Throughout this difficult period, this newsletter will be a daily look at what it is like to actually live through this moment, until this moment is over. It will feature brief opening remarks from me every day, but will mostly be stories from you about how this is affecting you, your family, your friends … your daily life. (The regular weekly newsletter will continue uninterrupted.) Email me your story at williamfleitch@yahoo.com.
Here are 10 things we were talking about on March 1:
Joe Biden had just won the South Carolina Democratic primary.
Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar suspended their Presidential campaigns and endorsed Joe Biden.
Donald Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Committee and pretended to be a diminutive Michael Bloomberg at the podium.
British prime minister Boris Johnson announced he was engaged and expecting a child this summer.
John Mulaney hosted “Saturday Night Live,” with an incredible musical performance from David Byrne and the cast of his wonderful Broadway musical American Utopia.
The No. 1 movie at the box office was The Invisible Man.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay said, upon seeing Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm at the NFL Combine, “the lack of arm strength was on full display.”
Illinois beat Indiana in men’s basketball, which is the highlight of any year, ever.
Tom Steyer danced to “Back That Ass Up” at a rally in South Carolina.
The coronavirus. But only a little. And not really.
Today is the last day of March. This month has lasted your entire life, and the entire lives of everyone you know.
Here are today’s stories. Send me yours at williamfleitch@yahoo.com.
From John Weaver:
My father is 90 years old and lives in an independent senior living facility here in Champaign-Urbana. Prior to the past couple of weeks, we would see my dad almost everyday. That reality changed a couple of weeks ago when visitors were officially banned from his facility and all residents were strongly encouraged not to leave for any reason. Dinner meals that had been served in a large dining room are now delivered directly to individual apartments, and the multiple senior activities which regularly filled the calendar have all been discontinued until this all passes.
Since this sudden change, my dad has been emailing my brother, his grandchildren and me daily updates on his life … as Prisoner #2106-1.
He describes life "on the inside" where characters such as Jimmy "The Bone" and Bobby "The Bruce" roam the hallways. The other day, according to my dad, Jimmy "The Bone" was caught with contraband and was sent to solitary. My dad has reported that they are constructing a large guard tower on the property of this senior living facility. He also has stated that while the officials claim there are not guard dogs roaming the property, he does hear them howling at night. He sometimes abruptly ends his emails by saying the guards have just shut out the lights and he doesn't want to get caught with his computer on.
Just to be clear: My dad is not crazy. He is dealing with this situation with his sense of humor and a still-active imagination. He, in fact, took all of this in a different direction this weekend when he wrote the beginning four paragraphs of a story and then challenged the rest of us to write our own additions to what he had started. At this point, my brother in Vermont, his wife, my 36-year-old daughter in Queens, my niece's husband in Brooklyn, my wife and I have all added to the story, and it is now back in my dad's lap to carry the story forward. The main character has already had a night of romance with a mystery woman and has learned that something (we don't know what yet) has happened to his good friend Joe from the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, whom he is trying to find. While I doubt we have a Pulitzer Prize winning book on our hands, we are having a good time.
I think we all do what we need to do to keep ourselves busy and entertained in these strange times. We feel fortunate to have my 90-year-old dad setting the example and leading the way for us.
From “Franky2Beers:”
In Deutschland people don’t lead with, or focus on, their emotions, like too many Americans do. They’re much more grounded.
My wife and I take our family out everyday for walks or bike rides and everyday we chat with our neighbors, one of whom is a 74 year old widower who lives below us. She’s direct and strong-willed, and she got teary-eyed when she invited us in after we sang happy birthday in her doorway last fall. She popped a bottle of sparkling wine and nary a drop slipped past her lips.
A neighbor just this morning left a basket of fruit by her door. My wife and I thought our Moroccan neighbor was the culprit because she often asks about The Elderly Lady and how she can help. I’ve offered my pantries should my neighbors have need. We’ve always been good at touching base with each other and now we’re getting good at not touching our faces.
From Scot Kristal (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, BWI), and his mother Toba (Scottsdale, Arizona):
My mom is 88 years old and lives in a very nice senior citizens apartment complex in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her husband, my dad, died about 10 months ago, and she’s in a 1,100 square-foot apartment alone. Before CV she went out to dinner or to the movies several nights a week, or down to the Bar & Grill in the complex with her neighbors. They are all now in virtual lockdown. Instead of going down to the nice dining room, they now have all meals delivered by masked waiters every day.
But she is good. How good? She sent the following missive out to us kids. We are now doing FaceTime happy hour daily.
She’s much happier with a sip of gin.
**************************
I returned from taking my (real) recycling to the (real) bin and had lovely conversations (virtual) with neighbors (virtual) along the way. I then fixed myself a quarantini (real) and took it our to my patio where I had a beautiful view of the mountains and flowers in the courtyard below (real). I then commenced to have a lovely happy hour (virtual) and chatted with my hummingbirds (real) and caught up on their (virtual) news.
Our (real) dining rooms have of course been closed. Our dinners (real) are being delivered to our door (real) on beautiful silver trays replete with flowers and champagne (virtual) at 430 pm (real). I have a beautiful filet of grilled salmon (real) as my entree, with gorgeous sides (most of them virtual). I will consume my dinner on beautiful china and with a cloth napkin (real). All followed by an awesome dessert of crepe caramel (virtual) and cut up fruit in a plastic cup (real).
And accompanied across the table by my darling Stew (in my heart and mind, very real). We are given “room service” tabs each night with our choices for the next day. We circle what we want for the next day. (What we REALLY want is very virtual).
The purpose of this message is to let you know I am fine (real..?) and looking ahead happily to hearing from you..(real)
— Mom/Toba. (Real)
Send me your stories at williamfleitch@yahoo.com. And please: Be safe, everyone.
Best,
Will