So let's get you caught up...it's spring 2020 and we are in very strange times: there's a global pandemic, so the stock market is in shambles, unemployment is astronomically high, there are shortages on important medical gear like masks and ventilators, we are all on strongly suggested though not yet absolutely mandatory quarantine, schools are no longer meeting in the buildings, rather online. Basically it's like either the 1920-30s (minus the ban on alcohol - for now) or the back story of any dystopian fiction you have ever read, but for real.

That chart shows the cases of COVID-19, the disease of the afore mentioned pandemic. It's a relative of the common cold, but with the added fun of causing a serious pneumonia that can kill you. Yay! As of now, it seems to be preying on the older and immuno-surpressed population, but there are more and more reports of seemingly healthy individuals getting it and dying. World-wide, as of today, there are 1,141,190 confirmed cases with 60,960 deaths. The US leads the world with the most cases, 290,055, but Italy has the most deaths, 15,362. Minnesota has 789 cases and 22 deaths. The problem is that there aren't enough tests, so the numbers are likely higher, simply because people can't get tested.

To top it all off, we have a man in the White House who, until recently (if even then) and in my opinion, doesn't seem to be taking this at all seriously. To be fair, it seems to me that he hasn't taken ANYTHING of his job seriously. Throughout his tenure, he's mocked, lied, and threatened his way through his position. He actually was impeached by the House of Representatives in fall, but not in the Senate because of the Republican majority there. As an example, back in late March, he said that his goal is to have the US back open and running by Easter (April 11). For some perspective, there were almost a thousand new cases reported in New York alone between April 2 and 3. Just yesterday, the CDC came out with the recommendation that everyone wear protective masks when out in public. Although he "emphasized that wearing masks in public is voluntary [he] said he will not be doing so (NPR, April 3, 2020). Take from that what you will, but it really seems to me that the leader of the country should be setting an example. It doesn't matter if you want to wear the mask or not, you should, just because you need to set the example for those who are hanging on your every word and who will live by your example.

There are happy things going on, too - it's spring and the plants are starting to come up. We have virtually no snow left on the ground. F next door (who is 2 1/2) comes over every day to play with the girls' old doll jeep and their climber. We still have socially distanced happy hours with the neighbors. The girls and I have been on spring break and C has been not working at MOA this week. Next week will be the true test of our quarantine with the Quaranteens. We finished "The Office" and are now watching "LOST" as a family. The irony of the seclusion and random people getting "sick" and dying on the show is not lost, trust me. The kittens are getting huge and have their WWE/WWF-like battles like clockwork at 9:30 each night. Lily tries to play with Ernie, which is pretty funny.

So that's a lot of where we are right now in the world, and it's heavy, I get that. It's not totally the point of this blog, although it is the backdrop for which it's written. I think my point will be to just share stuff. This is an historic time for the world, but it's also historic for us personally - the girls just turned 13 and haven't killed each other or us...yet. C starts a new gig on Monday during his quarantine time, and I am transitioning to more of a social worker doing well checks on specific STEM kids twice a week starting Monday. Doors are closing and windows are opening all over the place. Hopefully this will keep me entertained while all that happens.