Good Morning Campers,

Well, so much for an ezine for you on Monday.  We were hit by a few storms, but mostly wind!  High winds, gusts over 60 mph which included several hours of power outages and then close to 8 hours of no internet…thankfully, I still had my books…and since I read on my tablet, I didn’t even need a light to read.

Sadly, Mrs. Dragon and Izzy Dragon didn’t fare as well. 
“The lights are out, there’s not TV”
”The internet is out, I can’t play my games”

Sigh…

On the plus side, here in Indiana, our cases of COVID-19 did not reach my estimated growth yesterday, I’m hoping it won’t meet it again today which may mean we are slowing down, or it may mean that my amateur scientific estimations are just off.  On the negative side, I’ve already gotten a few inquiries as to what the government did to us while the power was mysteriously off yesterday.  The power was not mysteriously off yesterday, it was off due to the friggin’ WEATHER!!!  Are you people nuts?!  Okay, so count that as a rhetorical question.

I received a really good essay forwarded by waymore6 that I am going to paraphrase here:

It’s a big eye opener, all of this, isn’t it?
We are finally realizing money has no value.
Your amazing job is no longer an amazing job, your expensive clothes no have no worth, and no one cares how you look anymore.
Your big house is just four empty walls like everyone else’s.
Your nice car is running on four tires, the same as everyone else’s.
We are finally seeing who the important people are, the ones who make a difference to our lives and are doing the crucial jobs we need:
Shop workers
Medical workers
Emergency services
Farmers
Teachers
Truck drivers
Delivery people
Cleaners
Refuse workers
Police
Firemen
You can probably think of more to add to the list.  These are the people who keep our country ticking over, the core of our daily lives, the people who regularly go unnoticed and are often frowned upon but keep working hard, generally on a low income.
I’m proud of all these people, they don’t earn enough for what they do, and they’re never appreciated for what they contribute.
Be kind to them, thank them, go out of your way to them them what an amazing job they’re doing.  Can you imagine how much worse this would be without them?

Thanks for sharing that Waymore, I couldn’t have said it better myself!

If you went out of your way to thank someone for what they are doing, then thank you!  If all of us go that little extra step, think of what a nicer place it would be.  And maybe, if we get used to going that little extra step, it will carry over to when this is done and we will continue to have a much nicer world to live in.  You may have to run out to the shop and only spend a minute or two running in to grab a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread to limit your exposure, but what about that cashier, who’s there for an entire shift, exposing themselves to everyone so that you can run in for that minute?  Don’t they deserve your thanks?  Is it going to take that much out of you to say thanks for being there?  Personally, I think they deserve hazardous duty pay!

Okay, so enough of me jabbering, let’s laugh for a little bit…

And there it is!  Be the dude!

Those were some REALLY GOOD mushrooms!

Oh my… can you imagine!  A new household pet! 

From our buddy Tom in Oregon:

Hi Mr. Dragon; Hope you are still doing well over on the on the other side of the country. Here, in Oregon it isn’t as bad as it is in a lot of places. The last report I saw said there were 414 cases and a total of 13 deaths from the virus. Thirteen doesn’t seem so bad when more than that get shot and die about every other day in Portland. Of course I am just a little red speck in a sea of liberal blue. The media is making it sound like we all be dead very soon. I’m not in Portland and only go there if I really need to. We live in a rural area south of the capital and feel good about it. My daughter is a health care worker and is doing fine with all the problems. She seems to do good under the pressure.

Tom

Hi Tom,

Blessings to your daughter!  May she stay safe and healthy!  The numbers here in Indiana are rising although not as bad as some of the other places in the country.  As of today, we have 1786 cases and 35 deaths in the state.  In my county we now have 3 cases, which has tripled since yesterday, when we only had one.  That sounds like a lot until you think that Indiana has a population of a little of 6.7 million people.  So, on the one hand, that’s still way too many people with the virus, but on the other hand, I think we’re doing a good job of keeping down the spread…or maybe I’m just delusional.  One of the other.

Yes, I do agree that the media is sensationalizing it quite a bit, but on the other hand, I think in some ways that may be a good thing.  Because for some of these lemmings, if we don’t scare the crap out of them, they won’t do what they are supposed to do.

Be well and stay safe.

 

Got these from my brother, the Owl yesterday, but I told him how horrible they were…but you know, when you are desperate for something to add to the ezine, you take what you can get, so…thanks Owl!  I also got them from some others, but the Owl sent them first.

Here’s an email from Joe S.  This one bothers me a little for … well … you read it and decide for yourself!

so glad you are letting us into a little part of your life!!  i really look forward to your updates and appreciate the info you give us on covid 19.  

testicle festivals…yes they are a big thing!   am surprised you did not know about them.  i have never went up to the one in ashland ne.  i only live about an hour away from it.  i hear the crowd is ridiculous!!!  yes growing up we always had pork nuts from cutting the pigs.  i don’t raise hogs, but we still keep the beef nuts and they are sooo good to eat.  clean them, soak the blood out, roll in egg and milk mixture, then cracker crums,  and deep fat fry! mmmmmmm.  i have some in the freezer…mouth is watering just typing about it!!!  rocky mountain oysters is a more “proper” name?    idk   

things are pretty mild around here.  schools are all out.  kids and wife, a teacher, are at home.  college daughter is home.  we don’t go out a lot!  have had to make some trips to the grocery store.  have been building some fences.  keeping the kids busy outside as much as possible.  miss being able to visit my dad.  the nursing home he is in    has been closed to all visitors.  most of the cases in nebraska have been around omaha…about 2 hours north of me.  so far the missouri river is not flooding this year.  that would be a real insult to injury!!

hope you stay well!

always enjoy the ezine

joe

Joe, I’ve eaten a lot of … unusual things in my life, including fried squid on a stick from a street vendor in Spain, but eating another animal’s testicles, for some reason, just seems wrong to me.  Paint me into whatever unaccepting corner you wish, but … nah…. I’ll pass.

Blessings on your wife, teaching is a tough gig.  Is she doing any tele-teaching from home right now?  I’ll bet that is tougher on the teacher than it is on the kidlets.

Sorry to hear about not being able to visit your dad, but it’s probably for the best and will keep him safer. 

Thanks for writing, and keep it up.  Stay safe.

Impish

 

Just bumped into a mannequin and said, “sorry.” Then said, “Oh, I thought you were a person.” Then I realized I was still talking to a mannequin.

Okay, I have to warn you, this next one is rough.  But, maybe we need to hear it. Be prepared:

Make no mistake. When loved ones are removed from your home by ambulance because the virus has hit them hard, you are not going to be able to follow them there, sit by their hospital bed and hold their hand. You are not going to be able to pop in at 7.00 pm for visiting hours. They are going to have no one other than exhausted and brave hospital staff to see them through days or weeks of barely breathing through a ventilator until they either die or recover. They are not going to be well enough to text you.

You are not going to be able to phone the ward to check in on them regularly (staff will be too busy for that). During that time, they will be completely alone, while you sit at home waiting to hear whether they have made it through.

Imagine that person is someone you love dearly. Because it’s going to be a reality for many in the coming weeks.

And if that person in hospital happens to be you, going through that ordeal completely alone would be nothing less than terrifying.

Please stay home and only go out if absolutely necessary. Social distancing is imperative right now, for your family – and for mine.

It is the cold hard truth…and I don’t want that for anyone in my family…and you are ALL my family.

And speaking of Quentin Tarantino, we saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood over the weekend.  It came on HBO.  I wasn’t impressed.  I mean, it was okay and all, but it sure wasn’t the movie I expected.  Almost 3 hours of … okaaaaaayyyyyyy …. and then that was it.  I just didn’t get what all the hubbub was about, bub.

Oh Gawd!  Are we back to the Testicle Festival again!?

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, sorry!

Same Kroger?

My wife called me at work and asked, “Do you ever get a shooting pain across your body, like someone’s got a voodoo doll of you and they’re stabbing it?”

Sounding concerned, I replied, “No…”

She responded, “How about now?”

My good buddy Paul sent me this and I want to share it here and now, because I JUST read it and it’s IMPORTANT!!!

Amen Paul, and thank you!

And I think that’s a really good note to end on today.  I got beat up really badly on phone calls and emails and people needing answers and having questions.  My heart is hurting and my emotions are raw, so I want to say thank you to all of you out there who have helped me by sending me your emails, sending me your comments, sending me your jokes and your funnies that I will share with the rest of you over the coming days.  I know I won’t get a chance to thank enough of you individually, but don’t let that make you think that I don’t appreciate each and every one of you who have taken the time out to send me something or write to me or to even just give me a star at the end of the issue.

Some of you are sending me A LOT and I deeply appreciate that.  Some of you are just giving me a smile, and I deeply appreciate that, too.  And, like Santa, I know when you smile, I can feel it in my heart.

Be well, be safe, stay home.

Love you all, until tomorrow.

Cheers!

Impish Dragon