Corona Virus Diary Day 18

March 31, 2020

I went to the bakery today. They're still open so I felt we needed to get over there and support them while we can.
We drove up to Auburn and did a corona dinner with Heath and Cori. Lucy drew a line on their driveway. We picked up some Mexican food and sat in the driveway about 12 feet apart and chatted for a few hours. I didn't feel great because I had terrible cramps, so I opted to leave early. We could have stayed for at least another hour. It was so good to just see them face to face.

Corona Virus Diary Day 17

March 30, 2020

I received my Dear Heart phone case today. That made the day a bit more tolerable.
I drove by yet, another park and it was full of kids playing basketball. The governor issued an order that parks are to be closed. Nobody is really listening. Shocker.
I called Henry and we played games and chatted for a long time. It was good.
After that Brian, Alex and I played Uno for what felt like forever. I forget how much I really enjoy that game.

Corona Virus Diary Day 16

March 29, 2020

Today was Chester's first birthday. We watched movies, (Cold Turkey) and I made a cake for all of us. I didn't frost Chester's cake and made him a little birthday hat. I have no idea what we would do without him right now.
It was a nice day at home.

Corona Virus Diary Day 15

March 28, 2020

Brian went through a bunch of old boxes today to look for his Nintendo. I'm going to buy Chip and Dale's Rescue Ranger so I can relive a bit of my childhood.
Brian took Weds., Thurs. and Friday off because he was tired and didn't want to risk getting anything while being so run-down. He napped, then got up and made us chocolate chip pancakes and sausage for dinner.
We finished Tiger King last Friday and now we're all obsessed with it.

Corona Virus Diary Day 14

March 27, 2020

Today I made it to the Post Office to send off some wet wipes that I bought for a friend.
As I was leaving work the food donation truck was at Prichard. People were in a large group and not staying six feet apart. What's it going to take for people to listen?

Corona Virus Diary Day 13

March 26, 2020

Shocker, today the power went out for a while. I was working about the Commissioners and boom, everything was off.
I ran out by the hospital to take pics of their sidewalk entrance. People had written messages of encouragement to them.
I then tried to attend a webinar on how to sell ads right now. It was geared more towards larger papers who can afford to get people to pay $10,000 for an ad campaign. As little guys, we are so often forgotten for stuff like this.
We got some awesome feedback on the heart in our window. Chris E. posted about it and that felt really good to  be 'seen.'

Corona Virus Diary Day 12

March 25, 2020

Things at work went a little haywire. Things were said and it was a difficult day.
I taped off the area around my desk so nobody can get within six feet of me. I'm taking this extremely seriously and don't want to get Brian sick. I worry that my lungs are not good enough to handle this, but I really worry about Brian. If people want to get sick, fine. Don't get me sick though. It makes me so angry.
I attended the Richardson County Health Board Meeting today at the courthouse. It was in the District Courtroom, We all spread out and tried to stay away from each other. They discussed a lot of the same things that were said in the Commissioner meeting, but a few new things that again, made me a little leery.
I drove by the park on my way to Sunmart for milk. It was packed with kids playing basketball. What else can you do?

Corona Virus Diary Day 11

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Today I had to go to the County Commissioners meeting to cover their decision on whether or not to close the Courthouse to the public. It was eye-opening to hear all the numbers thrown out on what they might expect. The Sheriff said that they expect at least 100 dead in Richardson County. That number is insane! I can't believe this is still an issue where people don't understand that this is so serious. A lot of what was covered was pretty eye-opening. They discussed how to care for people when this happens and how there is enough space in the parking lot of the hospital for a triage center for spillover. The Emergency Management Director discussed how they may need to get employees of the courthouse to do other work if a lot of people are sick. The Commissioners did decide to close the Courthouse to the public and operate by appointment only.
Alex called henry and chatted with him for a while tonight.
We grabbed food from Mutt's. It was the first cheese bar of the season and so delicious.
I watched Trump's press conference. He said he would like to see people in churches and work by Easter. I had to get up and leave. I started to cry because so many people will die over his stupid words. I didn't want Alex to see me that scared, so I left and drove around. So much evil.
Brian and Alex watched some WWE wrestling tonight. It was so odd to see them perform to nobody. The place was totally empty, yet they kept on with their cheesiness. I felt for them. They deserve an award for that kind of acting.

Corona Virus Diary Day 10

Monday, March 23, 2020

I ran to Runza for lunch today and sat in a long line of cars. They, like many other businesses in town, have decided to close their lobby. We also made the decision to close our lobby. A bit late, but better late than never.
The town lunch program started today. It sounds like it was a hit for the kids. They served hundreds of people.
Chelsie put up a large heart in the window for kids to look for during a scavenger hunt. We think we'll just keep it up there for the time being.
I came home and found that mom had sent some Reeses heart's.
I was able to get on a 'Houseparty' call with Angie, Jessica, Kate, Raquel Kendahl, Meg and Sabina. It was so nice to see their faces and have a mindless chat for a while. We chatted for an hour before I dipped out to fix supper. I had such a bad day that seeing them lifted that weight I had been carrying all day.

Corona Virus Diary Day 9

March 22, 2020

Today we did absolutely nothing. I pretty much sat in bed with Chester for a bit until I had to get some work done. I finished the paper so there wouldn't be much else to do when I got to work.
Brian worked a bit, but we mostly watched Last Man on Earth all day.
After being so beautiful and sunny yesterday, today we woke up to snow/sleet. It was insane! Lots of big flakes of snow, but it didn't stick. It was just wet out all day.
I drove around town a bit and took some photos for the paper. Some pics of an empty Stone Street and the churches that have stopped public services. A lot of them are doing their services online where you can watch. It's eerie.
We signed Alex up for messenger kids so he can connect to the entire family. Lucy, Ollie and Henry also got it. We were able to chat with them for a while today. It's so nice to be able to talk to them again.
I overheard Henry talking to Brian and telling him he loved it. It was too cute.

Corona Virus Diary Day 8

March 21, 2020.

I wanted to get Alex out of the house and into the sun today, so we made Coronavirus packages and took them to Dad and Rhonda; Uncle Matt and Aunt Amy; and Granny and Papa.
We put together stuff like beef jerky, candy, movies and games for them to have while they're on lock-down. They're abiding by the rules pretty well and social distancing.
We drove to Uncle Matt and Aunt Amy's and talked to them from the road for a while. They stood by the door and we stayed in the car.
Then we dropped everyone else's packages off and took back roads around Dawson and Nim City. Brian took us by the old farm Jerry used to own by Dad's house. We stopped by Miles Ranch to look at the river and stretch. It's so beautiful out there.

Corona Virus Diary Day 20

April 2, 2020

The coffee shop up the street bought us free coffee today at work. That felt really good. Somedays, if not most days I feel like nobody appreciates us. Especially now-journalists and newspapers are considered 'wrong' or 'the enemy.' No matter how I report-it's wrong. I can write something word for word as its spoken about this virus and it's, 'wrong.' This is such a battle.
I never thought that this virus that could wipe out so many people would literally become a battle of good vs. evil. It is absolutely shocking.

Corona Virus Diary Day 19

April 1, 2020

I got my soap today for the Film Festival. I really wish I would have done the hand sanitizer, but I have soap. I'm trying to decide if I want to hold on to them for next year or use them. I guess we'll see how long this goes.
Work has been insane on the news and writing end. I feel like I'm on a Ferris wheel. I just keep going in circles.
I can't wait for a vacation.

Corona Virus Diary Day 6

Thursday, March 19, 2020.

This morning I drove through a neighborhood that had some Christmas lights up. I genuinely smiled. It was nice to see. It was super foggy and warm out.
I went to the Courthouse and they're taking proper precautions. They had bleach wipes for me to clean the computer and use it to clean the buttons of the elevator. I ran to Dollar Store to see if they had any TP or wipes and they were completely out.
We are watching a few places around us start closing their lobbies. I'm pushing for it, hard.  We'll see what happens. It was 77 out today and again, the kids were out at the park and people were out walking together. I want to do this right and I feel so alone.
Alex made brownies tonight from scratch. It was nice, but he is so bored. They were, edible. :)

Coronavirus Diary Day 5

Today I tried to watch a press conference with Trump. It was maddening. He keeps referring to this as the 'Chinese Virus' and has no idea what kind of damage he is doing to people. Things are still normal at work. It was super warm out today so Brian and Alex went to the track to run and get Alex outside. School was officially called off and Alex had to go in and get everything out of his locker. The park was full of kids outside playing basketball. I'm reporting on what's going on, but I feel like nobody's listening.
Chelsie had a good idea to get people to advertise at a deeply discounted rate. We ordered from a local place that is now carrying Cheese Curds. That was such a bright spot on a dark day.
I put up the teal and rose gold Christmas trees back up in the dining room. It's just nice to have some cheer in the house. Everything feels so stale and dark.

Corona Virus Diary Day 7

March 20, 2020

A restaurant and a bar in town are both open. I drove by one to go pick something up from work and there were so many people in there. It's frustrating.
I went by Sonic after work to get something for Alex and me for lunch.
At work this morning we watched Trump do an update. His insistence on using the term 'Chinese virus,' is so frustrating. Watching his updates is painful. I wonder how things would have been different if we had anyone else in there leading us through this thing.
I ran to the store to get a few more things to get by for a while. I think we should have enough food to get us through the rest of the month and next month. We won't have things like flour, bread, milk or butter, but we have everything else to get by.
The rest of the night we just watched 'Last Man on Earth,' and relaxed.
Everything is officially canceled. Alex's track season, his baseball season, the kid's soccer and Lucy's gymnastics. I can't wrap my head around all of that. Not yet.
We were able to chat with Cori, Heath and the kids for a little over an hour. We face timed them so we could see them. Henry did magic tricks, but we mainly chatted with Cori

Coronavirus Diary Day 4

I am having the worst time sleeping. It has been so exhausting. I wake up and feel so uneasy.
It's St. Patrick's Day and I completely forgot about it. I haven't heard anyone say anything about it or seen anyone 'celebrating' it.
Work has been scary. Everyone is pulling their ads since the Government said that meetings or events can't be held with more than ten people at a time. That means all the parties, meeting's and events are being canceled. We have had most of our ads pulled and our phones have been silent. Nobody has been in today except the mailman and the boss. We were told that we will be working in the office and allow customers through the door no matter what. I am extremely uneasy about it.
It's been cold and rainy lately and just feels so depressing. The idea of going home and not having anywhere to go or anything to do is so foreign to me. Knowing that I don't have to ask Brian what we're doing this weekend is so odd. I really like to go to St. Joe and sit in Starbucks and write, but now we just have to sit at home. I may go mad.
Trump said that this could go on until August. I'm nervous about the people I know who will get this and not recover. I'm sad that I'm selfish and thinking about all the fun I had planned this year that I'm going to miss. Trips, events, concerts. I'm sad and I get to be sad.
I ran to SunMart today to grab some yogurt and they were out of so much. I guess it hit here. After seeing it in Lincoln, it's now here. Full-blown panic.
The movie theater in Lincoln also announced that they closed. I guess I'm lucky I got one last movie in. Thank God.

Coronavirus Diary Day 3

Monday, March 16, 2020.

I woke up this morning at 4:00 a.m. with no power. Do you know how scary it is to wake up in the middle of an actual pandemic to a completely silent and pitch-black house? That shit is terrifying. We had no idea for a decent amount of time if it was citywide, statewide or nationwide. That was a very uneasy few moments we spent trying to find an answer.
We sat for an hour until it came back on. For that hour I went through every scenario. Is loss of power something we should be worried about now with this pandemic? Is this when people start looting? How scared should we be? Can I go to work today?
I came into work once the power came back on and started trying to get the paper out for tomorrow. The Corona information is coming at me so fast and so often that I knew as soon as I sent the paper off for printing, the news was already old. I wrote a large story that I put online and it seems like that may be our best line of communication to the readers right now.
I'm getting to the point where I think my body may be telling me something. I have hives that won't go away and no appetite. I think that's my body's way of telling me that I'm a nervous wreck.  I don't feel that nervous, but I do feel frustrated.
I feel like nobody is listening to me. I did a lot of research and reading on the CDC website about COBID-19, I think I know something about it. I tell people around me to go home. When you're an elderly person who's talking through what sounds like a pound of phlegm, stay home! This is why people die of the flu and this damn thing has spread. People, so many people think they know better. Someone mocked what the CDC is saying about keeping people over 65 safe, he said, "oh you better keep me safe, I need to stay safe," then laughed and walked right back out into the world. My mind is absolutely blown by events like this.
I'm not asking a lot, maybe just read the info I have provided. Take warning, follow the news. I just can't, I. Just. Can't.
Now I need to worry about the paper. What I thought would be 'cut and dry,' work from home has now spun up into something else. The National Newspaper Association sent out an email saying that rumors are swirling about Governor's shutting down papers. This is just so out of the realm of possibilities for me. We have to keep printing or producing a paper each week or we lose our legal accreditation. It's not even a topic of discussion. If we have to close our doors I will continue to get people information and produce a paper. That rumor will tailspin into so much more and hurt the newspaper industry far worse than we already were.
I got this week's paper out. Now I have another six days to get the next paper out. What if all the events are canceled? What if advertisers pull their ads? What if courthouses close down and there's no public record? We've already lost sports. What are we going to run in the paper?
I guess time will tell.

Coronavirus Diary Day 2

Sunday, March 15, 2020.

I woke up early and worked from bed. I had to write a story for the paper about how the virus is affecting the community. I think the second story I wrote about things people should know about COVID-19 will have to run online only. It's simply too long.

Brian and Alex still had to attend baseball practice. I thought that would be a good time to run to St. Joe and have a Walmart Grocery order filled. We only needed a couple things, frozen asparagus, hamburger, and Mucinex. After an hour's wait, half the stuff I ordered was out of stock.
There were so many people on the interstate and at Walmart, but in other shopping and eating areas, it looked so empty.

We ended the night pretty low key. Did nothing, but decided to sleep downstairs. I think that's just best in a house as big as ours, with neighbors like ours and people acting all kinds of crazy.

Coronavirus Diary Day 1

Saturday, March 14, 2020 - 6:00 p.m.

I've been thinking about how I want and need to document what's going on in the world right now. I'm currently sitting in a Panera Bread with one other guy in Lincoln, NE. As of now, there are people out and about. I see people walking the sidewalks, about six, but I just finished a movie at the Marcus Grand Cinema. I went to see The Impractical Jokers Movie while Brian was at State Basketball down the street. There were about six people in the theater with me. It felt good to sit and laugh and forget how scary the world is outside.
The Turner Classic Film Festival was canceled for 2020 and I'm absolutely devastated. I know it was the right and only decision they could make with everything shutting down and flights getting canceled, but it still sucks.
It feels like a post 9/11 world. Will we have a post-Corona world we live in? Will everything be different from now on?
Brian and I went to Walmart last night in Lincoln and it was absolute chaos. There were people everywhere, angry people, scared people, and confused people. None of us know what's going to happen or really what's happening. I work in the media for a weekly newspaper and even I can't wrap my head around the information coming in. It changes by the second. I check my email and every hour there's a new update. It's so hard to keep up with the information we have coming in.
I don't know if I should be scared of getting sick or if I should be scared of how people are reacting to the terror around them. I've seen people argue over bread and toilet paper. I've seen photos of people in line for ammo. I feel like the next week will be a make it or break it week for us as a nation. Trump said in a press conference today that he was tested and would know in a few days if he was exposed to the virus. How will people act if our President does, in fact, have the virus that has caused a worldwide pandemic? Will they go even crazier than they have been?
As I sit here in this Panera Bread looking across the street at the Starbucks I usually frequent, I can see the sign on the door telling people what steps Panera has taken to stay safe during this crisis. Starbucks has closed its lobby to keep people out and keep them from spreading the disease.
We have bought enough groceries and essentials to keep us in our house and out of the big stores for at least three weeks. We could go longer if we absolutely need to.
I'm feeling sort of numb to the entire thing. Some people are brushing it off as nothing, and some are losing their minds.
My chest hurts a bit and I want to cough, but I don't want to unnerve the man sitting across the room from me. This is the world we live in now. I'm wondering if I should be worried. Was I exposed? Am I carrying it right now? Or did I get a little bug from my coworker who has been sick for the past few days?
Driving all over Lincoln has felt erratic. People in the stores and online make me feel erratic. I feel like I should be sitting at home hiding from everyone. I also want to be out in it and report what I'm seeing and how people are feeling. It's such a strange feeling to have.
Alex has been secluded to Falls City. I haven't wanted to risk bringing him to Lincoln with me out of fear that he may be exposed to it, though if Brian and I end up getting exposed, he surely will.
I know that State Basketball and reporting for the Journal are not really worth the risk, but I can't keep Brian from getting out there. The NSAA is keeping every non-essential fan out of the games so there are significantly fewer people to worry about, but so many people from all over coming here are a little unnerving.
Until everything is shut down, what are you going to do? No really, what are we going to do?  I guess we'll wait and see. Each day is a different day with new and different information.

Nikki