Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

Cole, when it comes to calico cats, restraint is overrated.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

The willow is too close to the house.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

Cole is on a roll !

Shut up, hissy kitty!

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / New Friends for Tough Times

New Friends for Tough Times

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A couple of Jackals have new additions to their families his month.  Welcome Finch and Bear!

RedDirtGirl gets a new friend!

I wanted to share some photos of the sweet pupper that is staying with me for the time being. Her name is Finch. At some point I’ll find my forever dog, but I’m lucky to have her company right now, when things are so bleak.

Here she is back in early March checking out my neighborhood.

Here she is snoozling on my bed.

This is her favorite spot in the apartment.

And another new friend, of the permanent variety, for:

BGinCHI and family!

Well, we adopted a puppy today.  He’s energetic and then bam, down for a nap. He’s a sweet dog: playful but also a little shy and reserved. We all have some getting to know each other time coming.

Does he know he’s “home” yet?  I think he’s getting it. We got him from a herding dogs rescue shelter. He’s 3+ months. Mother an American cattle dog (blue heeler). Father unknown, but his litter mates all have white and gray marl. He’s the only black one.

Here’s Bear this morning, settling in on his red blanket.

And here he is yesterday, all tuckered out after the big move.

Yesterday, again, scoping things out.

Not quite napping, but definitely resting.

Is anyone else making new friends, furry or otherwise?

Reader Interactions

159Comments

  3. 3.

    eddie blake

    yeah. before the virus really clamped everything down, i convinced steph we should go to sean casey animal rescue and look at some cats.

    we met a lil fuzzball one year old tabby, named her catie and took her home. she’s getting along pretty fabulously with her older brother, hamilton. there is peace in the land of cats.

  5. 5.

    laura

    They both appear to be big dogs in small packages, and like my slightly used weiner dog Chet, had something really scary and bad happen that they don’t want to talk about.

  8. 8.

    Mary G

    Congrats to RedDirtGirl and BGinChi and families!

    I’ve been in contact with a rescue group for a while and they sent an email that all the pets that need foster homes have been snapped up, but their fundraising parties have been cancelled and donations are way down, and they are in desperate need of money for vet care for new rescues with serious medical problems, so I sent them a bit of money. I wish I had a lot more. So many people are hurting.

     
    Better news today about John Prine:

    I have recovered from Covid-19. We are humbled by the outpouring of love for me and John and our precious family. He is stabile. Please continue to send your amazing Love and prayers. Sing his songs. Stay home and wash hands. John loves you. I love you— Fiona Whelan Prine (@FionaPrine) March 30, 2020

  11. 11.

    RedDirtGirl

    I’m about to get on a Zoom call, but if it doesn’t take too long, I hope to rejoin you all here!

  13. 13.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    We adopted Hughie big kitten goofy floof  ball and Curren little tuxedo ninja kitten at Christmas. They make me laugh every day. Currently we are hanging out on the 3 season porch listening to 60s and 70s  pop ancestor I came home from work early

  14. 14.

    mrmoshpotato

    Puppers!  Thank you both.

    Digging Finch’s March profile pic.

    Is Bear going to be a big bear?  He looks pretty big for 3 months.

    (No, Autoincorrect, not “puppets.”)

  18. 18.

    Nicole

    Our dog is terrified of most other dogs, so we can’t take in any new critters, but I’ve been trying to take her out for long walks for exercise during times when there are very few other people out and I must say… she hates it.  It’s reaching a point where it’s hard to get her to agree to go downstairs for her last pee before bedtime because she’s afraid it’ll turn into a trek.

  20. 20.

    narya

    I’ve been fibrillating about getting a cat for, let’s see, 3.5 years (since the previous one, who wasn’t mine but who lived w/ me for four years, died of old age). And I still want one (two, really) at least some of the time! But I’m now planning major renovations to the kitchen, and I can’t see bringing two cats into a home that is (eventually) going to have that kind of noise, disorder, crud, etc. I keep finding Reasons, which leads me to believe I actually am not quite ready to do it. I miss Old Cat, but it’s HER I miss, more than I miss having a cat, per se.

  23. 23.

    Sab

    Blue tick heeler. You got yourself a lot of dog there. Good luck. Hang in there. You will have an exceptional dog at the end of this rough road.

    Puppies are cute but they aren’t easy to raise. It takes years. But afterwards they are your utterly devoted dog.

    Hang in there.

  29. 29.

    BGinCHI

    YAY on John Prine!!!!!!!!!!!

    Should have named the dog Prine, damn it.

    He’s settling in nicely, though the potty training is taking some effort (understatement).

    Any opinions on how long to wait until getting him neutered? Opinions vary widely, evidently.

  32. 32.

    BGinCHI

    @Sab: THANKS!

    Momma a blue heeler for sure, but father unknown. I think you’re probably right. He’s got that hound vibe.

    We had blue ticks and other coon dogs when I was a kid, and he has that feel to him.

  34. 34.

    laura

    @WaterGirl: slow to warm and faithful til the end of times – just the way I like em.

    Mary G thank you for the update on John Prine. He’s so very loved.

  35. 35.

    Sab

    @BGinCHI: I am so relieved that you know what you are getting. So your new pooch is in good hands. I hate when good dogs get adopted into bad or inexperienced families.

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @BGinCHI:

    Any opinions on how long to wait until getting him neutered? Opinions vary widely, evidently.

    I have always heard not to do it before 6 months at the earliest.  Is this your first dog?  Do you have a vet?  Have people recommended a good one?

  38. 38.

    PenAndKey

    Is anyone else making new friends, furry or otherwise?

    Well, Mrs P&K is due the day after Easter (and boy is that fun with the medical world burning down around us) and our daughter will be mockingly scolded for the rest of her life that we should have named her 10 year old brother H1N1 and she should have been named Corona, if that counts. No worries though; we’re stopping after two. We’d hate to have the family blame us for three pandemics.

  41. 41.

    dexwood

    @BGinCHI: Easiest potty training ever, especially now that you’re home, is tethering. Keep Bear on a leash at all times while inside. When he becomes restless, acting like he needs to go, say “out” and immediately take him outside. Huge praise when he does his job. Get other family members involved in this method. Before I retired, I worked at home, this training worked great with my last three pups.

  43. 43.

    eddie blake

    @Sab:

    yeah. she’s adorable. she grew up in the shelter system, so she’s really enjoying the un-caged life.

  44. 44.

    Kristine

    In Chicago, so many folks are offering to foster that some shelters have waiting lists.

    Applications to foster pets have skyrocketed in Chicago, a blessing for some nonprofit animal shelters trying to free up space in case they are called on for the short-term care of pets whose owners become hospitalized because of the coronavirus.

    I’ve been walking Gaby several miles most every morning, along nature trails and through neighborhoods. We run into other dogwalkers, but we all keep our distance for dog reasons as well as virus reasons. During a walk last week, one of the folks we passed said that she had never seen so many happy pups. So much walking.

  45. 45.

    Sab

    @WaterGirl: I got my feral cat neutered at 1 year. Too late. He is still furious about it ten years later.

    Things just don’t work like they used to.

  50. 50.

    eddie blake

    yeah. steph likes to name the cats after where they were rescued. sean casey’s is off of caton ave. so, catie for short.

    both of our cats were adopted from there. they also rescue a LOT of birds. consequently, both cats fluently speak bird. they trill. a lot.

  51. 51.

    CaseyL

    @WaterGirl: 

    Jeannie was a rescue with a fresh load of kittens; I got her spayed as soon as the kids were weaned.

    Oscar (her son) I waited until he was 6 months old because I wanted him to get as much growth and “boy-ness” as possible beforehand.

    I imagine dogs are kind of the same…?

  54. 54.

    BGinCHI

    @WaterGirl: Our first dog as a family, yes. I grew up with a wide array of hunting dogs and others.

    We have an excellent neighborhood vet.

    We heard 6 months too, though shelters all want 4 months.

  57. 57.

    Mary G

    My cats hate having their pictures taken, because when I first adopted them, they hid all day and only came out at night, so they associate the camera with a flash and turn their heads, close their eyes, or leave the room when they spot it.

  58. 58.

    BGinCHI

    @dexwood: Gonna do the same thing, but with a pen. Mrs. BG getting it now.

    Same idea, right? We can kind of already tell when he’s looking to be alone, a def sign that he wants to go.

    Thanks for this. We’re learning.

  68. 68.

    WaterGirl

    @middlelee: I don’t know my cat varieties.  Are tabbies always that color, or would a stripe-y orange cat also be a tabby?  My girl looks very similar to this, and she looked SO MUCH like an ocelot when she was young.

  70. 70.

    Aleta

    Finch lucked out!   Bear too!  catie too!

    @RedDirtGirl:   @eddie blake:   Is this true:  My friend saw a report that NYC shelters have few animals (dogs?  cats?  any animal?)  left because so many people are fostering.

    It’s nice to know of a good thing that’s happening despite this terrible thing.   To think about so many NYC animals enjoying some home foster time.

  71. 71.

    Sab

    My stepdaughter wants to dump a cat on me. I am quite fond of the cat. Except he is 4 with  a 15 year life expectancy. I am 66. So he will almostly certainly outlive me. Plus we are already vastly overstocked with cats. Sorry. He is such a good cat.

  72. 72.

    jl

    Thanks for cute pet pix. Very nice respite.

    I am officially unconditionally released from my home quarantine due to some respiratory illness or other. Pretty sure what I had was flu, but not totally sure. Been three days with no fever spikes. Most persistent and troublesome symptoms were runny  nose and inflamed sinuses. But a lot more chest discomfort for much less apparent reason than I remember with any cold or flu I’ve had before.

    Read a report that about 3 percent of covid-19 cases have similar syndrome and I freaked, and spent a day reading everything I could on cold vs flu vs covid-19. But I’m gonna act like it was flu and I’m still susceptible to covid-19 for reasons that should be all too obvious.

    Not commenting much since internet at home is extremely spotty. Fine for a day or half a day, and then almost nonexistent, whether I try my own connection or through work. Gotta use whatever I can get for remote work.

    Things still looking half way under control in most of California. Los Angeles a big question mark. When I look at the history of testing and good early control efforts, seems like OR, NM, MN, and to a lesser extent AL, also were on the pandemic very quickly, so will be interesting to see how they develop compared to other places that did not move rapidly. AL has a history of very aggressive public health department, but there were some odd stops and starts that may haunt them. Have to wonder if public health didn’t get adequate cooperation from their dominant political faction.

    Last week I did  a breakdown of density of confirmed cases by county. Nothing in California was even in the top 100, and California now ranking about 24 in density of confirmed cases per capita. And looking at patterns, California has managed to keep its epidemic down to separate outbreaks with good chance they can be kept separate and cut down individually. But in many places, small as well as large, not too extreme bad case is just as brutal as 1918 pandemic.

    Good luck to everyone.

  74. 74.

    TomatoQueen

    Oh welcome in new pups and kitties, be well and do well.

    Merlinus Ambrosius has shown some ninja tendencies lately, having to do with the irresistible character of Everybody’s feet, and that is Everybody, including our helper/caregiver who is 6 foot five and remarkably good-natured about most things. So we are learning about play, discipline, consistency, and “NO!”,  followed by long cuddle sessions. Today we’re running the Puppy Bowl marathon, which is soothing and helpful if a bit out of date–except for the adopt don’t shop message of course–in the face of Virginia’s full-on stay-the-fuck home order as of today. Worried, as our caregiver-helper is absolutely vital–we can’t function without and he is paid when he works–as to how this will be enforced. Eyes on pups and kittens.

  75. 75.

    middlelee

    @WaterGirl: I’m not sure but I suspect the orange guys might be.  But I want a black or brown tabby.  The orange guys are great–my vets have all said they are the nicest cats they care for.  Right now I have one orange (18 years and in kidney failure and doing just fine, thank you very much, which his vet thinks is amazing) and one black, 8 years.  Both males.  I’m ready for a female, too.

  77. 77.

    The Dangerman

    @WaterGirl:

    I’m not sure I even want to understand that reference!

    It was a Scaramucci quote about Steve’s … um … ponder … ponder … ponder … advanced yoga skills.

    I’ll leave y’all with a very cool site I found through another board I’ve been hanging at (it’s a Dodgers site; we are all in mourning). There is some deeeeeep though in some of this guy’s posts, way deeper than I need right now … still, funny as hell:

    Wait But Why

  78. 78.

    WereBear

    @BGinCHI:

    Any opinions on how long to wait until getting him neutered? Opinions vary widely, evidently.

     
    What breeds(s) is he? And do they develop any marked characteristics with puberty? There is a school of thought that if they do, they need the hormonal development.

    Dogs in restricted gene pools are the only ones studied, which leads to guessing.

    Then there’s the kind of dog who has what is known informally as “testosterone poisoning” where puberty brings the kind of wild behavior reminisced about in country songs. That can bring a decision quickly.

  80. 80.

    cckids

    I’m so wishing for another pet now. In 2014-18, we lost my dad, my son, my spouse’s best friend, our 18-year-loved dog, and both our boy cats. Also, moved from NV to WA; my spouse lost his business and has yet to find a job, 2 years later. Just a tsunami of loss and desperation.

    I’ve been cherishing our remaining cat; the empress Hermione, but she’s 17, and quite cranky about other animals. I don’t want to stress her out by getting another pet; she tolerated her brothers, but just barely. So I lavish love on my furry grandpets and trudge on. I really cannot imagine not having a pet in my life.

  81. 81.

    BGinCHI

    @WereBear: Mother a blue heeler, father ? Maybe a Blue Tick?

    His litter mates have a lot of white/gray marl. He’s the only black one….

  83. 83.

    WereBear

    @BGinCHI: I wrote a post that might help:

    Cats and Hormones and Behavior

    which is about cats, but has a lot of links to dog info.

    Basically, no hurry unless he has behavior issues, which was the classic view. Rescue changed it to curb population growth; and I’d say it’s done very well at that. My last three rescues were ferals; and there never used to be room for them.

    Also, my favorite way of housebreaking is to put the dog on the leash, the leash stuff into my pocket, and basically be alert to their own “gotta go” behavior. Then hustle them outside at the first sniff and squat, and do the praise thing.

    My record is a Newfie mix, who took two days.

  84. 84.

    raven

    I went and got meds for the dogs today. I ordered and paid on the phone and they brought them out. On one hand we have even more time to devote to them now (as if our entire lives for 15 years haven’t been about that) on the other hand it brings their advanced age even more into focus. I stopped taking Lil Bit on the buggy rides because it’s too crowded for both of them and I don’t think she really enjoys it anyway. Bohdi still wants to go ANYWHERE and always so that’s a decent sign. He’s also increasingly obsessed with treats and seems uncomfortable as the day wears on. When we watch the tube in the evening he is up and downs seeming to want us to go to bed. Part of that ritual is that he gets treats so I’m not really sure what’s what.

  85. 85.

    WaterGirl

    @middlelee: Interesting.  Glad your 18-year-old is doing so well!

    My girl kitty (Willow) is very different than her sibling brother, Bear.  She is so maternal and nurturing!  When my pup was little, he always wanted to play with Bear, and sometimes Bear was not pleased.

    Willow would step in and take the side of the baby pup, over her own brother.  Sweet, sweet girl.

  86. 86.

    WereBear

    @BGinCHI: He’s got a very serious look. And hybrid vigor! Hounds in general are independent minded. They have a mission, and by golly they are going to complete it. Like an action hero :)

    So he might have strong Will to Power, like my malamute/collie mix. He was willing to take orders from me, except when it came to security issues, like who to let in. He had the soul of a Sheriff. :)

  88. 88.

    JeanneT

    @BGinCHI:  I hang around with people who do active sports with their dogs, and for larger dogs they are recommending waiting until dog is full grown after puberty to neuter, so that all the growth plates on the joints are closed (sex hormones influence that process).   Miniature and small dog breeds mature more quickly, and reach their full growth earlier.  I had my 20 pound dog neutered at 9 months, and he’s had very good joint health, and so far none of the health issues that sometimes are associated with later neutering.

  89. 89.

    WaterGirl

    @cckids: Holy cow, just reading your first paragraph makes me feel a bit desperate, and it wasn’t even me going through that.  I am so sorry to hear about all that loss.

    No humans involved, but several years ago I lost 4 beloved pets within 2 years, and it soon became clear that loss isn’t additive, it’s exponential.

    I understand your reluctance to upset the applecart, but I’m not sure it’s wise to leave yourself in the position of having NO pets at any point, even for awhile.  I would be interested to see what WereBear has to say on the subject of an older cat.

    Even so, you know yourself, so you are the best judge.

  92. 92.

    Michael

    This may go without saying to the humans of those pictured dogs, but anyway:

    My dog got to sleep with me and was free to use whatever comfy chair or spot of sunlight or wherever she wanted for lounging. Eighteen pounds and short hair, so not a lot of hair on stuff (just a little everywhere). She was adopted at an extremely young age as the last puppy being given away by some kids in front of Safeway. She lived a long (20+ years) and happy life. We usually lived with one or more other humans who had varying schedules and all liked her and she liked them. Most of the time, another dog or cat in the house, or both. Never did the crate training thing. Seemed like a pretty good dog’s life.

    Anyway, after some years I got her a doggie bed. I also had a piece of furniture it and her fit under, making it more sheltered. SHE LOVED IT. Who knew?

    So get a doggie bed in any circumstance if you haven’t already. In other news, knotting up a few worn crew socks together makes an excellent not to mention free doggie toy. Of course unnatural selection over the centuries means that different dogs with different heredities have very different interests and behaviors, despite their common dogginess.

  93. 93.

    WaterGirl

    @raven:

    …in the evening he is up and downs seeming to want us to go to bed.

    I remember that phase with my cocker spaniel.  he wanted something from me but I didn’t know what.  treats?   nice, but not what he wanted?  attention?  nice, but not what he wanted.

    i remember feeling like a terrible person, because one night i had tried everything i could think of, and finally shouted “what do you want from me?”  fortunately, he was mostly deaf so he didn’t know I was yelling.  I still felt terrible.

  94. 94.

    WereBear

    I am pleased to report Bud and Lou, while approaching teen cat, are not there yet, somehow.

    It pleases me that we are all enjoying a prolonged goofball stage. On the other hand, this extended development period means they might wind up the size of actual pumas.

  96. 96.

    J R in WV

    Our newer puppies came to us about 9 months old, 45 pounds, tall lean houndish dogs, 1/4 great pyranees — 1/4 lab mix, 1/2 australian cattle dog.

    They were never indoors before coming to us, and never needed any toilet training at all. It took a while for them to learn to tell us they wanted out, and more to let us know they wanted back in. But only one urinary accident, male puppy was being kept in to keep him away from outdoors work going on, got agitated, began to pee. My fault for not picking up on the different behavior.

    Didn’t give him a hard time, just let him outside, toweled up the puddle.

    If you have a grown up dog when you get a pup, the older dog will do a lot of training for you. We are fortunate that we can just turn our dogs out into the woods, they have miles of wooded hillsides to roam, and have learned to stay close enough to get home in time for dinner.

    The pups are adorable !! of course, so is the older white lab mix dog, now about 80 pounds of lovable. Very much senior dog now.

    Thank you to everyone who has rescued a pet, they need our help so very much. All our pets have been rescues or neighborly adoptions….

  97. 97.

    cckids

    @WaterGirl: Thank you, I’m very very tempted to just grab my neighbor’s cat; they just leave her out to roam around, with very little food/shelter. She is always at our back door wanting in. Just seeing her through the glass sends Hermione into screeching fits, though.

    So far, I’ve restrained myself to giving her (neighbor’s cat) food whenever possible. Also, she knows she can shelter under our back deck. People just suck sometimes.

  98. 98.

    WaterGirl

    @raven: That’s good.  What I described was during the “having to get up 2-3 times a night to let him out” phase.

    It’s no wonder I was frustrated, I didn’t get a full night’s sleep for the last year.  But I loved him so much that it was worth it.

  99. 99.

    cckids

    @raven:When we watch the tube in the evening he is up and downs seeming to want us to go to bed.

    Our pomeranian, Pixie, used to, at 10 p.m., go upstairs (where the bedroom was) and bark at us – essentially telling us that it was bedtime. If we declined to come up, he’d give that little “whuff” of disgust and rejoin us on the couch. But he had firm ideas about late nights. Even though he napped approximately 15 hours a day.

  102. 102.

    WereBear

    @cckids: What you are able to do means a lot.

    And yet, if you went to them and asked for the cat formally, they would get all worked up about how “it’s THEIR cat.”

  106. 106.

    Di

    @narya: Are you me? I lost my cat almost 4 years ago and haven’t been in a place to get some new cats until now. Even so, I’ve been putting off until my kitchen remodel, which was supposed to start sometime this spring. Now it looks like maybe this summer – hopefully. So cats may have to wait until fall. The apocalypse would be so much more fun with cats.

  110. 110.

    Nicole

    @WaterGirl: 

    I think I’ve also been terrible about giving my dog long walks prior to this and now that I have the time, she’s a little out-of-shape. ;)

  112. 112.

    PenAndKey

    @WaterGirl:I laughed.  Was that wrong?

    Not even a little bit :) Everyone has to find things to laugh about these days, so that’s as good a reason as any. And yeah, if we were having our first two weeks from now I’d be a neurotic mess. At least our local hospital is still, so far, not facing high case counts. Though with two more weeks to go we’ll see how things stand then. I figure if they still let me into the hospital with her I’ll consider it a win.

  115. 115.

    MomSense

    @WaterGirl:

    @BGinCHI:

    I’m feeling a little better today.  No fever, but still a headache and very fatigued.  I folded half a load of laundry and then had to lie down – which is weird for me.  I’m sticking to my room for awhile.  Kids are bringing food and drinks.

  120. 120.

    satby

    @BGinCHI: they can be neutered anytime after 8 weeks or so. As long as his testes have dropped. Our spay/neuter group tends to do it at about 12 weeks because they can get the rabies vaccine at the same time.

  121. 121.

    WaterGirl

    From satby:

    This sweet pup was rescued by my son Pat’s girlfriend Holly down in Lexington. The puppy was tied to a tree with a “free dog” sign, she immediately snatched him up. He’s settling into the family well and is very bonded to his big brother lab.

    Thank heavens Holly went by that tree when she did. People suck.
    New Friends for Tough Times 3
  124. 124.

    satby

    @cckids: You’ve had so much heartache! And now this essential dread we all have to live with. Big virtual hugs of support. Let Hermione have her reign as the queen, and when you’re ready another furry soul will be ready for you to save.

  126. 126.

    satby

    @WaterGirl: thanks! Both my kids are rescuers, but not at their nutty mom’s level. Pat also has a cat he found in a junkyard as a bottle baby, and my oldest has a pittie pup that was running loose in the neighborhood. He asked around and put up signs but no one claimed it, so he kept it.

  129. 129.

    satby

    @MomSense: I was feeling that way for the last week. I was blaming it on the cold medicine just so my family wouldn’t worry. No fever, no trouble breathing, but exhausted from nothing, headache for days, achy, and constantly congested. Today is the first day I’ve felt like I didn’t need a nap.

  132. 132.

    catclub

    @MomSense: 

    I had a low fever yesterday, but it didn’t last. This whole thing is nuts.

    I have been convinced repeatedly, since about march 1, that I am catching a cold. It is just allergies.
    So far….

  134. 134.

    MomSense

    @catclub:

    Someone did a version of Bohemian Rhapsody except about Covid.

    Is this a sore throat

    is this just allergies

    caught in a lockdown

    no escape from reality

    don’t touch your eyes

    just hand sanitize quickly

    I’m just a poor boy, no job security

    Because of easy spread even though

    Wash your hands, laying low

    I look out the window, the curve

    doesn’t look flatter to me, to me

  140. 140.

    Ben Cisco

    My grandmother, my last surviving grandparent, died one week ago today. Non-COVID; she just ran out of time.

    We buried her a little over 24 hours later. And when I say “we” I actually mean “a few members of the family” b/c of CDC guidelines on gatherings as well as funeral home skittishness with being around both the living and the dead. Our governor hasn’t seen fit to issue a shelter in place order, but there are those of us here who see what is going on around us and are reacting accordingly.

    It’s very odd to lay someone to rest with ten people in attendance when it would easily have been twenty times that; everyone understands the circumstances but personally I’m PISSED. Not about her being gone; she got nearly a century on this rock and I have no beef about that. I just wonder how many other people have gone/will go through this that perhaps didn’t have to because of the weaponized ignorance we’re currently living under in this country. The hatred of everything and anything connected to PBO has gotten and sadly will continue to get people KILLED. I for one would love to see some light at the end of this particular tunnel.

  144. 144.

    satby

    @Ben Cisco: condolences Ben, no matter how old they are, we’re never quite ready to say goodbye. Maybe later you can have the kind of memorial for her that would have been the family choice had this pandemic not occurred. May her memory be a blessing.

  147. 147.

    satby

    @catclub: I know, I don’t want to be overly focussed on what’s probably just a allergy/slight cold maybe, but I also don’t want to miss any signs I should pay attention to.

  151. 151.

    BGinCHI

    @Ben Cisco: Damn. Sorry to hear it. The losses are rolling in, and (if this makes sense) hitting extra hard because we’re all hunkered down and anxious.

  155. 155.

    Aleta

    @Ben Cisco: I’m very sorry for your loss and that her people are unable to gather to mourn in one place.   I’ve been thinking a  lot about the cruelty you describe.  Especially of people who are left alone after a death and can’t even be visited or share grief with others.

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