More thoughts in the time of COVID-19 …
Last wednesday was a rough one for this household, as you are aware from last week’s blog.
Mark had a sudden onset of edema, redness, and severe pain in his left knee tuesday evening. His knees are compromised by years of policing so knee problems are chronic. However, I don’t recall ever seeing him in such crippling pain.
He was directed to an urgent care clinic by his insurance company. We don’t use the local emergency facilities any longer for anything pain related since their first reaction is to brand you a druggie as they did me when lower back pain had me nearly crawling to the toilet.
The diagnosis was “probably” gout but secondary diagnosis was septic arthritis which can be deadly. He came home with an Rₓ for a heavy duty antibiotic and some pain control. Tuesday night he had slept very little, but wednesday night he was able to get some rest so everyone slept better.
By thursday morning the fever was down, as was the edema, and the pain was greatly reduced. So it wasn’t gout.
It has been a stressful time for us all. Things, while not back to normal, are very much improved. He is now walking without a cane. Thank you all for the support I felt.
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Also last week the south Pacific was rocking and rolling. The final count was a slew of quakes between 6.0 and 7.2, most in the Loyalty Islands region east of northern Australia, but also a real shaker in Japan. The Ring of Fire is on the move.
I do keep an eye on the Ring since we live just across a valley from a dormant volcano (Mt Shasta which has a fumarole, a boiling hot spring, on its western side) and just slightly southeast of an overdue plate subsidence zone (the Cascadia fault off the southern Oregon coast).
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Another storm hit us thursday but lasted only one day … wind and rain. It was back on sunday with wind from all directions. The snowfall never got too heavy and there were periods of sun.
Light overnight snow (less than an inch both sunday and monday mornings) accompanied by melting during the day.
Maybe the blizzard from a couple of weeks ago will be it for this winter.
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Last friday was the first day of Asian New Year, the Year of the Metal Ox. New Moon was at noon. However, the celebrations via the internet at the Joss House in Weaverville (a few miles west of Redding) began at 1100. In the past, the Joss House had done Lunar New Year up well with firecrackers and lion dances and dim sum and dumplings and …
This year the California Parks Department (or Commission or whatever the State group is called) did it on Zoom. Not the same, but better than nothing.
The man who is the talking head for the displays at the visitors’ center was on camera telling about customs and displays and demonstrating how to make a five pointed lantern. There were videos with three women who teach Mandarin at local colleges talking about their childhood memories of family holiday celebrations in China. And, of course, a video of a Lion Dance from a past year. It was fun … yellow and red and blue and green and white two person Lions who twitched their tails, jumped high, and ate goodies out of spectators’ hands. All to the accompaniment of drumming and rattles and bells.
I’ve been to the Joss House once in the past before the extensive refurbishment was done. I would like to go again some time.
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Once a week, the family tries to have a “family movie night” which can be a challenge with three and a half generations and their varied movie preferences. This week we watched The Tuskegee Airmen (available on the internet), based on the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps who fought in World War II. I remember similar propaganda movies from the actual war years (30 Seconds Over Tokyo and 12 O’Clock High to name only a couple), but this is based on truth and is a good movie.
The actual history of the pilots of the 332nd “heroes of the night” is impressive … more than 800+ medals and, as escort fighters for bomber runs over Europe, they never lost a bomber.
Impressive … and history worth knowing.
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I was talking with a friend whom I haven’t been able to actually visit lately. Sort of a virtual visit. And she had an interesting observation. She said that, due to COVID regulations and self-protection, it has been so long since she has been in an actual social situation that she’s not sure she remembers how to behave in one.
We know nothing will be the same once this is past, but I wonder just how much social encounters will have changed. Elbow bumps rather than handshakes? Avoidance of casual hugs? Air kisses?
And those thoughts led to musings on the use of the word love. It is used for so many things or relationships lately that I wonder if it has been diluted to the point of near meaninglessness (is that a word?). People say they love colors, entertainers, sport stars, pictures, aromas, books, foods, views, ideas, etc., etc., etc. (you name it, someone loves it) to the point that when someone is told I love whatever or whomever, just exactly what is meant? Is it real love or is it appreciation or acknowledgement or pleasure or understanding. And even when used to indicate real emotional intent, does it mean having a crush on or being in love with or enjoying a sexual episode or being part of a long term, mutual relationship or ???
I find I use the word love sparingly and with specific intent just as I have many acquaintances but a limited number of real friends (some of whom I love).
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I recently joined an alumni group for my high school graduating class (class of ‘47). We are dying off and I thought I’d see how many of us had found the same alumni site.
I was already in touch with two classmates and today heard from a third. I know there was a fourth somewhere up north but have no contact information. Maybe he’s gone too. Seventy-seven of us graduated. I hope there are more than four of us left. We’re all in our 90s now (I was one of the two youngest in the class and Rose Lee is already gone).
However, the email from Ruth Ellen Duncan was a pleasure. I correspond with Jim Anderson regularly and with Diane Lipking occasionally, so now there will be 3 of us in touch.
Gifts come in unexpected packages.
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Fast Tuesday meant pancakes for supper with Noo Orlens jazz on the radio. We then watched “The Princess and the Frog”. I’d never seen it. Fun, laughs, and good music (especially the alligator who plays trumpet). Songs by Randy Newman (!) and Tiana voiced by a favorite actress of George’s and mine (Anika Noni Rose). The animation is pleasing after so much pixel style, and I particularly liked the Shadow Man (Baron Samedi, Doctor Facilier), so suavely sinister.
It might turn into a tradition … George and I had some traditional movies.
Early May = Midway; July 4th = Gettysburg; December 7th = Tora Tora Tora; Christmas Eve = Tales of Hoffman from 1951 with Helpmann losing his footing and Massine losing his bow and Sherer’s disembodied leg still kicking and Tcherina coming down those stairs and Nicklaus and so much more; New Year’s Eve = Kiri Tekanawa and Hermann Prey’s Die Fledermaus from 1984; and New Year’s Day = the Wiener Philharmoniker New Year’s Concert.
That tradition sort of fell by the wayside following George’s death but I’m ready to revive it. Fortunately, I have the DVDs. Now I need to get a copy of Tiana’s movie.
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The family has already left to facilitate Ash Wednesday’s online sharing of the Ash Wednesday service at the church and here’s a thought for the morning …
Strive to be first …
First to nod
First to smile
First to greet
First to share
First to help
First to compliment
So … ‘til next week …