Journal: When you want to roll, roll, roll but the governor says don’t go
Published 3:20 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.
3/22/20
We had such a beautiful morning! My son and I prepared the backyard for our Victory Garden, weeding, picking up worms, and spraying each other with dirt clods shaken off the trailing buttercups. They sound sweet, but they’re not! We sang along to the Beatles and he earned a pack of the Pokémon cards he’s so entranced with. And then, that same afternoon, I heard myself yelling, “Go. Out. Side!”
Yes, things deteriorated quickly in the Tully house. My son is 7 and badly needed to burn off some energy in a way that didn’t involve running wild through the house and jumping on people. His sister was already outside, also needing to get out some destructive wiggles. Stuck at home, they’ve been fighting about everything and roughhousing inside. They either get outside or mom’s gonna blow a gasket.
So yes, I understand why some families decided to take a trip to Oregon and Washington beaches this past weekend. We’re only a week in and people are getting cabin fever. I wouldn’t want to live in a crowded city on a good day, let alone now, and I feel for those families. They see a park or beach as a wide-open public space with sun, fresh air, and lots of ability to keep a distance between themselves and others. Yes, the parking may be crowded, but city folks don’t know parking any other way. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to bring this virus from big cities to small rural towns that have limited hospitals, resources, and large elderly populations. I don’t know the solution, but the choice has been taken away from us now with this shelter-in-place order. So, as much as I wanted to just hop in the car and take a road trip south until I hit sunshine and eighty degrees, that is firmly off the table.
As it is, I’m grateful to live in a small town, and have plenty of yard work to do. Now, I just have to keep the supply of Pokémon cards coming.
Song of the day: Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoole (search IZ Somewhere Over the Rainbow on YouTube)
Or, for this acapella version sung by students into their computers at home: search, Chino Valley Choir Somewhere Over the Rainbow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3_crTZ0NHg
Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi / fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com
