March 19, 2020: One week of self-imposed, semi-isolation

And it all started with a seemingly causal announcement from the governor.

Eight days ago, I suggested to Dena that I make a late run to Pick and Save to re-stock our pantry in the face of a looming lockdown, rather than do it in the morning. Lucky us. Friday morning was a bit of a zoo at the stores, and some of them have yet to recover from the onslaught. While Festival has held up quite well, Pick and Save is thin and Walmart a mess.

At least the grocery stores remain open. Brother Mark has adopted a Blue Apron menu. Sister Mary Ann drew her last blood this afternoon, leaving brother Ted as the only fully employed member of the family left. I don't count Al as he is working in retirement, much as I was after turning 65.

Every day I appreciate the decision we made to sell the house and leave Baltimore, including accepting the Loyola two-year buy out option. Had we not, I'd be there today, in the throes of an online distastes in the making, and trying to find a daily routine in Timonium, while probably also in a hopeless situation to sell the Oak Farmhouse.

We also maintained a strong cash position for 2020 and 2021, with over two years of cash on hand, not counting the cash in my Baird retirement account. Cancelling trips is actually saving money and Dena's new employment has not only created a significant, relatively certain cash flow, it provides a company healthcare plan that keeps me off Medicare B and provides insurance for all three Lorenzi women after COBRA would have elapsed in December. The United Health Care plan looks good; just need to close on details for a April 1 start.

After watching Mass at a dailytvmass.com earlier this week, I found Hank Hilton streaming live on his parish YouTube channel. Watching the last two mornings has been a blessing, as I called and told him this afternoon, our first talk in months, perhaps this year. Hank's style gave me a sense of serenity and hope, after several nights of at times tossing and turning, my mind running on overtime, thinking of the events surrounding us.

At Gaby's recommendation, today we went to a pretty complete coronavirus-free day while she worked on her 24-hour coding exam, but I did continue to see optimism from the Wisconsin numbers, as the negative test rate is about 93%, and that is based on people having a basis to demand a test, not a random sample, so if there is a bias, it would be towards a positive result, i.e., this is not a random sample. So using this approach, the 'more testing' demand has a downside in that we are sure to find more positives because they are only testing people with symptoms, not random people.

And we've had snow two mornings this week, and a bitter wind as well, leaving the real feel below freezing, even at mid-day. I hope we will turn the corner tomorrow, and I see several forecasts over fifty degrees in the next two weeks.

Gaby also wanted something to occupy her once the drudgery and time demands of finals week ended, so Dena went hunting yeast this evening, to let Gaby bake some bread. Finding none after visiting three stores, I turned to the neighborhood Facebook page and within minutes found an offering of plenty of yeast. Thank God for great neighbors! Several are volunteering transport and other care services, especially for this truly isolated.

In the end, the end remains unclear. Even when the virus scare ends, there will be plenty of economic damage, some of it recuperable, some of it not. Today I also sensed more optimism over both the more mild forecasts, the effectiveness of the social distancing model, and the possibility of vaccines or treatments resulting from intense innovation in a time of great need.