Spring unfolds in spite of pandemic

We made it through Easter. There were no bunnies except the ones that live in our yard. I may be mistaken but there might be enough of them out there to put on a production of “Watership Down.” If they are short on performers, the squirrels could lend a hand, or paw.

Our chipmunk seems to be back. I am hoping that by the time you read this that the critter will have been relocated to a galaxy far, far away. We bought him a nice cage/trap. So far, there is no indication that he has explored it.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who is tired of staying home. This pandemic has frightened us to the point that we are mostly doing what we are told. We wash our hands incessantly. We spray disinfectant and sanitizer everywhere. We are told to keep our distance from other people. We search in vain for toilet paper and surprisingly, yeast. I didn’t realize so many people baked goods requiring the packets of barely alive yeast.

In addition to all the stories of people dying from the rampaging virus there are other stories. There seems to be a shortage of masks and other personal protective equipment. As a result, everyday people are making masks on their own. From what I can tell, the handmade masks may or may not be of the same quality as the official ones, but it is better than nothing. Every little bit helps. Creating masks gives people something to do besides washing their hands and staying home.

If you look hard enough you will find many stories that bring reassurance and joy to your heart. The canals in Venice are clearing up and dolphins are exploring the clearer water. Truck drivers are able to deliver their loads quicker because of the reduced traffic on the highways. People are checking on their neighbors. 

Schools are giving away lunches and breakfasts. Businesses are finding creative ways to keep their customers while minimizing the threat of spreading the virus that has touched every country in the world.   

There are those of us who have loved ones in the medical business. We worry about them, be they doctors, nurses, techs, housekeeping, or any other of the myriad people we rely on when we are sick. 

My daughter, the nurse, works in the Emergency Department. She has resigned herself to the notion that she will probably catch the virus. We both hope that she is wrong.  If and when she does catch it we hope it is a mild case that quickly resolves itself.

 The statistics change day to day and sometimes hour to hour. Most people survive. Some do not. So far, there is no reliable vaccine. The scientists are working on a cure, but I think that by the time a cure is found that this virus will have mutated into something even more deadly.

In the non-human world things are looking up. Plants and animals are going about their business like always. Daffodils the color of the sun and other spring flowers have begun their annual show. Trees are covered with blooms or tiny lime green leaves. Critters have shaken off the winter and are setting out to find food, shelter and a safe place to raise their babies. They know nothing of the pandemic that permeates our lives. 

I trust that by this time next year we will once again be encouraged to travel and to get together as often as possible. The pandemic will have gone down in the history books. Oh, I also hope that we have finally caught and relocated our resident chipmunk.