Texas Wildflower Evening Primrose Explosion With Linda Lou & Coronavirus

Today has been the first day in well over a month where I have felt back to 100% okay, health-wise. The first week of March I began ailing, with that ailing going on and on, week after week, to the point I began to forget what feeling okay felt like.

Being sick sort of coincided with the period when the Coronavirus first began to show up all over the country. Some of my symptoms matched Covid-19, but I thought I was being some sort of hypochondriac to think that such could explain my ailing.

And then in the past week or so I have read more than one account of others having a similar experience and now wondering if Coronavirus is the explanation. Such became more so to me when I read that it is now known that loss of the ability to taste and smell is a Coronavirus symptom.

Oh, now this is just bizarre. Just as I hit the period button on the above paragraph, about a half hour ago, and the phone rang. Linda Lou calling. During the course of the how you doing conversation I made mention of my symptoms of the past 30 days, including the loss of taste and smell part of it.

So, Linda Lou then tells me her cousin had the same experience. Only more so. In that Linda Lou's cousin's wife was in the choir of that nationally notorious Presbyterian Church in my old home zone of Mount Vernon. And that Linda Lou's cousin's wife was sitting right by two of the people who died after contracting the virus whilst singing in church.

And then, while Linda Lou's cousin's wife did not get Coronavirus symptomatic, Linda Lou's cousin did, including that lost of taste and smell thing. Linda Lou's cousin's symptoms eerily matched mine. Linda Lou's cousin was so sure he had Coronavirus he went to get tested, but the medical professionals would not test him because his temperature did not meet the requirement.

Anyway, so nice to be feeling so much better. Today was the first actually fun bike ride I've had since this misery began. I rolled three times around Sikes Lake. Due to the current nightmare the paved trail around Sikes Lake has become a promenade of people, many masked, lots of kids.

At one point I opted to stop and get down on the ground to take the Evening Primrose photo you see above. The Evening Primrose is just about my favorite Texas wildflower. I see way more of them than any other Texas wildflower, including bluebonnets...

Virtual Low Tide Washington Harstine Island Coronavirus Escape With Deer

A couple days ago I emailed sister Michele, maternal parental unit of David, Theo and Ruby, asking how the Tacoma Trio and their parental units were doing with the ongoing Coronavirus nightmare.

In addition to telling me how things were going in one email reply, a second email included five photos which made me homesick for being in a scenic wonderland.

The first two photos fit in with the recent Facebook fad of people posting landscape photos, with no humans, as a diversion from these trying times.

The text with the first two photos said "Evening low tide with cool sky colors."

I would say cool sky colors along with cool clouds.

It sounds like the home schooling has been lumbering along. The teacher's send some homework. Not graded or required. So, the Tacoma Trio spend time on something called iReady, which focuses the kids on math and reading. The kids are doing a lot of reading.

Above, for his science class, Theo is experimenting with the centrifugal force concept, turning his arm into a windmill, spinning a bucket of water fast enough to keep the water from spilling.

David has been helping mama Michele improve her tennis game. The text with this photo asked "Is there a more beautiful place to play tennis?"

There are a lot of deer living on Harstine Island. The deer frequently visit the Tacoma Trio's cabin due to knowing one of the trio, well, two of the trio, may come and give them a treat. Like an apple.

David does not participate in the deer feeding due to a morbid fear of deer.

Harstine Island is a privately owned chunk of Puget Sound.

Washington has closed all public parks, beaches and playgrounds, currently through May 4. But the beaches of Harstine Island, and the tennis courts, and other amenities, remain open, for now.

The Tacoma Trio's mama Michele has ordered a fleet of kayaks to give  them something new to do during the duration of the lockdown, which some think may not end in early May, but may continue til July.

I was looking forward to heading to Washington in a couple months. Currently that plan is on hold...

Wichita Falls Coronavirus Lockdown Ends Lucy Park Swinging

On this, the final Sunday of the 2020 version of March, I opted to return to where I had had myself a Lucy Park Enchanted Forest Mud Bath a couple days ago, to roll my still mud coated bike on a ride through the tulips and other colorful flowers, whilst avoiding any mud traps.

In the first photo you are looking at my bike's handlebars aimed at the Lucy Park Pagoda, and some of those aforementioned colorful flowers.

And behind the Pagoda you are seeing part of the also aforementioned Lucy Park Enchanted Forest.

I do not know why Wichita Falls has so many Japanese inspired Pagoda type structures. I have asked a local or two or three if they could explain, to no avail.

On Friday the local Wichita Falls government put the town on a shelter in place type lockdown, with multiple caveats, such as one could leave ones shelter is one needed groceries, or to take a walk in a park, or on the Circle Trail.

However, judging by the sudden drop in the number of park visitors, and Circle Trail users, as witnessed by my eyes, we went from I had never seen the Sikes Lake trail with so many people on it, as I did on Thursday, and then on Saturday, the day after the local lockdown, Sikes Lake was a virtual ghost town during the same time frame as the previous visit.

Same thing with Lucy Park today. Ghost town. But on Friday, before the lockdown went into effect later on that day, Lucy Park was busy.

And since that local lockdown edict the Lucy Park playground equipment sports a new feature, which you see photo documented below.

Caution tape has been wrapped around all the Lucy Park slides and swings, keeping the little playground players from playing too close to each other whilst sliding down a slide, or swinging on a swing.

When I was a kid I really can not imagine yellow caution tape keeping me and my siblings from doing some sliding or swinging.

Then again, when I was a kid we never had anything remotely as scary as something like the Coronavirus Pandemic happening whilst America was being lead by someone the majority of Americans have realized is an ignorant moron, to put it as mildly as possible.

Scary times.

Wichita Falls On Lockdown With Mount Vernon #6 Per Capita Coronavirus Cases

Yesterday evening due to the stressful experience I suffered in Lucy Park's Enchanted Forest's Mud Bath I found myself tired and in horizontal mode relatively early last night.

After an hour or two of being horizontal my phone made its annoying incoming text message noise. Eventually I got back vertical to check the message.

Waking the phone I saw that it was my primary medical information provider, Nurse Linda Lou, texting me, with the text in the message simply saying...

Mount Vernon is #6.

There was an image attached to the message. That image is what you see above. When I saw this image last night I did not see, blurry-eyed that I was then, where Mount Vernon was mentioned.

But, this morning, when I looked again I was shocked, shocked I tell you, that my former Washington home metro zone, that being the Mount Vernon/Anacortes Washington zone was # 6 on a list of "Confirmed cases per capita by metro area" of the Coronavirus.

Methinks this is not a Top 15 list any metro zone anyone anywhere is wanting to be on.

Bellingham is another Washington town I have lived in, way back in the late 1970s.

The Bellingham metro zone, which I assume includes my familial hometown of Lynden, is 15th on this list.

Yesterday the Wichita Falls city council put this town on lockdown, telling us to shelter in place, with a lot of exceptions, like if you desperately need to go to the grocery store.

Sheltering in place is gonna get real old real quick...

Jason's Skagit Version Of The Corona Virus

Yesterday I text messaged Spencer Jack's dad, Jason, who is also my eldest nephew. I was curious how Jason and Spencer were weathering the Coronavirus storm.

By late afternoon I was in Walmart with the hordes of masked zombies, when my phone rattled my pant pocket, which had me answering a call from Mount Vernon's Linda Lou.

After several minutes of talking to Linda Lou my phone made a new noise, indicating another call. I somehow accidentally connected the two calls together, and so I then found myself talking to both Linda Lou and Jason.

Linda Lou's Mount Vernon home is about two blocks from Jason's.

Wonders of our modern pandemic infested world. Me, isolated in Wichita Falls, Texas, basically in the middle of nowhere, talking, long distance, to two different locations in Mount Vernon, Washington, with the long distance call not costing any long distance toll charge, no matter how long we talked. And with Linda Lou asking me to text her a photo documenting a condition I had used words to describe to her.

Twenty years ago being asked to send a photo over the phone would not have made any sense. And now, doing such, is totally ordinary.

So, by early Friday evening I was back in home social isolation mode, and checked email to find incoming, from Jason. When Jason called me and Linda Lou in Walmart he told me he had emailed me, and then decided later to call. And then even later Friday evening another incoming email from Washington,  Harstine Island to be specific, brought a plethora of photos, which I will blog in a blogging following this one.

And below is the text of the email from Jason, telling me about the current pandemic state of my old home state, along with a couple photos, including the one above documenting that Jason's Fidalgo Drive-In is open and feeding the locals.

And now Jason's email...

I'm going to reply to your text, via e-mail, as it is much easier to do such.

Spencer was dad schooled all week. He is very diligent about starting his homework immediately after breakfast. The teachers at his school have provided him with a lot work that needs to be done on a daily basis. He uses the computer to complete at least half of the assignments. Both yesterday and today he used Zoom to have a virtual meeting with his teacher and classmates.  She has also called to check in with us. So with all of that I am very impressed.

With regard to the restaurant, business has been really steady. I just got lucky, that my drive-in is easily set up to send orders out the door in paper bags.   And that's what we have been doing. 

Driving around the PNW has been quite eerie. Downtown Mount Vernon is a ghost town. And so was Lynden.

After homework was completed the other day, Spencer and I went up to Birch Bay to get some much needed UV rays.

It was a cool crisp sunny day, but the beach was full of young moms and dads and their children who have been kicked out of school.

We then headed east to Lynden for lunch. We took our lunch to the Lynden City Park, which was again filled to the brim with school children.

After lunch we did some house shopping in Lynden, before visiting your father and making our way back home.

Driving home the past couple days around dinner time, I cannot express how busy the parks are. With most everything boarded up, must be the only escape for Skagitonians. People are taking their meals to the parks.

Spencer would really like to go back to school and 'just wants this all to end.'

Jason.

David, Theo & Ruby Isolated Socially From Coronavirus On Harstine Island

Incoming last night from Puget Sound's Harstine Island, with the text accompanying the photos saying "Corona Crazy --- We finally got the kid's bikes to the cabin..."

School has been closed for a week now for David, Theo and Ruby. And their parental units have also been home, working remotely. I suspect some level of stir crazy began to manifest itself.

And so the Tacoma Trio took their social distancing to their cabin on Harstine Island, along with their bikes.

That would be Ruby and Theo with their bikes on the island, above. No photo documentation of David on his bike was included.

July and August are less than half a year in the future. Who knows if this Coronavirus nightmare will be over by then. So, I currently do not know if traveling to the Pacific Northwest is going to be doable this coming summer.

On Thursday I was in Walmart and saw the wiped out toilet paper supply phenomenon for the first time. The next day I was in the ALDI across the street from that particular Walmart and was surprised to see ALDI did not seem to have even a dent in their toilet paper supply.

Then late Saturday afternoon I was back in ALDI surprised to find all paper products wiped out, no canned goods, the meat section totally gone, along with many other items no longer available, including oatmeal.

Across the street Walmart was even more wiped out, with almost all produce gone, except for a random fruit or vegetable remaining. The bread shelf was bare. The meat section pretty much wiped out. In the cleaning supply area even the dish detergent section was empty.

I am currently beginning Day 11 of experiencing what seems to be a mild cold. Or allergies. Nurse Linda Lou called yesterday and when I described my symptoms she insisted I needed to be tested. Later Linda Lou texted a link to a local location where I can get my symptoms checked. I do not think Coronavirus testing is available, yet, at my relatively isolated American location.

Sunday I escaped Texas temporarily to drive north to Oklahoma. I find driving in a pouring rain and listening to the windshield wipers keeping time to be relaxing, for an hour or two...

Coronavirus Strikes Close To Home In Tacoma

Overnight the Coronavirus nightmare has struck closer to home, well, a home I have stayed in.

In Tacoma.

A couple days ago I emailed David, Theo and Ruby's mama, who also is my little sister, Michele, and asked, among many other questions...

Has Tacoma closed any schools? I saw on Facebook pics from Chris Sampson of the run on water and toilet paper at the Covington Costco. Why those two items? I don't get it.

To which Michele replied, in part, with...

So far, school is open in Tacoma. Kristin is busy as lots of doctors are freaked out. Understandably so, especially if they are in a high risk group. We stocked up on TP in case we were quarantined for two weeks. Do you know how much toilet paper the five of us would go through if we were all home 24 hours a day?!? We also stocked up on groceries  Water, that I don’t understand. Side note: I may have already told you - Ruby had a thing at Mercer Island high school last Saturday. Boys and I watched her thing then ran up to Bellevue Square and that’s where we were when my phone let me know the first death was in Kirkland. That was a bit unsettling, to be so close.

For those not familiar with the geography, Bellevue Square is a downtown Bellevue mall. The next town north of Bellevue is Kirkland, made famous by Costco, and the past few days for being the epicenter of the Coronovirus outbreak in Washington, with the Kirkland outbreak mainly in a Kirkland nursing home.

And then last night incoming email from Michele with the current Tacoma status...

Our school is closed for the rest of the week. Parent of a kid in Theo’s class tested positive. Wanna come babysit?!?  So at this point, it just feels like we are just waiting to be told to stay home.  The governor is weighing options to enforce “social distancing”, one Tacoma elementary school is already closed because a staff member tested positive, one of my colleagues is at home with the main symptoms, waiting to hear from her doctor.  The clubhouse at the beach cabin is closed due to fears of the virus.  Kristin has no face to face meetings now, everything is done over the phone.  All the local colleges are doing online only classes.  It seems like it isn’t whether we will be at home for a while, but when it will start.  So very odd. 

I dunno, does it sound like a good idea currently to get on a plane to fly north to Tacoma to have myself a mighty fine time babysitting the Tacoma Trio? I am conflicted. I've not been back to Washington in March since way back in, I think, 2000, when I remember watching the new Mariner ballpark under construction.

Anyway, thought it interesting to share this report from one of the American frontlines in the battle against the Coronovirus pandemic.