Category Archives: Corona virus

Day 51 – Covid-19

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189,973 positives in Italy. Up 1.4% – 25,549 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak.
There are 1,362 positive cases in Umbria.  61 total deaths.

856,209 cases in the US – 47,242 deaths.
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I finally got through the grocery ordeal. The only good thing was the weather. First I visited the pet store for cat food and litter. The store is much nicer now that it has been expanded.

Then I headed for the shopping “mall” here in Umbertide. It is a far cry from a mall in the American sense, but it has two hallways of shops culminating in the Coop grocery, the biggest food store in town. Most of the other shops are closed now.

The first hurdle was getting a carrello. Shopping cart. Since the lockdown the store took away over half of the shopping carts. So you have to wait around outside until someone returns one. I think it’s to slow people entering the mall.

Once inside I joined the queue down the hall. I was amazed to see someone had opened a new shop inside, it sells coffee and coffee makers. I thought to myself, who the heck opens a shop in the middle of a pandemic!? An optimist, Luther said. Hookay. They DO have a captive audience snaking past the shop waiting to get into the supermarket.

I am in the queue.
New shop!

Once inside I did my shopping. People must wear masks. They have sanitizer and free gloves at the entrance. Plenty of food. Plenty of everything. I was in the market for mostly dry goods. Also staple items like dried legumes, pasta, canned tomatoes, chicken broth. I got some salad greens, and spinach. And some blueberries. A friend made a blueberry cake that has my mouth watering so I’m making one too!

Anyway, that chore is done and I am glad my turn is finished. Luther goes next. I stopped at the ATM. I greeted Angelo downstairs as he stood outside of his alimentari. He was more cheerful than he usually is lately. Probably the weather. I saw Josepina, she is an older woman who lives alone next door. I had worried some about her. She seems good. And there was a black cat meowing to get into the Commercialista office next to our door. Josepina said he wanted though the office to get to the orto (vegetable garden) in the back. Hah!

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My amazing, wonderful, heroic niece Rachel, who is a front-line nurse during this horrible pandemic, recommended a book to me when we last spoke. Rachel and I go way back cooking together so I trust her recommendations implicitly. I right away put in an order at Blackwells bookshops in Oxford England for “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden. It won the James Beard Book Award. It arrived today and I am over the moon with excitement about trying some of the recipes. Seasonal. Vegetable focused but not totally vegetarian. I’m sure any of them could be totally vegetarian. But Luther will like them too. I will share with you as I try them.

Dinner was a quiche. I had a TON of eggs from my veggie boxes from Calagrana. Also used some of the potatoes. It was bacon (pancetta), potato, onion and Emmental cheese. I am a very bad pastry maker, it tasted good but was butt-ugly. 🙂

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Picture from my friend Joanne looking through her pergola at the very blue sky through the blooming wisteria. Wish I could see it!

Wisteria!

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Stay home and stay safe everyone…  🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

Day 50 – Covid-19

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187,327 positives in Italy. Up 1.8% – 25,085 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak.
There are 1,357 positive cases in Umbria.  61 total deaths.

842,319 cases in the US – 46,399 deaths.
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Look at the title of this post. Can you believe it’s been 50 days?! FIFTY. I for one cannot wait to hear how Italy will handle the ending, or lessening, of the lockdown. I know everyone is being really careful here, almost to a fault. I, for one, appreciate it.

Today is a brilliant day. Not a cloud in the sky. All washed clean from 2+ days of rain. So, so green! I am going to finally get to the grocery store today. I don’t mind going so much if the weather is nice.
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I am appalled at the actions being taken by some of the Governors in the US.  I heard Georgia is going to change it’s name from the Peachtree state, to the Petri  state. It would be funny, but it’s too real to laugh at. Scared for them. Governor Kemp is doing this even though the state ranks near last in testing, even though it’s not clear that covid-19 cases are declining there, and even knowing “we’re probably going to have to see our cases continue to go up,” as Kemp himself said.

He (Kemp) is opening gyms, barbershops, hairdressers, massage parlors, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys (bowling alleys!?), among other businesses on Friday…and theaters and dine-in restaurants can resume operations April 27.        But wait….it gets more sinister….A GA local, George Chidi, just wrote an op-Ed that proffers an explanation for why Kemp is reopening the state for such bizarre businesses as massage parlors, tattoo parlors, hair dressers and restaurants. His argument is pretty stark. The quote is this:

”If there’s no state order calling for businesses to be closed, the people who are unemployed can no longer claim that their unemployment is involuntary, even if it would be utter idiocy for them to return to work. A hair dresser or a massage therapist cannot maintain social distance. But they can certainly file for relief … unless the law says they can work.”

Do you think this is true? Do you think they could have devised a way to screw workers out of some relief? On purpose?! If it is, it is despicable. 😡
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Dinner last night. Duck confit with beans and potatoes. Courtesy of Agriturismo Calagrana!

Iris – so beautiful. When I was little I picked one on my way home from school. My mother made me go back and apologize. Still love them!

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Stay home and stay safe everyone…  🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

Day 49 – Covid-19

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183,957 positives in Italy. Up 1.5% – 24,648 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak.
There are 1,353 positive cases in Umbria.  60 total deaths.

814,587 cases in the US – 43,796 deaths.
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Yesterday we began our seventh week of complete, countrywide, lockdown. What can I say?
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Today I venture out. It is my turn to be the hunter gatherer. Also we need cat litter.  And I finished Luthers mask yesterday, so now we both have masks. I may look for some suitable cloth from which to sew another set. It would be good to have two each.

I love Jill’s picture of her tulips with the amazingly wild backdrop of the mountains and valley. Kind of a cultivated and wild look mixed together.

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Stay home and stay safe everyone…  🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

Day 48 – Covid-19

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18,228 positives in Italy. Up 1.3% – 24,114 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak. The percentage is the lowest yet for rise in cases throughout Italy.
There are 1,349 positive cases in Umbria. 

776,513 cases in the US – 41,313 deaths.
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I read an article in Local.it website. Italian news in English. Talking about the different regions and dates where the virus infections are expected to reach zero, and when.

The first regions to halt infections will be Basilicata in the south and Umbria in central Italy, according to a new report by the National Observatory on Health Status in the Italian Regions. (Yay Umbria!!)

By analyzing Italy’s official Covid-19 figures over the past month, the observatory predicts that if current trends continue both regions could reach zero new cases by Tuesday, April 21st.

Here, in order, is when they project new cases could end in each of Italy’s 20 regions:

  • Basilicata: April 21st
  • Umbria: April 21st
  • Molise: April 26th
  • Sardinia: April 29th
  • Sicily: April 30th
  • Calabria: May 1st
  • Puglia: May 7th
  • Abruzzo: May 7th
  • Campania: May 9th
  • Lazio: May 12th
  • Valle d’Aosta: May 13th
  • Liguria: May 14th
  • Province of Trento (Alto Adige/South Tyrol): May 16th
  • Friuli Venezia Giulia: May 19th
  • Veneto: May 21st
  • Piedmont: May 21st
  • Province of Bolzano (Alto Adige/South Tyrol): May 26th
  • Emilia Romagna: May 29th
  • Tuscany: May 30th
  • Marche: June 27th
  • Lombardy: June 28th

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Luther is reading Corriere della Sera. They are talking about all the things that will be loosened in the next phase. Conte will announce this week so people will have time to get ready. They say fashion, building, and automobile sectors will be loosened next week. The date is the 27th. Then the actual main loosening will be May 4. Looks like restaurants will be able to do takeout and not just delivery. But restaurants and bars are far from being able to open yet. Sad for our friends who own and are struggling. And sad for the sure to be new face of our small towns and familiar places. I guess we will know more later this week. For my own wish, I’d like to be able to go to Citta di Castello to buy my pepper plants.😕

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OK…all of you who have been waiting with baited breath to see when I finally made a mask….drum roll…here it is! Not too bad for a first try. It fits me but I don’t think it would fit Luther and it is the Man pattern. It has a handy pocket for a nose shaping wire, and an interior pocket for filters. My Italian teacher told me Carta di Forno (parchment paper) makes a good filter. 

Dinner tonight. Courtesy of Calagrana. Octopus salad. Mmmmm.

Stay home and stay safe everyone…  🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

Day 47 – Covid-19

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178,972 positives in Italy. Up 1.7% – 23,660 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak.
1,348 positives in Umbria. One more death puts the total at 58.

746,379 cases in the US – 41,379 deaths. Wow. So many. 😢
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I find I cry easily nowadays. I cry at happy things. I cry at sad things. I cry at a beautiful piece of music. I can cry at anything, really, it can be something as stupid as seeing farmers planting their crops…hoping for a better day. Boo hoo…I’m so happy for them! And I cried while watching…

…the evening news here…and there was a very uplifting piece. They announced the closure of a number of intensive care wards in the hardest hit areas of Lombardia. They walked through rooms filled with empty beds and unused equipment. To see the joy of the nurses and doctors was incredibly moving. After all this time, finally the cases have slowed enough that they don’t need all the extra overflow wards for Covid. It makes it all worthwhile to see their joyous faces. These are the warriors. On the front line. Heros, all. And for my friends in the US I tell you, it is worth the sacrifices we’ve made, to be able see this.
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Meanwhile, in the United States… I am so ashamed.

This made me cry too. For an altogether different reason 😡

Sometimes I have to call it as I see it and the differences between my two countries are stark.
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It is Monday morning. It is gray and rainy. But it just makes Italy’s Green Heart all the more green! If that’s possible. My gardening friends tell me we need the rain. And so do the farmers. So I am happy and will enjoy the rain. And my new terrace plants look happy too.

Happy cat in the garden!

Stay home and stay safe everyone…  🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

Day 46 – Covid-19

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172,434 positives in Italy. Up 2.1% – 22,745 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak.
1,337 positives in Umbria. Two more deaths at 57.

718,185 cases in the US – 37,730 deaths.
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Have you heard that one of the sure-fire symptoms of the Covid-19 virus is a loss of the sense of smell and taste? Well, for the last week or so it seems I smell nutmeg all the time. Is that something I should worry about? What do you think? Last night when our pizza was delivered all I could smell was nutmeg. Maybe I have Covid-20…I am not making this up!

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And what about those poor people stranded in a train station in India?! Oh my. And I thought we had it bad. Wow.

Varanasi, India — The main train station in the north Indian city of Varanasi is a sprawling building that has witnessed its share of delays over more than a century of rail travel. Sometimes the waits are long, and sometimes they are pleasantly short. But it has never seen anything like this.

Inside a high-ceilinged room, a group of travelers from across India have waited in vain for more than three weeks for trains that never come.

They are parents and children, construction workers, managers, pilgrims, students, a lawyer and a marketing professional. They have one thing in common: They were all stranded hundreds of miles from home when India abruptly suspended its passenger trains, which carry 23 million people a day, then imposed a strict nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Ever since, the passengers have spent their days confined to a waiting room in a state of uncertainty worthy of an existentialist play, unable to continue their journeys and forbidden to leave the station.

In some ways, they are lucky. The station staff, accustomed to handling more than 100,000 passengers a day, have busied themselves taking care of the fewer than 50 who remain. Those stranded get three meals a day, hot tea, a morning yoga session and nightly showings of Hindu epics on a newly mounted television screen.

But they are stuck. “Is this life?” 

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Let’s talk about my lemon tree. I got this tree the first summer we were here. All my life I had wanted a lemon tree but it was too cold in Virginia. So I bought this little tree from a nursery. Not knowing much about lemon trees I didn’t really notice that the tree was trained to encircle a metal cage supported by four bamboo stakes, rather than have one central trunk. At first that didn’t matter too much but as time passed it became more and more skewed. So this winter I decided to remove the cage and severely trim and shape it. I removed most of the branches on one side to encourage growth towards the center. It ended up with a sturdy trunk, but it was growing at an angle to the pot. See picture #1 below.

Picture #1. Tree after most of the leaves and branches on the left side were removed.

This next picture has a couple of arrows pointing at a new flower which is a potential lemon, and new leaves. This tree puts out a lot, lot of leaves. Did you know lemon tree baby leaves smell strongly of lemon? Mature leaves do not.

Picture #2. Lemon blossom and new leaves.

Picture #3 has a depiction of lemon fruit if allowed to grow in the main tree. The fruit will be heavy and exert a downward pull straight down from the fruit.

Picture #3 shows downward pull of gravity on the heavy fruit if allowed to grow on the left of the tree.

Picture #4 is my depiction of the twist and pivot the pot would do as it is pulled sideways by the weight.

Picture #4 Pot will topple over from the weight.

And last is Picture #5 showing where I will try to allow fruit to form so it is centered over the pot beneath it. Thus keeping the center of gravity to the right.

Picture #5 showing the fruit centered primarily above the pot.

Well, that was fun wasn’t it? And now everyone will understand what I’m talking about. Do you think this tree is worth saving? Or should I start anew? If I keep trying, I will take pictures as the summer goes on. The fruits start like tiny limes. A lot of them don’t ever mature and fall off when small. The ones that remain don’t get big until autumn and don’t ripen until January. Every year, this little tree produces about 20 lemons. My friend George gave me a great book called The Land Where Lemon Trees Grow. All about the history of citrus in Italy. I know a lot more about it after reading it.

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Guess who went for a walk yesterday! 😀 My loop takes about 8 minutes per loop. I was surprised at the number of people out. Everyone was alone (except for some young men 😡)  so that was pretty good. Here are some pictures I took.

Rosemary are shrubs here, not just herbs.
The small Torrente river which meets the Tiber.
The walkway next to the Torrente.
My friends house along the way.
Annoyed to see five regazzi (guys) gathered together barbecuing. Grrrr.

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Buona domenica. The bells are tolling outside calling people to Mass…sadly, no one can go. The day will be fine. I hope you enjoy yours…stay home and stay safe everyone…
🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

Day 45 – Covid-19

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172,434 positives in Italy. Up 2.1% – 22,745 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak.
1,337 positives in Umbria. Two more deaths at 57.

653,825 cases in the US – 31,638 deaths.
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I can’t believe today is the forty fifth day since I began posting. That is a long time. It is funny though, how easily we adapt ourselves to our new normal. I’m quite content. Other than missing walks outside, I am doing fine. And speaking of walks. I have devised a circular loop that remains all in the 200 meter limit from my house. I plan to go out for a walk today! Albeit in a loop!
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Someone posted this. It was attached to a tree. I can’t attribute it to an author. But it is exactly how I would have expressed my feelings, had I been a poet. And it is how I hope things will be…

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses and made new choices, and dreamed new images and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

One can hope something wonderful can come of this horror we are living through. I’m not going to say anymore because I don’t want to break the spell. I wish it would be so…

Star of Bethlehem…a wild flower. And a volunteer in Jill’s garden. Somehow, it reenforces my hopes for our earth.

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Please, don’t listen to the people urging you to go out again, like before. It is too soon. 🌈 it will all be better soon…If we just stay the course. 

Day 44 – Covid-19

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168,941 positives in Italy. Up 2.3% – 22,170 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak.

1,329 positives in Umbria. One more death at 55.

653,825 cases in the US – 31,638 deaths.
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I really do get my days confused now! If I didn’t have my iPad I don’t know what I’d do! We had our Italian class today.  It is one of the only anchors to an otherwise totally random existence.
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Weather is warming up again. Yesterday I planted my plants. Very nice to have them cheering up our space outside.

I severely cut back this lemon tree this winter. The problem is the trunk is bent and skewed making it unbalanced when it gets a lot of fruit. So I am going to keep the new leaves from growing on one side so I can encourage new growth the other way. We will see how that works. Otherwise I may have to get a new tree. I can probably re-home this one. 

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Weekend coming up. Starting last week we decided to make Friday pizza night. It kind of adds a little something different to the weekend.

Stay safe inside everyone… 🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

Day 43 – Covid-19

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165,155 positives in Italy. Up 1.6% – 21,645 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak. Best numbers yet!

1,322 positives in Umbria. Up only one case again! Percentage near zero. One more death at 54.

639,664 cases in the US – 30,985 deaths.
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Today is the first day of week six! Our next milestone is May 5, I think.

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Today was the day. I was determined to get this damn permessi paperwork submitted to the Poste. We got up early so we could get there at opening time – 8:20am. And so we did…along with about thirty other people! Oh well. I was determined…even if Luther was not. So we joined the line down the block. Everyone had masks and kept a scrupulous 2 meter distance. An hour and a half later we walked back out of the Poste. Mission accomplished. Our appointment at the Questura is June 25. Coincidentally this is also the day our present Permessi expire. Good thing we aren’t traveling anywhere. I guess.

Speaking of travel. We do have some trips planned from far before this virus became our new normal. We are not sure at all they will take place. If they do go forward we will need to figure out some way to get a temporary Permesso.

Already I will be canceling our little two night trip to Slovenia June 5. That border is still closed. I will wait until early May to cancel. Hope springs eternal.

Our big trip is to Germany in late July/early August. We are/were meeting our Australian friends there. We will just have to wait and see but I think the Schengen borders will remain closed to the end of the year. If that is so, it will also impact a cruise we had planned around Spain with my sister and her husband. It was to be our annual get together also coinciding with Thanksgiving.

So, if we can ever be released from our lockdown, our options will be limited to travel inside Italy. Which is fine with me. I’m sure most people would say we have an embarrassment of riches to explore here. There are many places I have not yet seen, and also places I would like to see again. All that said…will I really feel safe to travel? I truly do not know…
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My niece and her husband bought their first house. As sometimes happens when you buy a place in one season, the next season brings surprises…as did this house with it’s pretty urban garden full of bulbs. So pretty!

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Tomorrow I will share pictures of my newly planted terrace. 🌈 Andrà tutto bene…

Day 42 – Covid-19

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162,488 positives in Italy. Up 1.9% – 21,067 total deaths. Best so far!
1,321 positives in Umbria. Up only one case again! Percentage near zero. One more death.

598,670 cases in the US – 25,239 deaths.
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Today is the first day of week six! Our next milestone is May 5, I think.

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US news…

The battles go on about the reopening of America.

… as South Dakota’s experience shows, no part of the country is immune to being ravaged by the virus. And rescinding orders that people stay at home — or declining to issue them, as in the case of South Dakota and four other states — offers plenty of peril.

Reopening the country by May is “not even remotely achievable,” said TenHaken, (Mayor Sioux Falls SD)  who, like Trump and Noem, is a Republican. “We’re in the early innings of this thing in Sioux Falls.”
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Italian news…

Speculation about how Italy will reopen itself. Since A big part of the Italian economy is tourism, they would like to get some of that reopened. Specifically to encourage Italians to tour Italy. The beaches in particular. Italians love their beaches. One of the suggestions is to build little plexiglass cabanas with two recliners inside. Seems ludicrous to me…but what do I know? Italians may be fine with this solution.

Sadly, it looks as though tourism from anywhere outside of Italy’s borders will be a while away. It is being said the Schengen borders will, for the most part remain closed to travel for the rest of the year. The borders will stay closed except for “need”. You have to have certification of this “need”. For businesses, it would allow a person from, say France, to come into Italy, but only for maximum three days, for business purposes. If a person has a need to be here longer they must quarantine for two weeks. In a hotel, or, if they live here, their own house.
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Cold out today. But after this it will get warm again…tomorrow I will plant my flowers.

This morning we made a futile attempt to go to begin the renewal of our Permessi. The Poste Italiene is now allowing one person in at a time. So, there was a line down the block. I guess I should have expected it. We will try again tomorrow. Maybe a little earlier…
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I love the ragged edges of this tulip…thanks Jill.

Week six and still going…but a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for Italy. I think most other countries have a ways to go. Don’t give up. Stay home and safe. 🌈 Andrà tutto bene…