Pandemic Diary — March 8 to 14, 2021

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Monday, March 8   Deaths  2,298 (+2)   New cases  234

The pandemic continues to take its toll in Oregon with an average of more than 10 deaths per day during the period of March 2-11. This is roughly the same level as in the previous thirty days. New case numbers and test positive rates continue to be relatively low. 

Monday is shopping day and we spent money like water this morning, E at the Co-op and M at Mother of Markets and Trader Joe’s. In return we have obtained a cornucopia of wonders: organic grapefruit juice, cheapish wine, even cheaper black tea, dried apricots, crusty bread, ridiculously expensive frozen prawns…the list goes on and on, all the way to the pièce de résistance: a big box of Frosted Mini-Wheats. Eve did her shopping in-person for the first time in a while. She says she bought a lot more that way because, you know, what you see is what you buy, especially if you haven’t seen for a while. 

After shopping M made heroic efforts to clean up from his great project and manage the great volume of gravel remaining in the driveway. A neighbor wants to take some and that’s excellent. The rest needs to be stored somewhere else, perhaps for use in future projects. But let’s not think about that now.

In the late afternoon M got his first COVID shot. Unlike Eve, who got her first shot at a large scale administration run by the public health authorities, M went to Safeway. The two venues could not have been more different. Eve’s was outside, in a large covered area built into the east side of the OSU football stadium. Parking was down the road a ways, and as soon as Eve entered the lot, she and her friend was asked if they needed or wanted a golf cart ride to inoculation area. There were lots of people coming and going and lots of volunteers to assist them. Eve’s friend took the cart while E said she’d walk. In the main area everyone had to go through a series of three checkpoints to confirm their identity and answer questions about their current condition. At the third of these Eve got a purple sticker to put on her jacket lapel and she was directed to one of the inoculation stations. There were two separate inoculation areas, each with at least eight stations. E’s section was for first Pfizer shots; the other was for second Modernas. When she got her shot, she got another sticker, a white one on which was written the exact time of her shot. She was then directed to a waiting area with chairs spaced six feet apart. A staff person monitored this area, checking how much time had elapsed since each person’s shot. At this point E was again accompanying her friend, who, as it happens, had gotten her shot two minutes before E had gotten hers. When it came time for the friend to go, the staffer assisted her to stand up, telling her to move very slowly. The staffer then looked at E and asked her to stand as well, even though technically E still had a minute and a half to go. But the staffer said that was okay and off they went to the next checkpoint. There, another staffer gave their vaccination cards. Also at that station everyone was scheduled for their second appointments. After that, they were directed to the exit where another volunteer offered them a ride in the golf cart back to the parking lot, saying that she was having trouble keeping the cart drivers busy. Both E and her friend graciously accepted. E said later that the cart was kind of fun. 

So it was all very organized and ran very smoothly. Because it was all outside, E said she was feeling pretty cold toward the end. But it appeared that hundreds of people per hour were going through the process. As has been reported in other U.S. locations, volunteers had the possibility of receiving vaccinations as a reward for their help.

E’s experience included one small snafu. After it was all over, when she and her friend were both safely home, she discovered that she had been given her friend’s vaccination card and that her friend had gotten hers. 

No such errors occurred at Safeway. But nor were there any golf carts or any signage of any kind. M had to just wander in and find his way to the pharmacy area. There he found someone talking to a cashier and paying for a prescription. There was no other sign of life except for another fellow roughly M’s age who appeared to also be looking around for some sign that there might be a vaccination clinic somewhere. When the prescription customer was done, this other fellow spoke to the cashier and was told to go to the prescription drop-off window at the other end of the counter. There was no one there, but the cashier quickly left her register area and went over to check him in for a shot. M too moved in that direction and he was in turn checked in by the rather brusque cashier, who also directed him to a fully enclosed waiting room at the other end of the pharmacy area. This was not a large room, but was easily large enough to maintain eight or twelve feet of distance, given there were never more than two people seated in the room. After a short time, a pharmacist came in and beckoned the first fellow into a smaller room where she gave the shots. Then it was M’s turn. After the shot, she filled out his vaccination record, gave him an information sheet and told him to go back to the waiting room and stay for twenty minutes. She then hurried back to her work, presumably in the  prescription prep room. M dutifully waited for twenty minutes and then left. 

The Safeway system could process only four vaccinations per hour. It did not make use of volunteers and did not require any paid staff beyond the cashier and pharmacist who were normally on duty. When he looked at his vaccination record, M saw that it wasn’t nearly as neat and official looking as E’s. On the other hand, it was accompanied by a coupon for 10% off on his next grocery purchase. Considering how much he had spent that day at those other stores, that sounded pretty good. 

Tuesday, March 9   Deaths  2,303 (+5)   New cases  517

M went out early and finished clearing gravel off the driveway, then came in and worked on his article. E had her Better Bones and Balance class. At 10:00 we went off into the world, ending up at a garden center where we bought a pot of tulips, some violets, and a table and chair set. We were so excited by the latter that we rushed home, set it up in the back yard and had a cup of coffee. Aah. Beautiful.

We then went to the OSU forest for a quick hike up to the lake and back. We were home by 12:30 in time to get ready for yet another celebration of E’s birthday, this time at her friend H’s house, she of the covered back patio. That do started at 1:00 and involved take-out Vietnamese food and house-made cardamom tea. More importantly, there were two kinds of cake. 

Later, back at home, hilarity ensued when E mistakenly prepared our dinner, even though it was M’s night to cook. After dinner we watched a bit more of 20 Minutes.

Wednesday, March 10   Deaths  2,305 (+2)   New cases  306

Another coolish day with occasional light showers and periods of warm sun. M worked on his article for a couple of hours and then went outside to spread bark rock here and there. E did her correspondence chores–paper and electronic–and then went out to visit Pepper and his owner. 

After some nice TLT sandwiches for supper, we watched episode 11 of 20 Minutes. Nothing of any great significance occurred, but it was all very dramatic. So far our heroine Melek has been found guilty of assault rather than murder because the man she was accused of attacking has been lingering in a coma. But soon, it seems, he is going to die. If he does, her sentence will be changed from 20 years to life. But what does that even matter, given that the dying man’s father–the evil and powerful Mayor–has sworn to have Melek and her whole family slaughtered within the next ten years. Meanwhile, the one police detective who suspects that Melek is innocent is in trouble with his boss and is being ostracized by his colleagues–including the guy who delivers the tea–because he has tried to reopen her case. Inside the prison Melek has befriended another prisoner, a young pregnant woman who is serving time because her husband made her work as as drug mule. Melek is doing this because Melek is nice. How could she not be? The word melek in Turkish means angel. 

Thursday, March 11   Deaths  2,316 (+11)   New cases  367

A beautiful day and a busy one. We had tertulia early with J and R, who helped M figure out just how he had managed to order so much gravel. His difficulty had to do with something that is apparently called “arithmetic.” So that mystery is cleared up; it will take a little longer to clear up the extra gravel. After tertulia, E had Zoom yoga and M went to the dentist.   

At 10:30, M did FaceTime with colleague D to wrap up the article. He came out of the meeting to find E busy in the front yard. She was doing some spring cleaning work on her mini-garden out by the road. This inspired M to go outside also. He spread a few cartloads of bark rock. Bark rock, he reports, is approximately 1,000 times lighter than gravel. Given his level of arithmetic skills, he is almost certainly wrong. 

In the late afternoon E had Laughter Yoga while M prepared his ingredients for a stir-fry. 

Friday, March 12   Deaths  2,319 (+2)   New cases  402

Cloudless skies and overnight temperature in the thirties made for a cold morning, but things warmed up nicely as the day went on. Around midday we took a long forest walk followed by a picnic lunch at the lake. E. had Zoom yoga at 1:30 and later had a long phone call with her brother. M did desk work and dropped off some things at the post office. At four we had a conference call with R and G and talked about a date for getting together at their house for dinner. What a strange idea! In the evening we skipped TV and started a 4D jigsaw puzzle of Budapest.

Saturday, March 13   Deaths  2,322 (+3)   New cases  365

Spring cleaning day for our rather crowded back door closet. It was a bright and sunny day, so we took all our winter coats and hats and yoga stuff out to bake in the sun. Once the space was empty, E scrubbed and vacuumed. 

Later in the day E had a little outdoor party with her friends J and C. The menu featured dolmas, spinach pastries, crackers, brie and possibly some wine. For once it was warm enough, mostly, to be comfortable sitting outside. M started doing our taxes, then dined on a Burgerville sandwich and fries washed down by a glass of Origon, a Catalan red, cheap but tasty. 

Then we went back to work on building Budapest. We’re still plugging away at the 1884 map. So far we’ve only finished the Danube. 

We also watched a little of 20 Minutes. The young woman whom Melek befriended has been coerced into betraying her. Wouldn’t you know it.

Sunday, March 14   Deaths  2,322 (+0)   New cases  234

For breakfast we had chocolate croissants–not, alas, from the Patissier, which remains closed, but from Trader Joe’s. They came frozen and as instructed we set them out on parchment paper and let them thaw and rise all night, then cooked them in the morning. They were very good. M noticed that they had too much chocolate; E did not. After breakfast we finished up our income tax returns and sent them off across the internet. 

After lunch Eve went walking on the west side of the OSU campus, which has long been the home grounds of the College of Agriculture. There’s a multi-use path that begins on what she still calls Pig Farm Road. These days the road still provides access to the Swine Center, but also to the OSU Dairy, the Animal Nutrition Center, and the Precision Agricultural Systems Center. We’re not sure if we want to know what goes on in the Precision Agricultural Systems Center. The building itself gives no clue. 

But anyway, beyond all that, the road continues as a walking/biking route that leads through the fields in the direction of the Benton County Fairgrounds. Fifty years ago someone rescued an old covered bridge that was being replaced somewhere else in the county and moved it to where the path crosses Oak Creek. We remember walking there once or twice in the old days when we both worked on campus. Today, E says, it was cold and windy. 

Pandemi Günlüğü, 8-14 Mart, 2021

Pazaretesi, 8 Mart Oregon’daki ölümler: 2,298 (+2)  Yeni vakalar: 234

Salgın Oregon’da devan ediyor. 2 Mart’tan 11 Mart’a kadar günde ondan fazla ölüme neden oldu. 

Pazartesi bakkal alışveriş günü ve bugün çok para harcadık. E bir mağazaya, M iki mağazaya daha gitti. Eve birçok harika şey getirdik: Kaliforniya’dan organik greyfurt suyu, İspanya’dan ucuz şarap, Türkiye’den kuru kayısı, Oregon’dan ekmek ve the pièce de résistance–buyuk bir kutu Frosted Mini Wheats. Vay!

Öğleden sonra M, bir Safeway süpermarkette ilk COVID atışını yaptı. Süreç sorunsuz ve kolaydı. Ama Eve’in aşı yaptırdığı zamandan çok farklıydı. E bir futbol stadyumuna gitti. Çok sayıda personel ve çok sayıda gönüllü asistan vardı. Saatte yüzlerce doz aşı yaptılar. Safeway’de her zaman eczane bölümünde çalışan sadece iki personel vardı. Saatte dört aşı yaptılar. Hangisi daha iyiydi? Hmm. Peki, M Safeway için yüzde son indirim kuponu aldı. E bir futbol maçı için yüzde on indirim aldı mı? Hayır.

Sali, 9 Mart Oregon’daki ölümler: 2,2303 (+5)  Yeni vakalar: 517

Biraz bahçe işi ve E’nin egzersiz dersinden sonra, büyük dünyaya gittik. Bir bahçe merkezine gittik ve bir lale, biraz menekşe ve bir dış mekan masa ve sandalye seti aldık. Masa ve sandalyeyi eve geri götürdük ve bahçemize koyduk. Sonra bir fincan kahve ile rahatladık. Ah … güzel.

Daha sonra hızlı bir orman yürüyüşüne çıktık ve saat 1: 00’de öğle yemeği için H’nin evine gittik. Vietnam yemekleri ve doğum günü pastası yedik. Akşam 20 Dakikalık bir bölüm daha izledik. 

Çarşamba, 10 Mart Oregon’daki ölümler: 2,305 (+2)  Yeni vakalar: 306

Biraz yağmur ve biraz güneşle başka bir gün. M makalesi üzerinde çalışırken, E yazışmalar yaptı ve Pepper and Pepper’ın sahibini ziyarete gitti. Akşam 20 Dakika daha izledik. Zavallı Melek! 20 yıl hapis yatıyor. Belki ömür boyu hapiste. Ama zaman önemli değil çünkü kötü Belediye Başkanı Solmaz onun ölmesini istiyor. Onu hapishane duş odasında öldürmek için bir plan yaptı. Melek’in masum olabileceğini düşünen bir polis dedektifi var. Ama başı dertte. Patronu kızgın ve kimse onunla konuşmayacak, çaycı bile. Melek cezaevinde başka bir mahkuma yardım ediyor. Bunu nazik olduğu için yapıyor. O tam bir melek. 

Perşembe, 11 Mart Oregon’daki ölümler: 2,316 (+11)  Yeni vakalar: 367

Güzel ve yoğun bir gün. FaceTime’da J ve R ile konuştuk. M’nin neden bu kadar çakıl taşıdığını anlamasına yardımcı oldular. Zorluk, ‘aritmetik’ denen bir şeydi. Sonra E Zoom yoga yaptı ve M dişçıye gitti. Bundan sonra M başka bir FaceTime toplantısı yaptı ve E ön bahçede çalıştı. M ayrıca dışarı çıktı ve ağaç kabuğu yaymaya çalıştı. Kabuğun çakıldan 1000 kat daha hafif olduğunu söylüyor. Matematik becerilerinin seviyesi düşünüldüğünde, muhtemelen çok yanılıyor. Öğleden sonra arkadaşlarımızla telefonla konuştuk. Şimdi hepimiz aşı oluyoruz, bu yüzden bir veya iki hafta içinde onların evinde akşam yemeği yiyeceğiz. Ne tuhaf bir fikir!

Akşam televizyonu izlemedik. Bunun yerine 4D testere bulmacası başlattık.

Cuma, 12 Mart Oregon’daki ölümler: 2,319 (+3)  Yeni vakalar: 402

Bulutsuz gökkynüzü ve soğuk bir sabah. Ormanda uzun bir yürüyüşe çıktık ve göl kenarında piknik yaptık. E 1: 30’da Zoom yoga yaptı ve daha sonra erkek kardeşi ile telefonda konuştu. Saat 4: 00’te arkadaşlarımız R ve G ile konuştuk. Yakında evlerinde akşam yemeği yemeyi planlıyoruz. Bu yeni bir fikir! Akşam televizyon izlemedik. Budapeşte’nin 4D yapbozunu başlattık.

Cumartesi, 13 Mart Oregon’daki ölümler: 2,322 (+3)  Yeni vakalar: 365

Bahar temizliği günü, en az bir dolap için. Sıcak güneşli bir gündü, bu yüzden kışlık paltolarımızı, şapkalarımızı ve eşyalarımızı dışarı çıkardık. E dolabı temizledi ve süpürdü. Günün ilerleyen saatlerinde E arkadaşları J ve C ile küçük bir açık hava partisi yaptı. Dolmalar, ıspanaklı hamur işleri, brie ve kraker vardı. Çok soğuk değildi. E arkadaşlarıyla oynarken M vergilerimizi yaptı. Akşam yemeğinde hamburger, patates kızartması ve şarap yedi. Şarap Katalunya’dandı. Ucuz ama güzel.

Sonra Budapeşte’de çalıştık ve biraz 20 Dakika izledik. Melek’in yardım ettiği genç kadın ona ihanet etti. Sürpriz değil.

Pazar, 14 Mart Oregon’daki ölümler: 2,322 (+0)  Yeni vakalar: 234

Kahvaltıda Trader Joes’dan çikolatalı kruvasan yedik. M çok fazla çikolataları olduğunu söyledi. E fark etmedi.

Öğle yemeğinden sonra Eve, OSU kampüsünün batı tarafında yürüyüşe çıktı. Ziraat Koleji’nin evi. Domuz Merkezi, OSU Mandıra, Hayvan Besleme Merkezi ve Hassas Tarım Sistemleri Merkezi’nden geçti. Hassas Tarım Sistemleri Merkezi nedir? Bilmek istemiyoruz. Bina uğursuz görünüyor.