Well, I get to go back to work today... ho... hum.

Yesterday I drove down to That Fish Place.  After reading Jennifer's blog about the difficulties Greg was having setting up the school aquarium, I should have been better prepared for all of the holes on their shelves... and empty fish tanks.  They, too, were Essential, I was told "and everybody decided lockdown was a good time to start a new hobby."   As a result, my tank looks a bit sparse.  I only picked up 3 plants.  There had a tank with a small number of small Discus, but $50 a piece was a bit pricey.  I opted for 4 teeny, weeny Koi Angelfish, each about the size of a quarter.  Believe me, that's about all they had in freshwater fish.  

I also rode 19 miles up the coastline of Corsica yesterday.  My legs were a bit achy, but otherwise I was fine.  I'm doing the Trek Challenge again this year.  I need to ride 100 miles in July.  So far I've got 61 under my belt.  One guy taking part in the challenge has already ridden over 1300 miles... yeah, that's right, over 1300 miles.  And it's only July 9.  Can we talk obsessive / compulsive ?

Betsy DeVos has decided all children must go back to school this fall.  This is coming from a woman who's children have gone to prestigious private schools.  She is nothing more than a wealthy bitch.  A woman who believes her buckos in the bank make her an authority needs to be removed from power.  One thing the Idiot Jerk's administration had proven time and time again, most wealthy people are cold, ruthless, and dumb as bricks.

And, of course, there are Covid 19 spikes all over the place.  In Tulsa, for example.  Can you imagine that?  City officials are saying their spike is due to the protests and the rally, in that order.  For some reason, protests have not led to major spikes.  This is interesting, since there have been some very major protests.  However, in Tulsa they're claiming their spike was due to the protests first... and then the rally.  Republicans... always needing to blame somebody else.

For those who are interested, this is what the tank looks like so far.

More will be added.

Republicans Need a Scapegoat

It's Monday and I get to go back to work!  I get to go back to work!  I get to... wait, I've been working all along.  When do I get to stay at home?
Yesterday was an odd day at work.  We had a lot of celebrants in the store.  One woman argued with an Assistant Manager because some of the cashier were wearing masks.  Neither she, nor her husband, were wearing masks.  No gloves either.  And she thought wearing them inappropriate, that they were frightening people.  That's right, she said inappropriate.  Damn Republicans.
Otherwise, lots and lots of little plastic Easter eggs were hidden around the store for associates to find.  Three of them had Gift Cards in them.  The rest of the eggs had candy inside.  I prefer candy over gift cards.  Candy is yum.  Weighed myself this morning and found I had gained 1.8 pounds, and that was after riding over 14 miles yesterday afternoon in San Remo. 
Weather is supposed to be crappy today.  Storms with some high winds.  That will keep the customers down at the store.  I am putting together a list of things I'll need to buy as I'm off tomorrow.  I also plan at stopping off at Giant on the way home.  As a single person living alone, I don't have a lot that I need. 
Evidently there's some sort of petition going around to have the guy in charge of WHO fired.  This is from Fox News, so I'd say it's very safe to say that most of those signing this are Republicans.  You know how they are.  Always find a scapegoat.  Always blame someone else.
And I also saw that an interesting bit about those little updates the Idiot Jerk celebrates daily.  His base loves them.  I do believe they seem them as a reality show.  The other half watching his antics hate them, they're turning on for the Science Guys.  It turns out his viewers are extremely partisan.  He can crow as much as he wants about his rating, he's not growing his base.  In fact, he's actually damaging himself with Independent voters.  This is all fine.  Come November, his base is going to be stunned.  They'll never realize all he did was bedazzle their brains.
And, of course the time has come for me to tease with a bit of the Cover Art.  Without further ado, here it is...

While Republicans Scratch their Ass

Well, here it is Friday, the end of the work week for some.  Surprise!  the work week has changed.  Because of Covid - 19 more people are working from home rather than going to the office.  Be aware that if your company finds this much more cost effective than paying rent for a brick and mortar building, this will become your new reality.  When you work from home, the protocols for a Monday through Friday work week change.  Be prepared.
As of yesterday, the number of Covid - 19 cases in Pennsylvania stood at 1687.  That's a spike of 560 cases in 24 hours.  Cumberland County is up to 15.  Conservatives still don't get it.  The believe this thing is going to end in a week or so...  I am serious.  The nod their heads every time the Idiot Jerk speaks.  For him he is the truthsayer.  Their inability to understand he's a lying sack of shit will be the death of them... well, some of them, not all of them, but probably enough of them to shake their little Conservative world.  They look at Spain and Italy and shake their heads... "so heartbreaking," they say.  In their heads it's 'over there,' it's 'not here.'  The can not even conceive of how infectious this thing really is, or that a lack of social distancing is going to increase the rapidness of its spread.
Whereas the Idiot Bush had his Katrina, Covid - 19 is going to be the Idiot Jerk's Vietnam.  The reality is we may lose over 58,000 Americans.
You have to look on the bright side, however, those taking the necessary precautions, who are avid about practicing Social Distancing are Democrats and Republican.  We keep a distance of at least 6 feet between us, and the scratch their heads.  We wash our hands and they scratch their ass.  We'll be keeping ourselves safe and secure and they'll be crying at Granny's funeral... well, they're going to learn funerals are going to become passe.  They'll find out that anyone touching Granny while she was alive is too sick to attend.
On a brighter note, "The Body in the Well" is heading into it's final edit.  I talked to Cori yesterday and reminded her that April is fast approaching.  Let's be honest here, reading a new mystery / thriller might be the best way to spend some of that self-quarantine time.  Since I like to let readers know which songs have found their way into the manuscript, this is the last song from which I've sampled lyrics.   Don't you just wonder how this could play into the story line.

The Putin Upstage

Wednesday!  And another day off.  Sadly, the forecast is for drizzly weather for most of the day, with temps only in the mid 40's (F).  Not a good day for lawn work.  Yesterday was sunny and mild.  My peonies are zoom zooming all over the place.  Of course, this is to be expected because it is "spring."  Both my peach and nectarine trees are filled with burgeoning blossoms.  Here's a pic of the peach tree looking towards the front yard.

And, for those who are really worried about Covid - 19, don't worry.  Evidently everything is going to go back to normal by April 7.  This is what the Idiot Jerk in the White House says.  He says this is to help the economy.  At least, that's what he's saying publicly.  Personally, I think it has more to do with his resorts... you know, the ones that are closed down?  I don't doubt he is more concerned about losing money than he is the safety of the American People.  He has no problem putting people in danger just to make a buck.
Of course, one of the most preposterous things this dimwit has done is set a timeline for when this is going to end.  For those of you who are really devout, rest assured, you'll be able to go to church on Easter Sunday.  Didn't anybody think to tell this duffer that the worst thing you can do in a pandemic is set and end date?  Just a few hours after he carved that date in stone an urgent warning was made to all those people leaving New York:  self-quarantine for 14 days.  Son of a bitch!  Still, he has to satisfy his base.  The Cracker Jack Christians desperately need to be sitting in a pew on their most holiest of days.
Raise your hands if you think Liberty University is going to turn into a Covid - 19 hot spot.  Those young people are just coming back from spring break, and they're still under the belief they're almost immune, and so they didn't self-quarantine, and....  Oh... Shit.
Legislation has been passed to help those most destitute during this crisis:  the corporations.  Oh, sure, the small guys are going to get some help, but mostly it's the big guys who are getting bailouts. As someone who work in retail home improvement, it's the little guys, the Mom and Pop contractors that are going to be hurting more.  Conservatives have never really cared for them.  Nope.  Their fascination with greed has always drawn them to the flame of corporations.  The same thing happened when they did the bailout for farmers because of the Idiot Jerk's trade wars.  Most of the buckos went to the corporate farms rather than the Mom and Pop farms.  It's a size thing, you know?  For Republicans, bigger has always been better.
I'm sure everybody saw where Putin, donning a hazmat suit and venturing into a hospital, upstaged the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  The Russians also admitted that Covid - 19 is far worse in Russia then they had led the world to believe.  Like many other European countries, they are on the verge of going into a complete lock down which will most likely last past Easter.  Our Idiot Jerk is not going to do anything as risky as that... the hazmat suit, you know?  He might dress Melanoma up in some frilly, designer suit and maybe have her stand outside a hospital, followed by a 2 month isolation period in that building he owns in New York (aka Ground Zero).
Finally, I'm considering yoga if we end up having a 3 or 4 weeks shut down.  You know, something to include in my cycling adventure.  Yesterday I had a nice ride in Gascony.  The other day I took a ride through Burgundy and got behind a grape (harvester, or picker, or what ever it's called).  Damn those things are big.

The Buck Stops at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Well, here it is, the first day of my weekend, which starts on Tuesday this week.  Surprisingly, most of my laundry is already done - I left work early yesterday.  I'm only working 5 hour days this week and next week.  What happens after that?  Hell, it's anybody's guess.
The store was steady yesterday, slow in the morning, but then business picked up in the afternoon as bored people, forced to stay home from work, decided to take advantage of our 'life sustaining' status.  They are all dumb shits who say things like "well, not everybody's going to get it," and "it's a hoax," and "this whole thing's been blown out of proportion by the media."  Keep in mind I live in a very Conservative area.  We have a lot of loyal, old Republicans living here... for the time being.
What are my plans for today?  Well, as I type this, I'm also clipping my fingernails.  Later on, I'm going to drive to Giant to pick up dog food, they should have started restocking by now.  Sometime this morning I'm going to one of my reader's homes to pick up "The Body in the Well."  Her initial response: really like it.  This is the reader who thought "The Body in the Tower" was a bit dry because of the cycling bits.  After that, I'm going to make a corned beef and take a ride on my bike, and the work on my Greek.  Busy day for me.
I saw where the Idiot Jerk wants everybody to go back to work after 15 days.  Because of the economy, you know?  Remember way, way back, about 4 weeks ago, when Covid-19 first raised its ugly head, he had been saying things like "it's not going to be that bad," and "you can go to work with it?"  Well, his thinking has never really changed, has it.  His base has never really comprehended the seriousness of this illness.  And you know those Evangelical advisers who lay their hands on him are whispering "don't worry, God will protect us."  You know who I'm talking about, don't you?  Human stains like Joel Osteen, who's discovering 'live streaming' can be far more lucrative than he initially imagined.  And then there's that dumb shit David Green, who owns Hobby Lobby.  I saw this on I Should be Laughing and was morbidly attracted by the sheer stupidity.  Holy Shit!  This is a first class example of Evil Greed.  I can see the headlines now "Hobby Lobby Hot Spots Spread Covid-19."  And then there's that dumb shit Lieutenant Governor from Texas, Dan Patrick who say he, and other grandparents, don't mind getting sick and possibly dying as long as it helps the economy.  I wonder how many grandparents and seniors citizens he is really speaking for... my guess is not many.  He is terribly concerned that Covid - 19 is going to change the 'American Way of Life.'  This man is a soon to be 70 year old fool.
Change is on the way, and that terrifies Conservatives.   It horrifies Evangelicals.  They want the world to be rigidly orderly.  For them blessings are big bank accounts, and they're frightened at how fast this little virus is draining their assets and leaving only liabilities.  Tough Shit.  Someone needs to pull out the passage in the Bible that says 'believers get rich.'
And in this country, the Idiot Jerk wants everybody to go back to work.  He actually said they are working on masks for those infected so they can go back to work.  That is simply insane.  He doesn't understand the buck is going to stop at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Finally, to end on something a little bright, here's the latest picture of my peach blossoms. 

Tomorrow, maybe a pictures of my nectarine blossoms.

Prostituting a National Crisis

Monday, the beginning of the non-work week for many unless you're home working, or happen to work in essential 'life sustaining' positions.  Certain retailers are considered 'life sustaining' because of the products and services they provide.  They are open for those people out there who are experiencing emergencies.  Say your refrigerator dies and you need a new one, or your water heater explodes, these retailers are open for those people.  Believe me when I tell you, yesterday the definition of 'life sustaining' was seriously challenged.  People were browsing the 'life sustaining' floor samples and buying the 'life sustaining' paint.  They showed up at our garden center eager to purchase 'life sustaining' mulch.  One woman complained about our mulch pricing of 3 for $10 when the bags of mulch rang up at $3.33 each.  There were a lot of MAGA hats walking though our front doors, but to be perfectly honest, there were just a lot of dumb fucking people.
I understand things are going to be different today.  Certain decisions have been made to curtail the casual shopper who shows up simply because we are open.  I suspect certain non essential 'life sustaining' departments will be closed.  Customers will most likely not be allowed in to test the patio furniture.
Evidently there's a lot of complaining about our Idiot Jerk's daily updates regarding the plague he so easily dismissed a few weeks back.  I was talking to a friend last night who said she turns them off when he starts talking about himself.  I asked "does he?" and she replied "hell, yeah."  I checked this morning and complaints are coming from so many on how he's turning these updates into mini-campaign rallies.  You have to remember, he is a reality TV Host who will use any and every opportunity to sell his orange ass.  His supplicants will bow down in adoration.  Sane Americans, on the other hand, are turning off his lies.  How like a Conservative to prostitute a National Crisis in his bid to get re-elected.
Finally, I took a pic of one of my daffodils.  Is this sucker bright or what?

The Nasty Question

It's the weekend!  Of course, with so many now working from home and so many non-essential businesses closed, we're heading into just 2 more days.  There's no going to the bars, they're closed, nor is having a nice dinner out a possibility, or taking in a movie, or a nice concert.  I feel sorry for the bar crowd.  For a lot of gay men, that is their social network.  Now it's shut down... and for how long?  Nobody knows. 
Just like the bars, we also have non-essential customers who shop our store one, maybe two times a week, not to really buy anything, but just to walk around.  They nod to us as though we're old acquaintances.  We don't strike up long conversations with them, that's not why they are there.  We provide a safe environment for them.  Most of these non-essential customers are seniors, the ones who are most at risk.  And it's not just home improvement stores where they go to hang out.  My Mom used to go to K-Mart.  She knew a lot of the sales associates.  They became her friends.  Covid - 19 is shuttering down those friendships.
Of course, there were also a lot of assholes in the store yesterday, as well.   Contractors who were defying the Governor's orders, and that group which it turns out is putting so many people at risk: the millennials.  I can tell you, a lot of them are pretty damn clueless as they browse the aisles, looking at paint chips, and carpet samples.  For them, now is a good time to change their shower head, or check out the drills, or saunter through our patio sets.  I spent some time in the Paint Department.  It was extremely busy.  I suspect today is going to be much of the same.
And how about the Idiot Jerk's news briefing yesterday afternoon.  This man is brainless.  Reality does not match a single word coming out of his mouth.  "There's this drug," he exclaims, "we can use for treatment."  He doesn't tell people that if administered incorrectly it can kill you, or if it will actually be of any benefit because it hasn't really been tried yet.  And he becomes really incensed when you question him.  His insanity requires you believe he is the voice of authority.  For him truth is nasty.  Questions which try to ind out the truth are nasty.  The truth is that this video is nasty... I did watch it though and it didn't make me vomit.

And Pence, the putz, repeated that the effects for Covid - 19 will be minor for most Americans, and that we need to "stay vigilant."  Surprise, one of his staffers has just tested positive... and Pence is in that virus' target age group.  Oh, shit.

Conservatives on the Menu

Well, I went back to work yesterday.  For how long?  It's anybody's guess.  I am in that 'age' group you know, but not by much, and I do like to think I've kept myself fairly healthy.  No underlying health concerns as far as I know.  And, of course, there were some assholes shopping:  an older woman shopping for Bruce Hardwood Cleaner.  She said she was told it was in aisle 34 (kitchen sinks, clearance tile, and curtains).  An associate took her to aisle 11 - we're out.  She pleasantly told him he didn't know what he was doing and walked back to aisle 34.  About 5 minutes later I saw her coming out of aisle 31 and asked her if I could help.  Once again the aisle 34 nonsense, so I took her to aisle 11 and showed her the empty space.  Out of stock.  Losing her patience, she started getting close so I told her I interact with many people during the day and reminded her about the 3 feet.  Well, she stomped her foot and walked away.  This is how it goes.
There was the contractor who stormed down the aisle shouting obscenities because we'd shut down our free coffee dispensers.  And the older contractor, another woman, who needed a specific tile.  I could tell she was totally out of touch with what was going on in the real world.
And then late yesterday afternoon Governor Tom Wolf ordered all 'non-life sustaining businesses' shut down.  There should be less contractors in the store to day.  Dumb shit parents who see our store as a source of entertainment for themselves and their kids will undoubtedly still show up.  To be honest, I don't mind going to work if I don't have to... work.  I don't mind them paying me to sit at a desk without customers.
Of course I know that's not going to happen.  We've cut back our hours.  Now we are open from 0600 to 1800 (6 PM) for our contractor business.  With contractors now having to shut down, it's just going to be be the dumb shit parents showing up. 
And, as this virus spreads, truths will come out.  Like Richard Burr. This is why you don't elect Republicans.  He is a loyal supporter of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  In his comments to a group of wealthy Republican supporters, he said that Covid - 19 is "highly infectious to a degree not seen since the Spanish Flu."  And then he sold $1.5 million in stock before the crash.  Even crazy Tucker Carlson of Fox News is pissed.  We sane folks have always known a feeding frenzy was just on the horizon... well, the dinner bell has just rung... and Conservatives are on the menu.
One if the many things I did during my 4 days off was move the futon back into the living.  The sofa, with the built in recliners, is now in the writing room.  The dogs were quite happy.

Redacted

Well, it's Thursday and I get to go back to work today.  Without a mask.  Practicing social distancing in a retail world.  As the white rabbit once said, "curiouser and curiouser."
China had no new home-grown cases of Covid - 19.  The only new cases they had were from those returning from other countries.  It took them what?  3 months of serious quarantines.  We are unprepared here... though I do have 20 lbs of rice and 23 rolls of toilet paper on hand.
Two members of the House have now tested positive... dear me.  Does anyone know of Ted Cruz has come out of his bubble yet?  Who am I kidding, that's never going to happen.
And what did I do yesterday?  Started prepping my staircase wall for painting.  Quite a number of years ago I coated it with a faux finish, something called Venetian Plaster.  It's a nice terracotta color.  However, the time has come for a change.  This means sanding off some of the texture.  Can we talk dust, here?  There's not as much as when you sand drywall, but there's still a lot. 

I'm going to do something to save the bas-relief and yes, that is my hand print in the upper right corner.
As the virus spreads, so do the lies of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  They are like pablum to his base voters, many of whom might perish in the onslaught of Covid - 19.  He's now saying he knew this was going to be a pandemic.  Pardon my French, but this man is dumb as a fucking brick.  The truly frightening thing is that in his head, he truly does believe he knew.  All those lies that came before, about this thing being like the flu, and about it being over in a short time have been expunged from that jelly structure he calls a brain.

This is how his brain works

That's right, he takes a Sharpie, probably the same one he used to alter a forecast map, to strike out words and thoughts he no longer wants to remember.  The fact that is his inaction and failure to respond will lead to the deaths of many people isn't even a line that can be scratched out.  We do not exist to him.  This is why he, and his party, and his base, need to redacted during the next election.  He has absolutely no comprehension of the evil he has wrought upon America.

It Sucks to be a Conservative

Well, I baked 2 loaves of bread yesterday and... they fell.  That's right.  They were all nice and fluffy when I put them in the oven and 30 minutes later they were 2 inches high.  I'd show you pictures, but then I'd have to lie and tell you they were fat flat breads. 
There were primaries yesterday and Biden swept them all.  He offered an olive branch to the Bernie supporters and Bernie... gave a 20 minute live stream in which he talked about legislation he was going to bring to the Senate.  Hhhmmmm.  Not one word from his lips about the primaries or his continuing losing streak.  He knows which path he is walking down.  He knows his job now is to unite... and attack the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Wow, it's really going to suck to be a Conservative.
I don't dwell on the virus much.  I only looked at a map of the United States once yesterday, and that was last evening.  As of 9 PM last evening, there were 10 confirmed cases in Cumberland county.  Up here, the liquor stores closed yesterday and my brother-in-law's favorite hang-out, the Lawnton Legion was closed.  Elton John has been postponed until sometime in either late July or August.  Most Americans have been taking this virus seriously for the past 3 - 4 weeks.  Who hasn't?  Republicans.  Who doesn't understand the need for quarantine?  Republicans.  They don't understand it's going to really suck to be a Conservative.
I saw where Governor Abbott, of the once red state of Texas, has admitted publicly Covid - 19 is going to spread through the state exponentially.  In fact, this thing is going to go through those deeply red southern states like shit through a goose (Patton said that).  There are not a lot of liberals or progressives in those deeply red southern states.  All those Republicans down there are wake up (maybe) one of these mornings, wipe the sweat from their brows and cry "damn, don't it suck to be a Conservative."
I see the Idiot Jerk is telling people he knew this was going to be a Pandemic long before anyone else.  Someone should tell this dumb ass there are thousands and thousands of sound bits and video clips out there of him making the total opposite claim, that you can go to work, that it'll be over in a few weeks.  Who believes him?  His Republican base.  I don't know if they will ever understand how much it sucks to be a Conservative.
Marc had posted this a few days ago.  I thought now would be a good time to repost.

Keep in mind who put this loser into the White House.  He is not going to answer their prayers, but they are going to realize how much it sucks to be a Conservative.

The Target Market

Well, here it is Tuesday.  I'm going to bake bread today... and begin the painting of my stairwell.  I have chosen a nice, calming color,  soothing to the eye, imbued with hues relaxing and tranquil to quell the trembling of my battered aura... it's called Zen.  Shit!  Maybe I should switch to Romance Novels.
So, while the movie theaters are still open, I went to see "The Invisible Man" last evening.  It dragged at times.  The first half works really hard to make you sympathize with Elizabeth Moss... and I didn't.  She claims to be running away from an abusive marriage...  I tend to be very cynical about people who make generalized claims without be able to site specifics.  In the original, Claude Rains ran around naked to achieve full invisibility, this was not the case with Oliver Jackson-Cohen.
I did get some rather sad news yesterday.  My store is considered "essential."  That's right, we are not going to close.  This is because a number of contractors, plumbers and electricians, and so on, shop our store for their needs.  Personally, with Covid - 19 preparing to run rampant through the country, I would not want some stranger in my house.  I picked up my paint yesterday and there was a woman there with her kids... cause schools are closed.  And she was browsing paint colors.  Can we talk stupid here?  She has absolutely no clue it is going to be people like her who are going to be spreading this virus.
When I go back to work on Thursday, I will need to find out how they are going to deal with people like me... since the virus has designate people over 65 as part of its Target Market.
And I guess yesterday was also the day when the Idiot Jerk in the White House finally understood how terribly serious the situation is with Covid - 19.  He is going to be remembered not for the economy, but for how atrocious he was handing this pandemic.  Projections for the amount of deaths in this country are dire.  This moron now knows he's going to go down in the history books as the worst president in the history of this country.  Blame those who put this monster into power.
And... finally, to end on a nicer note.  Blossoms are sprouting all over my peach tree.  This is what spring looks like.

Welcome Spring.

Collect This

Well, today is my 2nd scheduled day off in a string of 4... of course, that might change.  As of yesterday there were 5 cases of Covid - 19 in Cumberland country.  That number is going to go up.  At some point things will be shut down to contain the virus.  Since I work for a non-essential home improvement retailer, I don't doubt at some point we will shut our doors.  The only question is 'when.'
Yesterday I did stay home, but today I might venture out.  There are certain non-essential things I want to buy... like paint for my staircase.  If I'm going to be home for 2 weeks, I might as well do something somewhat constructive, besides yard work.  I also want to stop off at my local Giant.  While I'm fairly certain most of their canned goods and frozen foods are gone, I'm feeling pretty sure their fresh fruits and vegetables haven't been touched.  People were looking for things they can stock up on and fresh food doesn't last more than a few days.
I saw where Devin Nunes (pronounced new nyez) was advocating for adults to ignore the health warnings and go out to bars.  He still thinks this is a hoax and there's nothing to worry about.  His beliefs are quite common among Republicans.  I do not doubt many of them will catch the virus and the older MAGA heads will die off.
And the Fed drop rates yesterday to between 0 and .25% in an attempt to stave off a crash of the stock market.  Almost immediately afterwards the S & P 500 dropped 4%.  Prepare yourselves, Wall Street is at the tipping point and soon it will go over the cliff.  While the average American is going to be hurt, the billionaires of the world are going to be brutally savaged.  In this country, Conservatives are going to be running around like their hair is on fire.  They put an Idiot Jerk in the White House, a man who has always too quickly jumped to bankruptcy as a way avoiding his incompetence.  Ouch.  Very shortly Betsy DeVos may not be able to afford her expensive haircuts.  If you think she's a bitch now, just wait until that happens.
Finally, because of the virus, quite a number of churches were closed up here.  I understand from Jennifer this was not the case everywhere.  For Evangelicals, Covid - 19 is stabbing them in the heart... well, maybe.  Like addicts, they need to feed on their drug over, and over, and over again.  Some will survive going 'cold turkey' and some will not.  Churches used to seeing large collection plate hauls are in for an ugly surprise.  Now, ain't that a shame.  Of course the big ones, like Joel Osteen's, will no doubt be calling members of the congregation and asking for their credit card donations.  I know Jimmy Swaggert does this.

But then he also drives a Porsche and cavorts with whores.

3 Cases Here

So, left work late yesterday afternoon to begin my 4 days off in a row and decided to stop in at my local Giant.  There were a lot bare shelves, no paper products what so ever, though there were canned goods and frozen foods available for purchase.  While walking to their wine aisles, I ran into one of our cashiers.  He told that there were now 3 cases of the virus in Cumberland County and that the school districts were shutting down.  I had no problem checking out.  Right after that the panic buyers arrived.  An hour later, with all registers open, there was a 45 minute wait.  Me?  I did not alter my schedule one iota, I came home, drank some wine and ate some Ramman Noodles.
This is not the time to panic.  This is not the end of the world.

The 3 cases in Cumberland County:  2 adults and one child.  2 of them were in a country where the virus was prevalent.  They did not provide information as to how long ago that was. One case is looking like it might be part of a Community Spread; they are researching to find out where that person might have come into contact with the virus.  That is not good news, though oddly enough I am not really concerned.  I have no problem staying home from work. Should they decide to quarantine the state essential services will continue:  neither the Giant nor the Weis Market will shutter down.
Not surprisingly, 84% of Republicans feel the Idiot Jerk is doing a fine job handling this crisis.    My money says they are the ones who will break quarantine because the Coronavirus is "just like the flu," and "you can go to work if you have it," and "it'll be gone soon."  They are the ones who will continue to spread the Virus.  Stay away from Republicans... and Evangelicals, they are unclean.
I have a funny feeling I'm going to get a lot of lawn work done in the next couple of...maybe weeks.

Carriers

After today I'll be halfway through my 4 day work stretch.  I will be celebrating by having a single, 1, uno, un day off.  Believe me, my excitement is percolating quietly in the background... and you though it was your tinnitus.
Yesterday was the first day I got home from work and we had extended sunlight.  I went for a ride in Amsterdam.  It was... interesting.  There were lots of cobblestones, and people, and a lot of cyclists.  I passed a lot of cyclists with dogs on their bikes, and kids, and groceries.  For a while there was a young gentleman riding in front of me whose spandex was quite... revealing, way too tight.  I wonder if he knows quite a number of people in the world have seen his buttocks bobbling back and forth.  I will have to remind myself to take a video of him for you.
Not surprisingly, 2 members of Congress have decided to 'self-quarantine' after coming in contact with an individual now hospitalized for Covid-19.  Paul Gosar, a Republican from Arizona, said he had extended contact (can someone define extended contact) with the person, and Ted Cruz, a Republican numb-nuts from Texas claims he had a brief interaction (?).  They, as well as many others, were exposed at (drum roll please) CPAC, that Crazy Christian Political Action Committee meeting held this year in Baltimore.  Can we talk about irony here?  Or just good old fashioned Karma.  Knowing these 2 gents side heavily with the Idiot Jerk in the White House, I'm sure both have tested positive.  They might not get ill, but they are probably both Carriers.  And, of course, you have to ask yourself how many others were infected at CPAC?  And CPAC was 2 weeks ago.  A lot of old Crazy, Christians attended.  I don't know about you, but I think this is rather humorous... Crazy Christians spreading the disease among themselves.  I think I've already mentioned this is going to be devastating when it hit their Mega-Churches, and we already know they're going to blame Bill Clinton.  And for those of you who don't know, this is what a Carrier looks like:

Thanks to the gentleman above, someone's granny might die.

Anyway, yesterday I worked with an very nice Hispanic couple who were having their bathroom tiled today.  That's right, the work is being done today.   And they came to the store the day before to start making their tile selections.  I wonder why their contractor hadn't told them this needed to be done ahead of time.  You see, sometimes (quite often) we only have limited quantities in stock.  We do not have a warehouse in the back.  We do not carry unlimited supplies.  Unlike Ted and Paul, we are not Carriers.

Panic at the CDC

It's Saturday and it's one of my off days.  I had requested it off because today is the first Saturday in March, the day we hold our Kid's Workshop.  We usually have between 280 and 310 kids and their parents showing up.  This is good for families, good for communities, and also very good for business since their parents almost always buy something.  But not today.  Our Kid's Workshop has been cancelled because of the Coronavirus.  I suspect this will be the first of several.  You see, the Coronavirus has come to Pennsylvania, one in Delaware County and one in Wayne County.  This was to be expected.
My plans for today are simple: cut my nails, get in a bicycle ride, and spend some time on my Greek.  That's right, now that the book is (for the most part) finished, I have some extra time on my hands.  One of the things I had done was buy a workbook to help with learning the Greek Alphabet.  That has proven a great help, since I now know letters and sounds.  Believe me, it's a lot different than English but much closer to Latin, which makes sense since the early Greeks had a tremendous influence on early Italy.
And, of course, so much about what this Administration has been telling us about the Covid19  is based on the Idiot Jerk's hunches.  He actually said that.  The World Health Organization feels the mortality rate is around 3.4%, however they also tell you that might not be correct because of America's botched response.  That's right, the Idiot Jerk's reliance on his hunches have botched the response by the CDC.  Not enough test kits, flawed test kits, no real sense of urgency, all because he thought we were going to be immune.  Another of his hunches?  This case is going to stay on the West Coast.  As of this morning, I believe 25 or 26 states have had patients with positive test results.  This thing is especially serious to Senior Citizens and those with underlying health conditions.  Overnight 2 patients in Florida died.  Do you have any idea how many Senior Citizens live in Florida?
Anyway, yesterday the Idiot Jerk actually went to the CDC.  His trip was on, and then off, and then finally on, no doubt because someone told him it would look terribly bad if he didn't show up.  And they took pictures, no doubt to prove he was actually inside at least one of their buildings.

Look at the panic on this man's face.  Do you see how his eyes aren't really focusing on... well, anything.  Or, maybe he's trying to focus on a teleprompter and someone keeps moving it.  Or maybe the thought rattling around inside his brain is "don't touch anything! don't touch anything!'  In case you didn't know, this is what panic looks like.

Will the Real Ivanka Raise Her Hand?

Well, it's Friday and it one of my 'on again days.'  Yepper, I get to go be a Flooring Specialist for 8 hours.
Evidently one of my measures 'blew up' yesterday while I was off.  A customer had called a week ago... a woman, and requested info our having commercial carpet installed.  She didn't like the fact that we charged for our measure services (fee is deducted once you purchase) and hung up.  She called up on Sunday and set up the measure, didn't have the name of the carpet with her, so I keyed in a generic.  I told her to tell the measure services she was dealing with the store.  She didn't.  She got an expensive quote emailed to her which included all the measurements.  Her boss called and started shrieking at one of the Assistant Managers about 'price matching' and how they got less expensive quote from other installers.  In the end, someone decided to refund her (him) the measure fee.  That's right, this person wanted a free measure and got a free measure.  I was not there.  It was my day off.  I would have said "no."
More cases of Covid-19 have sprung up across the US.  Four more states have tested positive.  And the Idiot Jerk, at a town hall in PA, evidently admitted it might slow down the economy.  He also said something to the effect of "Americans are traveling so much, they're staying home and spending their money here."  So, his focus is on people spending money, not on people getting sick and possibly dying.  That's so... Republican.
One thing that is going to be hurt terribly by the virus is Mega-Churches.  Oh... dear.  You know, like evil Joel Osteen's church.  That's going to hurt his pocket book.  Poor Joel, what's he gonna do when the money stops rolling in?

And Joel's not the only one.  There  are a lot of them out there using their Rock / Broadway show appeal to sell phoniness, their main goal being the collection plate.  I can't see Joel visiting hospitals to comfort the sick, or visiting their house to give them moral support. Or Frankie Graham, for that matter.  For the life of me, I cannot even begin to imagine Frankie saying "Hey, I'm going to stop at hospital today and visit a bunch of Coronavirus patients."  Maybe Melanoma should go visit a hospital... or Ivanka Danka.  There was a time when politicians and their wives did that sort of thing, to help calm American's fears and worries.  Wouldn't that be a hoot, seeing either of them gussied up in their protective gear?

Can you spot her?  She's the fourth one from the left.  

Betrayal

Yes, this is it, my late entry.  I slept in... and then I putzed around doing little chores, like emptying the dishwasher; non-thinking things.
I haven't heard anything back from my readers yet.  I am curious as to whether they will like The Body in the Well, or not.  I would like to get a partial 'thumbs up' from at least one of them... you know?
And I saw the Idiot Jerk in the White House held some sort of press conference last evening.  I didn't watch.  Basically, he calmed the fears spreading among his base with lies.  They do love his lies.  He said something stupid, like the country is a low risk because he, himself, is stupid.  He only wants to believe things that make  his fat, little heart go pitty - pat, pitty - pat.  He avoids bad news like the... plague.  He also put Pence in charge of our National Response...  I sent my brother a text this morning regarding this, how I thought it funny the Idiot Jerk was setting Mike up to be the 'fall guy.'  Of course, I got no response.  Evangelicals love Mike.  They don't understand that when COVID-19 starts spreading across the country, the Idiot Jerk is going to point at Mike and say "he's in charge!  That's his failure!"  He will betray his Crazy Christian base rather than take any responsibility. 
For those who don't know, the Idiot Jerk has been quietly dismantling the CDC.  Like all conservatives, he sees the institution as a waste of his tax dollars.  He would rather invest those dollars in the... oh... shit!  Don't Look At Your 401k!  This has always been the problem with Conservatives, they have always thought first of their pocketbook, or their wallet, or their bank account.  Common Sense has never been a priority.  Greed has always been at the top of the list.  Now the country is going to pay the price... and so will they.  When this thing kicks in, can you just imagine what it's going to do to attendance at all of those Mega-Churches?  I wonder how long it will be before his base realizes their very beliefs have betrayed them.