September 24, 2020
Today was a happy, happy day for me. I left home about 8:30 AM and drove to Indianapolis to
spend the day with my youngest daughter, her 2 children and her husband who is working from home
due to the pandemic. The two children have birthdays close to now, so I brought birthday presents and
we celebrated with pizza and cookies. My little grandson is 4 and my granddaughter turned one year
old. For presents, I ordered a jungle gym outdoor climber for J. We spent a little time putting it together
today. It will not be complicated, but it will take some stronger hands in order to snap some parts
together. I also gave him some Thomas the Train pajamas to match his new Thomas bike. For my
granddaughter, I gave her some clothes and a little push toy. She will also play with the jungle gym as
she gets older. It’s such a joy to be with them! The family lived in Portland, Oregon until 3 years ago, so I
deeply appreciate their being in proximity. I usually visit once every week or two. With the pandemic,
we have questioned how to visit and keep safe behavior. We have decided we each have our “pod” and
we don’t mingle much so we feel we are both quite safe; however, it is a point of discussion and we try
to keep the lines of communication open so we are comfortable meeting.
After driving home and eating dinner, I had my first online class for being an Indiana Naturalist.
This is a program sponsored by the Purdue Extension, Red Tail Conservancy, and Ball State Rinard Orchid
Greenhouse. The program started a week earlier with a face-to-face meeting that included masks and
social distancing. There will be 8 online/Zoom classes and then the final class will be in person. Topics
range from bats to land preservation. There are also opportunities for volunteer work experiences. I
firmly believe in lifelong learning experiences and this one interested me because it was nature based.
The pandemic has been going on for several months now and this week the death toll reached 1
million worldwide. I’ve found it upsetting that so many aspects of it (mask wearing and social distancing) have become political issues. It has also been shocking how little national leadership there has been. The US has over 200,000 deaths. Closer to home, I’ve been impressed with Indiana’s governor’s leadership.
He has held frequent news conferences and bases his decisions on the scientific data available to him.
For me, I am still enjoying a slower pace of life. The summer has been very pleasant. I’ve enjoyed
gardening and reading in the backyard. I haven’t done as much sewing or artwork just because I’ve
wanted to be outdoors. We have had some social occasions in people’s backyards or driveways. Frankly,
these have been easy to plan and carry out as compared to the usual events when the woman has to
plan/prepare the food, clean the house, tidy the yard, and then there’s the after-event clean up.
Some things that I see that I hope continue after the pandemic ends includes:
• Wearing a mask when you feel sickly. People in some Asian countries do this and it is better
for everyone around them.
• Continuing Zoom or online meetings when appropriate. They work just fine and save time
with driving, parking, etc.
• Slowing the pace of life. Taking time to eat together and visit rather than being so busy.
• Working from home when it’s appropriate. Some jobs that were thought of as not being
possible have now shown that it can be done. There is a social aspect to work that would
need to be monitored.
I worry about the upcoming winter season with the virus and flu seasons. It seems the current
time might be the “sweet spot” before things turn bad again. The CDC has advised people to get
flu shots as soon as possible with the thought that some people who usually don’t get shots may
decide to do so this year, causing a shortage later. I took heed of this advice. I don’t feel
comfortable with the way the COVID vaccination is proceeding and don’t plan to be first in line
for one of them. I have more of a “wait and see” attitude about the vaccination. So, I will take
precautions in the meantime. Overall, there is a lot to be concerned about – the virus, economy,
state of our country, social unrest, and climate change disorders. It is my hope and prayer that
these are growing pains to a new rebirth but there’s such hostility and lack of consideration for
one another that I don’t know how that’s going to be resolved. It reminds me of Pandora’s Box
in that I don’t know how we are going to get respect and civility back as social norms from the
point of where they are now. I hope individual efforts can make a difference. By the next Diary
Day, the election will be over and there will be some drastically upset people whatever happens.
I pray and work for peace and compassion for my fellow Americans. I feel there should be a
better way to end this entry but I don’t know how to resolve it better than peace and
compassion….