HAVE ROAD RAGE DEATHS INCREASED?

A man was shot to death in my Indiana city yesterday. It happened in a Kroger parking lot at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Reportedly, it was a case of road rage. Strange as it may seem, another road rage fatality took place at approximately the same time in Laurel County, Ky. Our town is relatively peaceful. Most serious crimes are drug related. This is the first crime of its kind that I can remember happening here. Have road rage deaths increased during the pandemic?

The stress of covid-19 may trigger more homicides due to Road Rage — Have Road Rage deaths increased? Two similar shootings occurred Tuesday afternoon in neighboring states.

Statistics on covid-19 cases and deaths are updated every day. It would be interesting to publish a separate set of stats on crimes caused by the stress of the entire pandemic. According to National Public Radio, robberies have declined overall during the pandemic, but shootings and killings are up.

The BBC reports domestic abuse has increased by 20% worldwide. Child abuse cases have increased at about the same rate. According to the National Sexual Assault Hotline, there has been a 22% increase in monthly calls from people younger than 18. In the majority of these cases, the perpetrator was a family member, and the abuse was escalating in frequency and severity.

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll, showed more than half of Americans — 56% –reported that worry or stress related to the outbreak has led to at least one negative mental health effect. Those include trouble with eating or sleeping, drinking alcohol more, frequent headaches or stomachaches, shorter tempers, and other health problems. Among frontline health care workers and their families, 64% reported worsened mental health, as did 65% of those who had lost income.

Consequently, at some point in time, we’ll have to decide which is worse? The disease itself, or increased violent crime, poverty, nervous breakdowns, drug overdoses, and all of the other miseries of a prolonged quarantine.

We’re in the midst of a national mental health crisis. Will the the stress of the covid-19 pandemic lead to more cases of road rage? I have to believe that it will.

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020

What Strip Clubs & Churches Have In Common

Last weekend, about 17 people at a local “Gentlemen’s Club” came down with covid-19. Contact tracing was pretty tough. Most people who go to such places don’t advertise their names. And some wouldn’t want family and friends to know they were there. On the other hand, it’s easy to contact trace churchgoers who’ve contracted covid-19. Nothing to be ashamed about when attending church. And yet, these two places have the same problem. They’re currently among the worst places for catching covid-19. What do strip clubs and churches have in common?

For starters, both are high intensity, emotionally charged atmospheres. If you’re attending crowded church services or going to a strip club during the pandemic, there’s a feverish quality about it. You’re throwing caution to the wind in pursuit of your passions or beliefs.

Consequently, religious services and choirs have been cited as clusters of spread of the coronavirus, A study published by the CDC  on May 22 shows how the covid-19 can spread in a church setting. Among 92 people who attended a rural Arkansas church, 35 people developed covid-19 infections and three people died. 26 more cases linked to the church occurred in the surrounding community, and one person died.

A crowded church service is one of the most deadly places to be . The combination of singing in close quarters and decreased ventilation is like a petri dish for viral growth.

Department of Health and Human Services officials say that entertainment facilities run the same risk of bringing large groups of people together for an extended time. In addition, social distancing is likely to fall by the wayside when alcohol is consumed. Like some fundamentalist churches, strip clubs also require yelling over loud music and singing, meaning the risk of transmitting COVID-19 is higher.

Like it or not, attending churches or going to strip clubs during this pandemic is risky.

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

7 THINGS COVID-19 CAN’T STOP

The pandemic has turned our lives upside down. The things we took for granted have been taken away, and we wonder if life will ever be normal again. But here are seven things Covid-19 can’t stop.

1. Kids growing taller. They may be in lock down, missing school and sports, but they’re still growing, in spite of the pandemic. My youngest grandson grew 5 inches in 5 months.

covid-19 can't stop the rain and bumper crops — 7 things covid-19 can’t stop: One of them is rain, resulting in bumper crops of corn.

2. Rain: It’s going to rain when it wants to, and the virus can’t stop it. This year, Hoosier farmers are looking at bumper crops due to the sudden abundance of rain that fell last week.

3. Live Births: Just look at the vital statistics in our local newspaper, you can see that babies are still being born every single day of the week, and every hour of the day, I have no doubt that those who survive this virus will never face another covid-19 scare, because by the time they’re in school, we’ll have a vaccine. Just like we wiped out polio

4. Weddings. They may be postponed or scaled down, but people still want to get married. Look at Princess Beatrice of England. The good thing is that smaller weddings result in far less expense.

5. Home building. New homes are going up all over town. And they’e selling like hot cakes. I saw construction workers outside starting in early March. In our city, entire new sub divisions are sprouting up .

6. Making love. Condom sales have skyrocked all over the world. It makes sense. Couples are locked down together, with much more free time.

7. The beauty of nature. Sunrises and sunsets. Verdant landscapes. Mountains. Waterfalls. Oceans, lakes, rivers and creeks. Because industries and businesses have closed down, there is a sudden drop in carbon emissions, which means covid-19 has been good for the environment. As an example, levels of pollution have been reduced by 50% in places like New York City.

Life goes on…

July 24, 2020July 23, 2020

LIBRARY IS THE SAFEST PLACE

We haven’t eaten in a restaurant for four months. Took one trip to the doctor in Indy. Have seen a few family members. It’s a pretty dull situation when going to the grocery store is the highlight of your week. Thanks to the pandemic, life has become rather boring for those of us who aren’t in panic mode. The local library was one of the last places allowed to open, way after bars, restaurants and hair salons. Which seems odd, because our local library appears to be the safest place in town.

While they were closed, you could still order books for curbside delivery while you waited outside in your car. All returned books were “quarantined” for several days before going back in circulation. I think they’re still doing that.

When the public library finally opened a couple of weeks ago, I barely recognized the interior. All personnel wore masks. Strangely enough, it was nearly empty of patrons. Maybe four or five at any given time. You have to wonder why people would feel comfortable in bars and restaurants, but not in the library, which is spacious, modern, and has good air circulation.

Library is the safest place. Computers are spaced far apart. — Books are quarantined, and computers are spaced far apart. Library is the safest place.

They’ve made a lot of changes. There used to be about 25 computers for use. People sitting close together while tapping away. The keys were often greasy. Now, they have fewer computers which are cleaned between use. Time is limited to one hour. Free masks are provided, but not mandatory.

The biggest and most important changes are about the furniture. They’ve removed all the upholstered furniture, and large tables. Only a few stiff metal chairs and a couple of small metal tables are available. Why is this important? Because we no longer have people hanging out in the library. There’s no place to sit or lounge for hours on end. If you think that’s cruel, , let me add that a local not-for profit has opened a homeless shelter. Here, the homeless can shower, rest, and get counseling as to ways to get off the streets. This is a much needed alternative to spending the day in the library and washing your hair in the toilet. It’s a win win situation for everyone.

If you do take the risk of going to the library, you have another nice surprise in store. The best seller shelves are full of brand new books. You have lots more to pick from, even in the large print section.

Are you tired of sitting at home, playing computer games and cleaning your house? Take a trip to the library.. It’s the safest place.

July 22, 2020July 22, 2020

FIND NORMALCY IN THE WATER

Everyone’s longing for that elusive state of being called normalcy. The dictionary defines normal as natural, orderly, ordinary, regular, routine, traditional, typical or commonplace. Because of Covid-19, our lives haven’t been normal since social distancing began in March. Nothing is like it used to be. Except for water, which is all of the above. If you can find a creek, lake, river, ocean or pool that’s open this summer, go for it. Find normalcy in the water.

I fell in love with water as a child on my grandpa’s farm. There was a wide, cool creek In the woods beyond the cornfields. You don’t think of a creek as a good place to swim, but if you’re a little kid, it comes up to your neck in spots. It’s a safe place to stand, play, splash, and maybe learn to swim.

One of the best things about water aerobics or swimming as an adult, is the camaraderie with fellow aquaphiles. Water is the great equalizer. You can be young, old, crippled, rich or poor, but once we’re in the pool, we’re all the same. Consequently, you don’t have to dress up, wear makeup, or worry about your body type. And one of the best things is socializing with like minded individuals.

If you’re involved with water at a community pool, you may have become acquainted with the others who are there when you are. As a result, you end up talking to each other. Race, color, educational status and social class are forgotten. At first, someone starts talking about their dog. Or maybe a new recipe. Once a topic is introduced, others feel free to drift over and chime in. However, If you tire of the conversation, you can swim away at any time, and no one cares.

After you get to know some of the regulars, the conversations might become more serious. Trouble with relationships. Surgeries, Depression. Worries and fears. Anger about some injustice.

We’ve missed those relaxing times in the water during the pandemic. All the pools were closed. Lately, our YMCA has slowly opened up, allowing only a limited number in the pool at any one time. Yes, we social distance, but we can still talk to one another while six feet apart. For the first time in a great while, we can find normalcy in the water..

July 19, 2020July 19, 2020

THE RETURN OF THE BOBBY PIN

Believe it or not, once upon a time, young women cut their own hair. Back in the early twentieth century, beauty parlors were mostly places where older women got permanents and manicures. Rollers hadn’t been invented, nor had the curling iron come into common use. Girls not only cut their own hair, but “put it up” at night. For long hair, kid curlers or rags would produce curls that bounced on your shoulders. Short hair required pin curls. Now that most of us are afraid to go to hair salons, many are reverting to old fashioned hair styling methods. It’s the return of the bobby pin.

The most important thing about curling hair with rags or bobby pins is that it be done with damp hair. You can’t get any lasting curls if your hair is dry. What you do is dampen a strand of hair slightly before making the pin curl., and let it dry overnight. That way, the resulting curl will last through the next day.

Now that women are doing their own hair it's the return of the bobby pin. — During the pandemic, we had to cut and curl our own hair. It’s the return of the bobby pin.

We used to wonder what we would do when we got married. Going to bed with pin curls wouldn’t be romantic, would it? That was before the time when unmarried boys and girls spent the night together. So, you could slather your face with cold cream, put your hair up in rags or pin curls, and maybe even cover your head with a hairnet so the curls would stay in. No boyfriend would ever see that version of you.

If you look at old pictures, you can see that most women had “flat “ hair, with a middle or side part. No one had ever heard of teasing or blow drying. That all changed in the late fifties when short hair came in style. A pixie cut required a trip to the beauty shop. Often, you didn’t curl it at all. In the sixties and seventies long hair returned, and that’s when hot and cold rollers came into use. They were pretty uncomfortable if you were trying to sleep, but most young women managed to do it anyway.

So here we are during the pandemic of 2019-2020. If you’re afraid to go to the beauty parlor, you may decide to cut your own hair. If it’s long, you’might have to use use those pesky rollers. But if it’s short, pin curls are the answer. It’s the return of the bobby pin.

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020

WHO’S HOARDING BLACK PEPPER?

Scary times bring out the hoarding instinct. Anyone who lived through World War II remembers the hoarders. My mothers best friend hoarded sugar, even though she seldom baked, and both she and her husband were thin. At the end of the war, she still had metal canisters of the stuff in her attic. Some of it had hardened into lumps. I’ve always wondered if she kept it forever, or if not, how she disposed of it. Now, people are doing it again. Notice the empty shelves for certain items? Odd stuff, you would never dream of. Yesterday, I tried to buy some pepper, but the shelves were totally cleaned out. It’s a puzzle. Who’s hoarding black pepper?

Panic buyers are stockpiling food during the pandemic — Who’s hoarding black pepper. Panic buying has caused scarcity in some unlikely products.

Back in March, when the pandemic first began., I saw a man at CVS with over twenty bottles of Picante sauce in his cart. The manager asked if he would leave a few bottles on the shelf. Picante sauce? Does this guy eat it on his eggs at breakfast, his grilled cheese at lunch, and on his beef tacos at night? Or is he afraid they’re going to run out? It’s hard to believe anyone would hoard Picante sauce.

Canned soup is another scarcity. About all that’s readily available on the shelves is Cream of Mushroom and Chicken Noodle. A lot of people don’t like mushrooms, so that’s easy to understand. And Chicken Noodle isn’t filling enough to make a meal. The other day, I opened our pull out cupboard shelves, and noticed they were full of canned soup. My husband has secretly been stocking up every time he goes to the store and finds one of his favorites, like Nacho Cheese. Last week, they had Tomato Bisque, which is another favorite. So he brought home more cans of it. Since I don’t have soup for lunch, I’m thinking there’s enough soup in the cupboard to get him through the fall.

Technically, these people aren’t hoarders, they’re panic buyers. Hoarding is a mental disorder where someone acquires a lot of things they don’t need, and can’t throw them away. Panic buying started when everyone was told they need to stock up for two weeks worth of groceries. People weren’t sure how much they might need, so they began over buying. With panic buying, people fear scarcity. They want to stay in control of the situation.

Meanwhile, the grocery business is exploding. Before the pandemic, you seldom saw people buying over $100 worth of groceries at a time. Now, it’s quite common. If and when the pandemic ends, I’m wondering what people are going to do with all that black pepper.