Day 14 - The Wandering Woman

Thursday, March 26

This marks two full weeks since we arrived back from Arizona. No symptoms! That makes us both feel safer because it’s unlikely we ‘caught’ anything during that dangerous period before everyone went into social distancing. And we likely did not pick up anything on the airplane. And, just as importantly, we did not bring anything down to Sedona where Ruth’s immune system is compromised. So that makes us feel much better.

This also marks Day 2 of “Stay Home, Stay Healthy”. It will be very interesting to see how we are doing two weeks from now, on April 9. That will have been four weeks of self-imposed quarantine for us.

This just in: The U.S. now has more cases than any other country, including China. New York is now the epicenter. New Orleans is on the way to becoming the new epicenter, partly because of Mardi Gras which is both a huge local and regional event.

From Fran’s Diary:

So … there’s been this nicely dressed young woman bundled up in a coat, mittens and muffler pacing our street corner non-stop for the past 48 hours. I mean, she has not left. Mostly, she stands poised to cross California Avenue, like she’s heading over to the 7-11. But she never steps onto the cross walk. She is quiet with dark hair and white sunglasses pushed up on top of her head. She rocks and walks and stares up into space. Her nose is red. Her forehead is red. The tips of her fingers are red. She has a paper ID band around one wrist suggesting a visit to Urgent Care or the hospital. We have called the police (non-emergency line) a number of times hoping that they will convince her to go someplace warm and safe. She has declined. Concerned neighbors and I have been surreptitiously monitoring this, all while not getting too close. Me especially not wanting to get entangled in this young woman’s story.  

I am already dealing with my ancient aunt Marion and eighty-five year old mother and step-father in lock-down nearby who feel isolated, scared and stir crazy;  a sister in Arizona undergoing breast cancer treatment (immune-compromised) with our first global pandemic while shuttering an otherwise thriving 23 year old yoga school; the other sister navigating the Coronavirus in Kabul with two bombings just this week. And my son who lives and works in Amsterdam has a high fever. I have been soldiering on as I do - busy with work, checking in daily with friends and family while overseeing the puzzling situation out front. Reading your emails (first from George, Carol then Jeaneen), I cried and cried for the first time. I have not processed anything yet. I am just feeling the weight of it all. But there is relief in this. It is comforting hearing your stories and how you are doing. So thank you.