Day 41 – Covid-19

159,516 positives in Italy. Up 2% – 20,465 total deaths.
1,320 positives in Umbria. Up only one case. Percentage near zero. (Yay!)

572,587 cases in the US – 23,078 deaths.
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Today is the last day of our fifth week in isolation.
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One governor put the choice facing the country in stark terms.

“I fear if we open up too early . . . that we could be pouring gasoline on the fire,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said on CNN. He added: “Right now, the house is on fire, and job number one is to put the fire out.”

I saw the Governors of several states in the NY region (PA, NJ, CN, RI, DE, NY) are joining forces to create a task force to decide on a metered reopening. This is an intelligent plan…
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Today is the first day some more stores can reopen here in Italy. It is a first baby step.
“Tuesday, April 13th, 2020 will see the beginning of Phase2.
Bookstores, stationery shops, clothing shops for infants and children will begin to open for business. Agriculture and certain IT enterprises will begin a gradual return. This will not apply to Lombardy, Bergamo or Veneto regions.”
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So, I had planned for days now, to do a couple of errands today. I find I put off leaving the house nowadays. It is fraught with dangers! But I screwed up my courage, printed out my Autocertificazione and went out. I opened the downstairs door to the street, keep in mind our street is barely a cars width across, and a Carabinieri car was parked in front of my door! Eek! I strolled, nonchalantly out with my bags of trash as camouflage…my mask covered my face, and made my getaway.

First stop was the Tabbacci. I needed to pay the bills of my friend and had been putting off the trip. Not difficult. One person is allowed in at a time. There is a fence across the counter so you have to keep your distance. Finito!

Then, for the fun part of the errand. I drove out of town to a greenhouse I know to see if they were open for me to buy some flowers. They were! I bought a couple trays full. Petunias, geraniums, those little, teensy white flowers I always get. And a cute little purple daisy-like flower. Oh and I found a nice thyme plant as mine had gotten all woody and I pulled them up. It is still cool outside so the lady, who is always very sweet and tries to speak English to me, said they wouldn’t really start growing much until it warms up some more. I have to marvel, I had a mask covering my face, my hair long and hanging in my face, glasses all fogged up…I haven’t bought plants there in several years…and yet…she still knew to speak English to me!! How!!?

View from outside nursery up the hill to Civatella Ranieri (inside copse of trees) – castle where artists spend six weeks as fellows…normally. Closed until August this year.

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I can’t help but be heartened that we have seen the slightest bit of loosening now.  Enjoy your day! I will since I can now plant some plants! Always makes me happy 🥰… 🌈 sta migliorando!

5 thoughts on “Day 41 – Covid-19

  1. Nancy Hampton Post author

    Hi Barbara,
    Here the garden centers have always, from the very beginning, been considered essential. Along with the grocery stores, butchers, bakers, and pet stores… I hadn’t tried to go yet because it was still too early. The people with gardens are planting…I guess, since it’s food, it’s essential 🤷‍♀️
    You are so right, for me, having a few flowers is very uplifting. I do need to figure out how to get my hot pepper plants from the town 20km north of us…not supposed to stray from our Comune! But it is the only place that sells them 😳

  2. Allisa Imming

    Brava!
    Alyssum. My favorite.
    Enjoy your new small freedoms.
    You’ve done very well.

  3. Nancy Hampton Post author

    Hi Barbara! Oddly, the garden centers have always been “essential” here. Never were closed. Maybe because the growing season cannot be postponed…the weather decides! And if we don’t plant now…well it will be too late. The farmers particularly. And having plants always makes me happy. It gives me something to do… nurture and water. And to look at. I’ll be sitting outside more now🥰

  4. Barbara

    Oh Nancy! Nothing cheers a soul like plants! Yours are lovely! Here in Ontario, Canada, I am cautiously optimistic that the garden centers will be allowed to open. The grocery store parking lots are filled with skids of top soil and manure. But I don’t see how garden centers can be considered an essential service. Just a few tomato plants, kale, chard, and I’ll be thrilled.

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