So I just got home from the Home Depot. I needed some of that aerosol spray on popcorn texture for the ceiling repairs I'm doing in the building I live in.
Unlike the other day when I was there. They have employees monitoring how many people come in and out of the store. They have yellow ex's taped 6 ft. apart on the floor by the checkouts. I feel bad for the poor employee that has to scrape those off the floor this fall.
As I mentioned before, some of the Isles are only four, five feet apart. Am I the only one or do you find yourself holding your breath when you walk by someone. It doesn't really make sense because your eyes are wide open but I do it anyway.
I have no Lysol, so when I get home I spray my phone with the next best thing, Windex. I remember the commercials, it has ammonia D.
I'm sure that will work just as good
TF
Yesterday I had an experience that shows even if no coronavirus is involved, when it comes to healthcare those involved in patient care have to be cautious. And I learned how to use Zoom for the first time. I'm OK, but it's been a trying day. My mom nonetheless died.
She's been frail for some time and outlived several projections of her life expectancy. She'd been having trouble over the weekend and my brother finally had no choice but to send her to the emergency room. It was a tough choice. No one could go with her, ceause all the medical facilities are going on lockdown to maintain the sort of isolation needed to sort out and care for the virus-stricken from everyone else.
Unfortunately, no happy ending. It tunred out better than we feared. Nursing staff set-up an iPhone so we could see and hear mom there and her in turn, at least for a time, us. She went downhill fast but peacefully. Many of the older folks who otherwise might not have gotten there because of their own issues got to say goodbye.
Zoom worked well for a group of non-tech-savvy people under stress. As a form of something we're familiar with, TV, it has the combination of immedicacy and detachment needed to get you through something you didn't wake up planning to watch. I guess this is a heck of a way to find out if something you'd planned to use at your next NMRA meeting can work for you but I won't feel half so stressed about how that will go when I get to it.
Mom is the last to go among a family that was very much a railroad family.
Takeaways...
COVID-19 is affecting every corner of our lives, our hobbies, and even our deaths, whether or not COVID-19 was the cause. That was a worry here, but Mom's test came back negative a few hours after she passed, a relief to the caregivers in the family, the in-home help, and the rest of her survivors. That test had just become available Monday, allowing her to be tested overnight after her admission on Wednesday morning, with the results back in a few hours. Regardless of the test, Mom died alone, except for the very brave nurses with her dressed in full PPE - and the what must have been the almost ghostly virtual presence of her family, dialing it in as best we could
COVID-19 doesn't take away our humanity, it just makes it more pointed and poignant. We'll be able to get through this if we continue to care for each other tha best we can, whether we're stuck in social distancing, find ourselves locked inside the healthcare system, or just need the love of our families. We have to do the best we can under the circumstances and, even though we know that we're stuck with that, we know that life is still driven by the care and concern we have for each other. Like the nurse who kept resetting the phone as needed over the last few hours of Mom's life, caring is still part of what keeps us human if we can just take a few seconds even in the midst carrying out the biurdens of life.
COVID-19 gives us all the opportunity to think about and thank those whose help might be considered too routine to remark upon. There is a lot of ordinary heroism out there, all the time, so be sure to recognize it with your graditude when you come across it now.
While Mom died without us physically being by her side, virtually it brought the family closer together than we would've been, even if we all could've gotten to the hospital in time.
Stay safe, every one.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Mike, Sorry for your loss.
I work in healthcare so I have be extremely careful with everything. Today started "masks for everyone all the time" pain in the rear but I understand, There are areas we are avoiding if we don't have to go there.
I have been working a ton since this stated I had a 60 hour week. Not as bad this week.
moelarrycurly4,
Thanks for your kind words and thanks for being there for others in this trying and even scary time.
Mike - I am sorry to hear about your loss! Please accept my sincere condolences! I have lost my mother at the very beginning of this year, before the corona virus started to paralyze the world. I hope you will be able to bid her a proper farewell. In my country, funerals cannot be attended by more than 2 persons.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
I just got back from my ceiling repair to find this saddening news.
Mike I am so sorry for your loss.
John
Mike L. ..... Sincere condolences to you for loss of your mother. There is no right time to lose a loved one, but now is certainly a very difficult time. Thank you fo sharing your situation with us.
Moe Larry Curley .... Our good friend and neighbor passed away a few days ago in Paducah. I think he was in the hospital where you work.
Sadly, there are no funerals with groups of people during this time.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Mike, I know how you feel even though my mother is still here (but she has been in and out of hospitals for two years with strock stuff), she is 98.
Now on to more plesant subjects, my soldering has improved (it might have been great but the fact that my eyesite not being able to zoom in and out is an issue). I laid the hardest peice of track to lay today, a peice that was over 8' long, mostly a curve with a foot of straight and a turnout on the end. I use caulk to glue so you have to be fairly fast and accurate.
rrebell I laid the hardest peice of track to lay today, a peice that was over 8' long, mostly a curve with a foot of straight and a turnout on the end. I use caulk to glue so you have to be fairly fast and accurate.
I laid the hardest peice of track to lay today, a peice that was over 8' long, mostly a curve with a foot of straight and a turnout on the end. I use caulk to glue so you have to be fairly fast and accurate.
Two posts in a row, rrebell's a Post Hog!
An 8-foot length of track glued with caulk I don't know how you did it. I have a hard enough time with one piece of flex at a time with my eyesight and those little N scale connectors.
I haven't got very far along yet. I had to take sections back up at first and re-do them before I got the hang of it.
I'm using Alex plus but I think I'm going to look for a slower drying caulk.
I'm using wire feeds soldered to every track connector and putting No Ox especial ID continuity greece in the track connectors with a tooth pick, ... Tedious
I never did have good results soldering track, I melt ties
DoughlessI would think that toilet plungers and shut off valves could be deemed a necessity at some point, so maybe Home Depot and other hardware stores will be able to stay open too. Is a plumber an essential service? Electrician?
Georgia and Florida usually go hand-in-hand for laws and such.
<--Although you guys have that GREAT hands-free law, and we do not. -->
In Florida, under our new executive order (which I have been told has been postponed to Midnight Friday), electricians, rooders, and plumbers are considered essential, but not for remodel work, only repair.
All Home Depots and Lowes will be open, but at reduced hours. All grocery stores, Targets, Wal-Marts, Sams Clubs, and Costcos will be open.
All people working in Waste Collection, Grocery/Hardware/Big Box, Water/Sewer, Law Enforcement, Corrections, Power Generation, and Health Care are REQUIRED to be at work unless they have a fever.
Construction projects that are outdoors will be Business As Usual.
The widening of County Road 951 has been approved to get people back to work!
Construction work on Interstate 4 in Orlando will be doubled.
Fresh water fishing, hiking, bicycling, and hunting are all approved in groups no larger than 2. Ocean fishing is only allowed from vessels in groups no larger than 3. Swimming and sunbathing are banned.
It would surprise me Georgia is not very similar.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Track fiddler Windex. I remember the commercials, it has ammonia D.
Only if it says ammonia D on the label.
Mike, sorry to hear of your mother's death. I'm glad that technology allowed your family to be together, even if it was not physically.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Mike, my condolences on your loss.
Listening to the rush hour traffic reports for Milwaukee on early morning radio, the wife and I both agreed that highway construction projects should be double downed, and expedited as quickly as possible, since the traffic is so sparse.
Maybe we could even shorten "Orange Barrel Season" ! Nahhh, that won't happen, they'll just recruit more orange barrels. I bet making, and working for a company that makes, orange barrels is a secure job!
I wonder if they qualify for the now esteemed position of "essential employee" and "essential business" ?
Mike.
My You Tube
The news just reported that the Governor of Florida has made some amendments the the executive order, which has not gone into effect yet.
1) Golf will be allowed in groups of 4 or less.
2) Church services will be business as usual.
Mike my condolances. I can't quite fathom keeping family members away at a time like this. I suppose multiple deaths in a family would be worse.
SeeYou1901) Golf will be allowed in groups of 4 or less.
I assume, given the demographics, they will be close in golf carts. In MD the tennis courts have keep out tape on them, You don't get that close in tennis.
All I can say about churches is that my wife's church has a 27 yo who attended services 2 weeks ago and is now on a ventilator.
While we are supposed to shelter in place, in my residential neighborhood there are a lot of people walking, giving wide berth to others. The local marina was putting boats in the water today, so I guess that is essential.
I've never had a fence, but I have had dogs for 30 years, and they won't do their business at home, so walking is essential.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts in support of our family in this time of loss. I appreciate that. Yes, technology brought us together when nothing else could (an adjustment many may need to make in life as well as death.) The funeral can have no more than 4 in attendance (this is in Indiana.) I suspect a video of it will have to suffice for the rest of us for now, with a larger rememberance event when we are able to do it.
I'm doing OK, but need to step away to work on a draft of Mom's obituary. It will ask that those who can support a first responder in some way during this pandemic to do it in her memory if they'd like to memorialize her.
Track fiddler rrebell I laid the hardest peice of track to lay today, a peice that was over 8' long, mostly a curve with a foot of straight and a turnout on the end. I use caulk to glue so you have to be fairly fast and accurate. Two posts in a row, rrebell's a Post Hog! An 8-foot length of track glued with caulk I don't know how you did it. I have a hard enough time with one piece of flex at a time with my eyesight and those little N scale connectors. I haven't got very far along yet. I had to take sections back up at first and re-do them before I got the hang of it. I'm using Alex plus but I think I'm going to look for a slower drying caulk. I'm using wire feeds soldered to every track connector and putting No Ox especial ID continuity greece in the track connectors with a tooth pick, ... Tedious I never did have good results soldering track, I melt ties TF
Hey, ... That is a great idea rrebell. I appreciate you sharing that one.
I could get my track preped with the connectors on a couple sections of flex and feed the wires through the cork before even applying the caulk. Then use your trick to drop it down and pin it from the connection onward.
Sweet, I like that idea! Thanks rrebell
You don't have to use square 1/4" styrene like I did, I used that size because it got the track far enough off the surface to counteract any sag and being square, I didn't have to worry about which side to place down. I have found that that little bit of loss of adheasive means nothing to the adhearance of the track. On another note, the caulked long section I did came out as well as could be hoped and I ran a train on it to make sure. I have a small section to test next. Building a small layout means lots of percise curves.
We're very fortunate that my wife and I both work jobs (for our state) that allow us to work from home. Our oldest works in a hospital in southern California and recently found out she was exposed to a patient who has died of Coronavirus. She's fine so far, but it's always in the back of your mind. Good to have a hobby to take your mind off things.
A good thing is I've been using the 30-45 minutes I'd usually be commuting in the evening to work on the layout, so I'm actually getting some stuff done. Plus I used the money I would have spent at all the closed RR trainshows / flea markets to buy a 'big boy' digital camera that should greatly improve my layout pics (once I learn how to use it.)
Mike, so sorry for your loss. As a pastor, I conducted a funeral a few Saturday's ago, the day before our last live, in person worship service. Now if a member passes, I can possibly do a graveside with few people present, or we wait until "later". Makes it quite difficult to provide care to people.
This time has been stressful for my wife (chaplain and therapist) and I. She still goes to work, then does online therapy with her clients. I'm rapidly learning how to provide online worship and pastoral care, as well as telephone calls to members.
I did find some time to convert an older Atlas locomotive to DCC/Sound. It was a nice little project to take my mind away from other things.
Stay safe everyone,
Bill
Track fiddlerTwo posts in a row, rrebell's a Post Hog!
He's got plenty of competition for the past year or two. Just sayin ...
My condolenses to Mike
I think I can say it's true for a great many that this Corona thing has a lot of very depessing and stressful news every day.
Anything folks can do to counteract that would probably be appreciated since a break from all of the negatives waves caused by COVID19 would sure make Oddball happy, and many others too!
Speaking of pastors, what ever happened to Pastor Bob who modeled the Santa Fe in 1989?
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
This virus is effecting me badly now... The Young And The Restless has started showing reruns!
Today they showed Victor and Nikki's first wedding.
I still say he was better in Rat Patrol.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Garry, sorry for the loss of your neighbor.
riogrande5761 Anything folks can do to counteract that would probably be appreciated since a break from all of the negatives waves caused by COVID19 would sure make Oddball happy, and many others too!
" Don't hit me so early in the morning with those negative waves "
" There you go with those negative waves again, have a little faith baby, have a little faith "
And then there was two. Two Donald's the house.
Sutherland, Ain't no better!
I just watched that movie the other night. No matter how many times I've watched it, I never get sick of it.
Good one Rio We all have a big enough sack of sad, no more will fit
SeeYou190 This virus is effecting me badly now... The Young And The Restless has started showing reruns! Today they showed Victor and Nikki's first wedding. -Kevin
I have never even seen an episode of "The Young and the Restless"........
In fact, in the 1980's, I virtually did not watch any TV at all, and I watch very little now.
Many, many hit shows have come and gone without me seeing one episode.
My favorite example, I have also never watched a complete episode of "Friends".
Sheldon
Another way the virus has affected me is I can't go to the dam restaurant. I love going out to eat.
I've been told about this new restaurant off the Mississippi River right next to the dam. I've been wanting to try it out for quite a while now.
A month or two I suppose. I'll wait
P.S. I don't believe I've ever seen a soap in my life. I rarely watch TV either, there always seems to be something to do.
Mike so sorry for your loss. How very difficult to not be there in person. Will be praying for you and the family.