Parachutes. Do they have them in children's sizes?

Yesterday was a lovely day and I spent the early morning hours in my lily jungle. 

As I worked around in my flower beds, I spent a lot of time thinking about Trump's order that all schools should re-open in the fall and his threat that those that don't will not receive federal funds. 

As a former school secretary and a grandmother, I have some concerns about that.  Children are vulnerable and adults are supposed to do whatever is necessary to protect them.   It's our #1 job!

A statement that kept going round and round in my head that was made by the president:  "The CDC guidelines for opening schools are too expensive and too tough."  Immediately, the VP said those rules would be revised, meaning "eased".  Watered down.  Less expensive. 

There seemed to be billions of dollars to bail out businesses.  Mostly, a lot of big businesses and corporations. 

 My question is, where is the money to help schools re-open safely?
In all my years as a school secretary there was never enough funding in our school district for each school to even have a school nurse.   Sometimes there was a nurse, but that person was for the entire district, which consisted of more than a dozen schools, miles apart.  A school nurse seems a requirement during a pandemic.

 Will schools have enough hand sanitizer?  Disinfectant wipes and cleaning supplies?  Face masks?  Temperature checks every day?  Covid-19 testing readily available at each location? 

Needless to say, I didn't sleep well last night.  I had a dream that was more like a nightmare. 

In the nightmare, Trump was forcing first graders to parachute out of an airplane. 

Dozens of terrified 1st graders jumping out of a plane with their little parachutes on. 

They floated down and splashed into the water.  I think it was a lake. 

There they were -  all floating in the water. 

Alone.

My Grandma Bear instincts bolted into gear.  Somehow I think that he might have taken on more than he can handle.  Mama Bears and Grandma Bears are something to fear.

               Not my grandchildren!                    

                                             

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                         

The common man.

Happy 4th of July!   Things are not the same, but here are some photos of great memories.

Mark Heisel, Mike Chartock, Neil Wimberley and Julie Bishop

Joe Heisel - Saw Contest

Travis Kiebert

Grandson Ben was in his first parade.

Cougar Creek Band and Scotchman Peak's Wilderness Trophy. 

The year my sister, Mitzi, was here to play with the band.

Bob Lizotte and Marilyn Chartock, always the flag or banner carriers in front of the float.

The Clark Fork Centennial year.  My mom marched in the parade.  She's wearing the cowgirl hat on the right of the photo.

Jens Heisel and our Mr. Scotchman's - created by Joylynn McChesnie.

Ann Wimberly

Bob Lizotte and Kristine Rolofson

The Cougar Creek Band

JP, Collin, Rylee and Jon.

The Cougar Creek Band and the Second Line, maybe 2016?

One of Mike Chartock's great float signs.  2013.

The year there was marriage proposal on the float behind us.

 Band members on the float.  Linda Heisel, Bruce Bishop, Glen Rolofson, Julie Bishop, Kristine Rolofson and yours truly.

    `

We almost always had our own fireworks display unless it was a dry 4th of July season.  My favorite music while watching the fireworks, Fanfare for the Common Man, by Aaron Copland.  It was written as a tribute to those engaged in World War II.




And, of course, this one.  The "dog fight" is at 2:44. The piccolo solo is my favorite part at 3:01.  Then the "fight" returns at 3:27. Enjoy.

The storm is still brewing.

Wow!  What a storm.   Half inch size hail and torrential rain.  Retired Mountain Man and I were driving in it towards Sandpoint.  The hail and rain began as we reached the bridge at Pack River and it continued it's downpour until we finally had to pull over and wait it out. 

We were on our way to the hospital for some lab work for RMM.  On the way back home it started up again and when we got to the house it was raining so hard that you couldn't see the house, which was directly in front of us.

Jon and Maggie decided to make a run for it.  They both got drenched.  I waited for a lull and then made my "run" for it.  

As it began to clear off and the sun was setting, there were some nice photo ops.

Luckily for us, we did not have the hailstorm here.  It looks like most of my garden plants have survived. Son JP, in Kalispell, was not so lucky. 

Their dog, Dixie, didn't seem to mind it all.

Meanwhile, in Missoula, son David and family installed their new jacuzzi.  They have been working hard the past few weeks installing a concrete pad and a retaining wall.  They had some rain, but no hail.

Today is June 25th.  I am reading in the newspaper that the virus cases are surging in Texas, Florida, California and Arizona.  In Arizona people are waiting in line for more than eight hours to get tested.  Their ICU's are full.  It's the same situation in Texas.  Their hospitals are so full that they are cancelling elective surgeries once again. 

Think you should wear a mask?  Social Distance? Stay Home?

2,400,000 people have contracted the virus.  45,000 new cases were reported yesterday.  121,899 people have died. 

Our president says, "I told my people to slow down the testing".

He wasn't kidding.  He says, "I don't kid".  

To our weak leaders such as DeSantis, Abbott and Ducey, plus President Trump and Vice President Pence, I say
No more excuses. 
Make wearing masks mandatory.  Stop ignoring the virus so that you can get re-elected. 

Do your job!Now get us the testing and don't forget the PPE because the first wave is getting bigger and bigger.  It's now a tsunami.

Here's my post from April 14th. 

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The Mystery

Welcome to the middle of April and our continuing quarantine.  There's been something mysterious happening during our coronavirus months. 

The biggest mystery of all.  

The tests.  Or I rather,

the lack of tests.

Coronavirus spread officially began in America on Jan. 21st when the first case was reported in the U.S.   

That was 12 weeks ago.  

Eighty-five days ago.

This is what it looked like in my yard in January.

Followed by more snowy days in February and all the while there were thousands of more coronavirus cases. 

 Twenty-nine February days this year.

The CDC announced on Feb. 12th that it's diagnostic test did not work.  The only testing allowed for Covid-19 had to be done through the CDC.  It took a week or more to get test results, that is, IF you met the stringent guidelines for testing.  

Nevermind that the virus could be asymptomatic.  Meaning, you could have it with few or no symptoms. 

Remember February?

At the Coronavirus daily press briefings, we were promised over and over that testing would be expanded.  There would be millions of tests.  Eventually, everyone could get tested if they wanted a test.   The turn-around time to get test results would be shortened from more than a week to 15 minutes.

There would be testing made available via joint efforts with Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and even in Target parking lots.  

None of this has happened.  

In the U.S. we haven't even tested 2 million people. 

There are 328.2 million people in America.

It's now the middle of April.  Where are the tests? 

Day after day there have been very long, repetitive, "press briefings".  

A lot of promises were made. Where is the action? Where are the ventilators?  Where's the PPE? Where's the support for the doctors and nurses and all those people on the front lines?   

I see stories about local people everywhere doing everything they can to help each other out.  They are sewing masks and gowns, donating to food banks, making sanitizer, buying takeout meals from restaurants.  Doctors and nurses are traveling to hard hit areas to help out.  Heros everywhere.

Where is OUR federal government?

The latest excuse for the lack of planning and response in this pandemic is:  "We're only here for backup."

Backup?  While thousands of Americans are dying?  Dying alone.  Without any family member present.  

Dying alone in nursing homes.  Worse yet, those dying in nursing homes seem to be just tossed off to the side.  They're in a nursing home so we just ignore the fact that the virus is there and many will die.  

Backup?

Wait a minute!  The federal government works for us.  That includes the president.  He doesn't rule over us, he works for us.

We pay them. All of them.  Every employee.  It's our money, our taxes, that keeps this country moving.  

The federal government is not backup.  Do your job!  Everyone else is doing their job and even more!


Now the president says he is going to open the economy back up.   What is the plan?  How do we open back up without knowing who has had the virus?  Without a plan for contact tracing? Without a plan for antibody testing?

Where are the tests?

It seems to me that we are just like these two trains in Hope yesterday.  One waiting on the mainline and one on the siding.  It usually means there is a big problem somewhere.   We are waiting.  We have been waiting for 85 days.

Unfortunately, while we are waiting for OUR federal government to do something, people are dying. 

23,000+ Americans  

Eighty-five days....

More than 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment. 

Right now America is hopelessly backed up all the way down the line.   

I don't know how to solve the mystery.  I'm just the average American quarantined at home, watching the news and doing what I can. I don't have the power to solve this mystery, but someone, somewhere does. 

Scientists around the world are researching and working overtime to find a safe, effective treatment and best of all, a vaccine.   Science, facts and data are the only thing that will get us out of this mess.  Hunches and gut feelings don't count.

When the economic engine does start back up, it will be a long, slow process before it's up to full speed.  Americans will need to know that they are safe to return to work, to return to school, to shop in the grocery store or anywhere else.  

Americans did their part.  We shut down and we stayed home.  Our schools and businesses are shut down.  We wear masks in public.  We practice social distancing.  

Now get us the testing and 

don't forget the PPE!