Italian Quarantine Chronicles, Day 33: The temperature has approached 70 F. at long last. Went for a walk along the deserted passaggiata yesterday with Harry, fearing that soon my legs and knees will turn to mush. Some aches and pains....actually, quite a bit of pain....last night, but all was better this morning.
After 15 years, my husband does not know what kind of tea I drink, and so he came home with something I know I can't stand...not one, but two boxes of it. So, today, I became the reluctant "designated shopper." Also, we needed another round of deworming medicine for a kitty and he is afraid he doesn't know how to ask for it. *sigh*
It is a glorious day - Good Friday in Italy - I didn't know what to expect. There is usually a huge procession through the town and lots of church services.
At the first corner, I looked to the left and saw three women triangulated, but chatting through their masks and each one had several bags of supplies. It was clear, then, that the salumeria and butcher shops were open. I went the other way toward the pharmacy and the salumeria I prefer.
No jacket required, the sky was clear blue, the sun was bright and enough to warm me up in just a sweatshirt. I was slightly surprised to see as many people out and about as I did, yet every one of them was wearing a mask and some, like me, had gloves as well. Still, compared to what is usual, there was a decided lack of activity. It made me sad and concerned passing closed store after store, pizza place, restaurant, cafe
.I saw Antonetta...the wife of Donato, who runs the little housewares store that also carries cat and dog food, and so, he is allowed to stay open. At first,, because of the masks, we didn't quite recognize one another...we each hesitated just a bit....then shouted a "Ciao!" across the street.
A milk delivery was just arriving at the salumeria, so I waited outside. I love this store. I love the way it smells. An old fashioned deli, piled high, floor to ceiling with goods. A small freezer, fridge...and his cheese and meat counter....there is barely enough room to fit two people in at a time anyway. Now he has boxes and boxes of inventory that haven't been opened yet or put away. It reminded me of what a house looks like, feels like, just before a move, with boxes everywhere.
Milk man left, I walked in. "Come stai?" Ahhhhhh.....va bene. Black tea, please....and I felt ridiculous just getting tea, which he had to search for among the stacks of boxes....so, I reached over the milk carton sitting in front of the fridge case and grabbed some tortellini, hoping I wouldn't lose my balance. And an 80% chocolate bar - don't judge me - it's supposed to be helpful for arthritis!
Back downhill to the farmacia. There were already two people inside, so I waited. Saw a neighbor..."Buongiorno!"..he was going to the vegetable store just up from the pharmacy. There, I noticed, the woman was taking customer orders from the door...then coming out with a bag. She was in a full blown Hazmat suit, the white overalls...mask, gloves, goggles.
My turn came in the pharmacy..."Io ho bisogno di un Nemex per i gatti." Nemex for cats. The gal went to the back and appeared with the now familiar box. As I nodded and she rang it up, music started BLASTING from the town speakers...!!! LOUD, SOMBER band music....deafening. I nearly jumped, pretty sure I put my hand over my heart. Everyone did! Then we all had a chuckle. Check that volume, please!
From there I headed back, taking in the beautiful flowers, the magnificent sky, and trying to "enjoy" the walk through my mostly empty town.
Near the door at home was little "Lupo," the ugliest kitten I have ever seen. He was tearing up a piece of paper, having kitten fun.
Inside, Imp had turned on the TV and was watching some action movie with things blowing up. The other three were playing ambush/leap frog under, over and around the bed. My husband was on the balcony and the "kids" were tearing around inside, unattended!
Our cases are up to 98, but deaths remain at 8. We wait to hear if this quarantine is extended past the 13th. Meanwhile, though it is getting progressively harder to keep spirits up, we continue to do what we must do.
Update: A documentary about "the oldest procession in Abruzzo"...the tradition in this town for Good Friday...will be telecast twice today for those citizens interested. Churches are closed, as they have been since quarantine began.
While Italy is still counting more than 3,000 new cases a day, despite a near total lockdown, here in the U.S.,it's up to more than 30,000 per day. The fed, I think, is deliberately making it difficult to get reagents, swabs, and other supplies for testing; in a nation of 350 million, only 3 million have been tested. Our megalomaniacal president, caring only for the stock market, is tweeting to encourage protests against closures and social distancing. Today more than a hundred idiots gathered in our own city to decry our "unconstitutional imprisonment." These people think the virus is a hoax. As a result, I expect a surge in new cases here in about 5 to 7 days. These protesters were also protesting against "foreign vaccines." I've read that even when we have a vaccine--in 12 to 18 months--only a third of Americans will get it. 9/11 proved us cowards; covid-19 proves us criminally ignorant. Sic transit gloria mundi. It's so over for the USA.
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