Quarantine - Day 43

Ella bakes a cake

This morning Laura and I set out with a load of books to deliver to a couple of schools. As President of the Chicago Area Reading Association, Laura donated books to Nash Elementary in the Austin neighborhood. As Play In A Book, we delivered our books to Ella Flagg Young Elementary. These books were paid for by a grant, and they were not donated. We will invoice for these, and both are acts of kindness in my opinion. It is an act of kindness that we are allowed to continue to do business in the midst of all this, although I am not sure others may fully see it this way. Regardless, I felt pretty good about the entire exchange.

Laura delivers books

Meanwhile, in spite of the Governor’s orders, our small trip witnessed a city coming back to life. Many people were out, traffic was becoming a thing again, and although many businesses remain closed, many are not. Masks are clearly considered optional apparel no matter how much the Mayor may fume. There have been 773 deaths due to Coronovirus in Chicago in the past six weeks. 74% are minorities. Of the 18,679 known cases, 66% are minorities. In this sense, the word “minority” is entirely redefined. It means that many in our city seem to have less access to healthcare, more chance of chronic underlying health conditions that may exacerbate COVID-19 until it is fatal, and less a chance of just shaking the thing off. How does a city like ours reemerge from this thing with such a disparity there for all to see?

In the afternoon, Ella busied herself baking a cake. The President of The United States came on the Tee-Vee to once again remind us that he had, with his own two strong hands, carefully constructed the world’s greatest, most tremendous and powerful economy the world has ever known, and then the Chinese wrecked it. If not for his early, decisive action, the dead would be piled up to our ears by now. He, along with his adoring Labrador Retriever, Mike Pence, are out hunting for a cure which they will bring back to us soon. By the election, the cure will be found and the economy will come roaring back to life like a once silent calliope after being supplied with a head of steam.

No one gives him credit for all he has done. The press smirk their nasty smirks, the Democrats moan and curse, even a few Republicans fail to fully supplicate themselves still. It is infuriating to him. After all he has done! He reminded us that he has not had a day off in quite a while. The only time he has left the grounds of the White House was to present New York City with his Navy’s Comfort ship. He is looking into what can be done about China’s recklessness. He is talking to lawyers, and is not going to take this sitting down. It could have been stopped! One way or another, they will pay. We will spring back to life like a reanimated scarecrow and dance, dance, dance. It is only a matter of when.