When I began this story, it was BP (Before Pandemic). We had just returned from Oklahoma City after attending the State Basketball Tournament where the 1960 Wakita Girls State champs were honored at center court. Who knew that there would be no more sports of any kind for months to come?
How shocking to be told that the Covid-19 virus was so virulent that no one was to leave the house, if at all possible. Needless to say, there was a run on grocery stores and gas stations. The funny part was the rumor that there would be a shortage of toilet paper and there were news stories and pictures of people carrying dozens of packages of toilet paper from the store. Otherwise, all businesses were closed and we were warned not to be out–even to see family.
For ones our age, Papa John and I were not particularly bothered initially because we were used to being home. The hardest part was not being able to see family on a regular basis unless it was outside and we stood apart quite a ways. Jill was ill and I wanted to go to Tulsa but there was no way that was going to happen. All travel ceased. How odd not to be able to go to church, to a movie, to the museums which I enjoyed, to Astros baseball or Theatre Under the Stars musicals. Communication with friends was through e-mail or telephone conversation but even that seemed unusual because the only thing to talk about was the pandemic. Fear of getting the virus was not a part of our thinking, or so I thought.
In retrospect, if the president had ordered mandatory mask wearing at the very beginning, I do believe the consequences would have been ameliorated. He would not, however, admit that this ‘sickness’ would last long so the virus picked up steam and infected more and more. We didn’t leave the house except to get groceries and I always wore a mask. The first masks we wore, our neighbor, Mary, made for us.
What did we do? We watched a great deal of television to begin just to keep up with what was going on around us and the world. We both read–lots. I belong to three book discussion groups so reading wasn’t that unusual. In the first month, I cleaned and reorganized quite a bit in the house because it might as well get done.
July 7, 2024–Like a Time Machine, I’m whisked several years ahead as I determine once more to write. The pandemic was deadly as history records and most of us suffered through some form of it during this time. Ultimately Covid has been contained and is like a massive hurricane that has become a small rainstorm–still around but not as deadly. The tenacious handwashing, mask wearing and healthy living have slowly melted into many of the same old habits. But much has happened in the past 4 years and it’s time to do some catching up!
