Category: Raw

Ponderings, Raw

Quarantine Week #6

FanTC

Can you believe it? It’s already been 2 months since the pandemic outbreak in the US. There is so much news and misinformation going around, I hate to stake a claim on anything. But where do we go from here? It’s already too late to stop it. The virus is here. It’s in our air and in our blood. Most of the population won’t feel its affects, so the numbers are already heavily skewed with no way of correcting them.

I suppose what I really want to know in all this is what’s really going on, guys? I mean seriously. SARS and Ebola came and went with far less commotion than Covid-19. The common flu has claimed as many – if not more – lives than this Corona thing. But you don’t see those other viruses garnering the attention this one has. What’s different in our society? What triggered the wide-spread panic?

There’s never a tell for how the mass media will react to a situation. In some cases, we can rise up and stand together, but in others we break down and riot in the streets. The settings have to be just so for each scenario.

But what do I know? I’m just a writer stuck at home with a cat and a ginger and trying to make the best of her situation.

How are you making the best of your situation?

 

We were walking the other day around the lagoon near our home. The graffiti we discovered along the way is already being influenced by this pandemic.

 

This has been,

Fanny T. Crispin

Raw

Quarantine Week #5

FanTC

I can feel it. I’m losing my edge.

Nothing is convenient about working from home (I mean, besides hot coffee on a whim.) Agitation is setting in, but with it comes a loss of motivation. When you spend your days doing nothing, you feel like doing nothing. At the start of all this, I went on walks regularly. I woke up at the time I usually do if I was working in the office, so I had plenty of morning for cleaning, prepping, or walking. Now I find I sleep in later and later. I’ve turned to escapism hobbies like reading and writing (or the Netflix show Lost in Space, oh my word, it is INTENSE!)

How are you handling this week of quarantine? The Midwest is on the rise of the curve. There’s talks of shutting down even the grocery stores. I admit, it’s probably a necessary action. There are too many people who don’t take it seriously – and I don’t mean grocery shoppers. I mean the folks who visit each other in their vehicles, driving from home to home to home picking up the Covid-19 virus from the third or fifth passenger and carrying it with them to the next visit.

It doesn’t seem a wise past-time. Why not sit in INDIVIDUAL vehicles six feet apart and talk through the windows? The mother-in-law came to visit Saturday. That’s what we did with her. She sat in the driveway, we sat on lawn chairs. She even brought the puppy for a visit because he loves car rides. As difficult as it was to ignore his pines for attention, we knew we couldn’t go near the vehicle for fear of putting Mom at risk.

I’m not worried about becoming terribly ill or dying from this infection. I am worried about the rate of spread. I’m worried about my grandma and mother-in-law who are high risk.

And I’m getting terribly annoyed not being able to go anywhere or do anything. This pandemic certainly isn’t the worst that could happen. America isn’t being bombed. It’s not Bubonic. It’s not a hundred other worse catastrophes. But it’s life-altering. It is certainly that.

How are you coping?

This has been,

Fan T. C.

Ponderings, Raw, Thoughts

Quarantine Week #4

FanTC

Here in the great Midwest, we are entering week 4 of self-quarantine. I have been successfully working from home, but GW has been going in for the past 3 weeks due to his manufacturing/”essential” position. Today, he discovered one of his coworker’s daughters has tested positive for Covid-19. I’m highly disappointed it took risking all of the workers for the owners to finally shut down.

Highly disappointed.

The mother-in-law has been depending on us for groceries since she has a form of Lupis and the medication has compromised her immune system. Now it’s looking like we’ll have to reach out to her other son (who lives farther away) since my husband has potentially come in contact with the virus.

It is incredibly strange to be “fighting” something we cannot yet see. Moreover, no one within our realm of society has been infected or been symptomatic to know up close what it is that is attacking us. I’m sure you can relate to my sentiments – or you’ve been fighting on the front lines and have seen exactly what this virus can do. I pray God’s protection over you, wherever you are.

GW and I took the motorcycle out Sunday for some fresh air. It’s still chilly in Wisconsin. It barely broke 60 degrees that day, but it was good to get out and ride even for a short time. Although we ended up becoming stranded. Yep. The engine got flooded. We had stopped to admire the scenery – far away from society – and when we returned, the motorcycle wouldn’t start. GW is pretty handy when it comes to his bike, but after 30 minutes and no improvement, he was at a loss. YouTube’s most reasonable explanation was the engine was flooded, and they recommended waiting another 20-30 minutes.

“If we can just get it home,” he started to say, revving the engine for what seemed like the hundredth time, when all of a sudden, the engine caught and stayed running. We replaced our helmets in a flash and thanked Jesus for the tiny miracle.

I don’t pretend to know what’s going on in this world of ours, but I do thank God for tiny miracles.

This has been,

Fanny T. Crispin

Raw

The Great Reality (of Quarantine)

FanTC

The word on the street is we might be home-bound until May. I’m just finishing up week two, and I’m already over it.

How are you fairing through all this? Has your data consumption sky-rocketed? I joined an online group of my Renaissance Faire friends, and we’re planning a multi-video get-together soon. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to it. To see faces and hear voices will be good for my soul.

I find I have become more productive around the house, but not with any crafts or writing projects. I’m reasoning my mind needs the physical distraction and movement to stay preoccupied. I have attempted to get back to a work in progress from a few years ago, but it’s slow going. I’m out of practice again. Still, I’m not beating myself over the head because of it. I published the Sir Ivan’s Train sequel, and that is enough for now.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Go outside and walk when you get a chance.

This has been,

FanTC

Mind & Body, Raw

On Social Distancing

FanTC

There is a random stretch of road in Shullsburg, WI, and if you put your car in neutral, it will slowly start to roll…UPHILL.

True story.

Mt Horeb, WI loves their trolls fairytales so much, they decorated the entire town with unique sculptures. It’s so renown, in fact, when they built the bypass over the highway, truckers started calling it Mt Horeb Trollway.

True story.

You might get eaten by a shark in Darlington, WI.

True story.

The Pegasus is real, and he’s beautiful. (Just look at that muzzle. What a ham.)

True story.

This lonely, forgotten memorial in Madison, WI is likely the most beautiful site you’ll ever see.

True story.

How are you social distancing? We took a day trip through southern Wisconsin exploring little known sites, tucked away oddities, and viewed a wondrous countryside which reminded us there is so much of the world to explore outside our scope of imagination. Check out this bizarre mini-seum of concrete sculptures in Shullsburg, WI. Some Austrian guy designed them after he retired in the 50’s.

True story.

This has been,

FanTC