While the news is constantly on in our home, I am tuning it out. Much of America won't take proper precautions until they personally know someone critically ill with Covid. That won't happen till there are tens of thousands of deaths. By that time, it will be weeks too late to prevent anything.

The next two months of news will be bleak.

Work is proceeding well. The husband has commented that I have very full days and suggested that I book time to take afternoon walks.

The brother-in-law says he gets anxious when he listens in on my video calls. We use so many technical words. It bugs him that we speak English, but he can't understand.

While the husband is also working from home, his job is turning more and more into make-work projects.

H, the roommate in the basement, has started teach yoga online. It's fun to listen in. She really knows her stuff.

The Brother-In-Law is working six days a week making and delivering food at the retirement home. He is getting tired. Get your rest, my brother-in-law. More people are depending on you, than on anyone else in this house. 

 We are filling our spare time any way we can. Puzzles, games TV. News. Too much news.

The "Stay Home" order has caused another round of grocery shortage. Nothing major, the same outage as before-- toilet paper, paper towels. Vegies and meat are freely available.

We also could not find another desk. The husband works from the living & dining room. This sometimes causes conflicts should the husband be on a conference call and the the brother in law want to watch TV.  So, we tried to find a desk for the spare bedroom. No dice.

But, smart TVs are cheap and readily available. The brother in law bought one for his bed room. Problem solved.

Our state has gone one step farther....

Gov. Jay Inslee spoke directly to Washingtonians to announce he will sign a statewide order that requires everyone in the state to stay home. The order will last for two weeks and could be extended.

This Stay Home, Stay Healthy order is similar to orders that other governors, in places such as California and New York, issued last week.

This proclamation will:

• Require every Washingtonian to stay home unless they need to pursue an essential activity.

• Ban all gatherings for social, spiritual and recreational purposes.

• Close all businesses except essential businesses.

“The less time we spend in public, the more lives we will save,” Inslee said. 

The proclamation states it’s still safe for people to go outside as long as they remain at least six feet from each other. Grocery stores, doctor’s offices and other essential businesses will remain open. People can still participate in activities such as bike rides, gardening, and dog walking — as long as they follow social distancing rules.

I sold my motorcycle today. I feel a little bad about that. I've had the motorcycle for years.

But, I haven't rode the cycle in a couple years. It's not practical anymore. I was riding the motorcycle often when there was an HOV lane to work and when I was with my ex. He worked on weekends so I had extra alone time.

Times have changed. Now, it just sits in the garage.

The guy who bought the motorcycle was a bit drunk and didn't know how to ride. Fortunately, he brought af friend who knew motorcycles and took it for a test ride.

The guy had recently come into a lot of cash-- he was cleaning schools closed due to the coronavirus.

After the test ride, the friend gave it his blessing. They paid cash. I signed over the title and the friend rode my bike off to it's next adventure.

The humble brag... that's what I'd call my last post. I must do less of that. 

The days of sheltering in place are passing buy. We are having a few home arguments, but nothing unexpected. We've had to adjust the Wi-Fi to accommodate the extra streaming and video calls that are being made.

How first world is that-- we are in the middle of a pandemic and the top problem on my list is that the house has enough Wi-Fi to let two people talk on video, and the other two watch Netflix, each far enough away from the other that we can't hear each other in the background.

We have made lists of people we want to keep in touch with and are calling them. I like this. Usually my work life and my few free social hours narrow down the people I talk to. Shelter-in-place lets me be more intentional. I will talk to those whom life would ordinarily keep distant from me. 

How on earth did I end up in a quarantine, with a great job that lets me work remote, and roommates who are a chef and a yoga instructor?

It's a quiet day today.  I had a full day working from home, as did the husband. The brother in law is home early from work as there is less for him to do at work. He works in the kitchen at a retirement home. The residents are in lock down. Meals are being delivered to them. 

I don't talk much about our other roomy-- H. We have a mother-in-law apartment that we rent to her. She is a good room mate. She walks the dog when we are not around. She is clean. Trust worthy. A good person. She is also out of work. The studios where she worked have closed due to the Coronavirus. She is keeping busy. She and the brother-in-law love to watch horror movies together. We have told her not to worry. These are unusual times and we aren't going to kick her out because she can't pay rent.

Its a lovely say here in Seattle. A little cool for spring. That hasn't stopped the daffodils from blooming.

The brother in law reports that at his work, a resident has tested positive for Coronavirus. The whole retirement community is in lockdown.

The husband and I are good. Our big challenge will be to keep focused and not to psych ourselves out. This is not a good time for empaths or those who like to engage and solve problems.

We have ordered a couple big jigsaw puzzles.

C2 was quickly in and out of town for the weekend to visit his family. While he was here, he got notice that he too will work from home.

It's official. All schools are closed for the next six weeks. Coworkers are scrambling to figure out what to do with their kids. My coworkers are fortunate-- they can work form home. I pray for those who can't work from home and now have to figure out what to do with their children.

A acquaintance has been quarantined. She is healthy, but is a real estate agent who was exposed to someone who has tested positive for Coronavirus.

The big thing for us is to keep our cool and keep focused on our work and our day. The husband and I listen to meditations before we sleep. This husband is big hearted and empathic. This situation really bugs him.

I have been working from home for a week now. Coronavirus continues to grow around us. Social distancing is now in vogue. I went to the dentist today. Ordinarily, when signing for the bill, I would just take the pen from the receptionist and sign. Today she put the pen down, stepped back. I took the pen, signed and then used hand sanitizer. She wiped the pen with a cloth. We looked at each other and laughed. What's next? Throwing the bill from across the room? 

The numbers don't look good. As statisticians sometimes say when doing analysis... the first derivative of the growth curve does not look good. The problem is growing faster than it's being solved. 

The state has banned events of more than 250 people. Seattle schools are closed. Suburban schools are not, though there are calls for that. The grocery stores are all open. Costco was out of beans and rice. The guy there said they get a new pallet every day, but it sells out quickly. 

We have a few emergency supplies on hand. Maybe one week of food. Lots of soap and cleaning supplies. Mostly I'm presuming that the system— groceries (especially grocery delivery), internet, power, gas— will continue to work if things start to go very bad. Amazon delivery can't help but benefit from this.  

The husband and I are in a demographic that recovers from Covid-19. I'm a little worried about the brother-in-law. He works at an old-folks home. He is over 60. He smokes. I pray for him.

So, what should one do in the middle of a coronavirus crisis? Head to the mountains of course!

For some time, an old college buddy of the husband planned to be in Seattle for the week. We had previously schedule a weekend with him at a local ski hill. While, they are closing down large gatherings around Seattle. Restrictions have not yet hit the rest of the state.

The trip was lovely.

Companies that can are asking their employees to work from home till the end of the month. To the best of my knowledge, no one where I work has been hit with the virus.

and then I see this...

Covid-19 update...

At work, they have put hand sanitizer dispensers up next to the main doors. It's kind of like a cruise ship. I sanitize every time I walk in or out of our space.

I am washing my hands more often. I'll do that when I arrive at work. Wash away the commute germs. My fingers are drying out, so I've got bottle of nice lotion on my desk.

Yes. I'm still going to work. The people who have been dying have been very young, had underlying health problems or were older than 70. I don't associate with those demographics, so if I get it, the damage will be contained.

More about work. The commute is nice. The traffic is good. There are less people on the bus. The office is quiet. If it weren't for the virus, this would be pleasant.

I have several friends in the travel industry. They are having a bad time.

My husband, who visits many medical offices for work, has been asked to stay away. The offices are closed to non-essential visitors.

What's bad about Covid-19 is that it's so diffuse and unpredictable. Our mind wants us to think that pandemics play out like the zombie apocalypse. Or a biologic attack where everyone dies. The reality is that most of us will be unaffected. Some of us will have a bad flu. We may not even know that the flu was the Coronavirus. It was a bad flu year even before Covid-19. And... of course... some of us will die.

Covid-19 is hitting Seattle a big way. 6 people have died in the past 48 hours. 5 of the six were older than 70. The remaining one was 50 and with an underlying health condition.

Work has canceled nonessential travel. Lunch is no longer buffet style. We have switched to box lunch. We are encouraging people to work from home. 

The brother-in-law works at an old age home. They are in lock down there. Servers are wearing masks.