It's been a long month where the days are long but the weeks are flying by.
Over 800,000 cases in the US, over 44,000 deaths in the US. 888 cases in Maine, 5716 in Rhode Island where my parents live.
Although the stores continue to remain well-stocked there will be meat shortages as meat processing plants continue to close. I have 8 cans of chicken and 6 cans of salmon. I even picked up 3 cans of corned beef hash. I also bought a lot of beans and 3 pounds of quinoa. Cleaning supplies are hit or miss. I can't believe I found a 12 pack of Cottonelle toilet paper on Sunday afternoon at Walgreens. I haven't seen toilet paper at a store in so long I forgot that's how I used to buy it.
Starting to see some strange stuff on Amazon. Since I have two disabled children I never liked going to stores and prefer shopping online. Amazon has been my goto for years. I bought Seventh Generation free and clear dishsoap but what arrived was two open, leaking bottles filled with weird opaque liquid that had dripped all over the bottles and into the box. I am still waiting on a refund. Fearing a food supply chain disruption, I bought a canned ham from Amazon pantry. It is April 22 and the sell-by date of the date was Feb 24. The can was bulging. I did get a refund for the ham. My biggest fear today is someone will find the weird liquid and the expired ham and think they are worth using.
A few weeks ago we had a snowstorm that knocked out power. We lost power at 11:30 pm and the outside temp was in the high 20s. The next morning the house was freezing so I made the kids lay under their covers in bed, hoping to keep them warm. Thankfully, the power came on at around 8 am. We didn't have any food spoil. Some people in Maine were without power for 4.5 days. It was so cold and everyone had filled their freezers with food that was rendered inedible.
The BHPs can still come because they are essential workers. I only have a handful of bleach wipes and two bottles of 70% rubbing alcohol but I sanitize the doorknobs, light switches, commonly touched surfaces, cabinet handles, and the area that they work with the kids before they come and after they leave. I was able to buy some anti-bacterial bathroom cleanser from grove.com that I use twice or three times daily.
I still don't have a face mask because my friend who is making them doesn't have any elastic. She said she should hopefully have them soon. A lot of people are donating masks for healthcare workers and I am 100% fine with the materials for a mask for me going to a frontline worker. I did buy a dozen bandannas from Amazon along with some coffee filters so I can make no-sew masks. Today NPR released a study that nylon pantyhose slipped over homemade masks render them almost as useful as medical masks so I bought 6 pairs of Just My Size hose on Amazon that will be here early next week.
My 6 year old ASD son has been struggling. His interfering behaviors have increased to the point that he is eating his fecal matter when I leave the room. After speaking to his teacher and the BCBA of the school district, I decided to physically remove the opportunity. I bought two girl's dance leotards from Amazon for $10 each. The "special needs one piece onsie" available on Amazon sell for $30 each. Problem solved although going to the potty is now a little more difficult.
My daughter is having manic episodes which are disturbing. She has telehealth with her teacher once a day which helps a lot.
We still have it really good. There is still food in the stores, you can still find household cleansers and paper products if you look around. No one has discussed going to the zoo to harvest the animals yet. There are still stray animals in cities and towns. We are not living during the Blitz. This is not late 1930s Poland. We are not living like the Frank family in the attic forced to be quiet all day. We just have to stay home and stay safe. Yes, it is really hard with children, but it is doable. In this house we have a trampoline, two balance balls, a peanut, crayons, markers, paint, stickers, paper, dry erase markers, a white board, and paper. We have books. We have a Roku and WiFi. My family is low income so we don't have a ton of extras so I get it but we are making the best out of everyday.
If we do run out of toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins there are alternatives. Vinegar makes a cheap all purpose cleanser. We can make it through this.
This is not a conspiracy, there is a deadly virus that is easily transmitted from person to person. Its not just about if we get it, its keeping other people safe and virus free.
Friday, April 24, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Picard Review I wrote for Altwire.net
I'm so excited to be writing for a pop culture website. It's worth a look. They are posting new articles on a semi-daily basis.
https://www.altwire.net/2020/03/25/picard-season-1-episode-9-et-in-arcadia-ego/
https://www.altwire.net/2020/03/25/picard-season-1-episode-9-et-in-arcadia-ego/
Quarantine Diary March 25
Maine now has 149 positive cases.
Prince Charles has tested positive.
Angela Merkle has put herself in self-quarantine.
Idris Elba has had to defend himself by saying he is asymptomatic, not being paid to say he has tested positive.
My daughter's extremely patient BHP came today. She started the session by not only washing her hands but by bringing my daughter to wash her hands. I notice she has brought her own hand sanitizer and hand soap. Our apartment has two floors. The first floor has the kitchen, then a small room that most would use as a dining room but I use it as a book room, then the living room. Upstairs are the bedrooms and bathroom. I bought a small toddler-sized table and chair set for the kitchen and put Lego table and plastic chair in the bookroom as places for the BHPs to do activities months ago. Now I am glad I have because we can social distance when they come. I try to keep my son sequestered in the living room. When it's lunchtime I wash my hands and prepare my daughter's lunch and place it on her little table. Then, I tell the BHP and they come in. I apologize that I am trying to give them space but it's hard in the close space. She tells me that it's ok. Before she leaves, she hands me a new policy from the company. They have a new policy due to the coronavirus. I agree with the policy which is mostly about sanitation and notifying the company immediately if a family member becomes sick. I normally spray all the surfaces they work at with a vinegar solution when they are done and tell her I will continue to do so. I also don't touch the materials they use because they mostly belong to the company. I tell the BHP I will continue to not touch their materials.
The hardest behavior my daughter is exhibiting is that she is extremely clingy. If I leave her sight she cries and yells "WHERE DID MOMMA GO?". When the BHP came she started crying and said she didn't want to work, she wanted to color. I told her she can color with the BHP. My daughter said in a very tearful voice "I want to color with you." My heart broke. She also cannot leave any room without three Minnie Mouse dolls that she has to eat with and sleep with. Anxiety is common with children with autism when their routines get disrupted. This has to be incredibly hard for her because she is extremely social and has friends at school. I can't explain any of this to her. She is too much in her own thoughts to understand that other people are getting really sick and we don't want to get sick or spread bad germs to other people. All she knows is school stopped, going to stores stopped, going to the indoor sensory gym stopped. Life stopped. Everything stopped. The only thing in her world that hasn't gone away are me and her brother.
My son's teacher called. She explained how the programming works. She told me that to use the token board, since its a school thing and not a mom thing, that I should give him a token after completing a small task, like putting one puzzle piece in the right spot. That way he will get his reward quicker and eventually I can space things out a bit. I told her its hard to do this on my own so we are exploring outside the box learning activities like flashcards and books. We also watch Sesame Street and sing a lot of nursery rhyme and preschool songs. She said that's honestly ok. I tell her that I have a newfound appreciation for educators and Ed Techs. I always thought I could teach and I learned that I cannot. She said she will post more videos and call once a week. The teachers basically had a frantic day or two to prepare their classrooms for an indefinite time without a clear plan of what the future would hold.
There were so many bright spots today! My parents finally found toilet paper in Rhode Island!
Want to hear Captian Picard read you Shakespeare every day? You can here: https://www.instagram.com/sirpatstew/?utm_source=ig_embed
Do you want a daily free opera from The Met? In this topsy-turvey world we have that now! https://www.metopera.org/
My daughter's school will be pairing with telehealth and we will have speech therapy, PT and OT again!!
It pays to stay positive.
Prince Charles has tested positive.
Angela Merkle has put herself in self-quarantine.
Idris Elba has had to defend himself by saying he is asymptomatic, not being paid to say he has tested positive.
My daughter's extremely patient BHP came today. She started the session by not only washing her hands but by bringing my daughter to wash her hands. I notice she has brought her own hand sanitizer and hand soap. Our apartment has two floors. The first floor has the kitchen, then a small room that most would use as a dining room but I use it as a book room, then the living room. Upstairs are the bedrooms and bathroom. I bought a small toddler-sized table and chair set for the kitchen and put Lego table and plastic chair in the bookroom as places for the BHPs to do activities months ago. Now I am glad I have because we can social distance when they come. I try to keep my son sequestered in the living room. When it's lunchtime I wash my hands and prepare my daughter's lunch and place it on her little table. Then, I tell the BHP and they come in. I apologize that I am trying to give them space but it's hard in the close space. She tells me that it's ok. Before she leaves, she hands me a new policy from the company. They have a new policy due to the coronavirus. I agree with the policy which is mostly about sanitation and notifying the company immediately if a family member becomes sick. I normally spray all the surfaces they work at with a vinegar solution when they are done and tell her I will continue to do so. I also don't touch the materials they use because they mostly belong to the company. I tell the BHP I will continue to not touch their materials.
The hardest behavior my daughter is exhibiting is that she is extremely clingy. If I leave her sight she cries and yells "WHERE DID MOMMA GO?". When the BHP came she started crying and said she didn't want to work, she wanted to color. I told her she can color with the BHP. My daughter said in a very tearful voice "I want to color with you." My heart broke. She also cannot leave any room without three Minnie Mouse dolls that she has to eat with and sleep with. Anxiety is common with children with autism when their routines get disrupted. This has to be incredibly hard for her because she is extremely social and has friends at school. I can't explain any of this to her. She is too much in her own thoughts to understand that other people are getting really sick and we don't want to get sick or spread bad germs to other people. All she knows is school stopped, going to stores stopped, going to the indoor sensory gym stopped. Life stopped. Everything stopped. The only thing in her world that hasn't gone away are me and her brother.
My son's teacher called. She explained how the programming works. She told me that to use the token board, since its a school thing and not a mom thing, that I should give him a token after completing a small task, like putting one puzzle piece in the right spot. That way he will get his reward quicker and eventually I can space things out a bit. I told her its hard to do this on my own so we are exploring outside the box learning activities like flashcards and books. We also watch Sesame Street and sing a lot of nursery rhyme and preschool songs. She said that's honestly ok. I tell her that I have a newfound appreciation for educators and Ed Techs. I always thought I could teach and I learned that I cannot. She said she will post more videos and call once a week. The teachers basically had a frantic day or two to prepare their classrooms for an indefinite time without a clear plan of what the future would hold.
There were so many bright spots today! My parents finally found toilet paper in Rhode Island!
Want to hear Captian Picard read you Shakespeare every day? You can here: https://www.instagram.com/sirpatstew/?utm_source=ig_embed
Do you want a daily free opera from The Met? In this topsy-turvey world we have that now! https://www.metopera.org/
My daughter's school will be pairing with telehealth and we will have speech therapy, PT and OT again!!
It pays to stay positive.
Quarantine Diary March 24
Today the number of recovered in Maine is 7, the total active cases is 118. The governor shut down all non-essential businesses closed. Our version of Job Lot or Olly's is called Marden's and they have closed until further notice.
The US experienced it's deadliest day from the virus.
My son woke up at 4 am today so I'm kinda drained.
On my way to get the kid's lunches today, I was again struck by the lack of vehicles on the road. One car drove past me going about 70 mph which was concerning because the speed limit is 25. That car was the only one I saw on the walk there.
It snowed last night in central Maine and we got about a foot. It is going to be a high of 50 and right now its in the upper 30s. The snow is melting and its a brisk day. The van driver sees me coming and unlocks the back of the van when I am about 50 feet away. He left the van running with the door wide open. One of the things I love about living in Maine is even in these crazy times people are still incredibly trusting. I cannot imagine in RI anyone would have done that. I thank him for the kid's meals and start walking back home. The only vehicle I see is a Fed Ex truck that is running with the driver nowhere to be seen. Now I know how those Amazon trucks of toilet paper got stolen.
As I get close to the house, I see we have boxes on the porch. My son gets pull ups through insurance because he is incontinent and they have arrived. It's comforting to know that even with everything going on we are still getting the things we need.
Once inside, I sort out the bags. The kids got pancakes and frozen strawberry syrup, chocolate milk, regular milk, two apples, two baggies of carrots, and two chicken salad sandwiches along with two small bags of pretzel-shaped goldfish. Some of the food came in quart-sized freezer bags which almost went in the trash when I realized I'm freezing an awful lot of food lately. I clean the bags inside and out with vinegar. They were also packed in paper bags which I also almost throw out before I realize I don't have paper towels and these might help in a pinch. I was raised by my Grandparents who lived through the Depression. I used to tease them for not throwing away bread bags and other things I thought were trash. In this moment I get it. I really leave the house anymore. When I do go to the store it is to get stuff like bananas and milk. I know where I am headed and I don't walk around and look like I used to. I never really know what I'm going to need or when I can go get it. It took about a week for me to change my mind about how I grew up. Don't get it wrong, I am not saving apple seeds or drying out used napkins. But maybe it might not hurt to save some of this stuff for the days ahead. If nothing else, my daughter will have extra paper for coloring.
My son's teacher posted a video of her reading a book online. I am so touched. She has her own kids and other family that she is homeschooling and she took the time to think about her class. I think my son will enjoy seeing her. When I play the video on my phone he grins, then grabs my phone only to toss it to the floor. My son loves school. He loves school so much that on weekends he tries to go outside to look for the van. Now suddenly, the van isn't coming, he isn't going to school, he isn't seeing his Ed Tech or his teacher. He isn't seeing the kids he has grown accustomed to. I hope he doesn't think he did something wrong or that his teacher doesn't want him anymore. I can't get him to do any work, but it could be because he woke up at 4 am. He's restless until around 2 pm when he agrees to nap. His teacher emails me to see how everything is going. I told her things are rocky and I'm not sure how to run my son's programs. She will call me tomorrow to tell me what to do.
My daughter's Ed Techs are also posting videos online. She would not look at them. What she did want was to color. I bought Water Wow pads and she spent the whole afternoon coloring and telling me what she saw when the picture was revealed.
I was particularly proud of supper tonight. Usually, it's a struggle to get both kids to eat. I heated up the rotisserie chicken and served it with baked sweet potatoes. I steamed the broccoli they got in their lunches yesterday. Both kids wanted seconds. Maybe when I go for groceries next I can get another rotisserie chicken.
Tomorrow will be a new day.
The US experienced it's deadliest day from the virus.
My son woke up at 4 am today so I'm kinda drained.
On my way to get the kid's lunches today, I was again struck by the lack of vehicles on the road. One car drove past me going about 70 mph which was concerning because the speed limit is 25. That car was the only one I saw on the walk there.
It snowed last night in central Maine and we got about a foot. It is going to be a high of 50 and right now its in the upper 30s. The snow is melting and its a brisk day. The van driver sees me coming and unlocks the back of the van when I am about 50 feet away. He left the van running with the door wide open. One of the things I love about living in Maine is even in these crazy times people are still incredibly trusting. I cannot imagine in RI anyone would have done that. I thank him for the kid's meals and start walking back home. The only vehicle I see is a Fed Ex truck that is running with the driver nowhere to be seen. Now I know how those Amazon trucks of toilet paper got stolen.
As I get close to the house, I see we have boxes on the porch. My son gets pull ups through insurance because he is incontinent and they have arrived. It's comforting to know that even with everything going on we are still getting the things we need.
Once inside, I sort out the bags. The kids got pancakes and frozen strawberry syrup, chocolate milk, regular milk, two apples, two baggies of carrots, and two chicken salad sandwiches along with two small bags of pretzel-shaped goldfish. Some of the food came in quart-sized freezer bags which almost went in the trash when I realized I'm freezing an awful lot of food lately. I clean the bags inside and out with vinegar. They were also packed in paper bags which I also almost throw out before I realize I don't have paper towels and these might help in a pinch. I was raised by my Grandparents who lived through the Depression. I used to tease them for not throwing away bread bags and other things I thought were trash. In this moment I get it. I really leave the house anymore. When I do go to the store it is to get stuff like bananas and milk. I know where I am headed and I don't walk around and look like I used to. I never really know what I'm going to need or when I can go get it. It took about a week for me to change my mind about how I grew up. Don't get it wrong, I am not saving apple seeds or drying out used napkins. But maybe it might not hurt to save some of this stuff for the days ahead. If nothing else, my daughter will have extra paper for coloring.
My son's teacher posted a video of her reading a book online. I am so touched. She has her own kids and other family that she is homeschooling and she took the time to think about her class. I think my son will enjoy seeing her. When I play the video on my phone he grins, then grabs my phone only to toss it to the floor. My son loves school. He loves school so much that on weekends he tries to go outside to look for the van. Now suddenly, the van isn't coming, he isn't going to school, he isn't seeing his Ed Tech or his teacher. He isn't seeing the kids he has grown accustomed to. I hope he doesn't think he did something wrong or that his teacher doesn't want him anymore. I can't get him to do any work, but it could be because he woke up at 4 am. He's restless until around 2 pm when he agrees to nap. His teacher emails me to see how everything is going. I told her things are rocky and I'm not sure how to run my son's programs. She will call me tomorrow to tell me what to do.
My daughter's Ed Techs are also posting videos online. She would not look at them. What she did want was to color. I bought Water Wow pads and she spent the whole afternoon coloring and telling me what she saw when the picture was revealed.
I was particularly proud of supper tonight. Usually, it's a struggle to get both kids to eat. I heated up the rotisserie chicken and served it with baked sweet potatoes. I steamed the broccoli they got in their lunches yesterday. Both kids wanted seconds. Maybe when I go for groceries next I can get another rotisserie chicken.
Tomorrow will be a new day.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Quarantine Diary of an Autism Family
MARCH 13
Little did I know this would be the last day of school for my kids. My son, 6, is non-verbal and was happy because the weekend was starting. My daughter, 3, was happy because we watch a Disney movie after school. This was our last normal day.
MARCH 14
Notification that my son won't have school for two weeks. I can handle two weeks. When he first got diagnosed with autism, he was home all the time. When we lived in RI he was home all summer. We have flashcards, books, a trampoline, a peanut, and places to walk to when it is warm. Besides my daughter has school, so we got this. Missing two weeks of speech, pt, and ot won't cause too much of a regression. I also knew my son's extremely dedicated teacher would have a plan.
MARCH 15
My daughter's school has been closed until further notice. Pt/ot canceled until further notice. Speech therapy canceled until further notice. She goes to a preschool for special needs children and the bulk of her therapy is off-campus. She engages in echoing and scripting so she really needs these services.
My son is still not fully potty trained and can take up to 40 minutes in the bathroom, which is upstairs. She is extremely clingy and will be upset. How am I going to care for them? At least we have 5 BHPs that come 5 times a week and often together. I can get chores done and shower then.
MARCH 16
We will be having 3 BHPS coming to limit exposure.
The world is going crazy. I'm watching news reports of food and supply shortages. One of the Altwire writers shares with us a picture of a store that looks like locusts ate the paper goods aisle.
My son's teacher calls. She sounds exhausted. She had to put together a packet of work which was hard because my son can't read or write and is a visual learner. He has an IEP so he has goals he is working on. She explains she has three kids of her own she has to care for and was told at the last minute she had to create packets for her students. She said that given the short notice, she thinks she did a good job. I told her that any guidance she can give me will help. I don't think she understands how much I appreciate her.
My daughter's school sent word on Facebook that they are compiling a list of links to help the kids learn.
MARCH 17
The schools are providing free meals if you pick them up at select locations between 9 am and 11 am.
Please send help.
The BHPs are coming during the day now. This is helpful because the kids are upset their routine is off-kilter and want to go to bed at 6 pm.
I had placed an order on Walmart Grocery. Fifteen items are unavailable, mostly frozen veggies and rice. As long as we have bread and peanut butter we will be fine. Got an email that the peanut butter is unavailable.
MARCH 21
I have no idea where the last few days went.
Congress is proposing a remote learning bill but it will not accommodate children with an IEP.
I decided I need some homeschooling supplies and go to Walgreens because there should be fewer people there. I get kinetic sand, a ream of paper, and pads that reveal images when you "paint" over them with water. I walk around the store to see what they have. They are fully stocked with necessities. The only sign something is different is the floor is marked with blue tape to show where six feet away from the cash register is. The clerk is wearing latex gloves that she is not changing between customers. I suppress the urge to tell her that's not how to use them properly because I realize there may not be a lot of gloves and she has to make them last.
I call my parents in Rhode Island. My mom who is 67 cannot find toilet paper, meat, eggs, milk, pasta, rice, frozen or fresh vegetables, tuna, lunch meat, bread, paper towels, napkins, rubbing alcohol or bleach. She also can't find bottled water which they have used as the town water is high in chlorine for over twenty years. She says she might have to start rationing. She spoke to her brother who is in his 70s and lives in Arizona with his wife who has COPD and had a kidney transplant. My aunt has not left the house in weeks. They have three rolls of toilet paper left. They can't find the same food items my mother can't. My uncle who is a major sports fan is upset because since he can't go out, this is the perfect time to binge on sports. My uncle has never seen anything like this.
I call a friend in Rhode Island who lives in subsidized housing. He relies on public transportation and there is none anymore. He has no soap and is low on food. Offer to buy him some soap and some food to hopefully tide him over a few days.
MARCH 22
Why did I offer to buy food and soap for a friend? I went into Hannafords which looked like the stores you see on the news that were picked clean.
I feel bad that my friend doesn't have a working computer because one can only watch so much tv. I decide to buy him a word search magazine to help keep him busy. Oddly, the magazine section is overflowing. Next to the magazines is a wire rack with books. Being a bibliophile, I have to look. Then, I take a step back, disgusted. Someone has placed a used tissue on top of the books. Why? Seriously just why? Even during normal times that's a health hazard.
I begin walking the aisles looking for food that will be easy to ship. As I head down the pasta aisle I hear a woman screaming into a phone. There are some boxes on the shelf, but more empty space than anything else. She is looking for a certain brand or shape but they didn't have it. She sounds like she is about to have a breakdown because she has to settle. I wanted to tell her she should be happy she has options but when she sees me coming, she throws herself against the shelf and claws for the remaining boxes while giving me an angry look. All over the store, when people see me glance at a shelf they are near, they grab as much as they can and run away. There really isn't a call for that. If you believe this is the end of days is that how you want to be remembered? "I saw a woman coming who probably has children but I snatched all the pasta shells even though seven boxes will last me a week and that family didn't get any food." If everyone just takes what they need, the stores would have enough to feed us all, like they always do.
My friend wanted Ivory soap but there wasn't any. The only bar soap he would probably use was Dove for Men. I hoped that would suffice.
He also wanted ginger. When I walked into the produce section, the usual rainbow array for fresh fruits and veggies greeted me like an old friend. No one was eating the fresh food but they were hoarding everything else.
I felt like the food selection I got wasn't great so I went to Shaw's. I should have just gone to Shaw's because other than there being no paper products, the store was as stocked as it ever has been. No one was panicking, no one was racing and grabbing food. I even got a rotisserie chicken for supper. I was able to get my friend a can of chicken breast, a can of tuna, as well as cans of green beans, corn, and baked beans. I got him chicken soup, two Lara bars, a pound of ginger, the soap, and a pouch of microwavable rice. I also sent him 7 Dove dark chocolate squares from my supply at home.
MARCH 23
We will not be getting BHP services for my son. His BHP may have been exposed. My daughter's BHP will be coming three times a week for four hours at a time.
I thought my daughter was doing ok with not going to school, but she was looking at a Pete the Cat book which showed Pete at school. She started echoing "Pete the Cat at school, Pete the Cat loves school." I told her teacher who will try to make videos of the staff reading.
I talked to my mom who said people are now hoarding ketchup. She was not looking for ketchup, she was just looking. Three grocery stores in her area have been cleaned out of their ketchup supply.
My son's teacher will begin posting videos online soon.
School in our town will begin hopefully on April 27. I could cry. It took 3 hours to get my son to do 15 minutes of work.
At 10 am I left to get the kid's food bags. I walked down my normally busy street and two cars passed me. No one else was walking. As I approached the van, the driver waved at me. When I was about twenty feet away, he got out and asked me how many meals I needed. I replied that I had 2 kids. At 10 feet away, he unlocked the back of the van. I had an insulated bag and he counted out four single cartons of milk, two breakfast bags, and two lunch bags and placed them into my insulated bag to avoid my hands. I said thank you and started walking home. He waited till I was about ten feet away, locked the back, and then went to the cab again. When I got home I sorted the bags. Cereal, grapes, broccoli, ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, graham cracker cookies. I froze the grapes and broccoli and stashed away the cereal and cookies for another day. We have some snacks already opened and the kids have been eating from a big container of yogurt for breakfast. I felt as if I lived in post WWII Europe and got my food rations for the day.
I went to Shaw's and got a pound of brown rice and quinoa. I also got a box of pasta and a can of tuna. I have kale and cheese sauce. We can have mac and cheese later this week. I am not going back to the store for a week, or until we need bananas, milk, and bread.
Maine now has over a hundred positive cases of covid-19. I don't want to be on the list of positive cases so we will continue to stay at home.
These are weird times.
Little did I know this would be the last day of school for my kids. My son, 6, is non-verbal and was happy because the weekend was starting. My daughter, 3, was happy because we watch a Disney movie after school. This was our last normal day.
MARCH 14
Notification that my son won't have school for two weeks. I can handle two weeks. When he first got diagnosed with autism, he was home all the time. When we lived in RI he was home all summer. We have flashcards, books, a trampoline, a peanut, and places to walk to when it is warm. Besides my daughter has school, so we got this. Missing two weeks of speech, pt, and ot won't cause too much of a regression. I also knew my son's extremely dedicated teacher would have a plan.
MARCH 15
My daughter's school has been closed until further notice. Pt/ot canceled until further notice. Speech therapy canceled until further notice. She goes to a preschool for special needs children and the bulk of her therapy is off-campus. She engages in echoing and scripting so she really needs these services.
My son is still not fully potty trained and can take up to 40 minutes in the bathroom, which is upstairs. She is extremely clingy and will be upset. How am I going to care for them? At least we have 5 BHPs that come 5 times a week and often together. I can get chores done and shower then.
MARCH 16
We will be having 3 BHPS coming to limit exposure.
The world is going crazy. I'm watching news reports of food and supply shortages. One of the Altwire writers shares with us a picture of a store that looks like locusts ate the paper goods aisle.
My son's teacher calls. She sounds exhausted. She had to put together a packet of work which was hard because my son can't read or write and is a visual learner. He has an IEP so he has goals he is working on. She explains she has three kids of her own she has to care for and was told at the last minute she had to create packets for her students. She said that given the short notice, she thinks she did a good job. I told her that any guidance she can give me will help. I don't think she understands how much I appreciate her.
My daughter's school sent word on Facebook that they are compiling a list of links to help the kids learn.
MARCH 17
The schools are providing free meals if you pick them up at select locations between 9 am and 11 am.
Please send help.
The BHPs are coming during the day now. This is helpful because the kids are upset their routine is off-kilter and want to go to bed at 6 pm.
I had placed an order on Walmart Grocery. Fifteen items are unavailable, mostly frozen veggies and rice. As long as we have bread and peanut butter we will be fine. Got an email that the peanut butter is unavailable.
MARCH 21
I have no idea where the last few days went.
Congress is proposing a remote learning bill but it will not accommodate children with an IEP.
I decided I need some homeschooling supplies and go to Walgreens because there should be fewer people there. I get kinetic sand, a ream of paper, and pads that reveal images when you "paint" over them with water. I walk around the store to see what they have. They are fully stocked with necessities. The only sign something is different is the floor is marked with blue tape to show where six feet away from the cash register is. The clerk is wearing latex gloves that she is not changing between customers. I suppress the urge to tell her that's not how to use them properly because I realize there may not be a lot of gloves and she has to make them last.
I call my parents in Rhode Island. My mom who is 67 cannot find toilet paper, meat, eggs, milk, pasta, rice, frozen or fresh vegetables, tuna, lunch meat, bread, paper towels, napkins, rubbing alcohol or bleach. She also can't find bottled water which they have used as the town water is high in chlorine for over twenty years. She says she might have to start rationing. She spoke to her brother who is in his 70s and lives in Arizona with his wife who has COPD and had a kidney transplant. My aunt has not left the house in weeks. They have three rolls of toilet paper left. They can't find the same food items my mother can't. My uncle who is a major sports fan is upset because since he can't go out, this is the perfect time to binge on sports. My uncle has never seen anything like this.
I call a friend in Rhode Island who lives in subsidized housing. He relies on public transportation and there is none anymore. He has no soap and is low on food. Offer to buy him some soap and some food to hopefully tide him over a few days.
MARCH 22
Why did I offer to buy food and soap for a friend? I went into Hannafords which looked like the stores you see on the news that were picked clean.
I feel bad that my friend doesn't have a working computer because one can only watch so much tv. I decide to buy him a word search magazine to help keep him busy. Oddly, the magazine section is overflowing. Next to the magazines is a wire rack with books. Being a bibliophile, I have to look. Then, I take a step back, disgusted. Someone has placed a used tissue on top of the books. Why? Seriously just why? Even during normal times that's a health hazard.
I begin walking the aisles looking for food that will be easy to ship. As I head down the pasta aisle I hear a woman screaming into a phone. There are some boxes on the shelf, but more empty space than anything else. She is looking for a certain brand or shape but they didn't have it. She sounds like she is about to have a breakdown because she has to settle. I wanted to tell her she should be happy she has options but when she sees me coming, she throws herself against the shelf and claws for the remaining boxes while giving me an angry look. All over the store, when people see me glance at a shelf they are near, they grab as much as they can and run away. There really isn't a call for that. If you believe this is the end of days is that how you want to be remembered? "I saw a woman coming who probably has children but I snatched all the pasta shells even though seven boxes will last me a week and that family didn't get any food." If everyone just takes what they need, the stores would have enough to feed us all, like they always do.
My friend wanted Ivory soap but there wasn't any. The only bar soap he would probably use was Dove for Men. I hoped that would suffice.
He also wanted ginger. When I walked into the produce section, the usual rainbow array for fresh fruits and veggies greeted me like an old friend. No one was eating the fresh food but they were hoarding everything else.
I felt like the food selection I got wasn't great so I went to Shaw's. I should have just gone to Shaw's because other than there being no paper products, the store was as stocked as it ever has been. No one was panicking, no one was racing and grabbing food. I even got a rotisserie chicken for supper. I was able to get my friend a can of chicken breast, a can of tuna, as well as cans of green beans, corn, and baked beans. I got him chicken soup, two Lara bars, a pound of ginger, the soap, and a pouch of microwavable rice. I also sent him 7 Dove dark chocolate squares from my supply at home.
MARCH 23
We will not be getting BHP services for my son. His BHP may have been exposed. My daughter's BHP will be coming three times a week for four hours at a time.
I thought my daughter was doing ok with not going to school, but she was looking at a Pete the Cat book which showed Pete at school. She started echoing "Pete the Cat at school, Pete the Cat loves school." I told her teacher who will try to make videos of the staff reading.
I talked to my mom who said people are now hoarding ketchup. She was not looking for ketchup, she was just looking. Three grocery stores in her area have been cleaned out of their ketchup supply.
My son's teacher will begin posting videos online soon.
School in our town will begin hopefully on April 27. I could cry. It took 3 hours to get my son to do 15 minutes of work.
At 10 am I left to get the kid's food bags. I walked down my normally busy street and two cars passed me. No one else was walking. As I approached the van, the driver waved at me. When I was about twenty feet away, he got out and asked me how many meals I needed. I replied that I had 2 kids. At 10 feet away, he unlocked the back of the van. I had an insulated bag and he counted out four single cartons of milk, two breakfast bags, and two lunch bags and placed them into my insulated bag to avoid my hands. I said thank you and started walking home. He waited till I was about ten feet away, locked the back, and then went to the cab again. When I got home I sorted the bags. Cereal, grapes, broccoli, ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, graham cracker cookies. I froze the grapes and broccoli and stashed away the cereal and cookies for another day. We have some snacks already opened and the kids have been eating from a big container of yogurt for breakfast. I felt as if I lived in post WWII Europe and got my food rations for the day.
I went to Shaw's and got a pound of brown rice and quinoa. I also got a box of pasta and a can of tuna. I have kale and cheese sauce. We can have mac and cheese later this week. I am not going back to the store for a week, or until we need bananas, milk, and bread.
Maine now has over a hundred positive cases of covid-19. I don't want to be on the list of positive cases so we will continue to stay at home.
These are weird times.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Altwire article
I met Al Gibson, am extremely creative guy, who asked me if I wanted to write an article for Altwire.net.
I sure did and it can be found here : https://www.altwire.net/2020/03/10/picard-season-1-episode-7-nepenthe-review/?fbclid=IwAR3sf0AqD070JsLz5krwv0eIcJBjaqEt5pKrsfL6NqAGf0c8_4YXMw8yWOM
I sure did and it can be found here : https://www.altwire.net/2020/03/10/picard-season-1-episode-7-nepenthe-review/?fbclid=IwAR3sf0AqD070JsLz5krwv0eIcJBjaqEt5pKrsfL6NqAGf0c8_4YXMw8yWOM
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