Waterfall Illusions: Keeping Your Distance 8

There is a landscape challenge on Facebook.  I usually don't respond when the request is to have others copy and paste. 

But I'll do it on my blog.  A beautiful picture of a waterfall.

Isn't natural beauty grand?

Except, I don't think this is natural at all.  I think it comes from a mall in Nashville near the Grand Ole Opry.  An indoor mall with a fake waterfall.

There's a lot of people throwing up smoke and mirrors to distract us from the real crisis.  Some do it through lies and propaganda, to convince the pandemic is not as bad as it appears, that a cure is here if only the FDA would get out of the way, that we need to get back to our regular economy even if it costs a few lives, that there is no shortage of medical supplies - it's just misuse and maybe theft by medical care workers, and on and on.

It's tempting to look away from this.  It's tem[pting to fill our minds with pretty images.  Even if they're not real.

I understand the impulse.  I really do.  'Escapist entertainment' is my middle name.

I don't think we should lose focus, however, on what we really need to do.  We need to self-isolate as best we can.  We should be grateful for those who are risking their own health to provide the basic services we need.  That includes health-care workers, police, and firefighters.  It also includes grocery store retail workers, delivery people, and those who continue to open restaurants to drive-thru and curbside service.  It includes people like Alison, who are helping get needed school meals to those who would go malnourished without them.

If it wasn't for staying engaged, I would not have woken up to the fact that warehouse workers are exposing themselves to provide all the stuff we're ordering online.  Many work in conditions that are not protected and subject to overwork and crowding.  It has made me more self-conscious about what I order and why.  This may not be the time to order frivolous things, even if it boosts the economy.

If it wasn't for staying engaged, I would not know who to hold accountable for the mistakes that are being made.  That is first and foremost President Donald J Trump.  I do not say this as a partisan thing.  I say it as a stark reality - his incompetent and self-centered leadership is costing us lives and time.

That said, I understand that this blog does not always need to be down or gloomy.  It does not need to be always about facts and figures, as vital as they may be.  Laughter, adventure, escapism, storytelling - all these are needed too.  I will strive to achieve a balance.

I pray for all of us.  I have no faith in Trump, but I have faith in us as individuals and as a nation of caring people.  We will see our way through this.

The waterfall, real or engineered, will be there.  It will wash away the stain of these times and leave us renewed and cleansed.

Until then, stay home (or as isolated as you can), stay healthy, and stay informed.

Connected in Spirit Behind the Temporary Stone of Separation: Keeping Your Distance 7

It is our second Sunday of worshipping from home, using Facebook Live.

Our family gratefully appreciates that all that is being done, by Rev. Kit, by James and Ken, and others to bring this service to us. 

We will gather once again, with our books of Common Prayer, and with access to the live stream bulletin.  We will be with our other congregants in spirit if not in body.

The Gospel Reading today concerns the story of Lazurus and his resurrection.

The whole reading is John 11:1-45. 

Below is a portion of it, John 11: 38-45


Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. The Word of the Lord...Thanks be to God.


Like Lazurus, I have faith that the church will rise again.  We will stay behind our stones, as best we can, and then when the time is right, and COVID-19 is conquered, we can be unbound and together again. 

Our faith is strong.  Our love for each other will see us through.  We will remain connected in spirit.

And then, the stone will be taken away, and we can come together again in body, in a grand celebration of Hosannahs and jubilation.

Prayers and love to you all from the Strait family.

Making Things Worse: Saturday Political Soap Box 241

I understand the instincts.  I really do.

In times of real national emergency, we want to do the right thing.  We want to rally around each other, and do our best to help each other, and support the leaders of the country in their efforts to see us through the crisis.

Many of my friends, those who have long since woken up to the horrors of Trumpism, are disturbed by the fact that this malignant clown has had a slight uptick in approval.

I don't like it. You don't like it.  It defies common sense based on the truly, unprecedentedly awful job he is doing.

Keep in mind that this rallying effect is normal.  President Bush Sr.'s support flew as high a 90% during the Gulf War.  It did not last.  President Bush Sr. did not win a second term.

President Bush Jr.'s support rose in the terrible flush of 9/11, although it could be argued it was their own negligence and inattention that made it possible.  Initially, the support for the Iraq War was so strong that to oppose put you in harm's way.  I remember because I personally experienced it.

But Bush Jr's rise did not last forever.  Katrina and the economic collapse sunk him.

Why can't people see what an awful job Trump is doing?

First, many people, for better or worse, only abstractly pay attention to the news, particularly political.  They know there is a crisis, but they're not highly aware of how the President is mishandling it.  The most dominant political impulse I see on Facebook is...STOP TALKING ABOUT POLITICS.  THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT POLITICS!  Part of it is that people don't understand we live in a democracy (theoretically), and political engagement is vital to its successful functioning.

Second, a large portion of Americans gets their political news from right-wing media, such as Fox News and Christian right radio, that are propaganda arms of the current administration.  Their view of reality is entirely skewed.

Third, many of us, of all political stripes, are more concerned about what can be done than what is being done wrong.  Their attention is not focused on the wrongdoings of the administration, even though they may be dimly aware of it.

All that said, it is important to recognize that the rallying effect around this President is muted and much lower than previous rallies.

Make no mistake.  He is making things worse.  Much, much worse.

He was very slow to realize there was a crisis to address.  He ignored intelligence warnings to take this seriously.

He was more concerned with minimizing the numbers and under-reporting than he was in helping people.  He didn't want cruise ship passengers to be brought to the United States because it would increase our numbers and make us look bad.

Any step he has done to aid us has been done slowly and begrudgingly,

He called it a hoax until he could no longer deny it, and then denied he never called it a hoax.

He tried to set states against each other in competing for medical supplies.

It is the Ukraine quid pro quo with human lives at stake, where he pays attention to state Governors based on how nice they are to him.  Make no mistake - PEOPLE WILL DIE BECAUSE OF THIS NONSENSE.

He has muttered about bringing us out of social distancing by Easter.  Why?  Does he think it will be over then?  At a time when our COVID-19 cases and deaths have not yet even peaked?

Some people say it is aspirational and trying to give us hope.

I can only answer with a word I have never used on my blog before -

BULLSHIT.

He's bored.  He wants to get out to his normal life of golf and hobnobbing with the Mar-A-Lago elite.  But that's not the truly monstrous part.

The monstrous part is that he KNOWS we won't be over it.  And he doesn't care.  He KNOWS people will die in larger numbers and that our hospitals will be overwhelmed.  He KNOWS and DOESN'T CARE.

Why?  Because he values the economy more.  He values making money for himself and his rich buddies more than the 3% or more that may die of this virus.  He thinks his best path to re-election lies in good economic numbers.

This isn't policy differences anymore. It's pure malignant evil. It is massive, willful ignorance on a life-threatening level. 

Will enough people wake up to put an end to this terrible administration?

I pray so.  And I pray that right and decent people, like Governor Cuomo, and other caring Governors (and there have been both Democratic and Republican Governors that are doing the right thing), like Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts that do not let Trump warp the truth, like the millions on the frontlines (health care workers, first responders, grocery store and other retail workers), like those who are pushing policy solutions for all of us (Sanders, Warren, AOC, and many others), like each of you who are sacrificing to maintain social isolation.

We will get through this, despite the narcissistic clown in the White House.  There are too many good people in this country to do otherwise.

But I'm asking - whether in the forefront or back of your mind -

remember the evil that he has done.  And hold him to account.

There will be a day of reckoning.

He will reap what he has sown.

The Last Outing: Keeping Your Distance 6

When we knew Benjamin was coming home for his Spring Break, we planned for one day to be an outing to St. Simons.

Little did we know that Benjamin's Spring Break would last two weeks, and then stay at home to learn online.  The earliest he'll have classes again in Milledgeville is mid-August.

We decided to go on our outing anyways but do it as carefully as possible.

We went to Fort Frederica.  It was the first time for all of us.  There was virtually no one there.  A ranger greeted from a distance, was friendly, and pointed to a map we could take on our self-guided tour.

We had wide-open spaces, reading the different signs talking about houses and structures that used to be there, but were now just shell foundations and a little bit of fireplace.

The picture of Alison and me is in front of the only structure that is there, a storehouse/fort near the river.  You may think I'm heavyset, and yes, I am.  But I am 25 pounds lighter than I was two and a half months ago, so I'm working on it.


We also went to a grocery store, Harris Teeter, which is more upscale than grocery stores in our home area.  We kept our distance and bought a few things, some fancy brand chips and snacks, and possibly the most valuable find of all - Kleenex. 

We got one of our favorites, Southern Soul BBQ, standing in a queue where there was some distance between people.  Only three people were let in at a time.

We took our food to a picnic table at the pier.  Of the dozen or so picnic tables, there were only two or three in use, and we weren't close to anyone.  The food - BBQ sandwiches, french fries, and fried green beans, was delicious, but probably not very good for my diet plan.

We walked down the pier, not getting close to anyone.  The weather was beautiful.  There were more people than we expected, but we could still keep our distance. 

Benjamin and Alison stand in the trees near the library (which was closed).

We did not go to the beach.  We saw an area where people go to the beach, and it was crowded with cars.

Later that afternoon, the beaches were officially closed.

Maybe we shouldn't have oughta done this trip.  But we kept our distance, did it in the morning through about 1 PM, and all in all were more distant from people than we were at work or in our own grocery store.

So, we're back settled in at Blackshear, making the dogs think this is the new normal to have everyone home.

Yes, Benjamin is home now for a long stretch.  Alison will be home more, too, as sadly, the school lunch delivery program has been suspended.  We have a case in Pierce County now. 

Me?  The "retired" guy?  No, I'm still going to work. Not all the time - about 25 hours or so a week.  I'm not sure that will stop.

I pray all is well with you and yours. 

Surplus Population: Keeping Your Distance 5

From my favorite play, A Christmas Carol:


"Those who are badly off must go there." "Many can't go there; and many would rather die." "If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

What is being promoted now is even worse than that.  There has come a new cry from the far right that is expressing that trying to save the estimated 2.4% of the population that may die from Coronavirus is not worth slowing/hindering the economy.

Money over human lives.

Scrooge, before his ghostly trips, is smiling broadly at their expressed inhumanity.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick of Texas said that the elderly are willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of the economy.  And he is just representative of the new extremist consensus.

And, of course, our President without a soul, is willing to take up that mantle.  He thinks we should end social distancing soon because "the cure is worse than the problem."

He knows people will die because social distancing is lifted.  He knows and doesn't care.  He values a humming economy instead because he thinks that will help his re-election chances.

I am at a loss for words.

I am too angry to write extensively on this.  My brain is short-circuiting on anger and fear.  

How did we come to this?

How have we consigned so many to merely "surplus population?"

How do I go to work (yes, I still have to go to work) and stay quiet among people who SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS THINKING?

How do I keep hoping they will wake up when EVEN THIS DOES NOT WAKE THEM UP?

But I must stay silent.  At least one on one.  At least with those I see.

On here, though?  In my little blog world?

No.  

I will calm down.  At least enough to express myself better.


Nevertheless, I persist.

Surplus population.  Who needs 'em?

Let's ask Jesus:

Matthew 25:40

 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'


Money over human lives?

If you agree with that or don't know how to answer it, please stop the pretense that you are a Christian.

There is only one answer.

May the light of Christ clarify it for you.

The Church Lives, Even From Home: Keeping Your Distance 4

We are going to church today.

We have our bibles.  We have our Books of Common Prayer.

We may not get dressed up fancy.  We may take it real casual.

Because we are going to church...at home.

Some creative types have mastered the technology of putting our service on Facebook Live.  And Alison has figured out how to fling it onto our TV.

The service will be Morning Prayer.  There will not be Eucharist, and some other elements common in regular Mass.  We won't be able to greet each other.  Passing the plate may be tough.

But the loving comfort of God, and embracing the hands and feet of Christ, letting the Holy Spirit fill us?  Got that part down!

The Psalm reading is Psalm 23, the most well known of all the Psalms, and the one that is hitting very close right now:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;[a]
3     he restores my soul.[b]
He leads me in right paths[c]
    for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[d]
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely[e] goodness and mercy[f] shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.[g]

We are walking through a very dark valley right now, but God is with us, and his presence will help lead us to light.

The Old Testament reading includes this from Samuel 16:7 -

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

Sometimes we despair that God does not see past the blustery front some put up.  But he does.

The Gospel reading includes John 9:1-4

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. 4 We[a] must work the works of him who sent me[b] while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 

Night has come.  Fewer and fewer of us can work.  But we must continue to see and shine the light of Christ,  and do all that we can to help each other.

We may be apart for now, but we will keep the world bright.  We will continue to strive to light the world with love and hope.

Now is not the time to abandon faith.

Now is the time to embrace it.

Biden's the One: Saturday Political Soap Box 240

I'm not apologizing.

I love contested primaries.  I delight in the smell and feel of active democracy.

To go further, I think a brokered convention, one where one candidate did not have a majority of delegates, could actually be a good and healthy thing.  It might be good to have a compromise candidate that both sides of the intra-party political debate can agree on.

But these are not normal times.  We have a supremely ignorant racist conman, now at his most dangerous, as he fumbles and bumbles and tries to lie us through one of the gravest crises we have ever faced.

It is impossible to conduct primaries during stay-at-home shutdowns.*

We need to coalesce behind one voice to respond back to the narcissist-in-chief.

And that voice has to be Joe Biden.

I love Bernie.  I am closest to him policy-wise, and I sincerely appreciate it as he has pointed to the promised land.  But he is not going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party.

I don't want his voice to be silenced.  I want him to always speak out for a better, kinder, and more generous American society.  But it's not going to be through his campaign for the Presidency. It's once again pushing the importance of the policies he pursues.

The desire of the American people right now is not a political revolution (as much as it maybe should be), it is for a surer Captain to steer our country through choppy and dangerous waters.  Right now, a growing number of Americans are terrified that the captain of our ship is a terrifying clown, who seems to be determined to crash the ship of state.  Who can set the ship back on a safer course?  We want our Captain Sully.  We want Joe Biden.

Democrats need to be forceful in the trillion-plus aid packages that are coming to get us out of this crisis.  They must not let the Republicans get out front in handing Americans checks.  Those checks are deeply inadequate and will be used as a cover to bring exponentially more massive aid to corporations. Democrats need to be crystal solid in their support for the working person and working families. Again, Bernie and Elizabeth Warren are leading the way with their policies, directing substantial support to bolster people's wages and direct monthly money to them throughout the crisis - not just a one-time pittance that may not even cover many people's rent for a month.

The smartest thing for Joe to do, and do quickly, is to advocate for the most robust proposals and to get Nancy Pelosi to work them into proposed legislation.  Then, once the bills are written and passed by the House, this will be a great test to show how well he can work with Republicans in the Senate.  Democrats may not get everything they want, but they need to negotiate from positions of strength and command and public support.  They don't need to go into negotiations conceding everything and letting the Republicans dominate the structure and conversation.

Our medical ability to handle this pandemic, and our American economy, are rapidly descending and crashing into the Hudson River.

We need our Captain Sully.  We need him now.

The nomination process is over.  Our Captain Sully is going to be Vice President Joe Biden.

We can't wait.

Start leading us now.

The American people promise to start listening to you, and competent experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, and make the impotent clown act coming from the White House just an irrelevant sideshow, a failed reality show that most of us just want to turn off.

Take the wheel, Captain Joe.  As much as you can.

It's ok with us.



*I have other worries about the lack of primaries, but now it has more to do with down-ballot races and not Presidential preference.  Rather than go off into a tangent, though, I will leave that to a future blog post.

Everything Old is New Again: Keeping Your Distance 3

Yep.  Everything old is new again.

And, yes, I'm aware that the Spanish Influenza epidemic was in 1918 & 1919, and not the roaring twenties.

Or that technically the "twenties" start with 21 and not 20.

But what the hey.  We accordion time a lot.  If people know that the American Revolution occurred in the 1700s, that already puts them in the top tier of historically knowledgable Americans.

And, yes, that devastating illness that killed tens of millions, became known by an ethnic name.  Odd because it started on a military base in Kansas, but there you go.

It has been a long time since we named pandemic diseases after countries or ethnic groups. SAARs, Ebola, Swine Flu, Aids - none have names designed to slur a group (well, maybe swine flu slurs pigs).  So why the effort by the President and his Fox News Goebbels team to start calling it the Chinese Flu?

Seriously.  You don't know?  I think I can figure it out.

It's a scary time.  We don't need to throw racial animus in the mix.

Did it start in China?  Most likely, yes.  Did somebody eat something they shouldn't have?  It's not impossible, but I don't think they know that definitively.

Before you look down on somebody in China who might have done something stupid to start this, I must remind you that we do not have a shortage of stupid people in the United States.

We have idiots who eat Tide Pods, and people who intake all kinds of dangerous drugs.

There is a video on the webs of a defiant young lady trying to prove God knows what by licking a toilet seat on the Internet.

We have morons who think they're immortal partying on the beaches of Florida, believing even if they get COVID-19, they are young and healthy and will survive it.  They give not a whit for anyone else they come in contact with. 

Of course, we eat a lot of questionable things in this country too.  We love raw food, include the Asian treat of Sushi, and much of our diet is so terrible that it slowly killing us.  Not as visible an epidemic as COVID-19, but causing considerable harm.

So, please, don't use the racist language promulgated by the President and his media assistants.

Like it or not, it's a global crisis.

And it will take a global solution.

Meanwhile...how 'bout we take a moment to unsober things and start spreading something fun...like roaring twenties pics and videos - let's see some modern flappers!

Original flapper...looking for some updates!

Essential Personnel: Keeping Your Distance 2

My old stapler broke, and they were kind enough to give me a new, state of the art stapler to use at my workplace - the one that I am still going to.

Even in a crisis such as this, where social distancing has become crucial to our mitigating the effects of the spread of COVID-19, we have essential personnel who must continue to function as best they can.

There are people we cannot do without - medical personnel, police, firefighters - all the brave first responders that have to stay at the forefront of this dangerous epidemic.  We respect their service and encourage their employers to use whatever safety measures and equipment that can be deployed to protect them.

Others serve roles that are less prominent but also important.  Those who help staff the grocery stores and other establishments that provide the goods and services we need.  This includes those who are manning restaurants and fast food places, even as they turn into carryout only places.

Many others are no longer going into work.  Some of those are still being compensated, at least for now.  Others may have limited sick leave.  But another large group have no sick leave and nothing to fall back on.

Some may be working from home. If they are fortunate enough to have a position that allows them to work that way.  That is probably more common in the large urban areas than it is where I live.

Benjamin is one that will be adopting to online work.  His college is now closed for the semester.  It is a shame because he was really getting to love college life, getting excellent grades, and socializing, participating in more extra-curriculars than he did in high school.

The school system that Alison works for is out for the next few weeks (minimum), and that includes teachers and most school board personnel.  But not Alison.  She will be helping with the feeding program (her job is in school nutrition).  Many students only get the meals they need because the school provides them.  And that has to continue.  So she is part of a plan to keep these children fed.

Some she worked with were skeptical that they would get the help they need to do this, because right now, many will be paid whether they come to work or not.

They were wrong.

As of yesterday, they already had 42 volunteers.

My own work?

It marches on.  People are still turning in tax and accounting work, and it must be done.  We are a small firm, and not set up for work from home.  Although I suspect, if this continues, that may be coming.

The important lesson of this?

We may or not be working right now, but we all need to help each other through this dark time, as best we can.

There are no exceptions.

We are all essential.

 

Keeping Your Distance

Welcome to the new age of social isolation.

Is it justified?  Yes, I'm sorry.  I'm afraid it is.  Have their been other diseases more deadly?  Sure, but not as widely and easily spread. At least in the last 100 years.

Its insidious nature is that for many young people, the symptoms and virulence of COVID-19 are relatively mild. But even though it is mild with them, it is highly contagious, and they are inadvertently spreading it to more at-risk populations, like the elderly and those with disabling conditions.

Let's take a look at the most recent numbers, as I write this.  There are 166,000 cases globally, and a death toll in excess of 6,400.  That in and of itself represents a death rate of 3.8%.

But that might not be the fairest contrast, because many of those are cases where the people are currently sick, and the outcome is not yet known.  The reported numbers on the estimated 83,400 resolved cases are, 77,000 recovered and 6,400 fatalities. That represents a resolved case death rate of  7.7%.

Contrast this with the devastating Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918, where estimated deaths range from upwards to 50 million.  And the death rate was roughly 2%.

2%.

So, stop it with the over-reaction talk.

South Korea and China have shown that isolation measures do work to mitigate the spread of the disease.  So, yes, we have to adopt the same measures.

All that being said, I still don't understand the run on toilet paper.  Not everything makes sense, I guess.

I'm not an intensely social person.  I participate in community theatre and church, and occasionally some other groups, but for the most part, I'm happiest at home with my family, books, TV, and my writing endeavors.  Growing up in Michigan, I loved snow because it sometimes meant that I could stay at home - not have to go to school or work,

Even though I have those proclivities, this feels different.  This is going to last significantly longer than being snowed in, or hunkering down for an impending hurricane.  I'm not sure people are quite aware of how long this will last.

In the area that I live, there is a 'Capri pants' aspect to it.  By that, I mean, our little rural area is the last to pick up on things, using fashion as an example.  The Capri pants fad started in the bigger cities, filtered down to the suburbs, and then finally hit this area months after other areas had stopped wearing them and had moved on.

So, isolation is slower to occur here.  People are still out and about.  Some of our many Trump fans are reluctant to admit anything is going on at all.  DEMOCRAT HOAX!  That hasn't stopped the hoarding of toilet paper, even here.

In my home county, Pierce, I am not aware of any cases.  Like I said, it'll probably come here last.

Schools are finally reacting here, responding just ahead of a probable state government edict to shut down schools.  This shutdown is going to cause ripple-effect problems, including how it may affect working families and who will watch their youngins' if the parents still need to work. It also will affect those who depend on school for meals.  Sad but true, that poverty is so high in this country that we have become reliant on schools for basic nutrition.  Meanwhile, the Trump administration is scheduled to slash food stamps for many on April 1st.

If my work allows (my CPA day job), I am going to do the utmost to keep up my blog during this difficult time.  Writing and reading are some of the best ways we can stay socially connected right now, and I will do my best to keep it up.

Your fvorite quasi-hermit,

T. M. Strait

Important Information for the OHC Writer's Guild

I'm doing this as a blog post entry, as it is the best way I know to paragraph and provide more than a line or two of information.

First, the Waycross-Ware County Library has canceled all programs and activities through April 6yth.  This would include our April 2nd meeting.

This is a difficult, scary, and challenging time for all citizens of this shrinking globe.  All we can do is follow the advice of our medical and pandemic experts.  Social distancing and canceling of events is an integral part of controlling the severity and extent of the outbreak.  But we cannot afford to have millions fall in at the same time.  We do not have the hospital and medical facilities to handle that.

How long this will last is anyone's guess.  Extensive testing and isolation measures have helped slow the disease in China and South Korea.  If we could do the same, this may be mitigated here in the USA.  But...right now, we don't have the testing capacity.  We have a skeptical populace, some wh even consider what's happening is an overaction, and maybe even a hoax.  I don't go along with that thinking.  This is real, and we need to show that the world has grown in knowledge and response, and prevent this from reaching 1918 Spanish influenza levels.

So, for right now, in-person activities of the OHC Writer's Guild have been suspended.  We will have a meeting at either the library or the Heritage Center, as soon as we can in April.  At this point, I cannot project am exact date.  But it will occur when it is safe and practical to do so.

This could not come at a worse time,  We have shown some signs of recent growth, but it is terribly hard to maintain when our meetings are not routine.  But, circumstances what they are, we're going to do the best we can.

The next important question, one I need immediate feedback on, is -

What are we going to do about the Writing Contest?

Reasons to continue:  it is an activity that does not require much in the way of human contact, the publicity (limited as it may be) has already started, and even the numbers are low, it may be good to get back on track with it.

Reasons not to continue:  it is hard to promote at a time when people are not meeting and gathering points are limited, the schools are either closed or (I project), or are closing soon, choking off a critical point to fuel our contest, and we have no assurances as to when or if we can hold an awards ceremony.  

My honest opinion is that we cancel the contest and move it to the Fall.  I see little chance of proper promotion and response right now.  But I could easily be persuaded otherwise.  I need to hear from YOU, fellow members, and our I need to hear from our primary sponsors, the Okefenokee Heritage Center and the Waycross-Ware County Library.

I would like us to reach a final decision no later than this Wednesday.  If we decide yes, then I will do everything in my power to make the contest the best it can be.  But I cannot do it alone, particularly in tax season.  I will need the help of all of our members and sponsors.

As we navigate through this crisis, my thoughts and prayers are with all of us.  There is much of this I understand (helps to know the history and the effects of past outbreaks).  There are some parts I do not understand, like the weird and inexplicable run on toilet paper.

I will try to up the online ante on our group and page.  I will do everything I can to keep up our social connectivity,  And let me end on this special note -

Reading and writing are perfect activities to help you through social distancing!

So, please, share your thoughts and projects on our group and page.  This should not be, cannot be, a one-person show.   Even if we can't meet, even if our contest is delayed, we can still meet and exchange ideas and writings in the virtual community.

See you there!

The Battle of Show vs. Tell

One of the most significant disputes in the writing world is the argument of show vs. tell.  Or, show don't tell.

What does that even mean?

Well, stealing from Wikipedia...

 Show, don't tell is a technique used in various kinds of texts to allow the reader to experience the story through action, words, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than through the author's exposition, summarization, and description.


Fascinating.  Sound fair?

I suppose.

More steals from the internet, this time from How to Turn Bland Sentences Into an Enthralling, Full-Color Story by Henneke."

To let readers experience your story, show rather than tell:

• Telling means giving a brief, factual statement.
• Showing means using sensory details and describing actions to direct a mental movie in your reader's mind.

For instance:

Telling is: She was tired.

Showing is: She yawned.

Telling is: She is hungry.

Showing is: Her stomach rumbles.

Well, that's pretty basic.  And I think I do that more often than not, although I'll the readers of my fiction decide that.

Still, when whole segments are nothing but showing feelings, flashbacks, associating events to the main character's own life - it can get a bit much.

That's what happens in the novel above.  It was done entirely in the show style.  At first, I didn't mind it.  But then it got old, and I just wanted the writer to GET ON WITH THE STORY.

There has to be a blend.  In my History of the Trap, there are a few chapter segments where the main character is attending school council meetings, and I've been told that those are examples of tell.  I understand, but much of the book is told from the protagonist's perspective, as a first-person journal.  The school council chapters are a way of getting the readers to experience the broader world of the Trap, beyond what the first-person narrator sees every day.

To me, writing is not show don't tell. It's show AND tell, like we used to do in pre-school and Kindergarten.

Stealing once again from the internets Dictionary:

a teaching method, used especially in teaching young children, in which students are encouraged to bring items they have selected to class and describe them to their classmates.

It takes a village of techniques.  There is no one path.

I am tired.

I yawned.

You get the drift.

If not, I'll try to show/tell you more later.