The Marshmallow Ranch Gazette

Volume 5, Issue 10 - Wednesday, March 18th, 2020

Howdy, patrons!

We're living in strange times. Here at the Burrow, we're in a 'shelter-in-place' order until April 7th or so, and my day job has mandated a work-from-home policy until April 30th. That's a lot of time to sit in my snug little den and realize how much dust there is on pretty much every surface. My wonderful husband is stuck at home, too, and while we're trying to get a handle on our anxiety the world seems determined to get stranger and stranger. At the same time, we realize we could have it a lot worse.

Both of us have day jobs that allow us to work from home, and for the moment at least don't seem to be laying anyone off. So many of our friends work in retail, forced to go serve the public for their paycheck; others are freelance artists and gig workers watching their work calendars evaporate in front of their eyes as events are cancelled; still others have been laid off in industries that are feeling the immediate effects of this. On top of all this, there's the worrying spectre of COVID-19; it's hard to tell how seriously to take it, even as it dramatically alters our way of life. 

I'm not a doctor, and you shouldn't take my word for anything. The CDC Website is a solid resource for information about the disease caused by the novel coronavirus; the World Health Organization also has an amazing website full of best practices, basic information, and country-specific advice for anyone who needs it. I trust the information that comes from these two sites as the best available at any given time; other places, I take with a grain of salt. There's so much misinformation out there designed to rattle our cages, and it's important we keep our heads so we can use our own discernment on who to believe. 

That's what makes this whole situation so scary to me. The disease is a concern, especially for me as an asthmatic. But social inequality and the steady erosion of our government's ability to handle disasters have exacerbated the issue to the point we're in unknown territory. The US government was slow to recognize the severity of this, even though we had a solid lead time to put measures in place; so individual states are stepping up to do the best they can. I'm happy with the way California has addressed this, even though there are still people falling through the cracks, bound to suffer much more than any of us. 

As frightening as it is for us, I can't imagine what it must be like for someone who's immunocompromised, or who has a condition that might require hospitalization, or someone without health insurance, or someone who's homeless. Anyone whose job it is that depends on interacting with a jittery public. Health workers who have to care for those who've been stricken with COVID-19. The sufferers themselves. All of us have our own issues that make struggling through this that much harder. As much as we want to hide away from the world, I think it's more important than ever for us to reach out and connect. Just...maybe not physically.

Help each other where we can, however we can. We can donate money, food, or time to food banks that will need all the help they can get. Look after your older neighbors to make sure they've got what they need. Throw an extra dollar or two to the artist who depends on their work for a living; these are hard, uncertain times for them. Get together with your friends to share company. Be kind and patient to the barista, the delivery driver, the grocery store worker. All of us are struggling through this. It's so much easier if we lean on each other. 

No matter where you are or what you think about all of this, I hope you and the people you care about are safe, healthy, and at ease. There's a lot of uncertainty in the air, and it's understandable if you're nervous. But our connections to each other are what anchor us; it's more important than ever to strengthen and preserve them. 

I'm working hard on the next episodes of "Crushing The Competition". Hopefully they'll be a fun escape for a little while in the coming weeks.

-Jakebe