The Eye of the Hurricane

Some things are getting back to normal here. Beaches and parks are starting to reopen, and a select group of businesses are allowed to open with the obvious social distancing criteria.

I, in my natural state of paranoia, believe this is only the eye of the hurricane and a new wind will hit us hard after the eye passes. So during this time of calm, I'm stocking up on TP and water and masks. We actually had Clorox at Costco last week for the first time in months! I bought my 3-gallon limit.

I might even venture out to get a haircut before salons have to close again. I'm getting pretty shaggy. Hard to say which I fear more - COVID or my hairdresser's scolding when she sees the hack job I did to reduce some of the shagginess. I'm reminded of the haircuts that Megan gave Coconut back when she was barely old enough to wield real scissors. In all fairness, Coconut was adorable with wacky bangs; me, not so much.

It rained most of the weekend, so Sophie and I stayed inside and caught up on many unfinished projects around the house - painting, hanging artwork, repairing broken things... binge-watching Amazon TV.

I hope your Memorial Day weekend was happy and safe.

Aloha y'all!

Dana

Still Isolated in Kona

Yep, still here...

I've stuck to my guns and gone out amongst people only once every two weeks. I pretty much treat all humans as if they are radioactive. I hope they don't take it personally.

We are having a gorgeous Spring, but alas, all the beaches are closed. Sophie and I used to walk on the beach at least twice a week. We now walk on a long abandonded road near our house that leads to a college that's now closed. The few humans we DO see are at least 50 feet away. We often see goats and, fortunately, Sophie is interested but not crazed by them. All I need is for her to take off to play with the adorable little kids and Pappa Goat, with his massive horns, has to discipline her.

These fellows kept an eye on us yesterday.

 

Stay safe. Stay home. Stay paranoid.

All's Well in Kona!

Happy Passover or Happy Easter or whatever floats your boat!

We are doing well here. Today is my 15th day of isolation. After work, I'm going to gird my loins, glove up, mask up, and venture out into the world. I'm going to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies and probably not go out again for another 2 weeks.

Thermo told everyone to work at home a few weeks ago. They hit us with pay cuts, and there were a few layoffs, but so far, I am still employed. Thermo is actually considered an essential business, as we are making the reagents for the virus test kits.

I hope you are all staying safe!

Aloha!

No More Beach Days for Sophie

During all this madness, I was grateful that I could still take Sophie to the beach. The ocean was great for my mental health, and the walk was good for both of us.

Until yesterday...

We went to multiple beaches and were met with signs like this everywhere we went:

 

 






A sign of the times...

... pun intended....

My friend, Barbara, has implemented Curbside Service at her veterinary clinic.

People can drop off their pets, but the humans cannot come inside.
She's keeping her staff safe without having to close the clinic. Brilliant!

Do whatever you have to do to keep you and yours safe!

We are all safe in Kona

It took a while, but the COVID-19 virus finally made it to the Big Island. The first case showed up on Monday. It's been making its way across the islands for a couple of weeks.

Because the news media told people to stock up on toilet paper, people hoarded toilet paper and now there is none to be had anywhere in the Kona area. Such a bizarre problem to have! I always have spare everything, so I'm not too worried.

We are pretty much in the same lock-down mode as the Bay Area.

• Restaurants and bars are closed (except for takeout).
• All public events are canceled (no Merrie Monarch this year).
• Group gatherings of more than 10 people are forbidden.
• One of the charming new situations is that grocery stores (not Costco) are opening an hour earlier some days just for kapuna!!! (That's the over-60 crowd if you don't speak Hawaiian.)
• Kauai is implementing a nightly curfew from 9PM-5AM.
• The governor and the county mayors are actually asking visitors to STAY AWAY.
• Looting and rioting and the zombie apocalypse can't be far behind.

My plan is to be appropriately paranoid and avoid people and public places. Sophie and I are happy to go to the beach and never get close to other people. I've intentionally been practicing social distancing for some time now. :)

Stay safe, everyone!

Aloha!




 

Barbara and Steve and Megan and Eddie

Barbara and Steve and Megan and Eddie are here for the week. They've been doing all the fun things: paddle boarding, snorkeling, hiking, eating, shopping, general beaching.

Last night, Steve, Megan, and Eddie did the nighttime manta snorkel.

Megan took this video (view in full-screen mode for total immersion):