HELLO DEAR FRIENDS...

               C O R O N A  V I R U S   I S    H E R E .... 
  

                                 THIS IMAGE FROM THE CDC shows what it looks like under microscope.

   I  am blogging from my apartment..self distanced from the population.
There are 8 apartments in my building. They have steam cleaned the  hallway carpets and twice weekly they come in and clean the doors and surfaces. We talk to each other from across the hall or outside away from each other. I don't allow anyone in my apartment. I hope nothing needs fixing until this passes.  I spray my door way and door knobs outside so that I know I try to keep things away. Am I paranoid? NO.. just careful. 

One hyphenated word that has changed our whole world. Like 9-11..one day we were fine living our daily lives and the next a whole new way of living was upon us. Words like quarantine, self distancing, and Pandemic are now the norm. Daily briefings, school and business closures updated hourly. All countries involved world wide. What I thought would happen has happened. My fear level went from 3 or 4 to 10.
I mean..going outside into the world of people and germs. We know not where it is .. it is different from any other virus we have been in touch with. I wear a mask when I go outside and carry a wipe in my hand at all times. After 10 days I am still coughing from the cold I caught. Neighbors asking me questions. NO I DO NOT HAVE IT! My lungs are just weak and when I get a cold it hangs on and goes into my chest. 
WHAT chance do I have against a virus that ATTACKS the lungs that requires people of health risk to be on a ventilator? NOT much. So it seems I will be here for a long time into the summer. I just cannot imagine it but I guess it will happen. WE WILL GET THROUGH IT. 

I feel that when this gets a vaccine that works and they can make enough to help us all.. life may go back to a sort of normal. I say sort of.. because we all will be changed because of it.    I spray my MAIL.. when it is delivered.. I have no idea how many people have touched it, breathed on it.  
I use gloves to touch it. EXTREME.. not in my mind. When I go out it is an ordeal. I only stay in stores a short amount of time as possible. I like others have been stockpiling all the items I think I need. So far so good. I am used to NOT FINDING things in the stores when I go. When I get home I spray my coat and leave it near the open door. I wash myself all over and change my clothes. YES I DO.. it makes me feel better to know I am doing my best to help myself. YES life has changed.. We had a family member pass away and NO services will be held. The family has to distance itself because the elderly. Just life changing. We will have a service later.. but who knows when that will be. 

So that is what I am doing.. things to help myself get through these times. I listen to what DR FAUCI says and he tells it like it is. When he or the experts tell us it is time to relax a little.. I will..until then I remain
on guard. 

PLEASE dear blogging friends. I wish you well and hope you and your family stay away from this horrible virus. 

CORONAVIRUS....

          
               HELLO AGAIN....

       So lets address the elephant in the room.. CORONAVIRUS.. In my opinion only.. I think it will get a lot worse for the whole world before it gets better. When the CDC came out and said “NOT IF but WHEN we get it bad”, WELL that put me into being prepared MODE. Living in a small town and having little access to a vehicle I have to make plans to buy supplies. When you get most of your cheaper goods from a country that is NOW in lock down it will be hard on the stores to replenish themselves here. It won’t be all of the sudden..it will be a slow process but it WILL happen. I guess we AMERICANS have depended so long on imports that it will be a shock to some. BUY AMERICAN.. Yes they cost more but at least we are helping our economy and our citizens with jobs. Do I buy  only American products.. NO I don’t, so I am not perfect. I spend plenty in the dollar stores because my budget makes me. Most of the products there are imports.

  There is a lot to this virus that the country of origin is NOT telling us. A  L O T. I am scared of the regular flu much less one that is even worse. I get my shots every year and take an OCD approach to trying to keep clear of illness. Having asthma my whole life, when I get sick, I really get sick. I pray the USA gets more prepared and keeps its citizens safe as they can. Seeing the reports of CHINESE cities all but empty..scary. People made to stay in place, schools and businesses shut down for MONTHS not weeks or days. I dread that to happen in our cities here. F E A R is a terrible thing to live under. 
Enough of my ranting.. I do hope we all stay as well as we can and get through this whole virus situation and see an end to it.  UNTIL THEN…. 


                          

WINTER FINALLY APPEARS!

                                                                                          
Sooo Winter finally made it to our little city. We have seen green grass most of the
whole month of November, and December. I know folks are happy that love the cold and snow but me.. I prefer it to come and then GO not stick around. After the polar vortex last year, this is welcomed.

I made sure all my doctor appointments were BEFORE flu season hit hard. Good thing seems everyone is down with something or another. My reports are excellent. My glaucoma is under control with very good numbers and no return visits until Spring. My cardiologist visit went the same. That dreaded AFIB did not return after 2 separate 2 week monitors. Praise the Lord.. I am soooo blessed. NSR or normal sinus rhythm is a wonderful thing. So 2020 started on a good note. My sister moved into my building in August last year as she prepares to sell her home. She is not all that happy living in a small place after a big house and that is to be expected. She is closer now to her daughter and grandkids and me so that is a good thing. Hope it will get better in time when things settle more.   Life moves on in my world.

I wish you all happiness and good health in the new year.   Happy Winter..


                               

                       

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY 2020

                             

             TWENTY years ago.. were we even thinking about getting to 2020? I mean it seemed so far away and now we are almost there. I was not even blogging in 2000.. Hard to believe but I had just been introduced to the computer at the local library and was learning the ins and outs one hour each day as they would allow. I made some nice friends there. Sue Lehman visited Michigan for a class reunion and was with me at the library as I sat up my first e mail account at Yahoo. It would be awhile before I would get a computer from another friend so I could use it at home. Oh how far I have come and how many wonderful people have come into my life. 

There have been so many changes. I have lived in so many places, met people, experienced life and death and learned to cope with what life throws at me and adapt along the way. As we go into another decade..can we even begin to imagine what changes there will be then? We can only hope and pray we all have wonderful lives with good health and much prosperity. 

             MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020!! 

                                     

NOVEMBER 2019

                                             

WHAT??? Something happened to FALL here in Michigan.. we got blasted with snow and some trees were still full of leaves. Coldest temps on RECORDS.. another polar vortex? Not sure what is happening, but we are used to winter, just not used to it so early and not much fall at all. What we had was beautiful to see. Ours was late this year, lots of trees had green leaves even at Halloween. The above photo is the Brooks fountain the middle of our town. A round about was built around it and it is lit up and water flows until October. Many gather there for photos and just to rest and hear the fountain. The link will take you to a little video of what we see in the summertime. Everyone loves it. 

ANYWAY...Thanksgiving is coming and shoppers are making choices already for Christmas. Today I heard that our little town has the LAST KMART in the state of MICHIGAN. WOW..we are sure glad. It gets lots of use and the nearest shopping stores are 20 min away. Those of us who have no transportation other than the local bus are grateful. We know eventually it will close. Just hope something comes in to take it's place. Only so much is sold in the dollar stores. 

On the health update.. the cardiologist ordered another 2 week ZIO monitor to make sure my AFIB episode was just one time. Waiting to see what it says..not too worried as I monitor things pretty well. The glaucoma is under control also. All is well..😃

Hope you all are doing well also..