Saturday, February 29, 2020

Primary Day, Leap Day, weekend stuff

Happy Leap Day! And it's the day to vote in the Primaries here in South Carolina. As soon as I have a cup or two of coffee, and take a shower, I'll be going out to do my civic duty. But I'm not excited about it. All of the Democratic candidates have flaws and I've had a hell of a time trying to decide which one to vote for. In fact, I'm still not 100% certain. I've been thinking hard about it all week and wishing the Democrats could get their sh*t together and put forward better candidates. No matter who I vote for, Biden is almost certain to win SC. The African American community (the biggest Democratic voting population in this state) strongly back him. I like Biden okay, but he's just too old in my opinion. (I say that not because of his biological age, but due to some of his debate performances early on. He just looked kind of lost and confused, and it made me cringe). He should have run last time, and now I fear it's too late for him. Ah, well. I'm used to my vote not making one iota of difference. When you're liberal and progressive and live in South Carolina, even if the candidate you vote for wins, it won't be because of good ol' SC. We're one of the reddest of red states. I still go vote my conscience every time though and have done since I turned 18.

My dad finally got to come home on Thursday afternoon. He's better than he was, and I'm glad he's home and feeling better, but he's in bad shape. He's wearing a LifeVest, which is a wearable defibrillator, until they can decide if he's going to have a pacemaker put in or an ablation of one of the valves in his heart. He has congestive heart failure and a very weak heart muscle as well as pulmonary hypertension, high blood pressure, and terrible venostasis in his lower legs and feet. They had to send him home with oxygen, too. My mom's been having a hard time coping with it all, and since I was there when they brought in the LifeVest and explained all the (relatively complicated) ins and outs of it, I had to teach her how to use and maintain it. I drove dad home when they released him (45 minutes away), showed mom how the vest worked, and met with the man delivering the oxygen to their house and helped get it set up. Mom was very, very grateful for all of the help, and dad too, of course. I'm worried about both of them, but hopefully things will settle down a little now that he's at home. I missed a good deal of work this week. My coworkers and the principal were very understanding and accommodating, and I'm very grateful for that. To say it's been a stressful week would be an understatement.

On Tuesday our school district's Superintendent put out an open letter for parents, students, staff, and the community about steps being taken to prepare for Coronavirus. Holy hell. I didn't quite realize things had gotten to that point. Here's a copy of the letter:


Dear Parents,
With all the recent influx of information regarding the Coronavirus and flu, we wanted to assure you that F1S is monitoring the situation closely, implementing a plan and taking initial precautionary steps, with continued guidance from SC DHEC. The school district has purchased disinfectant wipes for all classrooms; hard surfaces and commonly used objects will be vigilantly cleaned and disinfected. All custodial staff are aware of our increased efforts and will implement them into their duties as well.

School nurses will be monitoring students who present with symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath and coughing. Any student with a fever will be required to leave school and will not be allowed to return until fever-free for 24 hours without any fever-reducing medicine, as is required under normal DHEC guidelines.

We also wanted to share some simple ways to prevent the spread of illness including:
• Washing hands often
• Avoiding contact with sick people
• Staying home while you are sick
• Covering mouth/nose with a sleeve or tissue when sneezing or coughing
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Avoiding touching eyes, mouth and nose

Florence 1 Schools also has an e-Learning protocol in place in the event that the district has to close for any reason. If an e-Learning day is required, students will be able to complete assignments on their district-issued Chromebooks. Information regarding e-Learning can be found on the Florence 1 Schools website at https://www.f1s.org/domain/3540.

If you have any questions, DHEC has a Care Line available at 1-855-472-3432. You can also talk with the nurse at your school.

Sincerely,
Richard O’Malley, Ed. D.
Superintendent, Florence 1 Schools

After watching news reports about global disruption in supply chains due to the virus, Gregg and I decided to be proactive and we're stocking up household supplies, medicines, and non perishable food. That's something we like to do when hurricane season approaches anyway, and we have plenty of pantry and storage space to store some extra stuff. I'm not too worried about it, but a well-stocked larder is peace of mind when any kind of emergency comes up, so I'll be doing some extra shopping this weekend.

Well, off to finish my coffee and hit the road. The polling place for our new house is actually at my school! So I'll be going to work on a Saturday. :) I'm still pleased that we bought a house less than 2 miles from where I work.

What are you up to this weekend?


24 comments:

  1. I just don't know what to think about this whole preparation for the virus. Here I sit with another type of virus and I'm pretty miserable but is the coronavirus a lot worse? I don't think we're getting all the facts.
    Anyway, it's gorgeous in north Florida today and I'm glad I don't have to make up my mind about which Democratic nominee to vote for yet. I think you're right about voting your conscience. Trying to figure out how to make our votes really "matter" seems a fool's errand.

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    1. I'm confused about Coronavirus too, and like you I don't know what to think. I do know that Mike Pence has no business being in charge of the US response to it! And the election is just as confusing. We live in "interesting" times.

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  2. spouse is currently at work for 1/2 day, then he will go grocery shopping. I have quiet time to knit on my current sweater project. I did some chores, and I have cornbread in the oven. we have not planned on anything outdoors; too damn cold/windy up here.

    YAYZ for your dad being home. much less stressful than a hospital. hope your dad gets a pacemaker.

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    1. I'm determined to pull out my needles and yarn soon and begin knitting again! The shawl has inspired me!

      I hope dad gets a pacemaker too.

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  3. I know what you mean about voting. I vacillated between several candidates and ultimately just had to pick one. And now it looks like she may be out of the race before my state even votes -- so my early primary vote may be for naught anyway. I think we just have to vote our hearts and our consciences and let the chips fall where they may. If only we had another Obama!

    Glad your dad is home. As for coronavirus, our school has cancelled all school trips in coming weeks (there were many scheduled including music tour and ISSTs) and we're doing a lot of disinfecting as well. And lots of hand-washing! We probably ought to buy some extra non-perishables too.

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    1. Gregg loves it when we have a well-stocked pantry even without a virus causing supply disruptions. He says he sleeps better at night knowing that we have what we need to get by in case of any kind of emergency! I used to scoff at this mindset, but I've gradually come to understand that it's actually just good household management. Something as simple as a week or two when money is tight would make us very happy to have supplies in reserve.

      That's too bad about your school trips, but safety first, I suppose.

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  4. I hope your dad and mom are doing well with him being at home with the medical equipment. I am not good with some kinds of equipment. I took me forever to learn to open and close my dog gate that separates my living room from the rest of the house, and that is so simple. Hey I am a red person in a blue state, should we trade places?

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    1. No! Red states need a few blue people, blue states need a few reds. It's maintains a balance! :)

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  5. So happy to hear your Dad is home and out of the hospital. He will feel so much better at home.

    I live in a "bad state" and the east and west coast always has us under attack. I wish they would fix their own states first and leave us alone. As I understand we are a Battleground State ! Hello ! ! ! we are always under attack ! My vote never matters but I mail my vote in on Monday. Unfortunately Raul Grijalva will win again.

    Today it will be taking care of the naughty gud dugs and still trying to clean the studio.

    The Japanese Government closed all the schools. Granddaughter is now on a vacation with lots of homework, even though they still had 4 weeks of school left. She will go back to school April 7.
    Most of my family lives in/near Osaka, Tokyo and Tanba City, Hikami-cho.
    parsnip


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    1. I don't know Raul Grijalva. Yes, I know Arizona is a battleground state, and I also understand you have some issues there re: immigration that aren't such an issue here in South Carolina. All we can do is vote our conscience and hope for the best.

      I hope you're not too worried about your family in Japan. How are they coping with all this? I hope life isn't too uncomfortable for them right now.

      Kiss the naughty gud dugs for me!

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  6. I'm so glad to hear your Dad has come home. He will feel better at home and being able to sleep in his own bed. Your parents are fortunate to have you to help out with all the medical equipment and changes for your Dad. I'm sure it is overwhelming for your Mother and probably easier for her to have you show her how to do things. I hope they come up with the best solution for your Dad's health situation soon.

    We'll be watching the results of your Primary. We vote on March 10th. I'm hoping a few more candidates will drop out by then. There are too many candidates along with many pros and cons for each of them. I've not decided either. I believe in voting your conscious but others say the main thing is to vote for someone that can beat Trump. I am grateful we have a chance for change at least.

    This whole Coronavirus thing is frightening. I know the news likes to blow it out of proportion but when you have the medical community talking about it I do listen. There are some items we should stock up on I believe. Especially things that come from the Asian countries because some factories are shutting down. My husband and I both take generic medications that come from countries affected and we are concerned about that as there has already been some mention of possible future shortages. I guess we just have to do like you and prepare in sensible ways just in case.

    I hope you and your husband have a wonderful weekend. We are supposed to get in the 50s this weekend and that is like summer to us!

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    1. We're worried about things like medications, too. Gregg is considering asking his doctor for 3 month supplies of the drugs he takes just in case.

      It's cold here this weekend, but the sun is finally out after weeks of rain and gray skies. The sky is blue and beautiful and lots of daffodils and blooming trees are showing off pops of color! Spring is my favorite season--so beautiful in South Carolina!

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  7. Good to hear your Dad's improving. Age wouldn't be bad if we didn't start breaking down.
    They have put something on the Home Depot website that tells us nothing. If customers stop showing up, they'll cut our hours. We're out of masks in my store.
    I think Biden will be fine. If he gets the nomination you can bet he's going to pick a dynamite VP.

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    1. Biden won South Carolina, just as I predicted. If he does get the nomination, I wonder who he'll pick for VP? A woman or else someone really young like Buttigieg might be a good idea.

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  8. I would imagine that your dad will have nurses visiting for awhile to check on him and help your mom. There are other services that might also help and that they are entitled to because of their age and health, ie, bringing meals, giving baths, and housekeeping. I know that this is a very difficult time for you.

    I have a candidate that I like but I have gone back and forth on a few of them with the priority being that they can win and bring with them the candidates on the down ballot.

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    1. My parents live in the poorest and most underserved county in this state, and so I'm not sure if they could get the kind of help you describe. Plus, they're poor. Not poverty-level poor, but pretty close.

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  9. I'm in the office this weekend, on the radios to the fire crew. But it's raining and everyone has been stood down! So hence I'm lurking around the internet. Great news re your Dad. It does sound ongoing, from what you've written. Best wishes.

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    1. Thank you Sarah. It's good to see you posting more regularly these days!

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  10. Your father seems in good hands, your mom's fears notwithstanding. Thank you for voting. Ohio is sinking more and more into the red goo; just some old hippies up here in the corner supporting whoever the democrats put up.

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    1. Ah, yes....Ohio. Yes, it's seems to swing more red as the years go on. I wonder why?

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  11. I hope your dad and mom are doing well with him being at home with the medical equipment. I am not good with some kinds of equipment. I took me forever to learn to open and close my dog gate that separates my living room from the rest of the house, and that is so simple. Hey I am a red person in a blue state, should we trade places?thanks

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