How are things going?

[Kevin Pacey]

A thread for posters to write about their current situation, a bit or a lot, now or in future times.

A couple of nights ago, things suddenly began to change at my local supermarket. Instead of a typical low-key evening, the place was packed; apparently the (panicky?) rush is now on in Ottawa to stock up on supplies, due to the coronavirus crisis. Such things as toilet paper and diapers were apparently flying off the shelves. Lucky for me, at least that night, I had fewer than 9 items, so I passed relatively quickly through the (albeit long) Express check-out line.

In my apartment building, the social/games room and gym were also closed indefinitely that evening, again due to concerns over the virus (notices posted by meeting places). Luckily for me, I haven't used either place for a long time; concerns over my Achilles tendons have discouraged me from using the gym's equipment, and I don't much play any sort of card games any more (never mind knitting nights ), which is what the social room is usually used for.

My Mom's in the middle of having cataract operations on each eye, so we're hoping neither of us comes down with any sort of illness. At the moment I do all the shopping, luckily within easy walking distance (while supplies last). I have to give her eye drops several times a day (due to her Parkinson's making her hands tremor a bit), including getting out of bed earlier than I'm used to, for over a month possibly. With sports cancelled, I'd be tremendously bored, except for chess variant play online, studying chess, and surfing the internet, besides taking in any news on TV or radio that's not the currently depressing, and monotonous, stuff. Watching WWII documentaries and such on DVD gets a bit old after a while.

Edit: I'd add that I have high blood pressure (under control), plus many years back I had a nasty virus that bothered my lungs a lot towards the end. Currently I'm almost 60. A local store just began asking people to bag their own groceries, and a friend told me a coffee shop he went to recently had refused to take his cash (filthy stuff, I guess). Meanwhile, Mom's surgery on her second eye has been rescheduled for quite some time down the road, for now.