Chronicles of the Virus Day 10
I now have pancakes to last me the rest of the week.
I haven't made pancakes in absolute ages. For breakfast, I generally eat a yoghurt with nuts, seeds, and blueberries or strawberries. But, the other day when I began to stockpile, I saw a small bottle of maple syrup at a decent price, so I bought it.
I left it next to the coffee maker and I've been looking at it every day. I really have no idea why I bought it. Or, maybe, my brain sent me a coded message. So, the last time I did some shopping, I bought flour. Today, I decided to make the pancakes.
And the mess. I haven't had so much to clean up in the morning since the holidays. I even had to crack open the kitchen windows because, having forgotten the niceties of making such things, the pan was too hot and the oil was smoking. A lot. Well, I now have pancakes in the fridge to last me the rest of the week. I'll be happy to get back to the yoghurt breakfast.
Life has been reduced to little things like that. Or doing things out of inertia. Such as, staring at the wall wondering how to pass the time and notice the cobwebs in the corner. Think, "one of these days I should make some time and clean them." Realize, there's no time like the present, precisely because now there is all the time in the world.
The greens of spring are now rioting, though cold weather is forecast for the weekend and the beginning of next week. I suppose it's the tip of the Siberian air mass that has left snow in many parts of eastern and central Europe this week. I don't know which is worse, not being able to leave the house with this beautiful weather or with the cold.
There is talk of shutting down more workplaces, such as non-essential construction jobs. Some companies are laying off people and temporarily closing because they can't export material to their clients, or import essential parts. Also, there's talk of extending the quarantine to, at least, April 25th. So much for one of the most beautiful months of the year.
People still do stupid things. In Madrid, one of the most affected cities and regions, a 77 year old man was fined by the police. In all the wisdom granted him by his age and experience, he found it imperative to go out on the streets to hunt Pokemons. Yes, he was playing Pokemon Go. I think his case is analagous to the case of someone falling off a cliff hunting one of those scheming, animated things. You have to wonder about the human race sometimes.
The animals are finding this strange, too. Neighbors shot a video of a bear peacefully wandering down the street of a small town in Asturias. And, while boars have long been wandering into the outlying neighborhoods of large cities, they were also seen on the centric streets, Avenida del Diagonal and Calle Balmes, in Barcelona. That's like seeing one walking down Tremont Street or Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. In other times, it would be a question of getting your eyesight checked. Mountain goats have also gotten curious, and ventured into a small town in Albacete. And hoofed it back out when they encountered a lone human. Wolves, that scram at the whiff of a scent of a human, were also seen wandering along an empty town in Pontevedra. Peacocks, that were in the Retiro Park in Madrid, have started wandering the streets, too, becoming tourists themselves.
Even pigeons are feeling the change. Earlier last week, a video was shown on the news of a woman with a shopping cart being followed, and crowded round, by an entire flock of pigeons. These birds tend to rely on crumbs at café tables, trash, and people who routinely give them day-old bread. Now, those sources of food are gone. If Daphne DuMaurier were still here, she'd write another version to her short story. And Hitchcock would probably take it up again, as well.
Life continues.
I haven't made pancakes in absolute ages. For breakfast, I generally eat a yoghurt with nuts, seeds, and blueberries or strawberries. But, the other day when I began to stockpile, I saw a small bottle of maple syrup at a decent price, so I bought it.
I left it next to the coffee maker and I've been looking at it every day. I really have no idea why I bought it. Or, maybe, my brain sent me a coded message. So, the last time I did some shopping, I bought flour. Today, I decided to make the pancakes.
And the mess. I haven't had so much to clean up in the morning since the holidays. I even had to crack open the kitchen windows because, having forgotten the niceties of making such things, the pan was too hot and the oil was smoking. A lot. Well, I now have pancakes in the fridge to last me the rest of the week. I'll be happy to get back to the yoghurt breakfast.
Life has been reduced to little things like that. Or doing things out of inertia. Such as, staring at the wall wondering how to pass the time and notice the cobwebs in the corner. Think, "one of these days I should make some time and clean them." Realize, there's no time like the present, precisely because now there is all the time in the world.
The greens of spring are now rioting, though cold weather is forecast for the weekend and the beginning of next week. I suppose it's the tip of the Siberian air mass that has left snow in many parts of eastern and central Europe this week. I don't know which is worse, not being able to leave the house with this beautiful weather or with the cold.
There is talk of shutting down more workplaces, such as non-essential construction jobs. Some companies are laying off people and temporarily closing because they can't export material to their clients, or import essential parts. Also, there's talk of extending the quarantine to, at least, April 25th. So much for one of the most beautiful months of the year.
People still do stupid things. In Madrid, one of the most affected cities and regions, a 77 year old man was fined by the police. In all the wisdom granted him by his age and experience, he found it imperative to go out on the streets to hunt Pokemons. Yes, he was playing Pokemon Go. I think his case is analagous to the case of someone falling off a cliff hunting one of those scheming, animated things. You have to wonder about the human race sometimes.
The animals are finding this strange, too. Neighbors shot a video of a bear peacefully wandering down the street of a small town in Asturias. And, while boars have long been wandering into the outlying neighborhoods of large cities, they were also seen on the centric streets, Avenida del Diagonal and Calle Balmes, in Barcelona. That's like seeing one walking down Tremont Street or Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. In other times, it would be a question of getting your eyesight checked. Mountain goats have also gotten curious, and ventured into a small town in Albacete. And hoofed it back out when they encountered a lone human. Wolves, that scram at the whiff of a scent of a human, were also seen wandering along an empty town in Pontevedra. Peacocks, that were in the Retiro Park in Madrid, have started wandering the streets, too, becoming tourists themselves.
Even pigeons are feeling the change. Earlier last week, a video was shown on the news of a woman with a shopping cart being followed, and crowded round, by an entire flock of pigeons. These birds tend to rely on crumbs at café tables, trash, and people who routinely give them day-old bread. Now, those sources of food are gone. If Daphne DuMaurier were still here, she'd write another version to her short story. And Hitchcock would probably take it up again, as well.
Life continues.
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