My brother came over to eat the other night.
We live across the street from each other. He is also my daughter's boss at work.
We keep to ourselves pretty much and limit going out to work and essentials. We were sitting around after dinner, socially distanced from each other out on the lanai which can easily seat twelve.
Visits usually always have us spread out between the breakfast room and large farm table at the other end of our large eat in kitchen while we eat.
Sometimes we play corn hole or an occasional game of Jenga, Scrabble or Yahtzee.
We're pretty avid hand washers, surface cleaners and while I'm no June Cleaver, my house isn't a dump by any means.
Especially since March 16,2020.
The day everything changed and reality hit home.
That was the last day I worked. They closed the doors at the end of the night, and didn't attempt to reopen until after the beginning of June.
They're still not open for lunch (the shift I worked) and have shorter limited days and hours.
I am blessed to be able and wait this ugly virus out from the confines of my house and yard. I have a husband who can provide for us.
Millions and millions and millions aren't as lucky, and were faced with no other choice but to return to jobs , many of which deal directly with the public.
Orlando is a Hospitality /Tourism driven town...pretty much totally.
When I came home from work on March 16, I don't think I left the house again for at least three weeks. My husband was out of work for a couple of weeks and worked from home. My daughter continued to work, always masked and always diligent about sanitation procedures.
I simply sent them text requests and they stopped by stores on the their way home from work to pick up whatever I needed or asked for.
They bought it and I cooked it.
I remember the first time I went to the grocery store by myself. I'll be honest, I was kinda freaked out, but followed all the recommended safety precautions and came straight home and sanitized again.
Even during this period of time, early on, around the end of March, tons of people were already screaming conspiracy and mind control, especially on the Face Place.
Unfortunately, most still are, some even getting louder and seemingly prouder of their rants.
Mind you, more people have died from COVID-19 than did during the entire Vietnam war, and occurred within the matter of a few shorts weeks' time.
I finally cleaned out my (so called) friends list so I never had to come across their total misinformed and misconstrued posts.
How hard is it to simply wear a mask and stay away from crowds?
I guess it's harder than I thought, and I'm certainly no Einstein.
Here's the thing. I'm going to trust and believe a doctor, a scientist or widely renowned and respected specialist over any politician when it comes down to the own well being and health of my own family.
I'm going to listen carefully to what they say, and do exactly what they tell me.
Even if (and when) the advice changes.
That's why it's called a medical practice.
A friend of mine got upset when I wrote that people were being stupid by downplaying every single thing the experts were telling us on daily, sometimes hourly basis.
I realize stupid is a harsh.
But so is this pandemic.
Webster's defines stupid as : slow to learn or understand; obtuse.
That pretty much sums it up for me, but I'll go the extra mile and say I've never seen more obtuse people at any time in my almost sixty years on this earth.
Obtuse, also defined by Webster's: lacking quickness of perception or intellect; not sharp.
Seems we have a lot of dunces walking around, and most of them refuse to simply wear a
mask or chill at home for a while in groups of no more than ten. I won't be in a group of more than six unless I have to, and only have twice since March 16.
Once for my son's birthday, seated at a table for six of us in the middle of a huge and spread out dining room at not even half capacity.
The second was for my father in laws funeral, held outside, with just thirty two people in attendance, most all masked, but all standing apart from each other.
Then I saw the director of the CDC on television the other day. With my own eyes and ears, witnessed and heard him say these words...
"The U.S. could get the coronavirus under control in one to two months if everyone wears a mask."
You're killing us Smalls, literally.
I went to the gas station yesterday to get some gas on the way home from my weekly jaunt to Aldi. I've only had to buy gas two times since March 16. I'm currently getting great gas mileage, so there is that.
I masked up, and went inside to pay. On both of the doors were posted huge signs saying "Masks required". I went in and stood on the set of foot prints six feet behind the guy who was currently paying. A couple about my age came out of the bathroom area, the man walking in front of her, no mask and loudly huffing and puffing about the toilet not working. She had her tank top pulled up over her mouth, and can say with confidence, she didn't have a super model's body and none of us particularly enjoyed the view. Her husband, who stopped by to use the hand sanitizer dispenser on his way out the door said over his shoulder, "We'll just go somewhere else to use the bathroom!"
They weren't there to buy gas. They weren't even there to buy a hot dog off the spinner. They simply stopped because they needed to use the facilities...mask or no mask, no matter what the very obvious sign said on each of the double doors going inside ...."Masks required.'
How sorry is that?
Another case in point.
On our way to my father in laws' funeral near Atlanta, we stopped only one time on the ride up, to gas up and eat. We all three masked up and went into Zaxby's after fueling up next door at the gas station. We decided to use the facilities at the restaurant as opposed to the nasty looking gas station (sorry but it was) so Massey and I headed to the restroom while Tim placed our order 'to go'. The place was pretty full, it was around lunch time. Not one single person, besides employees (and us) had on a mask, but were all chatting it up side by side at tables and (literally) right behind Tim in line. The guy behind him was close enough to tap him on the shoulder, even if he'd had T-Rex arms. They looked at us in our masks like we had two heads. We took the ticket after Tim paid and stood back by the entrance waiting on our number to be called. The minute Tim came out of the restroom, we handed the ticket back to him and told him we'd meet him back at the car.
I actually wanted to make a loud comment to Tim as he came out of the restroom and we handed him back the ticket for our order, before we scooted out of the germ festival and say "Dang, Tim, we need to move here, they must not even have Coronavirus in this town!"
Of course Tim would have killed me, and we were already on the way to one funeral.
My point is, it's not that hard to understand or to comply with the CDC.
Yet still friends of mine, some with major health issues, several with heart conditions, several who go through surgery after surgery after surgery simply to survive, refuse to wear a mask and feel it is a violation of their rights to have it as a mandate.
Let me ask them this?
Would it be okay with you if next time they cracked your chest open for surgery, no one sterilized their hands or covered their face with a mask? Not the nurses, not the surgeon, not the anesthesiologist, and certainly not the custodians who clean each and every room in the entire place.
My last, and biggest problem is that even the president, my president, America's president, leader of the free world, won't even wear a face mask in public, or promote the use of such. I have seen him wearing a mask one time, and that was this past week.
It's the middle of July.
This all (publicly)started at the first of the year!
If that doesn't speak volumes about this virus and our government's "Laissez-faire" attitude towards it, what does?
This is a headline from the year 1918.
We should be smarter than this by now.
So my brother came by to pick up his pup after work the other night.
I pet sit for him now.
His dobie comes over and stays with our boxer Mon-Fri.
They are best buds now and my constant companions.
I've come to like dogs a lot more than I like people.
Anyhoo...
My brother mentioned offhandedly that he'd a had a doctor's appointment for some tests that day, and had asked his own doctor as he passed through the exam room (as long as he was there) to give him the real deal on the actual usefulness of wearing a face mask?
His doctor shrugged and said, palms up "What do I know, I'm not a politician."
My brother was kidding, but it made a very valid point.
The president can commute a convicted politician's sentence because of his fear he may contract COVID-19 in prison and give him a pass; but wants to send kids as young as four years old back to crowded buses and schools, next month and expect the teachers to feel comfortable rather than compromised. (and threatens withholding funding if they don't)
Once again, we're getting away from obtuse and back to stupid.
Just saying.
Why would you hire a roofer, fresh out of a halfway house, who you don't even know, who looks and sounds sketchy to begin with, but says he knows what he's doing; to replace your septic tank and all the sewage lines to your own 50,000 square foot mansion?
Stay Woke, and we can all stand alone together.
Till next time,
COTTON
"The U.S. could get the coronavirus under control in one to two months if everyone wears a mask."
You're killing us Smalls, literally.
I went to the gas station yesterday to get some gas on the way home from my weekly jaunt to Aldi. I've only had to buy gas two times since March 16. I'm currently getting great gas mileage, so there is that.
I masked up, and went inside to pay. On both of the doors were posted huge signs saying "Masks required". I went in and stood on the set of foot prints six feet behind the guy who was currently paying. A couple about my age came out of the bathroom area, the man walking in front of her, no mask and loudly huffing and puffing about the toilet not working. She had her tank top pulled up over her mouth, and can say with confidence, she didn't have a super model's body and none of us particularly enjoyed the view. Her husband, who stopped by to use the hand sanitizer dispenser on his way out the door said over his shoulder, "We'll just go somewhere else to use the bathroom!"
They weren't there to buy gas. They weren't even there to buy a hot dog off the spinner. They simply stopped because they needed to use the facilities...mask or no mask, no matter what the very obvious sign said on each of the double doors going inside ...."Masks required.'
How sorry is that?
Another case in point.
On our way to my father in laws' funeral near Atlanta, we stopped only one time on the ride up, to gas up and eat. We all three masked up and went into Zaxby's after fueling up next door at the gas station. We decided to use the facilities at the restaurant as opposed to the nasty looking gas station (sorry but it was) so Massey and I headed to the restroom while Tim placed our order 'to go'. The place was pretty full, it was around lunch time. Not one single person, besides employees (and us) had on a mask, but were all chatting it up side by side at tables and (literally) right behind Tim in line. The guy behind him was close enough to tap him on the shoulder, even if he'd had T-Rex arms. They looked at us in our masks like we had two heads. We took the ticket after Tim paid and stood back by the entrance waiting on our number to be called. The minute Tim came out of the restroom, we handed the ticket back to him and told him we'd meet him back at the car.
I actually wanted to make a loud comment to Tim as he came out of the restroom and we handed him back the ticket for our order, before we scooted out of the germ festival and say "Dang, Tim, we need to move here, they must not even have Coronavirus in this town!"
Of course Tim would have killed me, and we were already on the way to one funeral.
My point is, it's not that hard to understand or to comply with the CDC.
Yet still friends of mine, some with major health issues, several with heart conditions, several who go through surgery after surgery after surgery simply to survive, refuse to wear a mask and feel it is a violation of their rights to have it as a mandate.
Let me ask them this?
Would it be okay with you if next time they cracked your chest open for surgery, no one sterilized their hands or covered their face with a mask? Not the nurses, not the surgeon, not the anesthesiologist, and certainly not the custodians who clean each and every room in the entire place.
My last, and biggest problem is that even the president, my president, America's president, leader of the free world, won't even wear a face mask in public, or promote the use of such. I have seen him wearing a mask one time, and that was this past week.
It's the middle of July.
This all (publicly)started at the first of the year!
If that doesn't speak volumes about this virus and our government's "Laissez-faire" attitude towards it, what does?
This is a headline from the year 1918.
We should be smarter than this by now.
So my brother came by to pick up his pup after work the other night.
His dobie comes over and stays with our boxer Mon-Fri.
They are best buds now and my constant companions.
I've come to like dogs a lot more than I like people.
Anyhoo...
My brother mentioned offhandedly that he'd a had a doctor's appointment for some tests that day, and had asked his own doctor as he passed through the exam room (as long as he was there) to give him the real deal on the actual usefulness of wearing a face mask?
His doctor shrugged and said, palms up "What do I know, I'm not a politician."
My brother was kidding, but it made a very valid point.
The president can commute a convicted politician's sentence because of his fear he may contract COVID-19 in prison and give him a pass; but wants to send kids as young as four years old back to crowded buses and schools, next month and expect the teachers to feel comfortable rather than compromised. (and threatens withholding funding if they don't)
Once again, we're getting away from obtuse and back to stupid.
Just saying.
Why would you hire a roofer, fresh out of a halfway house, who you don't even know, who looks and sounds sketchy to begin with, but says he knows what he's doing; to replace your septic tank and all the sewage lines to your own 50,000 square foot mansion?
Stay Woke, and we can all stand alone together.
Till next time,
COTTON
