Virtual Aperitif

Over the last month we have experimented with Skype and FaceTime to get together with our friends.  Just for fun, I had the little Instax camera on hand.  Both Mr JC and I have one which is good fun and I ordered a 10 pack of color film at the beginning of the lockdown.  I just haven't been good to take pictures over the last month as I have already mentioned.  Our friends were imploring again last night that I need to make a visual record of the lockdown to show for my family in the future.  My usual reply is, "Photograph what?  We are closed in our house and I have photographed everything that is to be photographed.  The kids are stir crazy too and are difficult to get to sit still for a picture.  Just look- (I point the video feed at Mr JC who immediately hides behind his mother), see what I mean?"  And then I remembered I had the Instax camera just sitting there by the platter of cheese.  ah-haha.  I guess I am loosing it a bit!

CC made creme caramel with her mother in the kitchen.  So, I attached an extra of that.  Mrs C is a cooking demon in these days at home to pass the time.  She made focaccia and pizza dough from scratch for the aperitif and dinner.

I stepped out today to buy face masks.  The government has just ordered mandatory face masks when outside (supermarket, pharmacy etc) as is happening around the globe.  Since the SARS-COV-2 started in Italy - it was a Thursday I think, we left for the mountains Friday and by Saturday all face masks and hand gel were already sold out!  We made our grocery stop in the mountains before returning home having seen on the news the run on the stores.  So, that means that nearly two months and impossible to find face masks for the general population here in Milan unless you were lucky to score early on or take home from your employer or maybe already had a personal supply.  After waiting 20 minutes at the pharmacy to buy the masks (not N95! our health services need them!) I thought to attempt to go over to the larger grocery store just 3 minutes away by car.  The local grocery near to us is OK, but I wanted to stock up to lessen the number of times we have to go out (1 person per family and only 2 arms = limited shopping potential).  Long story short, by mid morning there was already a line around 3 sides of the big grocery store.  I returned home.  On the plus side, I got out in the car.  The tires had all flatted from having sat for so long (in the sense they were ovalized - not flat to the ground).  You have to laugh, I had to push the accelerator down quite a bit to get it to move initially out of the box.  I am thinking the car battery business will also probably be a good investment at the end of this lockdown... :)

The on going saga of the stairwell... the kids wanted to join me today and so I felt obliged to appease them.  ha.  I made a reconnaissance mission first to tape numbers I printed for each floor.  I find it impossible to remember which floor I am on as I go up and down.  So, both the kids made two sets (walking) all the way up and down before giving up.  Seems like two is the magic number - my first attempt, Mrs C's first attempt and now the kids.  After that I made another SIX sets - four of them jogging up.  So that makes a total of 8 sets, mixed 4 jogging and 4 walking.  I finally pushed through to get the heart rate up and was breathing more or less freely and enough to sweat a little.  8 x 28 = 224 meters elevation. (+ 28 for the recon...)  I am well on my way to the first intermediate goal of 300 meters.  :::)))

They continue to say we are near to leveling out and are asking everyone to keep up their vigilance.  I see more and more people outside.  There has been a lot of criticism of open markets in Naples with people not practicing safe distances.  I have read now a few articles on the possibility that the virus is also able to remain airborn for longer distances (we create aersols that can carry the virus when breathing and talking in low quantities - or sneezing and coughing in larger quantities).  I still remain very skeptical that the government will ease up on the lockdown by the 14th of April as promised.  The numbers just don't show it... Still nearly 5k new positive cases yesterday and nearly 700 deaths.

Prayers for everyone.