COVID update - 14 Weeks

I can't sleep, so I'm here.

We have been socially isolated for 14 weeks and counting. About a month ago, Mike's parents came back from Florida and we "expanded our bubble". 

Penny enjoys lots of outside time with her grandparents - going on wagon rides, scootering, chalk drawing, and playing in the little inflatable pool in the backyard. She also enjoys going for a walk to the park and then sitting in the shade with Nana and looking at the playground she can't play at (because it is surrounded by temporary plastic fencing), and they tell stories about her playing on the playground with her friends Bluey and Bingo. It would be sad if she knew it was sad, but she still acts genuinely happy and enjoys to hear stories where she is one of the stars, along with her favorite cartoon characters. 

We finally pulled Penny out of her daycare after paying, and not sending her, for three months. This was when we were finally sure that I would not be physically returning to my work until August. We are a little bummed Penny hasn't had a chance to really say goodbye to everyone at the center, but we are hoping to get a chance to visit to say hi when it is safe to do so... months from now?

She has now mastered the art of escaping her crib, so we had to put a baby-proof doorknob in her room. She has managed to break out of that one twice. There is no such thing as full Penny-proof. This makes putting her down for naps and sleep at night more challenging. I wouldn't call them the "terrible twos", but there's definitely a new challenge all the time.

Most recently we celebrated Fathers' Day. All celebrations are low-key, and usually involve takeout. We have also celebrated a 9-year wedding anniversary, Mothers' Day, and Easter in similar fashion. The novelty of zooming for such events has worn off.

Mike's work situation is pretty much the same as it was at the beginning of all this. He completely works from home. There is talk of his company having people return to the office, but it seems like for the foreseeable future it is still a choice, and he remains home.

We talk to our friends who are still in Australia. Australia did a much better job of slowing the spread of COVID, and they are in a much more advanced phase of opening back up. Ultimate Frisbee leagues are even starting up again in the near future. People are going back to work and starting to regain some semblance of a normal life.

This is not so in the US. The scale that our government has failed has been catastrophic and unbelievable. Over 120,000 people have died of the virus (that we know of), and just today there were over 30,000 new reported cases (that we know of). The president either lies, makes jokes, or ignores what is happening. Basically, the first wave of infection never ended, and cases are starting to climb again after a big push by the president and by a lot of his followers to open up again to save the economy. They don't care if thousands of people die as long as they can try to save the economy. This comes from the supposed pro-life party. You can't make this stuff up. If people don't feel safe to go into public because there is an unchecked pandemic, what good does that do for the economy? Or, if people feel safe and go out, then the virus spreads, many thousands more die, and then we are back to where we started. 

This leads to a scary situation for voting come November. Some states are making it easier to vote absentee, while others are suppressing citizens' right to vote safely. Again, it is mind-boggling the scale that this pandemic has affected the country, and it's scary how our democratic election is truly in danger right now. 

In the midst of all this, there has been a huge shift in popular opinion about the Black Lives Matter movement, following the death of George Floyd. There have been protests for weeks all over the country. I hope that this wave of activism will bring some long overdue change.

This is just another snapshot in time. I hope all of you manage to stay safe and healthy. Wear a mask. It's not a political statement; it's a personal statement that you care about good hygiene and the people around you.