In the course of just six weeks’ time, lives around the world have changed immeasurably. It seems that every day we have adjusted to a new normal, as regular agendas and routines have been kicked to the curb.
My life, the least likely to be marred by this pandemic, has seen very few alterations in my schedule. Overall, I feel lucky, as I have worked from home for nearly a decade; I rarely stray far from that venue except to bask in the simple joy of a daily walk, or an errand or two, and I continue to use my pantry provisions I bought last Fall in anticipation of a brutally cold and snowy Winter.
And then there are the losses … I have none in that regard.
A myriad of thoughts …
The current events dull the mind, making it difficult to stay sharp and we muddle along. I spent a few angst-filled days worrying whether I should continue mixing and mingling at the Park and I don’t mean with just my furry and feathered friends. Most all of the regular walkers are either using their treadmills, getting their steps in the ‘hood, or have seemingly abandoned their exercise regimen for now. I had a dilemma – should I continue walking there, where it SEEMS safe – after all, no one is in close proximity … and then the afterthought: do I mask up or not?
Well, I stewed and fretted and didn’t walk at the Park for five days while trying to make a decision. I missed the routine. If the weather is funky, I’m content to forego a walk as I don’t want to get drenched or go slip-slidin’ away, but the weather was sunshiny and beautiful, so, to keep active, I returned to the roots of my daily regimen, where it all began in September 2011, walking in the neighborhood.
But there was no fun in that route, so with some trepidation, I masked up and returned to my favorite nature nook that I have enjoyed since 2013. Quite simply, I missed the ambiance. My eyes needed to see Spring as it gently unfolds. My ears wanted to hear the birdsong, the woodpecker drilling, the raucous ducks splashing around and the geese honking noisily overhead as they prepare for a splash landing. I missed chit chatting with the squirrels. So, I donned a mask and returned, but with one concession. I left the camera at home and will continue to do so. I decided there was no use fiddling around my face just to grab a shot or two. I’ll create the image instead with words, or I’ll use an old photo for that blog post.
The State of Michigan has been hit hard – really hard … and that was the reason for my angst over whether or not I should continue walking. Our first COVID-19 case was March 10th and our first death was March 18th. Wayne County, where I live, is considered a hot spot for cases/deaths, giving Michigan the unfortunate distinction of being the third highest state in the union for COVID-19 casualties. Even the city where I live, a little over five miles square, had reported well over 100 cases and six deaths when I gulped, took a deep breath and put my walking regimen on pause momentarily.
With our Stay-at-Home/Stay-Safe Order extended until April 30th, one of the criteria is we are urged not to “joyride” and make unnecessary car trips wherein we might get into an accident, or have car trouble, so first responders, tow truck drivers, or even hospital medical personnel will need to interact with us needlessly. The State Police suggested we limit our car trips to essential places only. That’s okay; I’d rather not be gassing up at the germy gas pump anyway and my favorite park is just one mile away and easily accessible by foot.
Dredging up the past …
So, it is finally time to roll out some of those photos that have been languishing in my picture files … some of them have been gathering dust since last Summer! Since we had a mild Winter despite the dire predictions for lots of snow, I had plenty of opportunities to walk and get fresh fodder for blog posts.
Today’s post is one such walk I took at a Metropark in late Fall.
We have 13 Metroparks in our state, and they are doing their best to encourage Michiganders to use their facilities to get out and enjoy nature and stretch their legs. Hopefully, folks live close enough to these venues to not joyride and they may take advantage of the free admission that is offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The rest of the time it is $10.00 per car each day to enter the parks unless you have a year-long pass for $35.00, like I have. The Metroparks team has been posting virtual hikes on Twitter and Facebook and I have been vicariously enjoying them. One such video, (geared more to kids, but interesting nonetheless), was about an interpretive guide’s trek through Oakwoods Metropark and a stop to view an eager beaver’s handiwork. You can view it here if you’d like.
So, that video shows what I saw last Fall and then some – yep, a destructive little varmint left its calling card, i.e. beaver chews! As a side note, people think the squirrels are destructive sometimes. Believe me, I’m all about sharin’ the love and treats with the squirrels at the Park and the house these days, but I have had battles with them in the past, as they ravaged my bird feeders while the poor birds perched on the fence and looked helplessly on. You’ll recall a couple of months ago I wrote how squirrels chewed the phone line and I lost my landline connection. Squirrels are no angels, but they sure don’t destroy a tree like a beaver does.
Before I conclude this post, I took a few minutes to match my thoughts to these photos from last Fall’s hike through the woods.
Throughout dismal days and abysmal stats, those front line workers, whether they are first responders, healthcare personnel, or workers bustling about to load up store shelves – all should be given kudos, for they are heroes and truly a cut above the rest of us.
Though we non-essential workers and retirees are now apt to hunker down and not stray far from our homes, to many, the days have begun running together as we move forward collectively in a circle, like automatons.
As we read and hear the daily stats, our hearts have ached and tension built – fear gnawed at our very souls …
… leaving us feeling vulnerable, nerves raw and ragged, wondering if we’d been exposed, or would be next?
It’s just been a tangled mess.
We often think we cannot see the forest for the trees. For now, we hang onto hope that soon we will return to normalcy and those things that we always took for granted and which give us happiness … our simple routines, even the human touch of our loved ones, will return. One day things will be cut and dried and may this never happen again in our lifetime.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. We’re pretty likely to see something similar to this, or worse, again before too long. Melting permafrost is revealing some pretty nasty things. And then, of course, there’s climate change itself, which is going to mean many changes. We need to view this coronavirus as a dry run — and hopefully not be caught on the back foot next time, as we were this.
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I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have read or heard about many instances where there were warnings about this virus in late 2019 already, and, of course here in the U.S., the denial about it at the onset when things were first beginning to ramp up, put us in a precarious position for how to combat it. The stunning statistics make you reel – every day = more loss of life. I am not eager to see rushing back into business as usual either, simply because it will never be “business as usual” again. Ignoring climate change and scoffing at it does not make it go away either … you cannot close your eyes and pretend these problems do not exist.
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How did you quote? Looks cool.
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I did it the long way round, using HTML. You copy the text you want to quote, then enclose it in a ‘blockquote’ element, like this::
<blockquote>(put your quote here)</blockquote>
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Ah, my bad, you don’t need the brackets. But other than that:
🙂
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this
Heart felt post. I saw that people in your state are up in arms about the stay at home order. Is that the majority or just a small faction? We’ve been in lockdown well over a month. Yeah, it’s hard but so are the endless deaths. Two businesses in my area permanently shut down. Signs are all down. It’s sad but we can’t do anything but look forward. I am still walking. Since I rarely see people and never close by, I haven’t been wearing my mask to walk. We’ll need to do a perishables shopping sometime over the weekend or early next week. My mask and gloves get a work out then.
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It’s a minority and most support trump, They were waving trump signs and a few had confederate flags too.
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Yes I forgot about mentioning the confederate flags when I replied to some people Cathy. I don’t have TV but I watched several different news stations and Twitter to see the protests. And I understand there are two lawsuits filed as well.
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Thank you Kate. No, it was not a large group, but large enough to cause a big disturbance and make the national news as well, like the group in NC the day before. They had advertised the rally, trying to encourage people to go there to be heard. Also, two businessmen have sued the Governor for overstepping her bounds. The Governor knew beforehand about the rally and said she respected their right to free speech and to protest, but it must not involve the police, and they must practice social distancing and some other criteria. The vehicles arrived two hours before the rally, jammed up the route to Sparrow Hospital, then they got out of their cars and were mingling, passing out candy to kids (this was discussed today by the Governor who said likely that interaction would cause more COVID-19 germs to be spread thus extending the Order if that happened). She is prohibiting many things that involve the use of gasoline as a person from Michigan was very sick from COVID-19 and said he had safe practices about everything but got gasoline – the virus can stay on metal up to three hours.
Our weather has turned chilly, we had some snow and another 1-3 inches of snow tonight. The cold weather has kept all but one couple and me away from the walking path. I am the only one there in a mask – I don’t think I need it to be honest, but the Michigan stats are scary.
I am trying to hold off on a perishables shopping as long as I can. I will wear a mask, likely covered over by a bandana and gloves then.
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I saw that a pastor in the south who defied stay at home orders and was holding services has died of covid-19. I’m not sure how people think but not rationally.
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I heard that too and was shaking my head … what was he thinking? Hopefully the congregation did not get too close to one another. We had a local pastor conduct Easter services by having parishioners park their vehicles in the church parking lot and open the windows and he stood in the middle. He did do a streaming Easter Sunday service too, but he said many parishioners do not have internet, and he felt badly that they should miss Easter service so he did a makeshift service.
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Well said Linda.
Fred
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Thank you Fred.
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Nice write, Linda. This subject has me writing again, albeit on FB. We have 57 cases in our county now. Work had planned on shutting down once we got to 3 cases. A couple more test positive daily. We’re not done going up the curve, and yet, co-workers say we’re returning to work May 4. Frankly, that scares me. I’m taking unemployment for the first time in my life, and the Feds stimulus adds to that. I got my $1200 yesterday. I’m alright financially, but most young folks have no backup cash in the bank. I can understand why they need their whole paycheck. Been there, done that.
This is not like ripping off a band-aid. This is peeling back the very skin on our bodies. We are now completely exposed. We once thought the sores on our skin looked bad, but we’d rather have the superficial wounds and the skin of our protection back. The pics above portray the scene exactly — a tangled mess of branches reaching out to the sun in the hope that plain old regular life will once again run through our veins, warming our limbs, and putting smiles on our face.
Stay safe, my friend. I, too, saw the rebellious in your streets yesterday. Some folks just don’t get it. True, we don’t need people starving to death, while they’re waiting in long lines at the food banks. Going back to work will be like Russian roulette, and no one will know who has the bullets.
Peace and luvz and a fake distant hug is all I have to offer. Keith
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Thank you Keith. I feel very strongly that we are not ready to go back to a normal existence yet and full throttle could take months, if not til next year. With people testing positive daily at your workplace, I don’t think it is safe to return on May 4th either – yikes! They have converted some automobile plants to producing PPEs but are already talking about how they will start up again to save the auto industry and what measures will be taken.
There was a lot of unrest yesterday in Lansing and they started gathering two hours beforehand to make themselves heard. The Governor said they had the right to free speech and to have this rally, but it had to be done safely – she encouraged them to stay in their vehicles, but they got out and mingled with one another – she was not happy about that.
The political divisiveness is fueling the fire for all the unrest … the disagreements and harsh words should be set aside to concentrate on answers to making this pandemic go away, not have a resurgence and come up with a vaccine … and not lose sight of the issue at hand.
It is very scary what is happening Keith – thank you for the hug and I hope you do not have to return to the workplace until you feel safe to do so.
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I’m sorry, Linda. I didn’t write and explain myself properly. I don’t know if anyone at Kawasaki has tested positive. What I meant to say, and what my employer said April 1st, is that we would shutdown our assembly lines once the city of Lincoln reached 3 cases through community spread. As of this morning, we have 62 cases. The new guidelines for reopening the country come in phases. For a state, city, etc. to even get through the gate to begin this process, they want to see two straight weeks of cases lowering. Ne. is in like 45th place for the amount of tests taken. Hard to say how many asymptomatic cases are roaming around there.
On our assembly lines the workers have less than 5 ft. between each other, and they are on both sides of the vehicle. On one of our lines (assembling lawnmower engines), they are literally shoulder to shoulder, with each job taking about 1 minute to perform. Same 1 minute job for 8 hours, and they do it 600 times a day. Boring, eh? Obviously, we can’t go back to that kind of positioning. If we space out like the guidelines suggest, I’m “guessing” that’s a drop of at least 30%. Appx. 30% of our workers are temps. I can’t see them getting their jobs back ever, at this point, so unemployment around here will remain high for who knows how long. We have 9 buildings, but only so much land available to build more, and put more lines in, which would take at least a year to put together.
G.M., Ford, etc., must be in the same boat now. The amount of product Americans put out for sale will drop precipitously, and the prices will go up, if we follow these guidelines until a vaccine is available. Having said that, if these guidelines are not enforced, business will go back to usual, and we’ll just have to live with the fact that our plant will lose appx. 200 people due to COVID-19 related deaths. Same % goes for schools. How do we live with ourselves, if we allow that to happen? Lord knows…
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Thanks for your explanation Keith. I read both of your responses. The UAW here was asking for the plants to shut down when the first worker tested positive … at the same time there was one worker in Indiana and one here in Detroit. The UAW wanted plants shut down but they Big 3 took their sweet time doing so. But I think they run three shifts – you do not do that there? I’m thinking if your employer sanitized completely and split the workforce into three shifts to stagger the personnel then permit 6-foot social distancing maybe it would work. Unless the machines on the line are meant for close quarters. I think it is too soon yet – people could say that I have nothing to lose by staying home since I have done that since 2011 so it is easy for me to say, but I believe that it is too soon to start everything back up. If it were me, I’d say after Memorial Day. Today, the Governor gave a press conference – she said six Midwestern states are pooling ideas which will mirror each other’s as to how the plants and businesses will fire up and begin working again. They say they will take each worker’s temperature when they arrive for work – in your case, roughly 2,000 – well that would be a formidable task wouldn’t it? And you’re going to have everyone arrive there 3/4s of an hour early to have the temps taken? Not going to happen and if it does, it won’t go smoothly. And possibly re-opening the schools – also SMH. Our schools are shut down until the end of the school year – leave them shut down – what sense is it to open them up for just a few weeks?
I hate to think that you have to return to work knowing those odds. I fear for anyone returning to the workplace and being forced to work alongside others … there will be fear. Hopefully you can at least mask up – get protection for your face.
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We have 1 nurse, Linda, and she only works first shift. Our EMT’s are volunteers. The assembly lines only run on first shift. Receiving, welding, and paint depts. run all 3. We can’t stagger in or out. When the bell rings and it’s time to go, there’s a mad dash to 5 time clocks, which are in one hallway by the front door. So much for the 6 ft., even if we stay apart all day.
We are not unionized, so we have little recourse. OSHA can’t suddenly up and watch every plant in the country, neither can the CDC. I’m sure our Japanese president will promise us and city officials that they’ll do everything possible to keep us safe. Promises, promises…like wishes. Nice ideas.
My favorite part of the day now is watching Gov. Cuomo, even though most of what he has to say is sad and disheartening. He’s straight with people, He seems honest and thoughtful, considerate and sympathetic. He likes his job, and will not run for President.
I also watch the Task Force briefings every day. So I laugh, cuss, and shake my head a lot during this daily exercise. Call it entertaining. I’d agree.
Whatever happens, we can’t let this virus have the last laugh.
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I didn’t realize you weren’t unionized Keith – I understand better now. I think you know I work for a labor attorney (on the management side). But even here the UAW did not have the say in forcing plant shutdowns right away. I think the PPEs being manufactured by GM had volunteers working on those PPEs. Paid volunteers but that is how it was at first – I assume so now. That conversion to PPEs was already in the works, when GM was ordered to do so by Trump. I like Governor Cuomo too – he tells it like it is and will push back about returning to normalcy as he should – their stats are abysmal, as are the photos you see. Even here in Michigan we have seen bodies stacked up and awaiting refrigerated trucks; they want to use ice rinks for makeshift storage … this is just a few days ago and you want to begin to transition to business as usual? My friend lives near Rochester, NY and she posts a lot of Cuomo’s messages or articles about him on Facebook and I’ve been reading about him throughout this pandemic. He had a massive amount of deaths to deal with – last week they surpassed the deaths from 9/11. I listen to the Task Force briefings and do the same thing as you – I do not see them on TV as I don’t have TV, but I listen to a radio show every day (The Mitch Albom Show) and they have to allow the press briefing to pause their show … the show resumes when they begin taking reporters’ questions so I leave the radio on. I am on Twitter for the weather reports – they are helpful in severe weather as we get up-to-the-minute forecasts, dangerous warnings/watches. So on Twitter the press briefing trend daily – I like to see what CNN is doing with their banner headlines as it was taking place. I like reading the comments too. I am afraid we will return too quickly but I feel our governor is prudent and will not let the naysayers beat her up … she had not only that rally to contend with but now has two lawsuits from businesspersons who are disgruntled with her. She does not comment on pending litigation.
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The UAW tried to organize us in 1978. We were all young and uninformed. KAW marched us in groups up to the cafeteria, and proceeded to show us movies about strikes, riots, and violence. Needless to say, they didn’t get enough votes, and never tried again. We are a “right-to-work” state.
We normally get our once-a- year raise first of April. The day they laid us off, March 26, they gave us a piece of paper on our way out. I got a $2 an hour raise. Last year we got 25 cents — the norm. It’s almost like they were trying to bribe us to come back. Granted, $2 an hour is a big, big raise, and I appreciate the sentiment. That puts me to almost $23 an hour — high pay for a warehouse worker. I’m not bragging — just a fyi. I’m sure, G.M. pays more.
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I am sorry, I am quite late responding here Keith – I did not return last night (rare for me) and just briefly this morning. I had prepared today’s post beforehand. I was trying to get some things done in the house, and I posted three back-to-back posts which was not smart on my part as I am now quite behind.
We just became a right-to-work state a couple of years ago. I don’t know what GM or the others from the Big Three make off the top of my head – I did know at some point, because my boss has a clipping file every time they negotiate their contracts and also regarding all the corruption by the UAW. He uses it for school to show what power the union has.
It is a good raise Keith – be proud of that, but I don’t like at all the spirit in which it was given. I am sympathetic to your plight and yes, that would be my perception of that generous offer as opposed to the past practice. That is sad and I am sure that is to make you think twice about holding off coming back.
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Well done Linda. Are all those trees chewed by beavers in your park? I’ve never seen one, even though they are our national animal. I’m still walking in my neighbourhood or my mothers, sans mask. If I do see someone out walking their dog, either they or I cross the street. If I talk to neighbours, it’s at social distance. I’m not worried about catching COVID while walking, but am about the grocery store. We have had 116 cases in my county, 11 deaths (6 from the same nursing home), in fact 23 cases from the same home, but as they are doing little testing other than hospitalized patients and their contacts, it’s hard to know how much community spread there is. I did my once every 3 weeks grocery run on Monday and one grocery store was like the Gestapo, (a handwash station outside the store, an employee rudely barking orders at people at the entrance re gloves and distance and who could go in or out first, as if we were all school children who couldn’t be trusted to figure it out ourselves) and the other one was very lax, a box of gloves if you wanted to take them, allowing people to judge their own distance while shopping, except for the 6 ft signs on the floor in front of the cashiers. I did wear my mask to the grocery store, and brought my own disposable gloves (had them in my purse), but was told I couldn’t use them as I could be bringing COVID into the store on the gloves, so I had to use theirs which were flimsy and way too big. I know the employees must be tired and frustrated, but maybe the store should have hired a security guard who was used to dealing with people and traffic control, instead of someone who works in the now closed deli and doesn’t want to be there. So the lady who walks in ahead of me doesn’t take any gloves, and didn’t wash her hands either, so was it voluntary? Mandatory? What if her hands had COVID on them like my disposable gloves? You know I’m a big believer in infection control but it was all a bit much, and made a worrisome situation even more stressful.
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Wow Joni – I had no idea that they were doing all these measures (at the one store) and I am sure they are not doing that here from what I understand. I have not been the grocery store since March 1st. I was not out of fridge stuff then but I had heard some rumblings about the Coronavirus on the West Coast and thought the weather was good and I’d pick up some items in case things got dicey here – within a week, our first case was confirmed. I would have never thought of them rebelling against the disposable gloves from home as carrying COVID though it does make sense. I know Ann Marie told me about the crowds, lack of stocked shelves etc. for weeks now. I hope to not have to go to the grocery store for another six weeks if possible and am already dreading it – hopefully things have settled down by then and there are not so many worries.
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I had not been to the store for 3 weeks and noticed a big change since then. Today I went to mom’s bank as I had to pay her income tax and couldn’t do it online, and that was interesting too. I had to stand in the vestibule as they were only letting one customer in at a time, although there were 3 clerks on? In the meantime a guy came in and walked right past me to the ATM machine, no social distancing there as the space is small. So I’m thinking they might have been safer to let people into the bank and let them stand at the back, away from the ATM customers, or keep them outside. Didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. If you have enough stuff for weeks then stay home!
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That is bizarre – I usually stock up for Winter, so I’m hoping by Fall, when I normally start loading in things, that it is normal by then. I wouldn’t like that way of doing things at the bank either. I had no idea this was going on – I deposit by mail. I am good for awhile – I only will have to head out for the allergist when he opens for regular hours once again … I’ve only gone 1/4 of a tank of gas since I filled up one month ago today as I’ve been trying to conserve gas and not have to go to the gas station, but I need to take the car on a little run, maybe this weekend.
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You made a good word picture of life under viral attack. I enjoyed the photos of squirrel-gnawed trees.
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Thanks Anne – I decided the pictures would match up perfectly with what I was trying to say. I think Michigan has a long way to go before we can declare ourselves ready to live and act like before – that is a very scary thought about the journey there to be honest.
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I read today that Michigan was really hard hit, more so than most other states. I hope your bounce back will be quicker than expected.
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Thanks – I hope so too Anne. The stats are still rising daily for cases/deaths, so much so that there is not enough morgue space, nor refrigerated tractor trailers to store bodies, so they are considering using ice rinks as a temporary measure. Not only are there so many deaths, but the funeral directors cannot process the bodies for burial quickly enough – with no formal grieving process like a funeral allowed, you would think the process of burial would be quicker, but it is not.
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These are things I haven’t heard. Thanks for mentioning them.
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You’re welcome – there were some photos from Detroit that made the national news recently that were taken in hospitals. People were dying fast and furiously and they had to come up with a plan. Today there was talk about starting the first phase here in Michigan – maybe May 1st, however, we have an average of 100 deaths/1,000 cases daily. Sounds worrisome to me but this Governor is doing a good job of trying to tamp down the virus so far – she is very cautious. Her slogan – “stay six feet apart to avoid being six feet under.” Not everyone is a fan of that statement though.
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So weird to realize that the idea of going for a walk outside is now predicated on staying safe, in ways that may or may not keep you safe, depending on who you believe. I’ve no specific advice to add here, other than to say do what makes sense to you. Like you don’t already know that. Stay safe, be well.
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I have listened to news programs, read articles, etc. until it all runs together Ally. I shut down the walking regimen then realized the Park is big, there are not enough people there to worry about crowding and it was good for me to get out daily to clear my head. Along the way it quit being about the steps/miles and more about just getting out. We are encouraged to get fresh air, so I took that as my cue and took the leap of faith and returned to the Park. Now there is only one couple and me and they are not masking up. Our stats continue to rise at an alarming rate, with young and fit people among the victims. I have not been to a store since March 1st, nor an errand since March 16th. That is fine with me. I feel lucky to be somewhat self-contained here and not needing anything else.
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I didn’t mean to post a duplicate. One thing for sure is my husband and I are so glad we retired last June and are receiving Social Security, I feel so bad for workers who are suffering.
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No problem Cathy – I just deleted the second one when I read this comment. Yes, you two picked a perfect time to retire. I heard the stats on unemployment here in Michigan – not good at all and I don’t see us ready to “start back up” at the beginning of May either, not with the cases/death stats I hear every day. Today I read that Wisconsin extended its Stay-at-Home Order until May 26 – I’m wondering if that will happen here too? That would be after the Memorial Day weekend and if here, no trips up North to open cabins (those who didn’t go up there already after everything shut down).
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Those beavers are amazing, aren’t they? Have you ever seen one at a park? I am glad you decided to go back out and walk with a mask. I think as long as you stay 6 feet away from other walkers, you should be OK. Staying strictly in the house would make me go batty, especially with the nice spring weather we have been having.
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Yes they are amazing what they did to these trees – I had never seen anything like it. I did not see the beaver(s), but I did see the dam by between the trees. I took pictures of it, but they were not clear so I didn’t include them. The last three days it has been quite chilly and just three people at the Park – we are far apart and I don’t even think I need a mask there as it is wide open, but I’ll keep using it for now. It is unfortunate this medical crisis arrived in time for Spring and not back in the Winter, when, mild as it was, people would have been more inclined to stay inside.
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Those are.great photos Linda. I have not seen that big of trees chewed up like that. The video explained it very well. I have wondered if they eat some of the trees they knock over. Now I know. They can sure make a mess out of a few trees.
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Thanks Sandra – glad you liked them. I thought the video was interesting, even if geared more for kids. I’ve been watching the Metropark videos – I always can learn something from them. After I was there and saw the damage, I learned they do not eat the wood, and they eat bark instead and once it is gone, they chew on the wood and spit it out on the ground. When the trees or saplings topple over they run over and eat the leaves which they could never have reached before, or they drag the branches and twigs after stripping the leaves off to help build their home. They sure did make a mess – those trees really looked unstable afterward didn’t they?
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Miss Linda………………………..thank you for the beautiful blog tonight…………………….I like how you made a connection with the chewed up trees to our chewed up daily life and society
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Thank you Ann Marie – I am glad that you enjoyed reading this and seeing the pictures. I sure was amazed at just how much damage had occurred. Trees fallen over, and chewed all the way through – I had no idea that beavers were so destructive. That damage unfortunately mirrors our society today – hopefully our problems will be repaired where the poor trees will not survive.
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Yes, we WILL return to normalcy. I’m trusting and believing it will be soon! 💗 Blessings!
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I hope so too Mia. Keep the faith – sometimes it’s all we’ve got. 💗 Blessings sent back to you!
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I heard about the Trump supporters protesting! That President is going to get people killed!
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Yes, it was quite a commotion up in Lansing the other day. People were supposed to stay in their vehicles and they got out and a lot of pandemonium!
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Troglodytes
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I messed up again. The mortality rate is 2 to 3%. We have 2000 workers, so the deaths would amount to 20 or 30, maybe 60 people, not 200. My bad.
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Your trees show your thoughts…
What have you decided about walking?
💕💕💕
Love, light, and glitter
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Yes, just like the poor beaten-up trees. 🙂 I returned to walking but masked up – I just walked in the neighborhood today as they said snow beginning at 9:00 and it started right on schedule. So I did not have far to walk home.
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I find it interesting how different places are having different experiences. I understand NY and CA being hit hard because of the high population and being destinations for foreign travelers too. Same with New Orleans, with the timing of Mardi Gras.
The Detroit area is harder to figure. Could it be extensive Chinese travel by Auto industry execs before anyone understood the problem?
Stay well up there.
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Yes it is interesting. Michigan dropped to fourth for one day and soared to third again and has remained there. You were astute in guessing the reason JP – one of the reasons is indeed Detroit auto execs and their travel to Asia and Europe. We had international travel at Detroit Metro to those countries and flights coming in before any ban was put in place. Just last week, the Mayor in Detroit (which has been hit very hard) stated that SE Michigan would have been worse if the annual Auto Show had taken place in January as usual, since the foreign press and auto execs who frequent all the automobile shows would have gathered en masse here in Detroit. But … this year, after many decades, the Auto Show was going to be held in June. Too many times bad weather wreaked havoc for attendees, so organizers decided to make it a Summer event to get more business to the local restaurants/entertainment venues. So that worked well, however, the Auto Show was cancelled and the venue where it has always been held is a 1,000 bed COVID-19 hospital. It opened last Friday. It was one of two venues commandeered as a FEMA casualty hospital; the other venue is a huge shopping mall. Another contribution to the high amount of cases was because we had a primary election March 10th and in the City of Detroit, despite it being the Motor City, many people rely on public transportation and this close contact exacerbated transmission of the virus.
Thank you – I wrestled with the decision to continue to walk, and decided the park is big enough that I’ll not encounter others on the path, but I’m not using the camera to avoid fiddling around my face while at that venue.
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I just hope they stay away from our white birch trees on our river bank. They are quite far from the water… so i think they’ll stay safe. Beavers can do a lot of damage to trees.
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I hope they stay away from your birch trees too Tom. Those are beautiful trees. My father planted one in the front yard many years ago, and it was just getting large enough to be showy and got a birch disease and had to be removed. As to the beavers, I have to tell you I’ve never seen the beaver damage personally, only on TV or in magazines. I had no idea! It was extensive and there were already several trees that had fallen over. I could see the dam in the distance, but the picture was not clear so I did not use it.
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I, a few years ago,, put chicken wire around some of our trees by the river. That kept them from getting them! I like them (and muskrats) as long as they are not chewing on our trees. Yes, they can be very fast and efficient! It’s amazing what they can do! I bet that they taught plenty of Native Americans about how to fell trees. 🙂
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I was amazed and I wanted to read more about them and their habitats … I found some videos and there they were hauling away large branches of trees for their dams, chewing off the leaves, totting the branches, making swift work of trees! You just might be right Tom – the Native Americans learned a thing or two watching these critters.
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Your pictures are perfect for your post. I am so glad you can still get out and walk. If I didn’t have my yard I think I would go crazy. Please stay safe and healthy Linda! They are talking about opening up Ohio May 1st. I hope they aren’t making a huge mistake!
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I am looking forward to today’s walk Diane, but the later I go, the less squirrels at the Park and possibly more people, so likely it will just be a little boring or just in the neighborhood. I really need to take my car for a longer spin than just three miles. We had tons of accidents this morning due to the icy roads, so I am holding off til it is warmer today. That’s how I felt about my yard back in the day – I spent many hours out there and I look at it now and can’t believe how it looked as opposed to now. I am hearing that the Order will be relaxed after May 1st too and that is because our Governor is meeting with five other Midwest states governors to come up with a similar plan for all of these six states. I think May 1st is a little early as we are still having 100 deaths/1,000 cases per day, even though they say Detroit is improving some but slowly. You stay safe too – hopefully things are getting better for all your family members that are are heroes in the medical field.
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Thank you Linda. Everyone is still healthy and the grandkids have been here a month already. There is so few virus cases at our hospital that they are now talking about layoffs! That is a good thing for the virus but we need insurance. They said we can still keep the insurance if we foot the entire bill…ugh! One day at a time.
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I will give this comment a “like” that everyone is healthy Diane but that is sad that there will be layoffs. We have the same thing happening here – made the news the other day because a slew of operating room nurses are laid off because no elective surgeries are being performed. I do not understand why hospital personnel cannot be used in a different capacity – that makes no sense to me as just a week or so they were advertising the need for medical personnel who are retired to please consider coming back to work. Just not right.
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I agree but fingers crossed it will all work out. We will make it work, we always do…lol
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I hope so – my fingers will be crossed for you here as well Diane. It has made the newspapers and news with the plight of our laid-off nurses – I don’t understand why they cannot be used for other critical care.
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My daughter told me yesterday that she saw a beaver swimming in a canal near her house in Gross Point Park. We didn’t realize they were in this park of MI but she said she read they are making a come back.
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I hope they don’t get access to your daughter’s house Ruth – I could not believe the destruction of the trees – it was amazing to me!
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She doesn’t live on the canal – just within walking distance of the park.
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OK, that’s good Ruth, I was thinking like Gibralter. We had family friends who lived right on a canal there years ago. It was a nice subdivision, but they moved as there were issues after every big rain as it flooded. That was decades ago, before global warming, climate change, etc.
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The water level now is so high that lakeshore flood advisories are issued due to high winds. I would not to live that close to the water.
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No, I wouldn’t either – I see pictures of Lake Erie Metropark as the Metroparks are highlighting their various parks and it is already flooded and resembles the last two Springs. We’ll get that problem resolved and then have to worry about bugs – the ticks are supposed to be bad this year.
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We have seen a couple of ticks so have treated the dogs and are checking ourselves regularly. Usually when things get dry in the summer we don’t see as many. The farm is drying out nicely. All of the wind we have had has helped.
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That’s good – we have had some powerful windstorms lately haven’t we? Hopefully you don’t have the wet weather that caused issues with your garlic getting wet feet n 2019. (I think it was your garlic?)
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So far so good and the hoop house is still standing despite all this wind. 🙂
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Whew – good thing you have the hoop house to protect them. We’re getting quite a cold spell midweek.
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Should be part of MI
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Such a moving post Linda. It has been such a difficult time for deciding to stay in or to go for walks safely away from others. It sounds like you have had it really bad over there bless. We are so lucky here. Up until now we have only had 1 death in the county we live in but my daughter who is a midwife is in a different county 60 miles away where they have been numerous deaths. I am glad you are relatively safe working from home. I am currently working from home too. It’s very different but it has to be done.
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At least working from home we have no worries with contamination as it seems so easy to get contaminated. I hope your daughter remains safe when going into homes to perform her midwifery duties. I am sure she is pre-screening if she does not have to go on calls in an emergency manner. The medical workers on the front lines have all been hero status – I agree with that, and the first responders and grocery workers. It is something we will never forget – that is for sure.
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My daughter is lucky in a way as she is currently Hospital based and they have PPE but to be honest, where we are in Wales we havn’t really been hit hard by the virus luckily. It has been such a tough time for all bless.
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That’s good Wales was not affected – over here we heard a lot about Italy and Spain and their statistics and some info on the UK, but not very much. Our worst state was New York which you probably saw on the news – their statistics were horrifying. Thank goodness your daughter stayed safe in the health business. I know we are not out of the woods yet and I do pray they find a vaccine before long. Over here they say that there has never been as much research devoted to finding a cure for a disease as COVID-19.
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I have been hearing how terrible it is over with you. It must be a constant worry.
We are lucky as we live around quite a rural part of Wales and cases have been constantly low. Other parts have been higher especially near the capital.
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Yes, it is bad in the United States and we are on track to double the amount of deaths by year end … they project 300,000 people will have died by then. On the news they said that five months ago today was the first two deaths in our state – we have 6,200 deaths in our state alone. It is very worrisome Zena. You are lucky to have few cases – I hope it stays that way for you so you and your family stays safe.
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