Papa Tom is headed to work (Sunday, March 29, 2020)

Papa Tom's work is essential so he is still working

Papa Tom was issued a mask to wear at work. Stay safe and well!

Ok, then you can't come to Mardi Gras next year! (March 27, 2019)

Donna had to vacate her office briefly on March 25th for sanitizing after two NOPD officers tested positive for covid 19. Another 50 officers are in quarantine.

In other news, as of Saturday, March 27th, New Orleanians who fly into Texas must self-quarantine for 14 days; Louisianans attempting to drive into Florida via I-10 will be stopped and requested to self-quarantine; South Carolina has issued a similar restriction.   

Sixth Street on a Friday night (Friday, March 27, 2020)

Sixth Street is closed and boarded up.  A lone musician promises to hug from six feet away.

Austin's Voodoo Donuts.  Are the Portland mother ships still open?

Harder times for the homeless.  Will the homeless population grow as people who've been laid off run out of money?

A doodler and her dog

Grocery shopping on Sixth Street

The only take-out food for blocks

Hope is stronger than fear

Covid 19's competitor:  the blabla virus.

Grocery shopping in the age of covid 19 (Friday, March 27, 2020)

Costco lets you know before you go inside.

Costco:  lining up at least six feet apart.

Costco food court available for take-out only.  First the free samples, now the food court....

Why didn't I invest in Domino's?

Meanwhile, at Jason's Deli, things are very quiet for the employee out front.  No takers for the meat, eggs, bread, cheese and other basics available to shoppers.  Looks like Jason's is hiring delivery drivers.  But how much take-out are people ordering?

Sprouts directs shoppers to the sanitized carts and baskets.

"Stay home, work safe" fashion (Thursday, March 26, 2020)

The small sign advised us to send the tube back for sanitizing after our transaction.  No chance to miss it.  The bank clerk made a verbal request too.

"Stay home, work safe" day what?  Going to count from Friday the 13th, when AISD closed schools.  Question of the day, Day 13:  is it okay to wear jammies to the bank drive-thru?  The lobby is closed.  Made it there and back without a flat tire or accident, so no jammies walk of shame.  I did at least brush my hair before going out. 

Stay Home, Work Safe (March 24-25, 2020)

"Stay home, work safe" until at least April 13th. Puppy puzzle time.

Third-grade math lesson: addition and multiplication with dominoes.  Fox loves my homemade kombucha, which she must always drink from her "Monster in Paris" glass, a champagne glass from Sarah and Kirk's wedding.  We watched "Monster in Paris" so many times, and she liked the formality of sipping from the champagne glass during the film.

Happy 9, Fox!  Note her coronavirus bandana.

Birthday donuts.  They're a family tradition.

More signs of the covid 19 times (March 22, 2020)

Donna shared this photo of Destry and Caroline participating in a class discussion.

Please stay home if you think you're sick, and use home delivery, if you can.  Neighbors have reported on our listserve that many home delivery queues are full.

Neighborhood churches offer virtual sermons.  I wonder if the pastor preaches from the pulpit or from home?  I could check out the video to find out, yes?

My parents' home town made "Better Call Saul"

One of our covid 19 Netflix binges has been "Better Call Saul."  Surprised to see my parents' hometown featured toward the end of the fourth (third?) season.

Helped to see "Coushatta" in closed captions.  Actresses did not pronounce it like the locals do.

They totally confused North Louisiana with South Louisana, having the Baptist minister from Coushatta talk pure Cajun.

Signs of the (covid 19) times (March 20, 2020)

Shopping with latex gloves.  Shortage on chicken, but plenty of wine.

About 20 people were waiting in line to get into H.E.B., apparently being allowed in every six feet.

Plenty of produce on Friday, March 20.  I was back at Natural Grocer's on Sunday, March 22, and the bins were empty.  All of them. Except for one jicama.

I couldn't tell if customers could only take 24 bottles of water or 12 rolls of paper towels. Either way, you cannot return the item.  Hmmm. Maybe sell it out of the trunk of your car about a week from now? Still no toilet paper at Costco as of March 20. 

Grocery shopping in the time of Covid 19 (March 20, 2020)

Social distancing line to get into H.E.B. on March 20th

Empty shelves, even when items are limited

Kenneth the Sprouts guy, sanitizing cart handles

Costco keeping us six feet apart, at least until we're inside

Almost our turn.  So much better than the shopping mayhem depicted in "Contagian," a 2011 film with Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Laurence Fishburne, that we just had to watch Saturday night.  Weirdly familiar plot: a virus originating from a wet market in China circles the world with no cure, no vaccine. Some of the terms like "social distancing" were very familiar!

Picking up Penny Guin (March 20, 2020)

Ordinarily during Spring Break, Cafe Monet would be packed on a Friday afternoon.  Only Tom, me, two staff members, and Fox's Penny Guin were here.  In hopes of staying in business, Cafe Monet is offering pick-up take-home paint projects.

Cats (March 19-20, 2020)

Zephyr and the Night Visitor (March 19, 2020)

Our sometimes Day Visitor, who we've named "Bootsie."  He has a collar but no tag.  He likes to wander through the house.

The Regulars, Einar and Fluffy, and invisible humans.  So it's true!  Cats do sit on mats!  No rat here, though.

Happy 9, River! (March 15, 2020)

What kind of birthday donut is that, River?  I would guess Fruit Loops are on top, but they're all pink.  Hmmm.

Spring break in Austin (March 14, 2020)

Spring break was scheduled to begin Monday, March 16.  However, due to coronavirus patients in Austin, the school district canceled school on Friday, March 13.  Fox and I spent Saturday afternoon at Cafe Monet, where she painted a penguin "piggy" bank.  Maybe our last chance to go to a public place until May.  As of 2 a.m. Sunday, all gatherings of 250 people or more, including weddings and funerals, were banned in Austin.

Why do we stick out our tongues when we concentrate?  All of us do it.  Must Google it.

Penny Guin is ready to be fired.  She'll be ready for pick up on Thursday, March 19.  I hope Cafe Monet is still open then!

Prepared for at least 14 days at home: sigh (March 2020)

Thanks to Otis's visit last summer, we're well supplied with Nalley's Original Chili. Oops!  Why is everything backwards in selfies?  Can't they fix that mirror effect?

We used our alien powers to make the labels read correctly.

Coronaclypse (Friday, March 13, 2020)

Costco line, usually no more than about 5 people long, was to the back of the store.

Chicken is all gone

So many empty boxes.

No toilet paper at Costco.  Usually 30 rolls for $16.99 (if you can see the sign above all the bottles of water).

No toilet paper at Walmart.