The Virus Life

 

Those who KNOW Bubba KNOW that Bubba is NOT a Lap Dog.  So 'IF' Bubba is on a lap, it is either he is scared, or was forced...I mean...coerced into sitting on a lap.  Here is Bubba sitting on my lap, so 'either' the virus has scared him...or I forced...I mean...coerced him to sit on my lap.  YOU DECIDE!  (OK, I coerced him...told him I would give him an extra treat when we got home if he let me hold him like I would hold Skruffy.  Unfortunately, he is so tense, his tummy has an obstruction that Skruffy did not have [think boy vs girl], and all he wanted to do was get down while all Skruffy ever wanted was more love.  Oh how much do we miss that little squirt...)

 

Old Bubba is a creature of habit.   During certain times each day...once or twice in the morning, once or twice in the afternoon, and two or three times in the evening he waits near the kitchen.  What does he want?  His morning treat, morning breakfast, afternoon treat(s), evening treats and dinner, and finally, his ice cream.  THANK GOODNESS for Rebel Ice Cream!  A 'PINT' of Ice Cream is only 4 to 6 carbs.  It cost around $5 per pint, but I only have 1/3 of a pint each day, Marcia typically relies on Atkins Candy Bars for her treat each day.  Of my 1/3 of a pint, Bubba gets a couple of tablespoons.  I love it, and Bubba LOVES it (thanks Arny and Sandy for spoiling him with ice cream all these years!)

     

I try to get him to the doggie park each week...either on Saturday or Sunday, although I took him this past Monday.  As we pulled up, Bubba looks out, then looks at me.  "Where the 'HECK' is everyone???   I tried to explain to him about the fears of the CoronaVirus, and he just gives me that look like, "Just let me out of this car!"  Sure enough, no other doggies in site during our 30 minute visit.  Dogs REALLY have a sense of where they are...as soon as I get within 1/4 mile of the dog park, he perks up, sits up, and by the time I stop he can't wait to get out of the car.

 

Not another dog anywhere in site.  HEY FOLKS...THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM TO SPREAD OUT AT THE DOGGIE PARK, AND YOU DOGS STILL NEED EXERCISE!  

 

The new cell tower at the RV Storage Lot is taking shape.  It does seem to be active, and they decided to decorate it as a pine tree instead of a palm tree.  I guess they thought they were in the mountains somewhere and not in Florida!  I was really hoping for a nice big Palm Tree at the end of the Storage Area.

       

Last week I saw how low gas prices had gotten, and decided to fill up the motorhome while it was so cheap.  WOW, $1.159 per gallon???  Well, that is only with the 80 cents discount I got from my Winn Dixie points.  Still, $1.959 is pretty cheap!  Can't think of how long it has been since I put 20 gallons of gas in for $23.00!  Wow, that was nice.

     

On the way back from filling the motorhome, I then filled up the car.  Over 10 gallons for $21.00, even that is not bad...but I put twice as much in the motorhome nearly the same money with that 80 cent discount!

 

This is the largest parking lot in the Docks Area of Tarpon Springs.  Normally this lot is full of cars and sometimes a few RVs this time of year...lately this is the norm...hardly any cars, no RVs.

   

 

These pictures along the docks was taken around 1 pm...it looks like it is 9 am.  Businesses are hurting, hurting, hurting.  Restaurants can only serve "To Go" orders.  Bars that sell food can also sell bottles of beer and wine (but it is hard to beat the price of liquor stores or grocery stores).  This view can be seen all across America, with different rules in different locals. It is like Christmas Day, except it has been a few weeks, and it is going to be a number of weeks more. At first they allowed restaurants to seat every other table...but that did not work out especially where Spring Breaks kids congregate.  Beaches are mostly closed, but it is left up to the individual counties to make that decision.  Some cities and counties are in full lock down, but most of Florida is not under a lock down.

 

Just in case you had not heard, the Salt Lake City had a major earthquake, just 15-20 miles west downtown...which means just 15-20 miles away from my daughter Stephanie lives.  No one really hurt, only minor damage for an earthquake of that size, but WOW, I am sure we did not have to live through it, and how Stephanie managed to get through it is beyond me.  There were many aftershocks in the high 2's to 4.5 range, and those were not easy to deal with either.  It looks like the last aftershock was just 4 hours ago today, so this is something they are still dealing with.

 

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Update on family in regards to "THE VIRUS".  As far as we can tell, no family member has been infected.  Ryan and Kaelyn's wedding has been postponed until late July..which means we will be here in Florida at least through May, perhaps through June.  Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim gave up on Assisted Living life and moved back to their safe haven in the Modesto California area.  Mom's facility is pretty much on total lock-down.  In fact, sister Patti went by over the weekend and mom through her laundry over the outside balcony down to Patti.  (Of course, Patti could have walked in and got and left real quick, or mom could have handed out the back exit door which is close to her, but hey, tossing it down over a balcony down to the ground some 30' below is more fun!)  

On a sad note, the guy who came out from Missouri to do Dad's Memorial Service has been diagnosed with the Virus.  From what mom said yesterday, Kevin is feeling fine, but due to recent travel and contact with a son who was showing signs of the illness, he decided to get tested, and he "won the CoronaVirus Lotto".  We sure hope that he has a mild case, and perhaps he is one of the real lucky who has it, and never shows any symptoms.  I have read a number accounts of people who have gone through the illness.  In its bad, evil form, it is something that no one wants to go through.  One man, in his early 30's, thought for sure he was going to die, and asked the doctor to give him the "Malaria Drug" that a relative told him about.  They consented and gave him Hydroxychloroquine and he tells about how painful it was for about six hours, and suddenly he wakes up and wonders what was wrong with him.  He credits the drug with saving his life, but he said that he went through hell getting there.  My prayer and hope is that none of my family, none of my readers, none of my friends have to go through this...

Finally, I went to Sam's Club yesterday, just two weeks from my previous visit.  WOW, what a change.  The meat area was pretty much bare of beef, but they had pork, chicken, fish, and lots of hamburger and lots of beef briskets...but no normal steaks, no roasts, and the cuts of chicken and pork were numerous, but the fish was limited.  Want Lamb?  Sorry...  Want a good steak?  Well, if you want to pay $30+ for one of those huge Ribeye with the bone which are 2-3" thick, well you are in luck.  Want a good roast?  Nada...  I was able to get everything else I needed...but I forgot the coffee.  Well, I'll get a container from Winn Dixie down the street later...I don't plan to go into Sams for another two weeks.  As for the crowd, there was not a huge crowd.  I did notice the Deli as you leave was closed down, as was the tire shop that I typically park near.