By Bruce A. Smith

Wednesday, March 11, 2020 (5 pm)

The sun is shining today and I feel light-hearted, which is surprising since the Covid epidemic is turning fierce around the world – 600 folks have died in Italy as that country goes into total lockdown, and in New York, not too far away from my 95-year old mother, 93 individuals in New Rochelle tested positive.

But I feel fine. In fact, my health is the best it’s been since early December when I began the first of three bouts of bronchitis that ran serially throughout this winter.

Perhaps the greater reason for my joy is that I’m taking decisive action to protect myself. I am in self-quarantine. Last night I informed my theatrical director, Stephanie Brooks, I would have to leave her production of Resi, The Musical, in order to protect myself from infection.

And to protect others from me in case those three episodes of bronchitis might have been undiagnosed Covid-19, since my health troubles began just about the same day as the Wuhan, China outbreak became news. However, a video interview with noted epidemiologist Dr. Judy Mikovitis suggests that the initial Chinese infections commenced in mid-October, 2019 from a Wuhan research laboratory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQceegoc7nk

Nevertheless, here we are, wherever that is exactly. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared today that Covid is a pandemic, and I find that reassuring because it feels truthful.

Further, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced today immediate restrictions on any gathering of 250 people or more in the Puget Sound region. That includes all sporting events in Seattle and Tacoma, including the Tacoma Dome where I saw Bernie Sanders, and 20,000 of his supporters, just a couple of weeks ago – and that incongruity is perhaps the biggest mind-twist I’ve experienced in this Covid saga.

On a smaller scale, my blackjack party company canceled a local company’s casino shin-dig for tomorrow night. So, I am one of those feeling a Covid financial pinch. Plus, a documentary film crew from Los Angeles is supposed to interview me at the end of the month on DB Cooper and I doubt they’ll get in an airplane and make the trip. I haven’t heard from them, but if they abandon the shoot that’s another few bucks out the window. Sigh.

Or we will Skype. That might be the new way of interacting with people. That’s what I’m doing with Resi this evening. Stephanie emailed me and suggested that we limp along on- screen through the rehearsal period until “all this craziness passes.”

As for health care, my doctor’s clinic did reach out to me as an “at-risk” potential Covid patient, but they only re-iterated their federal CDC-mandated protocols: no test unless I have a fever AND a “productive” cough with colored phlegm. An intermittent dry hack isn’t good enough, and I suspect that’s due to the politics of the pandemic. Too many in government want to downplay the disease to limit the economic fallout. In the meantime, guys like me go untested. Worse, health officials in the Seattle area announced publicly yesterday that many employees of the nursing home in Kirkland where over a dozen residents have died still remain untested. What the hell are they waiting for? “Yee-Gawds,” as my Aunt Teddy used to say…

As for limiting the financial impact of Covid, the stock markets continue to fall. Today the New York Times reported that the Dow Jones average has entered “Bear Market” territory, whatever that means. But the Dow has been going down 1,000-2,000 points a day for most of the past week, so a bear market means tough times for a lot of people.

Over the past few days, I’ve been stocking up on food stuffs like rice and beans, but I’ve realized that I need more Vitamin C and D since I’ve used up all my reserve supplies during this bronchial-impacted winter. I’ll wait until tomorrow to venture into Eatonville to see if I can pick any up – I was thinking of going today, but Inslee’s announcement has triggered a stampeded at the stores. My friend Steve Klein, the editor of the Yelm Community Blog, told me that reports are coming in that the check-out lines at Costco are backed up into the aisle-ways.

When I do venture into the world, I’ll be taking new measures to protect myself. In my car’s coffee-cup holder I now have a bottle of a bleach bath to sanitize my fingers after every contact with stuff other people have touched, like at the check-out counter. I’m astonished that clerks are still not protecting themselves or their customers. Hence when I get back in my car, I’ll be washing off whatever germs they might have given me on my goods that they picked-up from previous customers. I’ll also be washing my door handles since I may be infecting them as I enter my vehicle.

That latter move may be extreme, but it is one thing I can do to protect myself, so I’m taking it.

I’ll also be wearing a mask in stores. I have a fresh N-95 double cloth mask that is unused from my supply I bought during the forest-fire smoke debacles of the summers of 2017 and 2018.

In addition, I’ve noticed that many public restrooms have run out of soap in their dispensers, so now I carry a few slivers of soap in my pocket, wrapped in a little plastic baggie.

I’m also meditating. Today’s session was utterly blissful. A good start to a quarantine, I think, especially since this is the greatest natural disaster I have lived through in my life.

SO – All the best to y’all. Stay healthy, wise, and happy.