I’m not sure what day will be considered the day things went back to normal from the Covid19 “thing” but I’m saying that for here in rural Arkansas it was today. Let me be clear I’m not talking about normal from a political, racial or social standpoint, I’m only referring to the impact of the virus.
First let me say that unlike most of you my life has gone on virtually unchanged over the last three months. I didn’t have a job to go in to. I don’t have any payments, I’m debt free. I’ve got plenty of money and investments to live large even if I live to 110 years old. I don’t have any kids at home or any grandchildren anywhere. So my normal spring activities of running, tennis, fishing and off roading have gone on unabated because my wife and I do those things together and we don’t have to social distance from each other.
But there were a few things that did change. Our church wasn’t meeting in person, but after today it is. My board meetings for the college and the foundation I chair have switched to Zoom but after today I think they’ll resume face to face. My light consulting work was kind of dormant as my clients were dealing with the fallout from the Covid19 “thing” but now we are setting up the first real meeting with them in two weeks. And maybe the biggest change is we are headed to a friends house for a real live shrimp boil party tonight with two other couples, and without masks. Wow, an actual party!
The Governor also announced today that state wide all the public schools will open as scheduled in August for the next school year and classes will no longer be remote but will be held in the actual on campus classrooms. I got my haircut yesterday from my barber and it was just as normal as it used to be. This morning I met my tennis buddy and he and I played two hard sets of singles. The place we played has four outdoor courts and all of them were full of players on a weekday. We were all retired people like me or stay at home moms but everyone was out enjoying a beautiful day together. The area golf courses have been full of players as well. Our restaurants are open though they do have capacity restrictions. The Governor said we were moving to stage two Monday so I think even those will be back to normal after that.
The disease itself isn’t done yet, but at least around here it has spread at a very slow rate that hasn’t come close to straining the medical system. In fact the real medical crisis here is that hospitals and clinics are going broke because of the delays in non critical care to patients. Thankfully that’s over now too although it is still hard to find a dentist that is open for routine dental care. I know a lot of people because I’ve lived here for decades and used to have hundreds of local employees and to date I still know of nobody who has tested positive or gotten sick. Over half the cases in our county are in nursing homes and most of those in a single facility. It is surreal that in a pandemic nobody here is sick, in fact in one adjoining county there has yet to be a single person who has tested positive. I credit the very low population density and natural social distancing practiced by rural folk. We live in single family homes, often on several acres so we’ve never rubbed shoulders with neighbors, we just talk across the ditch between our houses and when we pass each other when we are out taking a walk.
Most of our large employers are in the oil, gas, chemical and defense industries. Those were all considered critical and none of them ceased operations for even a single day. Most of their workers continued to go into the plants as it wasn’t feasible to run a manufacturing complex remotely. There hasn’t been a single case of a cluster of patients at any of the chemical and oil plants here like there have been at some of the meat processing plants in other states. The nature of the work involves very few people spread out over acres of plant site so there isn’t the kind of shoulder to shoulder contact that the disease loves. Nobody in our local plants has been furrowed or had their wages or hours decreased. In fact, for most of them, like me, we received our stimulus money and actually are in even better financial shape than before Covid19 happened. Both the college and the charity I volunteer at have received forgivable bail out loans to keep paying their employees. So we are crossing our fingers that we are on the road back to normal and that things will continue to get better daily.
It is always dangerous to predict when some major event has had its day, because that is something you can only do after its over and you look back on past events. Just as we only now can confirm when the current recession first started we can’t really say what day things started to go back to normal from the Covid19 “thing”. But I’m planting my flag in the sand and saying its today for our little corner of paradise!
I suspect that for people living in metropolitan areas the feeling might be much different? Are there any city dwellers that feel like your town has turned the corner or is the future still very uncertain?
What about other rural denizens. Has your area been largely spared so far like mine? Do you think better or worse times are coming?
Lucky you! We’re slowly starting to get back to normal here in Philly, but I feel like much of it is rebellion as opposed to much progress. The day before we were supposed to move to yellow, our city government was still unsure. We were rioting and protesting en masse, but people couldn’t sit outside to eat 6 feet apart. We’re now able to do that as of yesterday. I’m on top of people at work day in and day out, so for me this is extreme. Enjoy life being back to normal!
The infection rates are increasing here too as things loosen up, but they are very still low versus where you are in Philadelphia. Watching big city news footage is surreal for us when there has been no violence here, we have had some good peaceful protests. I’m not really sure why that’s different in big cities versus small towns. I think police accountability may be higher here because we all know the individual police officers as neighbors and friends. But that’s a layman’s uninformed guess.
That’s a good point regarding facing your neighbors the day after looting or other violent behavior. I think the anonymity contributes a lot to the behavior, though not entirely. One corridor in particular here was ravaged by those in the neighborhood! Unbelievable. It’s so sad. Anyway, I’ve envied those far away from this violence throughout. It definitely made me rethink city life.
We’re in a big city, so still not comfortable going out and about. In fact cases are slowly rising and local leaders are starting to get more concerned. But the governor is not concerned just yet, so not sure how it is all going to play out. I am ok staying cautious for a bit longer as Dragon Gal’s parents are living down the street from us and we see them frequently. So no need to go out and do something that might jeopardize them.
I am happy though that I am not working. No need to worry when my employer will ask us back to the office or having to change routines and be on Zoom calls all day.
We are thinking about a roadtrip come September when schools are back in session. Thinking about going to a state park where we can rent an Airbnb and still practice reasonable social distancing.
Enjoy the real life party!
Dragon Guy
That sounds like a good idea, outdoors and an Airbnb at one of the parks would be a great break from the same old walls. To me being outside is the only cure for cabin fever. I wonder if state parks are going to fill up to capacity or be only lightly used? I’m with you dragons on how not having a conventional job reduced the stress of this whole event so far.
I like that you have determined your own date on when things have turned for the better. I think our household has determined that as well.
I finally convinced the wife of allowing more interaction with family members and our new little one (almost 4 months old).
No we did not name her ‘Rona!
Rona would have been very cool! Now I’m quarantined awaiting covid19 test results because I ran a fever for a couple of days. I should get the results today, if its negative I’ll be back to normal but if it is positive more hibernation! I’m even isolated from my wife right now, though it has gotten me out of some cooking and cleaning chores, it also messed up my tennis and running. So I might have been premature with my normal assessment.
Ouch, Steveark! I hope your test results end up to your favor!
We recently had had an increase in cases in our area due to the relaxation phases. My husband and I were a bit more insulated from the Rona affects but a few of our loved ones were not. I am glad that I helped financially, even if was in a small way. We rise and fall together like an ocean tide.
Speaking of rising, I hope your fever and health are better!
I’m not even sure how I want the test results to go. I think they’ll be negative but it might be in my favor if I have it. Because my symptoms are so ridiculously mild it might be the easy way to get an early immunity, or at least a partial one. The downside would be two more weeks of imprisonment. You are a generous and kind person, so nice of you to comment! I believe in helping others, one problem with this social isolation, for nonsocial media types like me, is you aren’t generally aware of who needs help.
Good to see things going back to normal over there!
I had that coming! I thought it was ironic that I’d get a fever right after declaring normalcy! I suspect I’ll be proven right in this small area and that I basically just have a cold but perhaps not. There really wasn’t much I could have done, my one dinner with friends did not match the timing of my symptoms and I really couldn’t have avoided the oral surgeon visit. It was long overdue and I had some problematic symptoms from the surgery. Only the haircut was at all risky and avoidable. The CDC has blessed tennis and running as the safest of safe activities, a one out of ten on their risk scale. But there is always the risk of hubris when you make any kind of declaration.
In New York City, there are 4 phases to complete re-opening. The governor and mayor both agreed that NYC can enter phase 2 out of the 4 phases on Monday.
I’m not sure the timing of when NYC can be at phase 4 which involves, among other things, opening up indoor group entertainment venues such as movie theaters.
But it does feel good that new cases have come down drastically since the highs two months ago.
New York surely got hammered, you deserve some relief that is for sure. I guess time is going to tell if rural areas skate by or just get hit later?
One thing I’ve found is that having that well stocked emergency fund removes a lot of the worries that other people presumably have. We don’t have to worry about how to pay the bills or buy food etc if for whatever reason I stop getting paid, and it means we can remain calmer and not as stressed about the situation, financially at least.
I think a lot of people have come to appreciate emergency funds like never before!