Monday, March 30, 2020

Technology in a Time of Coronavirus

In the last few weeks I have been grateful to be able to connect with others through email, texts, instagram, Facebook, Facetime, and even Zoom.  I probably have spent more time on Facebook than ever before but it gives me some human contact and I need that!

 I have been happy to read books on my Kindle apps when the libraries are closed. I'd rather read books in print but am glad to escape with reading even if not in my prefered mode. I enjoyed one that I had started several times and just had not gotten into and it was a great and worthwhile read--A Well Read Woman, the life of Ruth Rappaport.  On the other hand, I have abandoned a Bernie Gunther set of novellas because they are too disturbing.  I can't figure out how to delete them from my iphone and I would like to see them gone!

  I have seen photos and videos of our newest grandchild now three months old.  I love his beautiful toothless grin.  I'd rather hold him and coo at him but his photos make me smile too.  I may have looked at one video a dozen times!

We've worshipped on Sunday mornings with videos from Nassau Prebyterian Church and a podcast from Church of the Savior in South Bend.  I look forward to another mid-week encouragement from Pastor Chris Rea again. But how good it will be to be sitting in a sanctuary with other worshippers again.

  Tomorrow we are going to do a Zoom meeting with our Lenten small group after two weeks of no meetings.   The Nassau Choir attempted a Zoom meeting two weeks ago with mixed results.  At least I had a few good laughs;  I tried to mute Jim laughing in the background.   I may or may not join in when they "zoom"  again this week.  It is a situation in which I do feel a stranger not knowing many folks in the choir--even by name.

We have chatted with Dan and Alex on Facetime and  also with Jeff and Susan.  We briefly chatted with Laura's children after they got the mail I sent them--old-fashioned addressed envelopes to all four of them.

But today was an important first--the first time to use telemedicine and one for which I am very grateful--a Facetime appointment with a doctor at Montgomery Internal Medicine.  Earlier this week I noticed an itchy bite on my leg.  A few days later I noticed the bite was oozing a discharge and was much redder.  My own doctor could not do Facetime so I was contacted  by another one in the practice which was really fine with me.   I was concerned that my own doctor might just refer me to a specialist as she has done several times but this doctor took care of me on the spot.  Jim focused the iphone on my leg moving it around according to the doctor's instructions.   He said the area did look infected and sent an antibiotic to CVS.  I have now taken two of the capsules and am hoping for improvement because the wound is nasty. 


 There are no live sports on TV so Jim is watching old champtionship games. That way he always knows ahead of time who will win.  This means much less stress for him!

 So much has changed in our lives.   But we still have an income and many have lost theirs.   We have enough food in the house and Jeff brought over much needed toilet paper and paper towels. 

 For some reason, the shelves of paper products are empty in the stores.  We can walk around the neighborhood. We go grocery shopping and thoroughly wash our hands afterwards.  Jim has a letter from the radiation center saying that his treatments are medically necessary so he can travel to and from them in the unlikely case that he is stopped.

How long will this last?  How much worse can it get?  We don't know but we will continue to "shelter in place" as much as possible and be thankful for each day of no Covid19 in our personal lives.


3 comments:

  1. Be well, Mary and Jim! The library is hoping to open the 1st week in May. We will see.

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  2. It says I am "unknown" but I am Elaine Komjathy!

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    Replies
    1. Hello, Elaine! How nice to hear from you! I miss the libraries--in SB where they are treasures--but now here too!

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