t asking anybody for anything and I felt she was trying to keep herself clean. She had a small cart with a few items but not the big overflowing grocery basket of belongings you see with some of the homeless population. I figured she must have had some other items stashed (like bedding) and would only come into the stores with her little cart so as not to be too noticeable. She had such a stillness about her, as if she wanted to disappear into the woodwork. But I also felt that if you broke into that stillness, that she might shatter.
She would go to a not-much-used drink stand at the deli counter, ‘way off to the side, at a time of day when there are less grocery shoppers; she’d pay for a cheap drink but fill up a few large/jumbo cups with ice and pure water, which must have been allowed because the deli clerks were right there, unless they were just looking the other way. I really began to worry about her safety and I’d decided to see if I could do anything to help; she just seemed very alone; maybe in her early 20s. But I never saw her again. She must have been just passing thru. Will always wonder about her ‘story’. She seemed so fragile and delicate and polite. Sadly, we’ll be seeing more like her as the economy worsens and some people will just have nowhere to go. But the streets.
It’s all very unsettling. When the tree guys were here, Don went out back later in the day because they were all in the front of the house. I followed him out there and at one point (I was holding my mask in my hand) I walked through the Secret Garden only to encounter one of them. He had touched poison ivy and was looking for the spigot (Which doesn’t work at the moment). I explained that it didn’t work and suddenly realized I didn’t have my mask on. I quickly clamped it to my nose and mouth. He didn’t have his on either. It freaked me out. Don, who came upon us as this was happening, assures me that we were outside, maybe not 6 feet apart, but several feet apart and that I hadn’t been talking to the guy that long when I realized I didn’t have my mask on and walked away.
That’s the only time I’ve had that kind of encounter and it was nobody’s fault. But it was worrisome.
I am more careful than ever now and I was extremely careful to begin with.
Stay safe.
Well, I’m glad you shared that, Claudia. First of all, it’s good it was outside, not indoors. I think we’re all ready to bolt from people because it’s how we’re indoctrinated now, that anybody is a carrier. I have to say that one of the many reasons my husband and I haven’t called back our landscaping crew, who usually come two-to-three times per year to work on our hillside (and we’ve known the business owner for 15 years; that’s how long he’s been helping us with this house and the one before it, which also had a SoCalif hillside to deal with [fire danger]), is because we had an instance one year more recently where one of the workers needed a bathroom IMMEDIATELY and asked to come inside, and we can’t risk such a thing again, not with Covid.
It happened to my husband a couple of months ago when the negligent neighbor walked right up to him in the front yard, the wind was blowing and my husband couldn’t hear the guy’s always-low/soft voice, so he just naturally moved toward him, neither of them had on masks and they definitely were not six feet apart. I watched the whole thing go down, powerless. My husband really didn’t even realize until I told him, “Do you understand what just happened?” Wow did we sweat THAT one out for two weeks. My husband is much more ‘aware’ now, any time he’s out on the ‘public’ portion of our home/yard. You couldn’t help what happened in your unique scenario; besides which, normally, you wouldn’t be wearing your mask outside in your yard. Stressful, though; huh. I’m sorry you have to be worried about it! I’m sure any droplets were quickly zapped in that outside air, Claudia. Reassure yourself with the science and Don’s wise observation.
Since I went to the dentist, of course I’m on edge having been in there maskless for an hour; my throat is sore, my mouth is VERY sore (I’m embarrassed to say I had not been to the dentist for 15 months; I usually go every six months; so the hygienist had his work cut out for him). They had the clinic’s LARGE windows open which they’d explained to my husband is what they deemed more safe than circulating air inside the building by way of a/c. The problem is, the air outside was horrible; we’re of course in air-quality warnings here on the West Coast due to the wildfires. And the dentist’s chair upon which I lay was only three feet from that open window. So, this did my asthma no good. When I was outside with the troubled homeless guy in my midst, I at least had on my N95 mask. Still, today, could I just have my Saturday with ZERO people in it except my husband and let me stay inside with my air purifier and my HEPA filter in the a/c unit because I do NOT need my lungs and airways exacerbated with smoke when we’re just starting flu season and I want to keep them healthy for potential Covid exposure, too. When I couldn’t help but breathe in too much smoke in our fires of Dec-2017, I couldn’t breathe for four months; it takes THAT long for me to recover once I’m inflamed.
I’m telling you, the fire coverage on television, with the entire state of California enveloped in smoke with these horrible, devastating fires in both North & South, it’s frightening and upsetting. I feel so sorry for my fellow Californians. I feel so bad for my home state.
It’s always something lately, isn’t it.
I’m so sorry that the visit to the dentist was so trying and, frankly, scary. Going to any professional is risky in this time, but having to deal with the smoke from the fires while you’re sitting in the chair is insane.
I wish for you a peaceful Saturday – INSIDE your home with your husband.
Stay safe.
hej, vicki …
i am sorry that you had that very uneasy experience at the dentist’s office (too much chatting, not enough face shields) and the man coming close to you. hope by now you feel more settled and relaxed for being home.
i think your fear is understandable. i feel fear, too (also worry, sadness, loneliness for my family and crabbiness about it all). and that’s coming from someone who is “out” every day working with lots of people, some of whom have diagnosed or need-to-be-diagnosed mental health problems. lousy day or better day, when i get home, the first thing i do is take a long, long, hot shower and cry. that helps me feel better, then i talk with my family on the phone and that (they) makes me feel better still. and though i don’t always succeed (especially in the past eight months), i try to give it all over to God, thank Him for His many blessings and feel better yet. maybe that would help you? hope so.
also … i hope you ask for the dentist or whoever to wear face shields or double masks and gloves or to see them sanitize the chair they want you to use, etc. been there, done that and will continue doing that as long as i need to, to help protect myself so i can protect my family. and i don’t apologize for it.
and you are right … nothing is simple anymore. just bringing groceries inside feels like a 30-minute, ten-step process full of strategic maneuvers and questions (“did i wipe every surface? … what else did i touch?”), doesn’t it? ugh.
but i believe 100% in my heart that things will get better. as i wrote earlier, every day means we are a bit closer to a vaccine, to the most important presidential election i’ve ever known about in my 62 years and to better, brighter days.
if you need a hug, consider yourself hugged … and have a nice dinner and evening with your fella.
stay safe in every way.
kathy in iowa
kathy, thank you as is your norm to want to offer comfort and encouragement; I wish you didn’t have to go out to work every day and be potentially exposed to getting Covid again but it seems you know the ropes and I’m glad you stand up for yourself, which takes a lot of guts … and I’ll think of everything you said in your kind comment, a hug to you as well…
(I had just taken a shower to GO to the dentist, but I did come home and take ANOTHER shower just in case; I also gargled with a hydrogen peroxide cocktail once home, but let me first say that I’m not recommending that to ANYone and they should talk to their doctor first [this came from my hygienist, unofficially; he said it might help with Covid; so I thought, what the heck, I’ll try it] but it’s like a paper-cup/Dixie cupful of water, like six or eight parts water to one part low-percentage hydrogen peroxide [the kind you use for first aid] and I couldn’t really taste it although the ‘insides’ of my mouth felt a tingle [of course you do NOT swallow it]; after I did this, I did some reading about it and there’s controversy over gargle rinses in general as regards Covid yet it seems more than one dental practice advocates it; came upon this from one that popped up online in my google search, “…asking our patients to rinse with 1% hydrogen peroxide before each appointment since Coronavirus is vulnerable to oxidation”…but I’ll not do it again til I see my primary-care physician to ask more about it; sure doesn’t seem like any kind of exact science and hydrogen peroxide is a chemical [and I’m a chemical-free person by choice whenever possible, trying to avoid any possible ‘poisons’; duh] besides which my hygienist is not a doctor!)
…another thing interesting to learn is that my hygienist said the dentist has had to go to so much expense for his clinic to be Covid-ready (they of course all change PPE between patients) and he has employed a special cleaning crew who comes in every night with those sprayers you see janitorial staff using, like on TV news bits, which ‘industrial-strength’ disinfect (like a spray ‘cloud’) all surfaces (so I know nobody was in that chair but me, with first appointment of the day at 8am, kinda the same concept I guess as senior shopping in the grocery store at 6am)…
Are we in a ‘twilight zone’ ?? seems like it to me — can not believe some people are DEFENDING OM’s actions or his lack of actions — people we have known for years are giving excuses for him. Would OM support them/or be glad for their support?? Not likely, they would be considered low-lifes to him. Don’t understand–explain it to me, Lucy. Wrong is wrong no matter high you consider yourself to be and should not be excused or defended. For 2 years, my hubby has been saying he thinks the antiChrist is here. I say OM would like to be the dictator or emperor of USA. hoping it never happens. thanks for listening. stay healthy and safe
There’s no defense for what he did. Anyone who defends him is completely lacking in moral character. Period.
When will people realize that he cares about no one but himself? That includes his family, his friends (if he has any), and American citizens. He’s a malignant narcissist and a sociopath.
Thanks, Linda.
Stay safe.
I’m so with you. It all seems so “big” these days. One awful thing after another — all over the world, but especially here. And I know what you mean about hate. I find it almost impossible to hate but I am as close as I’ve ever been.
I love your books. I don’t know the Morgenstern but my Penny is in the mail and you’ll find Mudlarking fascinating!
Find joy this weekend.
I hope to. You, too!
Stay safe, Jeanie.