Well a lot has happened in the past 24 hours. My friends who work on Broadway are all out of work for at least the next month, and by that I mean not only actors, but ushers and front of house staff, dressers, props, all crew members, stage managers, orchestra members. Regional theaters are closing productions and in some cases, the rest of their season. Regional theaters are already hurting, this could ruin some. Independent bookshops are actively worried about their survivability. All small businesses are worried, in fact. Though I know the impact will be far and wide, in businesses, trade, schools closing, museums and theme parks, and on and on, I’m speaking to what I know; theater, books, music.
Tours will be cancelled. My friend Noble, who is touring in The King’s Speech, is now out of work. It was just about to open at Hartford Stage. I haven’t heard about the Anastasia tour yet, but I’m sure they’ll have to hit pause, at the very least.
I know each of you knows of other businesses that will be impacted.
It’s really a nightmare, isn’t it?
Consider ordering from small businesses if you can over the next month.
Just when we thought we had done everything to prepare to stay in place, we have to go out to get Don’s prescriptions and grab a few things at our local supermarket. As I said to Don this morning, “After today, can we please stay home?” We’re using hand sanitizer, washing our hands, and using disinfectant wipes on door handles and shopping carts. But I’m over this now. Time to stay home.
I finished The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. Simply wonderful; very funny and moving. Going back to The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler seems a little jarring. I have to take a few deep breaths before I move on.
Other than that, my friends – and ‘that’ is a lot – we’re doing what everyone else is doing.
Let me share this quote from Shelf Awareness, which is all about books and booksellers. Organizers of The Bay Area Book Festival, which has just been cancelled, said this:
During this tough time, let’s all remember one tried-and-true way to promote wellness. Stress and anxiety are terrible for our immune systems, and there’s a proven antidote for that: read a book. In the midst of the chaos and uncertainty, it can help to spend half an hour escaping with a novel, feeding your soul with poetry, or finding companionship in a memoir.
I suspect I’m preaching to the choir. Grab a book, make a cup of tea or coffee, and read.
Happy Friday.
My oldest daughter is a wardrobe supervisor and dresser-she’s out of work. Youngest daughter is being sent home from college. Middle daughter will find out today if she can stay at college to finish her senior thesis. I’m a 3rd grade teacher and all field trips, assemblies, and Open Houses are cancelled, but our schools are still open for now. We’re stocked up on toilet paper and food, but we’re prepared to start hoarding books in case the libraries close:) I would love to just stay home right now and read. My students asked yesterday if Disneyland would close (I’m in Orange County, California) and I told them I didn’t know, and now we know it’s closing. Life is a roller coaster right now!
It is indeed! I’m betting public schools will close where you are soon. I don’t know about my town – there were school buses today, but I bet they’re closed as of next week. Take care, Linda!
Such a wonderful photo this morning Claudia ! There is true artistic inspiration in the
simplicity of the apples against the background of this particular pottery.
As our lifestyle happens to land us in the midst of the virus I haven’t the options of retreat available to many others. Still I am finding miraculous comfort in the words from the hymn “Be not afraid”…… I go before you always.
My prayer is that you and each of your readers will find a space of comfort both emotionally
and physically and remain well as we look to brighter days.
Yes. I often think “Fear not.” Take care of yourself, R. Stay well.
The news is: Schools are closed in Switzerland. It’s time to stay home. Maybe we have to go to school without students? I’m prepared to have a teacher’s day on Monday morning. All the best to you! Regula
All the best to you, Regula. Take care, please.
I’ve been home from school for a week and a half with just your regular variety seasonal flu. I’m hoping to return to school on Monday, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous about it. I’m in very close contact with my kids, and try as they might, most don’t do a very good job of covering their mouths or noses.
Another thing about reading and the joy we get from it is this…read to or with a child.
Hope you can stay home now Claudia!
I wonder if you’ll have school next week, Trudy. I think it’s important that you stay home and make sure you’re totally recovered before you think of returning, my friend.
I get the feeling that right now, there is actually the feeling that we are all in this together. The economic hit we are feeling, and are staring into, will be something we have not known in decades and decades. The ramifications are going to be long lasting. It is staggering to watch things changing hour to hour. Hopefully people will actually listen and stay home whenever it is possible. The graph we have all seen as to how that will make an amazing difference should be taken seriously. Our health care workers and the health care systems must be kept in mind when WE make decisions to not listen. We actually have the power (and the duty) to help by doing that. If we do what we can to stay safe, others will benefit, also.
Enjoy the remainder of your day. Reading remains our salvation. Any form of “isolation” does NOT mean you have to lose contact with friends and family. With computers, Face Time, phones, etc. we need to reach out and stay in touch. And we look forward to your posts every day!!! ♡
We’re home for good now. We had to go out today but I told Don, “That’s it!” I’ve been out and about more this week than I have in a long time and I want to nest in place now.
Thank goodness for books! Take care of yourself, Chris.
Chris’ comment about being in this together – – my husband is heavy into social media and is dialed into some local/community groups of people who are coming up with amazing ideas for things like field hospitals as the nation mobilizes and States utilize that option of taking over private buildings to be used in emergency situations, like beyond a school gymnasium, how about all the empty KMart stand-alone stores across the nation; that sort of thing.
Mother and my great-aunt would both tell me how in The Great Depression, most everybody was in the same circumstance of having to stretch a dime; and how in WW2, with food and gas rationing, sacrificing certain things on the homefront to support the troops on the warfront, with hardly a family not knowing someone in the fight, how everyone rallied for the common cause. Of course we all had a commonality between us with 911 and our resistance to terror. Covid-19 is somewhat feeling similar (something uniting us we could have done without!) and Chris is right; it’s no time to be or feel isolated; we have to reach out to friends and stay in touch; check up on people even if just to make them feel less alone; make sure they’re okay in a time of great uncertainty.
I can’t get a bead on whether or not younger, healthier people are really paying attention, though. They’ve been told that their risk of infection is low and any complications from the virus are minor for them. I can see where they might not be as concerned, unless they have close interaction with, say, grandparents. I live in a neighborhood of 50 houses and I thought there was a lot of activity out there on a Friday afternoon; lots of coming & going. Schools aren’t all closed yet; of course people have jobs. You know, when you’re young, you feel invincible. I’m speaking of families where the couples are in their 30s; I’m surrounded by them. I know they have busy lives. But I could get concerned wondering about what kinds of precautions they’re taking…
What younger people have to realize is even if they are relatively safe from getting very sick, if they are carrying the virus they are a danger to others, especially those who are high risk. That’s what I hope they understand.
You’re right — the Choir! Reduce stress. Read books. Probably not slasher books.
Or Zombie apocalypse books.
I feel for the millions of people who will be out of work in the arts and service industries, small businesses, all others. I feel like we’re all hanging on by a thread. But hanging on. So grateful Rick’s conference was canceled. I’m settled into Canada till Saturday, then home but yesterday hit two used and a new bookstore. I will be set till the NEXT plague…
I’m glad Rick’s conference was canceled, Jeanie! What a relief that must be. Take care!
Thanks to you I have stocked up on books since last summer. I found a seller on ebay that gets books from libraries and schools and sells them for remarkably low prices. I bought about 6 or7 Stephen kings, 5 Victoria Holts, and 2 James Pattersons. Did everyone know that Amazon has a lot of small businesses selling through their website? If you look closely at the listing you usually can see if you are buying from a small business. At least I think that is what I am seeing. We are all hunkered down.
Yes I do know that. I often buy used books or books I’m collecting through Amazon. Stay hunkered down, Jan.
Just read a reminder that beyond the obvious like wiping down our phones, don’t forget door handles, money, ATMs, keys. The handwashing was never more important.
So, what’s he going to say in another big speech in 4 or 5 minutes from now?
We’re getting some drippy rain here in SoCalif; glad for that at least.
Claudia, I just LOVE your photo in today’s post. The color and artfulness of it.
Stay safe out there. For all our preparedness, I get it (you and Don going ‘out there’ again in the world today); my husband and I keep thinking of something more we need but saying to ourselves, ‘get over it’; not going out now to get it. It seems the next hours and nearer weeks are extremely critical for the social distancing. (I wish I hadn’t canceled my dental appointment, but it just has to wait now!)
We talked last night about the need for a good routine so that we’re not turning on the TV or going to web headlines all the time. The balance between hyper-alert and simply staying informed. Keep to a schedule: The sleep, the regular/healthy meals, how to fit in a bit of exercise; fasten the mind to something else. Reading of course, no matter how you’re doing it (my husband isn’t into fiction; he reads a lot of stuff online; also watches a lot of instructional stuff on youtube; I go more for the book in hand), is a great way, as you say, to fasten on to some other story than the current horror one we’re living in, in real time.
I think the next thing we’ll see in my neck ‘o the woods is a shutting down of all the public schools.
Feeling love for people; wishing for everyone’s safety in this epidemic,
I suspect our public schools will be shut down next week, but I’ll have to wait and see. The school buses were out and about today. When we were out today, we asked if business was down and every independent store said yes. I worry for them. Take care, Vicki!
I think I just heard on the news earlier tonight (Friday) that your state now has the most Covid-19 positive cases; and, of course, they figure it could be many, many more than the number they come up with, due to the lack of testing. I wouldn’t want to be in NYC right now (or L.A., which is my nearby big city). Such a density of people in one place. I know it’s yours and Don’s work, but the entertainment world (TV productions, film with live action that’s in mid-production, Broadway and even community theater) seems to be really shutting down like so much else . As they are saying, a new norm. Better if Don can stay home; better if you can, too. For now. You’re in a good spot, out in the country, lots of space and good air (not like a crowded apartment building). The weather will keep improving and you can get at the yard/garden.
So Claudia … how’s your anxiety level? I know you’ve had some past weeks and months where you were dealing with a bit of it. And now we’ve all got this ‘xtra’ to deal with because of the virus threat. I had a real Friday The 13th; super uptight, dark mood, lots of complaining; and it got worse as the day grew long. I guess it’s all getting to me. I’ve certainly been pouring my heart out on your blog enough. I reorganized the dang freezer part of the frig tonight for like the 3rd time; I guess it helped a little as I banged around sacks of frozen veggies to flatten them and make more space. (Man, is that thing packed tight. I impressed my husband.)
I’ve gotta find some balance between getting on my feet and working some household projects, then winding down later in the afternoon with some good reading or a movie. Quit strategizing and talking about it; past time to now implement ‘the plan’. Otherwise, and I’m going to monitor myself, I’ll have to ask the doctor for some medication, which I don’t want to do if I can instead work on myself organically (it could be time to do some journal-ing; get the worry out on paper). It always helps me to get involved in a good series, where I read Book 1 and then go right to Book 2, etc. Live myself in that world for a little while! Or retreat to some old favorites where I know I can engage in the story again … my old tried & true novels that feel familiar and absorbing.
Has sounded like something that was good for you was finding a mini-series to watch on TV. Anyway, just wondering how you’re handling the highs and lows. Any of your tips are welcome.
I’ve faced some hard things about my health, and I would have thought nothing was as daunting and forbidding as my cancer, but this novel-coronavirus is eclipsing all else. (It’s not helping that my asthma has been flared up for the past three weeks [I’d gotten a slight cold]; I need my lungs and airways to be strong right now, so this is bad timing.) I guess with my other health issues over the past 20 years, there was always a solution, a treatment plan, a course of action. But for somebody like me, with the multiple underlying issues which make it so much harder to fight Covid-19…with no vaccine…well, feels like I’m on my own; lonely; scared-to-my-bones. My husband keeps reassuring me that we’re doing all the right things (I finally just caved tonight and fell into his arms weeping); we’re prepared; we’ve followed all the edicts; that he’ll be careful for both of us. Still, it’s this lurking menace for all of us, isn’t it…
My anxiety came back toward the end of the week. Too much Trump. Too much election nastiness. And of course, coronavirus fears and stockpiling and talk and numbers and figures. Pulling myself away from it this weekend. I don’t need to know more.
Don’t be afraid. Your husband is right. You’ve done everything right. The dangers and scenarios you are playing over and over in your mind do not help you. You are prepared. You have food and supplies. You’re home. You don’t have to be anywhere. You have the ‘luxury’ of not having to be at work, or drive a truck, or any one of a thousand things. You’re in a safe place. You will be and are fine. xoxo
Thanks for the love. Tears springing to my eyes again. I was reading Susan Branch’s Twitter and she said something like, okay, we did everything we were advised to do, we’re staying in, turn off the scary news now. And Janet over at The Gardener’s Cottage made a written to-do list of everything she can keep herself occupied with (and to stay calm) over the coming weeks. Focus! I think with everything happening at rapid-fire speed, we’re all just reeling and of course it’s a period of adjustment.
I again think to my deceased parents; what it must have been like when Pearl Harbor was bombed; a declaration of war. Listening to the radio and being so unsure of what was going to happen to their lives. Fear. But then they got it together; learned to live with a new normal.
The L.A. Times described the virus situation like this:
“We’re certainly not unfamiliar with disruption in California, where the persistent threat of earthquakes, drought, flooding and wildfires loom in our consciousness. But we’ve learned how to cope with all of that, more or less. We bolt houses, ration water, clear brush and exert at least A SMALL MEASURE OF CONTROL OVER OUR FATES. This virus is different. In Los Angeles, where horror movies are made, this one has come to life. It’s a stalker, a prowler lurking in the yard, a potential serial killer. A threat to one and all … so much we don’t know, which means all we can do is exercise extreme caution … Covid-19 has thrown us off our rhythms and routines … we are a practical, problem-solving people, heavily invested in the known universe and thoroughly unprepared to what has visited us now: Uncertainty. In normal times, we know the rain will eventually fall … and we know disappointment will spread if the Lakers and the Dodgers don’t win it all. But normal is no more. We’re not sure whether to rush to the doctor’s office with a mild cough, or whether that will surely expose us to the virus we probably don’t now have … increasingly, we find ourselves trapped in our homes with loved ones, and let’s be honest, the closeness is a mixed blessing. There will be fights over remotes and, sooner than later, all the frozen goods from Trader Joe’s will taste the same. One thing we can do is to try to keep things in perspective. The health risk IS scary and the uncertainty unsettling, but this is likely a disruption rather than a derailment. This is no 911, of course; that was an entirely different kind of threat … it was easy in the immediate aftermath to feel like nothing would ever be the same; but, before long, in the streets of New York and beyond, there was a sense of resolve, strength and community. Just what we need now. So, try to remain calm. This too shall pass.” (Written by Steve Lopez for the Times)
I’m going to print out that last paragraph you’ve left for me and stick it on my bathroom mirror. I’m not kidding, Claudia; I listen to what you say. I appreciate your kindness. Your blog feels like a lifeline. Your posts and your readers’ comments are important to me.
Definitely some thought-provoking articles popping up on the web. Of people on even a more-reduced income who can’t just go out and stock up; they simply can’t afford it. But they can buy sacks of dried beans which are inexpensive; things of that sort, to try to stay healthy but still have a full tummy. Paper goods are of course not cheap. We seem to use an inordinate amount of kleenex, tp, paper towels, etc. in our house, and that’s gonna have to be rationed; have to change ‘our ways’. As the aforementioned Janet said, borrowing on that old saying from WWI & WWII, “Make Do and Mend.” (How does that go, I have to think: Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without. [Something like that?!]) We’re gonna have to deal with what we’ve got on hand now in our homes; improvise; be creative. I also came across a few good tips on how to ‘boil down’ your pantry/frig so that of course you use your perishables now, like this coming week for sure; watch your expiration dates, leave the shelf-stable goods alone so you have them a few weeks down the line when all the fresher stuff is gone. (Takes a little planning.) Potatoes store well in a cool, dark cupboard or deep kitchen drawer. Carrots and apples keep well in your frig’s veggie keeper. I keep onions in an airy basket on the counter. And I grow robust rosemary in the yard year ’round, so at least I’ve got one fresh herb.
Good. You’re sounding better and I’m glad! Loved the article from the L.A. Times. We’re strong. We’ll adust. xo
Life is getting crazy now…I fear this will be our new normal. I went to get a haircut earlier…I know, I was vain. But when I made the appointment, life was not in crisis. Jim decided he would do the grocery run while I was gone, but he couldn’t find a parking space! He drove around for 10 minutes…still no place to park. So he left…ran another errand, came back…the same. No place to park. We will try tonight….hopefully we’ll get a parking space.
Our lives are indeed changing, by the hour it seems. Guess we just have to keep calm and continue to wash our hands. My middle son is worried he may get laid off if they close the mall store where he works. My other 2 kids and their SO’s are going to be ok, I believe. But, our pension? Don’t really know. Of course, if we stay home more, we cut expenses there…so silver lining? But, if we’re not going out, and others are not going out, what does that do to the small businesses, like restaurants, or bookstores. Nobody knows. The future is unpredictable for just about everyone right now.
Take care Claudia! ;)
Everything is so uncertain. I feel my anxiety rising and it had been non-existent before this. Sigh. Take care, Donna.
I didn’t read this before my other (of too many) comments about how you’re doing with your anxiety. Me? Not so great with mine! I don’t want to have to take anti-anxiety meds; I did, briefly, about 18 years ago. Let’s come up with every possible idea to combat the understandable anxiety being caused by this national emergency, Claudia!
Breathe deeply. Turn off the news. Don’t read the paper or the headlines. Read a book or a magazine. Read some more. Play music. Watch a funny movie. Have your husband rub your back, as mine does when I’m feeling anxious. Eat some chocolate. Take a walk on your property. Pet your dog. Hold your husband. Sing. Laugh. Love.
That’s my list! I may add to it later. xoxoxo
Good list! My husband had just said, “Let’s play some music!” (We don’t do that nearly enough.) If a person doesn’t have a turntable, there are still all kinds of ways to do that, with the phones, still the radio; our satellite dish even has numerous channels you can turn on via the TV ranging from rock to jazz, country to classical.
You just wrote another thing I’m sticking on my bathroom mirror.
xoxoxo
I am very sad and worried for all the people out of work, and for the homeless or working poor who will not be checked or counted or treated or paid. It’s beyond comprehension. I can’t imagine how life will return to normal after this with so many small businesses shutting down. If you can go out, buy local! Stay away from the big chains if at all possible. We need our theaters, artists, farmers, coffee shops and bookstores. I do hope that the huge gap of incompetence of our Republican Administration will be at least be seen and believed and the heartless leaders are ousted. Meanwhile, thank goodness for internet for connections, information, and calming entertainment: virtual tours, virtual museum exhibitions, animal videos, music, etc. And for blogs like this one Claudia. Thank you.
It is beyond comprehension. It seems that every second I think of another ramification of all this. Thank you, Nora.
Yes, those layers of ramifications. We were talking about our ongoing decluttering project in the home and dropping stuff off at Goodwill, because we don’t see any human, it’s just get in the car, drive to Goodwill to the back of their store building, leave the box on their dock, get back in the car, come home; although my husband is now thinking we shouldn’t really be out ‘in the air’ at all (still trying to figure all this out; like, stay home MEANS stay home). But what about all those employees at Goodwill who depend on their jobs, but find themselves working in a store where nobody comes anymore. Those are jobs on the lower-wage scale; what will they do? I guess I need to understand more about the emergency legislation Nancy Pelosi was announcing…
The ‘what if’s can give you a headache. Of course we’re told to, on anything, resist ‘what if’ thinking. But what if there’s so much illness that there’s nobody to do garbage collection? Nobody to walk dogs (or care for them) at a rescue facility? A pipe breaks but you can’t find a plumber. Hard to conceive of massive segments of the populace all being sick at once. Just ‘can’t go there’…but I told my husband, “Let’s try to live GENTLY in the house for the next couple of months. Be careful when you’re cooking; no cut fingers needing an ER visit! No falling off a ladder when washing windows! Think. Slow down. Don’t stop living, but watch what you’re doing. It’s not a time to be hurrying around, slipping down the front steps and banging your head. Take this time…to take it easy!”
Good advice! I tend to want to take on projects like washing the siding. But maybe I should wait on that one. Just live gently. I’ll pass that on to Don! Thanks, Vicki.
All this week I’ve been thinking of the folks who are having to shut down theaters, all events. It’s becoming up-close-and-personal now. Checking my pocketbook to send a supplemental donation to some I give annually. Tax time, wish I could do more.
I love humor during these times – just distracted myself awhile with Paul Madonna’s pen and ink drawings which are mostly of SF with his graffiti written on them.
Hartford Stage cancelled the rest of the run of Jane Eyre and the next show as well. And so has Yale Rep and, I suppose, many other regional theaters. It is not good for any theater struggling to survive. Thank you, Martha.
I am the secretary of a hospital emergency room. My city has 66 thousand inhabitants and we have only one patient in the city, but it is worrying and the government has only just decided to take some preventive actions, because two passengers of the presidential plane returned with The first contaminated in the country is already cured and we have no deaths. They said that the hot climate helps not spread the disease.
I’ve heard that, Edis. Unfortunately, we’re not at hot yet, but it’s coming. Take care of yourself! xo
Writers whose books are just coming out are having to cancel launch events and tours, too. They’re banding together to create online events. My favorite indie bookstore just announced they’re closing their doors for now to protect employees. But, to balance that, I’m spending this weekend helping a granddaughter study for a test in her college calculus class via Facetime. All my grandchildren are out of school, with a parent of a student in one’s school testing positive. Now that she’s working on her own, I’m glad to be able to help and interact with her, too. In our neighborhood of 47 homes, a young married woman has posted that she’s willing to run errands for the elderly. Being 70 and immuno-compromised due to medications for an auto-immune disease, I appreciated her gesture, although my husband and I are managing via curbside groceries. A neighbor who, like me, is vegan, reported that the store had no produce. I was able to share with her. My daughter drove an hour to bring us hand sanitizer because I, who use it all the time, got caught shorthanded with only a little left when everybody cleared the shelves. I am watching our savings being impacted and worry about the small vegetarian/vegan restaurant and other small business owners in our small town as well as all the self-employed people, but I’m trying to feel good about the good moments happening, too.
Yes, I’ve been reading about canceled tours. I love what your neighbor is doing for those in need. That’s what we need to do for each other. I am worried about small businesses in our area, as well. Have you seen the footage of neighbors in Italy leaning out their windows and balconies, singing to each other? Watch it if you can. It will give you faith in the goodness and resilience of our fellow man.
OMG. I saw that last night on TV…and it was stunning. The silhouettes of the people ‘imprisoned’ in golden-lit apartments as night fell, not even being able to really see their neighbors in the other units; but, yes, as one in song, the singing in unison, and singing to each other. Uplifting on the one hand; breaks your heart in another. Not comparing it, but I remember on the day of 911, and nobody knew anything of what was next; but after the Pentagon was then struck, flags started flying on my block here in SoCalif, that we will persevere; we will not be knocked down. You do NOT do this to us. It felt strong and good in the face of a murderous bully. I had a fleeting thought of the past four years, with all the vitriol often written about, and how U.S. citizens have gotten into a certain hostility with each other with no reserve, no filter; a lot of hate and dissention; a breakdown in civility. Is this Covid-19 going to finally bring people together, a united front against a bad, bad enemy? Where we find our empathy and compassion again; put aside the differences and be nicer to one another?
Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
So many out of work and its scary. This will have a huge impact on our economy. I have tried to gather all supplies this past week and now Mom and I are staying home. At 89 and 69 we are at risk. Mom would not survive this. I do have Sara that is available to bring us something if we really need it. Schools are closed here for at least another week but I am thinking it will be longer as GA numbers grow. Read a book, craft and rest are my plans. Take care and keep writing your blog Claudia. You may not realize how much this means to me to keep in touch with you. Hugs!
Stay home. Stay safe, my friend. We have things that we love to do that will keep us occupied. I will keep on writing, dear Linda.