Headed for (arrived in) the hills

Yesterday we made the trek up the mountain and arrived in St. Johns AZ.  I'm quite happy with the site at St. Johns RV Resort (though "resort" is really overselling it).  Being away from the big city gives me some comfort - I mean it's all a statistics game.  The outbreak is so terrible in NY and CA because that is where the masses of people live.  Statistically speaking less people = less exposure, though we know the virus will travel everywhere.  We need to continue to practice social distancing and minimize our travel to public spaces. 

I'm trying to minimize my exposure to the news as well.  It's all just so terrible.  Especially when our President is more concerned with his ego than with using the federal government to provide aid in this terrible time. 

I have an overwhelming desire to grow a garden, but I don't have any of the supplies I would need.  I have been trying to figure out if I can order everything and curbside pickup from Home Depot or something...I am not going into any stores right now.  We are going to try and make our shopping list for two weeks of groceries at a time.  This is difficult for us due to the limited storage space we have in our RV cupboards, but with the right planning I think it can be done.  I am very much looking forward to the end of the semester when I will have 150 less students relying on me.  I am sure they all feel the same way.  This is such a difficult time for everyone. 

While the rural area brings some comfort it is also still very cold!  Last night it was 27 degrees!  We have not ever stayed a night in that sort of weather.  We had to unhook the water so that it didn't freeze and our furnace was running practically all night.  I was stressing about how long the propane would last!  Thankfully today Husband was able to get the propane refilled at an outside station maintaining proper social distance.  The weather in the valley is warming up - air conditioner weather will soon be arriving there but we will enjoy cool temperatures for quite a while. 

Today I made a very nourishing meal of lentils & rice.  I ate it with hummus and some leftover naan bread.  It was an excellent comfort food and I have leftovers for tomorrow.  We were eating out quite a bit prior to all this quarantine business - I have to adjust to eating in all the time!  I am looking forward to my parents joining us after their month is up at their current site.  When they come we will do the shopping for everyone so that their risk is minimized.  Well, that is the newest - glad to be settled in up here for a while and thankful that we are healthy.  Wishing best health to my readers!

Scary times - facts you should know

Here are some statistics we know today:

• 20% of all coronavirus patients require hospitalization with either oxygen or a respirator
• 14-20% of patients between the ages of 20-44 with coronavirus require hospitalization
• 20-33% of patients between the ages of 45-65 with coronavirus require hospitalization
• 30-70% of patients over the age of 75 require hospitalization
• 80% of coronavirus deaths occur in people over 65
• The covid-19 virus last up to 3 hours in the air, and 3 days on surfaces (longer in colder temps)
• US hospitals have about 65,000 to 100,000 ventilators and estimates state that up to 900,000 will be needed

Additionally, coronavirus testing is still woefully inadequate compared to many other countries.  The for-profit health care system has always been more concerned with profit than making people well.  The last priority of the current health care system is to prepare for a public health emergency.  You can bet that the actual number of cases in the community is WAY over what is being reported.  

Stay home people!  When you shop for groceries plan for two weeks worth of meals at a time.  When in public maintain a 6-foot space between you and other people.  

Public health officials have warned about this day for 100 years since the pandemic of 1918...the day is here.  Protect yourself, protect your family, protect the community.  We are in this together.

Anniversaries

It was in March of 1999 that we purchased Rancho Status Quo.  We were young and were celebrating our second wedding anniversary that March.  We were naive and thought Y2K would be a thing.  Little did we know that all these years later we would be living some dystopian future, facing a pandemic, climate catastrophe, shortages of food and toilet paper, a likely recession (or even a depression) possible, and a failed federal government that recently did away with the public health pandemic team.  The Empire is certainly in decline. 

I worry for my kiddos and what will happen next.  My doctorate is in public health and public health experts have have known this day would come for a long time....much talk of the 1918 Influenza pandemic occurred during H1N1, when I was a public health official, in the earliest days before we had a handle on the severity of that disease.  At that time, the strategic national stockpile was deployed....I have not yet heard of that measure being taken although nearly every public venue is closed (something that never happened with H1N1).  Anyhow...scary times.

Now, more than ever, I wish my bug out shelter in the mountains was fully functional.  Good news is that much progress was made with help from a contractor over the summer so that the interior is fully equipped with a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, living area and two lofts (in 500 square feet).  Currently the building is serving as a storage facility for much of our stuff - we are building a garage soon so that we can move things out. 

Bedroom, living room (filled with projects) and Sister's loft looking toward the front of the building

Bathroom on left, kitchen and Brother's loft looking towards the back of the building (window has been installed in Brother's loft since this picture was taken)

The challenges and tasks ahead of us are to get the plumbing and electrical systems fully operational.  Currently we do have a well, which is operational, and the house is connected to the septic system...however we do not have running water inside the house.  We can fill buckets and fill the back of the toilet or use the water to pour over our hands in the sink, but we don't yet have a delivery system set up.  We also have not had our water tested in a very long time, so that needs to be done.  At one time it was drinkable, but you should have your well water tested every year and it has been at least 10 years since we last checked. 

Other issues include whether we will even be able to go shopping at places like Home Depot for necessary hardware, whether we will be able to buy solar panels and batteries, and whether the next contractor we need will still be willing to do the work at our land during these crazy times....I guess there is no reason to worry about these things because I can't do a damn thing about it.

As I mentioned previous we will be rolling out of the valley at the end of this month and hope to stay away for about 6 months.  Today I had my first experience teaching an in-person class online and it went pretty well.  My work will continue online only for the foreseeable future.  I am very fortunate to have this career that is easily transferable to online.  Our economy, heavy in the service sector, is taking a terrible hit and many people are in jobs that do not transfer to online.  40% of Americans cannot afford a $400 expense.  That statistic is troubling when so many low wage workers are going to find themselves with less working hours during this pandemic. 

My advice is to try and get out into nature and find a connection to the whole.  We (as a society) have been living out of balance with the natural world for so long we've forgotten how to be stewards.  We need a shift in thinking and action towards lightening our impact and working in partnership with natural forces.  Each person can cultivate a patch of the natural world, we can unite in spirit to reclamate that which has been lost through our folly and arrogance.  Long-term our goal is to care for and re-green the land, which has been devastated by overgrazing, through permaculture techniques practices.  We have to focus on what we can do, instead of all the scary things we cannot. 

In the face of a global pandemic...

Has shit hit the fan?  It seems the answer is yes.  Universities across the US are cancelling face-to-face classes and instead offering remote sessions during class time.  School districts are cancelling school for the foreseeable future.  Remote work options are being rolled out across America.  All social gatherings, sport events, concerts and other cultural events are cancelled.  There is no toilet paper available for purchase. The economy is failing, people are losing jobs.  There has never been a more clear sign that our current systems are broken and it is apparent to me that neither Republican or Democratic leadership are up for radically and fundamentally reshaping our system.  The power is, and always has been, in our hands.  

For us the answer is clear - proceed with the plans to develop Rancho Status Quo.  The convergence of events is spectacular - almost spiritual or serendipitous - in their occurrence.  Husband quit his job over a month ago, I will be teaching online, kids' enrichment program is cancelled, a CD came due last week, our annual rent in Mesa is due April 1st and we can, in this very moment, decide to walk (or drive) away to head in a new direction.  I suppose you see where this is going...we are ready to leave the city and embark on the greatest adventure - forging our own path - creating our own place.  While many people are feeling overwhelmed, scared, stressed at forces beyond their control - I feel that I have been waiting for this moment to finish plans we set in motion over 20 years ago.  

It's scary, yes, but it is exciting and there is no better time to be a full-time RV family.  While our federal government considers domestic travel bans, we flee to the one constant we have enjoyed these many years.  This past year we have made a lot of progress and we are very near having a self-sufficient homestead/base of operations.  The future for many is uncertain - but over the next couple of weeks we will position ourselves for a move.  We will be able to spend nearly six months devoted to Rancho Status Quo.

It is time we stop lending our energy and voices to propping up systems that do not serve us.  We will begin creating new systems that are sustainable and work in harmony with the natural world.  Our lives and our natural world are out of balance - it is time to relearn what our ancestors knew - we are part of the web of life, not master over it.