Scarlet Pimpernel

1 hour ago, H2O said:

Same lawn chair from the "never forget" earthquake pic?

If it's that chair...better off just getting a new one!! 

(That "never forget" pic was hilarious!!)

Just now, WxWatcher007 said:

Part of me wants a get together so I can arrive as the reaper.

Haha, you absolutely should do that!!  At the same time, you can hand out flyers advertising your new, snazzy suites for those interested the next winter.  C'mon man...think of the marketing opportunities, and in-person too!!

2 hours ago, supernovasky said:

That's lovely. I first realized when I was 8, and then 12, in Southern Louisiana. Suffice to say, it's a lot easier on kids these days here in Maryland than it was in Louisiana in 1998-2002. Thanks for being such wonderful parents. 

Very cool, and thanks for sharing that information.  And (trite as this may sound), I'm glad that you're now happy with who you are and who *you* want to be.  In the end, that's really all that should matter.  You're right, it's a lot easier now than it was in Louisiana (or anywhere for that matter) some 20+ years ago.  But like many things, it sure was a long, hard road to get this country to change its attitudes even a little bit (and it still seems people have to fight the same battles time and time again).

(ETA:  Hopefully we can still get a good HECS-level snow event for you while you're in the area!!)

Just now, wxtrix said:

we're doing as well as can be working from home, and I hope you can say the same.

my dad was hospitalized 2 weeks ago for pneumonia as a covid-19 complication, but he came home after a few days and seems to be OK. my mom is presumed positive too, but she's had no symptoms after nearly 20 days after my dad began shedding the virus. they're both in their 80s so it feels as if we've dodged a big bullet.

Oh, that's terrible...so sorry you all had to go through that!  But I'm glad to hear your dad came through it OK, and hope that your mom did manage to avoid symptoms despite being exposed to it.  Those are exactly the kinds of complications that make this so scary.

Just now, mappy said:

you should read the banter thread  

lol sorry. i shouldnt brag. i know i'm lucky compared to others. 

All good...I knew it was in humor, and I thought it was funny...surely pretty well everyone else took it the same!

2 hours ago, supernovasky said:

That's a funnier statement than you might realize.

7 minutes ago, Maestrobjwa said:

Same, hahaha Ya know @supernovasky I think it's something about your screename...(I guess the -vasky suffix? Lol)

LOL!  OK, I admit to thinking the same about @supernovasky.  In fact, I always thought the pronunciation was like an eastern European/Russian type of name, like "Super-novAski" (imagine Gru from "Despicable Me" saying that...). Then I realized, maybe it's actually "Supernova Sky"!!  

2 hours ago, mappy said:

you and many others. but don't mind me while i enjoy my backyard pool. 

OK, now that is just harsh...

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.

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But still damn funny and I did get a good laugh!!! 

14 minutes ago, Mrs.J said:

@Zugzwang yes I was born in 1973 so was there for the Blizzard of 78. Fondest memory is our local IGA grocery store the owner got in and opened up. My mom and us kids took our sleads and walked up to the store, got some food and walked back. Also my older brothers jumped off the roof of the front porch into the drifts. My sister and I were able to walk over our neighbors fence because the drifts were so high. Fun times! Made snow tunnels, looking back at it we were pretty stupid as they could have collapsed while in there. 

After moving to MD and seeing just how bad people drive in the snow, my girls will be made to go out and drive in it. I remember we would get around in 4" with the cars and everyone was able to get where they needed to go. Snow just got packed down on the roads. Hated the slush though!

And summers at Cedar Point!! Man miss those. 

Those are some good memories, and similar to mine in fact!  I recall going sledding with several people on this golf course, hopping the fence to get there, at night!

Ahhhh, Cedar Point...the roller-coaster heaven!!  I went there a few times.  Did the old "Gemini" coaster, where 2 of them sort of "race" each other...it was easy to get right back on, because the lines went fast (with 2 roller coasters).  I vaguely recall doing the double-loop or corkscrew ride they had once...only once!  Closed my eyes through the part where you go upside down, haha!  I never could get myself to do the demon drop (I think that's what it was called?), where it would drop you straight down from whatever ridiculous height!

(ETA... Now I may be mixing up some of those rides with the old Geauga Lake amusement park, but you get the idea! ) 

9 minutes ago, mappy said:

I’m expecting schools to stay closed. Everyone gets punted to the next grade level, seniors graduate and so on. It will suck but they can’t hold kids back and they can’t restart. So unless they expect kids to go to school during the summer...there are no other options. 
so the biggest issue for my house, and I assume many others, is we have a kid at home who isn’t old enough to stay home alone, with two parents whose offices are now open and we are expected to show up. Without a childcare plan in place, it means one of us has to stay home, until school starts again. It’s not feasible. Our offices are understanding now, because everything is shut down...but how understanding will they be if things open up and we still stay home? I’d hope understanding but who the hell knows what these corporate minds think. 
 

im just rambling now about my own concerns moving forward. I want things to be as close to normal as everyone else does, but I understand the risk. I’m glad Hogan is already putting a plan in motion on how to reopen. It’s reassuring, but man sooo many variables to consider.

I hear you and feel for you the situation you're in (having been there myself not that many years ago!).  It is a concern in terms of whether daycare places open at the same time anyone's office does; I'd guess probably not at the same time.  One would *hope*, really, that coming out of this at some point, work places that are allowing remote/teleworking would extend that to those who must still be at home to care for a child whose daycare or school is not yet open.  That would be reasonable, I'd think.  I mean, if they have no problem with you remote working now, why would they have a problem even if the office is "open"?  But you're right...how understanding will some of these corporate entities be?  I know as a gov't employee, I'm extremely fortunate that they've become far more flexible in the past decade concerning teleworking.  Heck, some people TW a few days a week regularly, even if they're right here in town (DC area).

@RDM and @Mrs.J...good to know a couple of other fellow native Ohioans!!  I grew up in northeast Ohio, on the east/southeast side of Cleveland.  This was through the 1970s and 1980s.  I also of course would visit during breaks from college.  Much of my family since the mid 1990s has moved out for various reasons (myself included), though I still have a brother and sister in law living south of Cleveland (in Medina County).  I still go back now when I can, a couple or three times a year, and it's always nice to visit!  And not that bad a drive from the DC metro area.  Of course, it sometimes helps when there are Indians' or Cavs' tickets involved for a game...or more recently, to see the comedian Jim Gaffigan!  

I miss it too...especially the winters.  I don't mind heading up there when most would consider it the "worst time of year" to be in northeast Ohio!  I still consider the area to be home.

@RDM, we've talked a few times about the Ohio Blizzard of 1978  (Jan. 26-27, 1978), and our memories of that.  @Mrs.J, were you in Ohio at that time, too?  As I've said before, that's still the landmark winter storm of my lifetime.  It has been referred to as the "White Hurricane" for good reason.

1 hour ago, supernovasky said:

Basically goes to show how bad this would be if it were not contained. Even locked down completely, we are losing more people every day than we do to heart disease.

Very true.  I think there's enough evidence at this point to show that at least some "social distancing" and staying at home has helped to mitigate the spread somewhat compared to if nothing were done.  But we're far from ideal.

As an aside, I'll say when I went out this past weekend out toward Rockville to grab a few things...the lack of traffic on the Rockville Pike was quite extraordinary (normally mid-day on a weekend it would be crowded!).  Hell, I could even turn LEFT, easily, without having to wait for the next round of green lights!!

3 hours ago, mappy said:

my mom, god bless her, made us all fabric masks. my anxiety over having to go the store dropped by just having a mask. 

 

Pretty neat!  I may have to confiscate one of my daughter's bandannas to use as a make-shift mask when venturing out to the supermarket.  Not perfect, but it is something.

4 hours ago, mappy said:

Hogan: 1-2 BILLION has already been spent within the state. wowza. that's gonna hurt the states budget

Thanks for those brief presser updates...I didn't have a chance to see or listen to it.  Quite informative!

Here you go @mappy! A veritable sea of red tulips (took this the other day)! 

55 minutes ago, WxUSAF said:

I didn’t vote for him, but I give Hogan a great deal of credit for how he’s handled this. I’m very impressed. Wish more people in his party in leadership positions acted liked him.  I think his response has saved lives.

This echoes my exact thoughts. I didn't vote for Hogan either but he has handled this crisis admirably. Credit where it's due and he deserves that. Maybe it's because he is a more "moderate" Repub in a heavily Dem state, but regardless he's done well here and I feel as though he has presented himself as trustworthy in this situation. Definitely more so than many in his party.

1 hour ago, showmethesnow said:

Dear Diary,

Day 13 of the lock down. 

Have made a new friend today. His name is Sam. Had some wonderful stories to tell. Also had a tragic story about losing most of his family to a mysterious mist.

Note to self. Throw the spray can of Raid away.

I'm reminded of this scene from "Count of Monte Cristo" (yeah, not completely faithful to the novel, but a pretty good dramatization all the same!)...

8 hours ago, mappy said:

my favorite! you remembered!  

But of course!  Tulips have just come up around here and there are a couple of places nearby that have really nice beds of them.  So I grabbed a bunch of photos of those and some other things that are blooming.  I'll see if I can scrounge up another one that I took for you, too, when I have a chance!

Some flower photos to brighten spirits a little... 

And some tulips for you @mappy!

1 hour ago, Maestrobjwa said:

And I'm laughing at "Aerosolized feces" Hahaha That's a new one...

Kinda brings a new meaning when people say, "shit's really flying!", doesn't it?? 

(or, "that shit won't fly!" or "hitting the fan" or... Well you get the idea!) 

2 hours ago, Mrs.J said:

Dinner tonight Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas with Mexican Rice. And one of my husbands kick ass Margaritas! 
 

One of our local liquor stores if you DM them on Instagram with your list they will get it ready and meet you at the curb. Now that is service!

Ahhh, Ms. J!  You always have some damn fine culinary creations I have to say!  That looks very tasty, thank you for sharing even if virtually!  That margarita...I have no words (but I do have a sudden...thirst, hahaha!)!!

Funny, but the baking aisle has been mostly empty for the past couple of weeks.  Can't find yeast, sugar, or flour really.  My daughter has been asking me to find yeast (she likes to bake!), but alas, I come home empty handed any time I've checked.  She made me my birthday cake this year (chocolate, of course...with a penuche icing...very tasty!).

4 minutes ago, Baltimorewx said:

I'm sorry...I know I really should not laugh...but I admit to finding that a little amusing!  (But it is soooo wrong!!!)

1 minute ago, C.A.P.E. said:

LOL I do remember that. Me and my bother watched that in reruns when we were kids. Only "soap opera" worth watching!

LOL!  I sort of heard of it growing up but never really knew much about or saw it until recently!  It's funny that it is considered a "soap opera", I guess because the episodes were on in the mid afternoon back when it was originally televised.  Sort of a horror/cult soap opera, I guess!  It's funny to see some of the occasional "errors" that occurred during filming, of course it was really low budget for that kind of thing.  You'd occasionally hear some background noise, something dropping on the ground, or see the shadow of a microphone that you weren't supposed to see...heck, I've even seen a fly or other insect appear and one of the actors had to wave it away right there on set and while filming!  The over-dramatic music is kinda funny too.  Have to say, Barnabas Collins and Quentin Collins were awesome characters (Quentin's snarky character is amusing)!

38 minutes ago, C.A.P.E. said:

Drinking a Hazy IPA and watching Train to Busan.

Whats better than watching a zombie movie during our apocalyptic pandemic?

Ha!  Well, I watched the original "Alien" movie a couple of weeks back...great film and still a pretty damned scary idea!  It's been years since I last saw it.  But now, I've got the complete James Bond series on Bluray that I've started watching in the past week (was given that for my birthday the other week).  I'm still amazed at how good the "original" ones were, through the 80s (including Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and yes, even the one with George Lazenby).  I know, there's argument over who the best Bond is/was!  Oh, and anyone remember the old "Dark Shadows" series from the '60s-70s?  Someone gave us the complete set on disk (some 1200 episodes!) a few years ago, and have slowly been working through that when the mood strikes.  Fun stuff (if campy!)...and it's easy to binge watch several half-hour episodes in an evening!!  Still quite a ways from the end of the series though (and this is over the past 2+ years of occasional viewing)!

3 hours ago, showmethesnow said:

Really was conflicted on whether I wanted to add this or not to the above post. People are scared enough as it is and this is just another worry to pile on the crap heap. But after reflecting on it for a few minutes I thought it was better to be educated to the possibilities as opposed to being caught totally flat footed. One thing we have to consider is the possibility of a mutation. We see that and all bets are off. Don't know enough to know if this would put us back to square one with dealing with this virus but it sure would be a hell of a setback. That said, and I am going by what I have read from the professionals who make a living off these studies, this is an extremely stable virus with a very low mutation rate. Odds are strongly against this scenario even playing out.

3 hours ago, Ralph Wiggum said:

Yes, I think most of the mutations seen thus far have been trivial and not really affecting the severity of the virus or major characteristics. Just enough gene changes to be able to track infection zones. I know for example they tracked one of the strains on a cruise ship to the same genetic makeup from Washington state. So hopefully it remains 'stable' with only about 2 mutations per month. I think I read typical influenza undergoes about 8-10 mutations per month thus why there are different vaccines all the time. Hopefully one and done with covid19 irt vaccination.

Well, I hope the original post I put up didn't sound overly alarmist or anything like that.  I was just thinking historically what happened from the 1918 flu, where after the original wave it got bad again the next fall.  Obviously this virus isn't the same and conditions/medical science, etc. are different as well.  At any rate, I have heard what both of you say that thus far this virus apparently hasn't shown a tendency to mutate very much (if at all, really?).  So yeah, that gives hope of a "one and done" vaccine, once there is a vaccine.  The other thing here is, I've heard differing things on how long one's immunity lasts, which is another factor...though again, I don't think anyone knows anything definitive on that or if it's even been looked into (probably way too early right now to know for sure).

17 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said:

Hi everyone,

This morning the first member of my extended family passed away due to COVID-19. We were pretty close. The grief is hard but I’m being strong for the rest of my family. Unfortunately, this may not be our only loss as two other members of the family are in the hospital and not doing well. 

Please keep us in your prayers, and I just have to say that while I know some are uncomfortable with a thread like this because of the politics and somber topic of discussion, it has personally helped me immensely because I’m able to talk and connect on this in a way I just can’t with family that struggle to talk about mortality and data/policy. A lot of us will know pain during this time. This helps ease my burden. 

Thank you.

I'm so sorry to hear about that, WxWatcher007.  For what it's worth, I send my deep condolences.  Take care of yourself and those close to you!  And like you say, despite the occasional political argument in this thread, I'm grateful for this community and the people in it...nice to know that other than bonding over weather, we can also discuss this current situation rationally for the most part.  And it does help.