Daydreaming about autumn.

[Andybev01]

I brought out a little color.

If we're all grounded and stuck indoors, at least I can make it cozy.

Besides, it's Walpurgisnacht in 2 weeks.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I'm not quite ready for Autumn, but I have to admit that I did dip into some of my Halloween records and movies during this lock-down. I am still looking forward to the rest of Spring and Summer, despite the shelter-in. I am HOPING that I will be able to buy some fireworks for the 4th of July, but I'm not counting on it. I would still love something to celebrate, however being that the 4th of July is neck & neck with Halloween for being a favorite day of the year. As a realist, however, I don't have a crystal ball, so I don't know how this Covid 19 issue is going to pan out over the next month and a half.

Mike

[Andybev01]

I too bleed red, white and blue.

[Pumpkin_Head]

Spot on! Red, White and Blue. And FIREWORKS go with the 4th of July like a pumpkin goes with Halloween, a turkey with Thanksgiving or a Christmas tree with Christmas. I WANT FIREWORKS!!!

Mike

[Andybev01]

Walk into a grocery store these days without a mask and disposable gloves and you'll get plenty of fireworks.

[Pumpkin_Head]

That's about the size of it, Andy.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Beautiful decor, Andy!

They haven't been such martinettes at our groceries. My husband and I go almost daily and have worn a mask maybe once.

[Pumpkin_Head]

It's now a 1200 dollar fine here in Illinois if you're not wearing a mask in public places, though a lot of people still don't wear them. However, I do wear mine all the time when I'm in a public place, but not in the car.

Mike.

[Murfreesboro]

I think the masks are mostly placebos. If you are sick and cough or sneeze, it gives a limited protection to those around you. However, it won't really protect you, because you can still catch the virus through your eyes. And if you have a beard, as my husband does, it's not much protection at all. But it --looks-- as if you are doing something.

I'm irked with how much government overreach we are allowing through this pandemic.

[Andybev01]

I concur wholheartedly.
My gut tells me this is a ruse, but...you have to play the game.

[Murfreesboro]

I am glad I live in TN. We have had some restrictions, but not nearly as bad as some places.

[Pumpkin_Head]

Well, I don't want to make this about politics, but suffice it to say, I am not a huge fan of restrictions, either. There is a lot of government overreach that's worse in some states and not as bad in others.

I would like to see our own industry that makes all the products that are in short supply due to this pandemic, be made here in the United States. Get the economy going and our productivity back up to snuff. After all, it isn't just about the economy. It's about national security. The more dependent we are on foreign production for the things we buy and use, the worse off we are when there's a crises.

What really is upsetting me is all the food that's being destroyed and wasted because there aren't enough meat packing plants or canning factories to process the huge back log that was created by all those industries being out sourced to foreign business interests. We need to do what ever it takes to get that food on the tables of our citizens, not plow under all the excess crops and euthanize all the surplus live stock.

Mike.

[Murfreesboro]

I agree with every word you wrote, Mike.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I have a sick fealing that it's going to take the economy a long time to recover from the fall out of this pandemic. As I would really like to have a job, I'm not too happy about that.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

We had the best economy in our history in Feb, and we destroyed it in eight weeks. I am respectful of the disease, which I don't want to catch, but I am not convinced this total shutdown was the best way to handle that threat.

I read an excellent, thought-provoking essay, I believe called "Thoughts on the Current Crisis," by Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College in Michigan. You can find it if you search Imprimis Hillsdale. Imprimis is the free brochure they publish every other month. They will mail it to you, but you can also find it on line.

Hillsdale is a well-known conservative college which accepts no federal money, but this essay is more contemplative than polemical. Arnn is a Churchill scholar and puts his thoughts into long-view perspective. He approves of some things the administration has done in response to Covid19 and questions others. Mainly he argues that the CDC, over decades, has drifted from its original purpose of prepping for infectious disease crises (why didn't we have enough face masks and ventilators stockpiled?). And he stresses the necessity of our ceasing to rely on China for medicines, etc. His essay is much more complex and thoughtful than I am making it sound. You should take a look.