Category: Right Conduct

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Quote About Masks

I don’t like wearing masks.

Do I wear masks, hell yes.  Why?  First because I do not want to get COVID.  I am vaccinated, but I could still contract or carry COVID. Secondly, I want to protect other people, even those do not think they need protecting or want to be protected.  Thirdly, I am trying to make a statement about what is the right thing to do.

In this week’s edition of the local free alternative newspaper, Riverfront Times,  there is a quote about masks that I absolutely love:

Masks are a metaphor for selflessness. During a pandemic they should be a symbol of community and national sense of duty, much like rationing was at the outbreak of World War II.  ~~ Editorial by Ray Hartman, Faisal Khan’s Well-Aimed Middle Finger

Absolutely, freaking YES!!!

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From NYT: It’s the Fauci Awards!

Back in the 80s I worked a dual function position in a rural county in Arkansas.  On one side I was Administrator of the Local County Health Department.  A function that was more or less office manager for the Health Unit and I interfaced with public officials in and outside the county.  When I put on my other hat I was the County Sanitarian.  As a Registered Sanitarian I had a wide range of duties Continue reading “From NYT: It’s the Fauci Awards!”

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This pandemic is real people…

A few weeks ago I posted an article, The Pandemic Blues – Take II. In it I detailed several things that happened to me during a round of golf that disturbed me in relation to folk’s attitude towards the corona virus pandemic.  I then mentioned passing a popular bar/restaurant on my way home that is close to the golf course.  It caters to a working class crowd,  and is a nice place to grab a cold one and a bite to eat.  What I noticed that day was how crowded the parking lot was, to the point of overflowing.  And how I could not imagine social distancing taking place in there.

The last 2 or 3 times I have been golfing over in Illinois, the bar has been closed.  Today at the golf course there was a young man  behind the counter who I knew and knew to be from the area.  I asked him if he knew the story about why the bar was closed.

Well yes he did.  It turns out 2 of the waitresses tested positive for COVID-19.  They were going to just close down the place for a couple days for a “deep cleaning”, he told me.  He then went on to relate that there was a cluster of 20  COVID-19 cases in a small town close to Columbia, IL  When they did the contact tracing they all went back to the bar!  So they have closed the bar down for 2 weeks.  I suppose that works to… I’m not really sure.

I can only hope when they reopen they test their employees a little better and force their customers into practicing social distancing.  I do not really see the later happening in this particular establishment.

We all need to take care and realize that this is a real and serious pandemic, and that it is far from over.

Keep well.

 

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SING… Sing where you can…

If you ask the lyrical Señora Weinhaus she will quickly tell you that her life is music.  If she could not sing I am not sure she would find life worth living.  Normally she sings in in several choirs, but all that has been curtailed due to COVID-19.

She met two of her mates from the Hospice Choir at a tunnel on the Creve Coeur bike path.  Bonnie’s husband shot this video of their jubilation.

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The Unintended Lesson – Revisited

I wrote the article below a little over 20 years, and I wanted to re-share this story today. 

In all of our lives there are hopefully a few individuals that have made a big impact.  My Uncle Dutch and Aunt Peggy were two such people.  When, as a teenager, I was having a lot of problems at home, they took me in for a while.  They helped firm up my rudder that was wobbling terribly.  My uncle passed away today at the age of 92 after living what I would call a good and meaningful  life.  God bless you, Uncle, and godspeed on your new journey. 

dsc_0001aMy Uncle Dutch is not a tall man, and he has what we affectionately call a Buddha belly. I know that he was skinny once upon a time. I have seen pictures of him when he was young and in the Navy, but that is not the Harry Dodd I know. He is elderly now, with white hair, and it is hard for me to not think of him in a suit and tie. The first thing that you will probably notice about my Uncle is his smile. While he doesn’t smile all the time, it is certainly there more than it isn’t. And it is the type of smile that just lights up his whole face.

He is married to my mother’s sister. Now that I am older, I recognize her as kind, gentle, woman. Continue reading “The Unintended Lesson – Revisited”

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The Pandemic Blues – Take II

I had a disturbing round of golf Friday.  Oh not about my golf game, I describe myself as a Dr. Hyde / Mr. Jekyll golfer.  I never know who is coming out, and sometimes I see both these sides in a single round of golf.  I figured out last millennium that I was never going to play golf professionally, or even at a stellar amateur level.  I am good with that.  I still enjoy the game.  My discomfort on this round of golf centered around attitudes about corona virus.

Let me describe where I golf most frequently.  It is across the Rio Mississippi in the small town of Columbia, IL. This is southern Illinois and it is hoosier land.  If your breed is more southern, substitute redneck for hoosier.  It is the same concept, different words. I go to this particular golf course as the rates are more reasonable than in Missouri, it is usually easy to get a tee time and the course is generally in good shape.  The greens always are.  While not the cow pasture golf Continue reading “The Pandemic Blues – Take II”