WTF Wednesday

meme of hillbillies making moonshine hand sanitizer 

In the spirit of spreading happy, positive, and/or silly vibes:

• Joseph won the internet by creating the best Rube Goldberg machine ever!
• Chris Mann sings parody of Hello about self quarantine.
• Daily Show explores Great Moments in Presidential Leadership.
• Kitten enjoys riding in a car. 
• MI dad shares video of his DIY physical distancing device for outdoorsy people.

Daily pandemic update:  

Spain's daily death toll from coronavirus fell again to 523 from 567 reported the previous day. Denmark began reopening schools after a month-long closure over the novel coronavirus, becoming the first country in Europe to do so. India has extended a nationwide lockdown until May 3. France also announced an extension of its lockdown until May 11. Taiwan reported no new cases of the coronavirus for the first time in more than a month, in the latest sign that the island's early and effective prevention methods have paid off. Taiwan has reported 6 deaths and 393 cases to date - the majority "imported".  Aljazeera.com timeline

15 Apr 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
12:15 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	1,930,014	2,016,855	119,790	128,008	453,018	492,016
US	587,173	614,246	23,644	26,644	36,948	38,820
NY	196,146	203,377	10,058	10,842	26,463	26,999
CT	13,381	13,989	602	671	34	63
NC	4,889	5,172	100	121	325	883

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter, son Reid lives in CT, and I live in NC. 
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/     https://www.coronainusa.com/  

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.

In the news:  

• Trump’s name will be printed on stimulus checks.
• Trump suspended funding to World Health Org amid claims of mismanagement.
• During press briefings, Trump played campaign style video and read names of 100+ companies.
• Following Trump’s “total authority” remark, #KingTrump trended; even Fox News had concerns.
• Gov Newsome outlined 6 point plan to begin to reopen economy in California.
• 5 govs still resisting stay at home orders: Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
• Souix Falls, SD is home to 300+ cases. Mayor TenHaken tried to enact physical distancing guidance but without a statewide order from Gov. Noem, enforcement outside city limits is not possible.
• 60 Minutes Overtime revisited past episodes about pandemic preparedness.
• Google helping health officials identify physical distancing problem areas.
• VA pastor who defiantly held packed church services has died of coronavirus.
• Cases more than triple at home for veterans in Scarborough, Maine.
• NPR: Gilead evaluating drug remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients.
• Realtors are adapting to sell homes during pandemic.
• 7 in CA fined $1,000 each for violating stay at home order.
• Doctors urge critical care patients to say their final goodbyes to loved ones amid changing end of life protocols during pandemic.
• Physical distancing policies upend childbirth experiences and expectations.
• Woman fighting coronavirus gave birth while in induced coma.
• Fact check: Trump denied saying what he said, then made more false claims.
• North Korea fired multiple suspected cruise missiles.  
• Now that folks have stocked up on toilet paper, US is in hair color stage of panic buying.
• Protestors arrested for violating lockdown orders, sparking first amendment debates.
• Polls revealed public opinions about stay at home orders and the economy.
• Even rats in America are getting angry and desperate.
• Biogen pharmaceutical conference in Boston inadvertently resulted in super spread.
• US Intelligence exploring possibility coronavirus escaped from Chinese lab.
• Drizly CEO reported massive shift in adult beverage consumption and supply chain.
• Concerts likely won’t resume until Fall 2021 at the earliest.
• Lawmakers concerned about stimulus funds going to for-profit colleges.
• 3,500 rental cars burned in 18 hour fire at FL airport; cause under investigation.
• Did Jeopardy episode portend pandemic? Spoiler alert: just a weird coincidence.
• People urged to properly dispose of PPE as masks and gloves litter streets.
• History: second wave of 1918 flu came back with a vengeance.

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood announce live show 9pm EST Wednesday on CBS.
• NBA H.O.R.S.E. challenge semi finals to begin 9pm EST Thursday April 16 on ESPN.
• One World: Together At Home will broadcast a variety of entertainers in support of frontline healthcare workers and the World Health Organization. The cross-platform global special is scheduled 8pm-10pm EST Saturday April 18 on multiple digital media and tv channels. It will be co-hosted by Jimmy Fallon (NBC), Jimmy Kimmel (ABC), and Stephen Colbert (CBS).  
• Mom of ICU nurse covers daughter with sheet to give her a hug.
• Dedicated teacher found creative way to teach student from a distance.
• GA bar owner removes dollar bills stapled to walls to give to unemployed staff.
• Church members gather in creative ways, from drive in services to online.
• Veteran buys rare bourbon and pays extra to help struggling restaurant owners.
• More than $6 million raised for frontline responders fund.

In my personal life…

North Carolina statewide stay at home order is in effect through April 29. Winston Salem local stay at home order has been extended through May 7. Personally I’m feeling mostly ok overall, all things considered, though reading the news has bothered me a bit this week. Usually it calms me to know what’s happening in the world but there has been so much weird stuff lately, it had a negative effect on my mood yesterday. I took a long break and it felt good to unplug for several hours. The garden almanac indicates today and Thursday are good days to remove weeds so I’m hoping to spend more time outside than online.  

Here’s part of what led me to take a break…

A Wall Street Journal ad has been popping up on Facebook to promote an article “What to Put in a Covid-19 Emergency Home-Care Kit”. I haven’t read the article because of a pay wall but I searched for similar information from other sources. Market Watch referenced the WSJ article in their piece, which was not surprising considering both WSJ and MW are owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The surprising part was its list of essential pantry staples which included avocados, apples, bananas, and honey. The CDC, Ready.gov, and Red Cross each focused on behaviors (what to do and not do) rather than shopping lists while the Military Times suggested specific foods and beverages like MREs (meals ready to eat).

A quick Google search for “emergency kit” yielded oodles of doomsday prepper recommendations. After 30 minutes or so of exploring, I moved on. It was sort of interesting to read preparedness tips and check lists, but trying to prep now was a bit like closing the barn door after the horse escaped. By the time I realized in March that I needed to stock up on non-perishables, other people had already picked through the local grocery stores. Our most recent grocery shopping experience felt relatively successful so I’m not terribly worried about starving any time soon.

Though it did occur to me as I was walking Minerva during a slow doggie drag sniffing session that I would probably consider eating her if there were no other food sources available. I’m not saying I want to eat the dog, no, not at all. Gross. But worst case scenario like on the Walking Dead if there was no food supply chain and no wildlife to hunt (deer, rabbits, etc.) and crops failed and I was on the verge of starvation then yeah, Minerva might be on the menu. She is old and small though, probably gristly and tough, barely worth the trouble. But I’ve eaten worse things so I think I might do it if I really truly needed to.

 Minerva sniffing near no man's land behind neighbor's fence

Minerva napping, still very much alive, honest

I have fond memories of my grandparents’ farm in Lenoir, Caldwell County. They tended and harvested a variety of fresh vegetables and some fruits too, with enough extra for canning and selling to friends and neighbors. They kept a small number of livestock (cows and chickens mostly) for meat, milk, and butter. They were so self sufficient on the farm that they only went to the grocery store about once a month for things like toilet paper, velveeta cheese, saltine crackers, and waxed paper. Most everything else they provided for themselves.

Once I went squirrel hunting with my dad and grandpa. I liked hanging out with them but did not enjoy carrying their dead squirrels back to the house. Nor did I enjoy watching my grandma skin the squirrels to make dinner. Many years later I invited my college boyfriend (AKA ex-husband) to join me for Thanksgiving with my grandparents. I assumed we would have turkey with all the fixins like usual, but most of the cousins, aunts and uncles had separate plans that year so it was a small group gathered at the farm. I was surprised when we sat down at the dining table featuring an oven roasted squirrel splayed out on a holiday themed platter. He may have had a cherry tomato in his mouth since it was a special occasion but it was probably a radish that time of year. Even stranger was seeing two more squirrels, neatly skinned and stored in zip top bags, nestled between frozen peas and ice cube trays in the freezer. That experience would have ended most college romances, but we rolled with it. Just another weird story to share.

Me nibbling on a chicken foot at Champagne Seafood restaurant in San Mateo, CA a few years ago