Posts by Jonah

My boss wants me to come back to work, but I haven’t been allowed to because no one can with any cold or flu symptoms. I’ve had a sore throat and a runny nose every morning. Maybe I always do and I have never really thought about much it. So my boss talked to the COO, and he told me he got a waiver yesterday for me to come back to work as long as my primary care provider doesn’t think I shouldn’t. Since I don’t know what my PCP thinks, I called my doctor’s office, but the phones were down until 4 p.m. I finally got through and talked to an RN, who said I should just get tested for COVID-19. She said she could put in for an order, but it would probably just be faster if I went to a local testing center.

Teller County offers testing to residents, but not until Wednesday. So I drove down to Memorial Central this morning and waited in a line of cars until it was my turn. One person took down my name, birth date, and info on my insurance card. At Memorial, testing is free even if you don’t have insurance. Another person told me to pull forward into a tent erected in an extra parking lot. Then Grace, wearing full protective gear, came up to my open car window and told me to take off my mask. I had heard that getting tested is pretty terrible, that it feels like someone is jabbing a Q-tip up your nose all the way to your brain. But Grace was very gentle. She slowly stuck a swab up one nostril, stopping right before it ran into anything. She swirled it around for ten seconds, then pulled it out and did the other nostril with the same precision, stopping right before it jabbed into anything. It did make my eyes water and make me feel like I was about to uncontrollably sneeze. But I didn’t, and then she was finished. She stuck my swab in a tube and told me I was all done.

They say I should get my results within 72 hours. Of course, the results will just say if I currently have COVID-19. It won’t tell me if I had it.

I spent this weekend working as a corner marshal. That meant I wore a long sleeve white shirt, tan pants (I need to get some white ones), and stood all day in 99° heat in La Junta waving flags at cars.

In exchange for my service, I get to camp in a parking lot. We were awoken at 6 a.m. on Thursday by the sound of bulldozing concrete.

At one point a car’s engine blew up on the track, leaving a giant track of oil. We had to go out and pour floor-dry on the oil and sweep it off the track. No one wants to race on a track slick with oil. Then another car’s engine blew up on the track. I was watching it happen. A Volkswagen Beetle in full Herbie colors started smoking profusely and pulled off into the paddock. He left behind another giant trail of oil. As we were sweeping, I mentioned that the situation reminded me of that scene in Cool Hand Luke. Someone laughed and said, “Calling it your job don’t make it right, Boss.”

We ate at a restaurant on Friday and Saturday night, which is the first time we’ve been in a restaurant since March 11. The restaurants have every other table without chairs, and I think you’re supposed to wear masks until you’re seated. The first night we went to Boss Hog’gs, which has a $14.99 steak special but, more importantly, ice cold AmberBock on tap. The second night we went to the Mexico City Cafe. All the dishes there come with beans and vermicelli. The vermicelli tasted like spaghetti with Rotel. Is this a Mexican thing?

Berck came in second to last in all his races, but he completed them all, and didn’t run off the track! Well, in the last race, his fellow Formula Vee drivers Andy and Eric let him get in front of them, even though they’re faster. Eric tried to pull in front of Berck right before the checked flag, but Berck said he took his last corner so well that he finished in front of Eric anyway.

On Saturday, some clouds mercifully rolled in, but right after the racing had ended for the day and I’d cracked open a beer, we were hit by an intense haboob. The wind was so intense that the only thing keeping the porto-potties flying away was the cable holding them to the ground, but that didn’t keep them from becoming airborne and turning sideways in the air.

Our tent and sheets were full of dirt. Then it started raining. Berck got on the phone and got us a motel room for our last night. Also we had showers. There wasn’t any hot water, but I wanted a cold shower anyway because I was so hot.

This race wasn’t supposed to happen. The first Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing race of the year scheduled for May got cancelled. The second one was supposed to be in Pueblo last weekend, but the city of Pueblo hadn’t allowed the racetrack there to open yet. But at the last minutes this race in La Junta got scheduled. Unfortunately, even though we got three inches of snow at our house in Divide on Tuesday, it is already full-on summer in La Junta.

The organizers cut all the races for today short, and I didn’t hear anyone complaining. We were glad to finally get out of the heat. Berck’s run group was first, so he was almost done packing everything up by the time I was done for the day. We had time to stop by Lucy’s Tacos one more time before leaving town, and I got a giant ice filled horchata for the ride home.

I tried to wear a mask and stay apart from people in the volunteer meetings. But it was really nice to do something fun after being at our house for so long. More photos here.

We stop shaking hands.  (This was always a huge disease spreader for things like the common cold.)

We work from home more.

We go on fewer business trips.

We treat medical professionals, grocery store workers, delivery drivers, and truckers like heroes.

We make more home cooked meals.

We garden more.

We do things that are inconvenient for ourselves to try to protect the most vulnerable among us.

We reach out to our friends and loved ones more, even if we can’t do it in person.

There are more science stories on social media.

Dogs get to go on more walks.

Parents are more involved in their children’s education. 

There are fewer people in movie theaters and more people reading books.

There are fewer people watching sports and more people playing board games together.

“Stay safe” replaces “Have a good one”.

No paywalls for important news.

The feeling that we’re all in this together.

Delivery cocktails.

Dear Ian,

Happy 16th birthday! I bought you a present, but I got an e-mail today from Amazon saying that they had tried to deliver your package to your PO box but that they couldn’t because there was no one there to sign for it.  I kind of think they’re not being quite truthful with me, but who knows these days.  At least I tried. I should be able to get it to you eventually. 

Uncle Berck and I are both working from home, which we can both do as long as we have our computers and the Internet. There are only two people working in my normal work office, and I offered to come in so that one of them can work from home but I was told they didn’t want that because I have a sore throat.  My throat has been slightly sore for the last two and a half weeks.  I’ve been happy to keep working.  I’m one of the best people at what I do in the state of Colorado, which I’m pretty proud of.

To see if he has a fever, Uncle Berck has been checking his temperature regularly with the kind of thermometer that you rub against your forehead.  He’ll do it about five times in a row, and each time it says a different temperature.  Then he comes over to me and interrupts whatever I’m doing and rubs it on my forehead. Each time he looks at he display and says, “Hmmm.”  I’m not sure this thermometer works all that well.  But we feel fine for the most part.

One of our favorite restaurants just closed. King’s Chef Diner served massive portions of delicious, greasy food topped with spicy green chili. They were always packed on weekends.  After all the restaurants were ordered closed, they tried to stay open for take-out only, but they announced last week they were closing.  I hope they aren’t closed for good.  I worry they are closed for good.

Three days ago a country singer named Joe Diffie died of the virus.  He had a song in the 1990’s that I liked called “Third Rock from the Sun”.  He was 62.  Today a member of a band I really like called Fountains of Wayne died of the virus.  He was 52.  That’s just six years older than I am, and a lot younger than Nana and Pop. A lot of people have died of the virus, but for some reason this particular one made me really sad.

Uncle Berck decided we should hole up in our house the day after your mom and dad decided to. I did the day after that.  It turns out that was a wise decision. 

I know this situation won’t last forever, and I hope this is the only year you don’t get to have a real birthday party.  I’ve been trying to keep positive.  I know from history that most of us will make it through this OK and we’ll collectively celebrate our victory one day.  But history also seems to indicate this crisis won’t be over anytime soon.  

Well, after writing this, I guess I won’t send it to you.  Birthdays are supposed to be happy occasions, and I can’t seem to write about anything today except how sad I am. Maybe I’ll go read some articles people have been publishing about how it’s OK to grieve in these times. 

Again, have a happy birthday, and I’ll see what I can figure out what’s going on with Amazon.  Maybe they’re too busy delivering hand sanitizer, which I guess is OK with me.

Love, 

Aunt Joanna