[Note: this post was published in early May, but I made a change in the font size...I'll post something new soon!]
It has been a long time since last I posted any genealogy. Life just gets in the way...it's a good life.
This post, though, finds us "sheltering-in-place" at the request of California Governor Gavin Newsom and our Yolo County leaders due to the Covid-19 coronavirus which erupted in December 2019 (?) or January 2020--no one is quite sure. We find ourselves in a pandemic. We are seniors (age 72 and 79), so we are the vulnerable ones and need to stay at home. Although the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced in January that masks for other than medical personnel was not necessary, they have changed their tune in the last two weeks. Currently we are required to wear masks when in public places. Grocery and other "essential" business personnel are also mandated to wear masks. Seems like a good idea to me.
Since approximately mid-March (7 weeks), it has been an eerie, awkward, sometimes stressful situation. I either go early to shop for our groceries (the senior hours) or purchase our items online and have them delivered. I then wipe them down with antivirus wipes or Lysol before shelving them. No restaurants are open at present, though some are offering curb side pickup. Traffic on the freeways has lessened dramatically because working commuters no longer go to an office or workplace. Many work from home, but MANY are no longer working at all.
The economy has taken a drastic dive and unemployment has hit an all time low--previous to this pandemic, our unemployment was at an all time low and our economy at a record high.
Having time to pause for awhile, Glen and I are playing games (Rumikub), taking walks where few or no people will brush by us, eating every meal at home, and talking to friends and family by phone or the various face-to-face options, FaceTime or Zoom. If only I had stock in Zoom. Zoom stock just blew up these past few months as a way to keep in touch.
The pause in life as we knew it has had some pluses; we see more families walking or biking together--no playgrounds or beaches are open in California these past few weeks. Glen and I have had time to review paperwork and finalize our estate plan. Gas is down to approximately $2.45/gallon--it was previously at a high of almost $4. But...we can't drive anywhere; there are no restaurants, motels, parks, etc. to travel to.
We've missed our visits with our granddaughter, Annika and Thor and Erika...and Nancy and John...and Dylan (we had to cancel a planned trip to Arizona to see him in later March). Everyone is anxious to get back to normal, but we're not sure what normal will be.
Over the past few weeks, I have been in touch with a cousin who grew up in the town of Yolo, Susie Gorman. She and I are both named after Susan Gorman Murphy (seen elsewhere in this blog). We had not really met each other in the past, but have reacquainted recently by telephone and text. She has shared photos of her grandparents, and I have shared mine with her.
Both of our grandmothers died as a result of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic! They were sisters-in-law. Their photos and newspaper clippings about their deaths follow.
This post, though, finds us "sheltering-in-place" at the request of California Governor Gavin Newsom and our Yolo County leaders due to the Covid-19 coronavirus which erupted in December 2019 (?) or January 2020--no one is quite sure. We find ourselves in a pandemic. We are seniors (age 72 and 79), so we are the vulnerable ones and need to stay at home. Although the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced in January that masks for other than medical personnel was not necessary, they have changed their tune in the last two weeks. Currently we are required to wear masks when in public places. Grocery and other "essential" business personnel are also mandated to wear masks. Seems like a good idea to me.
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| Susan Daily Torguson APR 2020 |
Since approximately mid-March (7 weeks), it has been an eerie, awkward, sometimes stressful situation. I either go early to shop for our groceries (the senior hours) or purchase our items online and have them delivered. I then wipe them down with antivirus wipes or Lysol before shelving them. No restaurants are open at present, though some are offering curb side pickup. Traffic on the freeways has lessened dramatically because working commuters no longer go to an office or workplace. Many work from home, but MANY are no longer working at all.
The economy has taken a drastic dive and unemployment has hit an all time low--previous to this pandemic, our unemployment was at an all time low and our economy at a record high.
Having time to pause for awhile, Glen and I are playing games (Rumikub), taking walks where few or no people will brush by us, eating every meal at home, and talking to friends and family by phone or the various face-to-face options, FaceTime or Zoom. If only I had stock in Zoom. Zoom stock just blew up these past few months as a way to keep in touch.
The pause in life as we knew it has had some pluses; we see more families walking or biking together--no playgrounds or beaches are open in California these past few weeks. Glen and I have had time to review paperwork and finalize our estate plan. Gas is down to approximately $2.45/gallon--it was previously at a high of almost $4. But...we can't drive anywhere; there are no restaurants, motels, parks, etc. to travel to.
We've missed our visits with our granddaughter, Annika and Thor and Erika...and Nancy and John...and Dylan (we had to cancel a planned trip to Arizona to see him in later March). Everyone is anxious to get back to normal, but we're not sure what normal will be.
Over the past few weeks, I have been in touch with a cousin who grew up in the town of Yolo, Susie Gorman. She and I are both named after Susan Gorman Murphy (seen elsewhere in this blog). We had not really met each other in the past, but have reacquainted recently by telephone and text. She has shared photos of her grandparents, and I have shared mine with her.
Both of our grandmothers died as a result of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic! They were sisters-in-law. Their photos and newspaper clippings about their deaths follow.
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| Josephine Aigner Gorman (11 May 1878-3 Feb 1920) |
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| Woodland Daily Democrat 4 FEB 1920 |
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| Woodland Daily Democrat 17 FEB 1920 |
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| Alice McManus Gorman (1 Oct 1881-29 Jan 1919) |
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| The Mail of Woodland 30 JAN 1919 |
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| Woodland Daily Democrat 1 FEB 1919 |
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| Woodland Daily Democrat 30 JAN 1919 |
Very sad to read this - it must have been a difficult time for your family.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it was; my Mom often spoke about being orphaned at an early age. Thanks for your interest in reading this, Susan.
ReplyDelete