261 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a502577eb16a1755a9dbfb62fe081052.pdf c8426610c5777c30ece81969456197b0 PDF Text Text Day 71. by windoworks A personal note to begin this morning. Is anyone else having weird dreams? Dreams about things like finding yourself hiding in a mall with gunmen roaming through the mall - and you’re still trying to hide 6 feet apart? No, you’re probably not dreaming that particular nightmare but you get my point. With my research I now have 3 pages of notes of items that I think are of interest. This morning I am going to begin with how offices might adapt. At this time, no one knows if companies will maintain all those expensive high rise buildings into the future. My oldest child Zar is still working from home. He doesn’t mind that, but if it is to continue then he really needs two computer screens and a proper desk space. It is the same for Zoe. She really needs to invest in a desk and a better chair as using a dining chair is causing back problems. Craig has a good system set up in his study/studio and he alternates between sitting at a desk and standing at his computer. And my office is mobile - have iPad, will travel. So here’s the possible future of offices: Door handles will be obsolete. The building will know where you are and open doors and call elevators as you approach. To stop the spread of germs, security stations will monitor your temperature. You may have to wait in line to get inside. Your colleagues might start working 20 minutes before or after you. And you may get an occasional alert if a colleague who crossed your path calls in sick. In some places, office staff are working in shifts. In Manhattan New York, I have read that all those expensive commercial buildings are standing silent while big companies spend weeks trying to decide how to proceed. And all those high end hotels in the area are grappling with how to bring customers back safely. Universities: around the world, universities are scrambling to figure out how to proceed. GVSU sends out daily updates of new class configurations, numbers, alternative teaching methods, housing adjustments the list is endless. It all still contains that ‘we just don’t know’ statement. Stats: Michigan - 53,009 cases, 5,060 deaths. This is a little slower than before. Kent County - 3,036 cases , 60 deaths. These numbers continue to steadily rise. In Ottawa County where the main campus of GVSU is housed - 685 cases, deaths 31. These numbers are slowly rising also. �Ahh Gretchen - where would we be without you? Yesterday Governor Whitmer said: not only are we battling a pandemic but now we have a disastrous dam failure, flooding to 10 feet in some areas and �approximately 10,000 residents evacuated. But through it all she keeps on going. Sometimes at her 3+ press conferences a week, she looks very tired. And this one made me laugh. Two more quotes from far flung places: Iceland: my whale-watching boat, The Apena, was originally built for fishing and her purpose is back to basics for the time being. The vast Skjalfandi Bay, nudging the Arctic Circle, has provided a livelihood for my family of fishermen the past 150 years. The Netherlands: I also can’t help being nostalgic for an Amsterdam that could be. The city has been so beautiful and quiet — there was a magic to it that’s not ever going to come back in any way. Aaaand the Oliver photo: �Baby chaos in the park. It’s hard to social distance with babies - they have no idea! I was talking to my counselor on Tuesday and she said: do you have a project or a hobby you could do? I thought about it later and I do - I’ve asked Craig to repaint the upstairs bathroom and the kitchen and he agreed. He picks up the paint and supplies today. Well, okay, its not actually MY project. So Berlin. Surprisingly, Germany makes no secret of the Holocaust. In the German Historical Museum in a dedicated area for the First and Second World Wars, we came across this confronting model. ��I think this is a model of Auschwitz and this shows the people crammed into the gas chamber. �This is a site called The Topography of Terror. Where I am standing is where the headquarters of the SS, SD and Gestapo stood. These buildings were bombed during the war and then demolished after the war. In 2010, the Documentation Center (behind me) was opened and depicts the Nazi regime’s many victim groups as well as the Jews and the crimes perpetrated across Europe. In this photo I am looking towards the largest section of The Wall remaining. Behind the wall is what was formerly East Berlin. This was a sobering site. Inside the exhibition were many everyday photos depicting public shaming and the like. The tourist is left to draw their own conclusions. ��These photos are of the Holocaust Memorial. It represents all the Jews gassed or shot during the Second World War. It was a sad sight. We did visit the Jewish Quarter on another day and then the bombed Main Synagogue. We thought about visiting Sachsenhausen concentration camp about 21 miles or so from Berlin. There were a number of day trips that immersed you in the space but after our visits to these sites in Berlin we felt we had seen enough. �The Brandenburg Gate. This gate was built on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg. The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, a boulevard of linden trees which led directly to the City Palace of the Prussian monarchs. If you go through the arch ahead, you come to the Tiergarten, a huge inner city park. Craig and I rode through the park in a rickshaw with our driver pointing out many interesting spots. It contains many monuments and the Berlin Zoo and covers 520 acres. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride but it really beat walking though it. It is a surprisingly quiet, green space in the middle of a very busy city center. I hope you and yours are well and safe. Till tomorrow � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-21_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-71 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-21 Title A name given to the resource Day 71 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0e6296a8f51da7b0cc6d08ace4d50de6.pdf 58f137288aba10a8437105fc21f96748 PDF Text Text Day 72. by windoworks I don’t know where to begin. Yesterday Governor Whitmer said we could have gatherings of 10 or less (but masked and still 6 feet apart), and all retail could open but smaller stores could only have 10 customers inside at one time. Also, stores should use an appointment schedule. I was overwhelmed. I had just gotten used to being inside or safely outside, masked and well away from others and it felt like this would be my life from now on and oh! It’s changing again. I read about American Eagle Outfitters which seems to be the gold standard for pandemic times shopping. They seem to have thought of almost everything, even down to the clothes that a customer tries on and rejects. These go in a bin to be steam cleaned before being returned to the shelves. No more lingering or browsing - just straight in with your wish list, purchase (stringent precautions there) and straight out again. It might be more fun online. Michigan anti-lockdown activists extended their protests on Wednesday by orchestrating a barber shop on the state capitol lawn. Few people wore masks, no one took temperatures, and little social distancing was seen. Seven barbers were ticketed for disorderly conduct for refusing to stop. I believe the tickets were $1000 apiece. This morning I watched Madeleine Albright (first female Secretary of State who served under Bill Clinton). She spoke from her home and she looked much the same as she always has, 83 years old now and timeless. She likened this pandemic to being a child in London during the Second World War. She said that the people never knew where the bombs were going to land next! And then she said something that warmed my heart: the countries that have managed this pandemic best are all those countries with a female leader. Perhaps its our ability to multitask. Yesterday I discussed offices reopening. Today, lets look at hotels. Seven out of 10 hotel rooms in the U.S. remain empty, according to the research firm STR. And that's the hotels that are actually open. Guests will see that some of the items in the room that could likely be fingerprinted by previous guests — magazines, notepads, pens — those items have been removed from the room. And there's likely to be more. The hotel-room phone has probably seen its last days because of the coronavirus. And what about that most divisive object in the hotel room? The death of the minibar is probably finally here. The remote control will likely be encased in a plastic bag or envelope with a sticker to indicate that it has been sanitized. I’m not sure how I feel about staying in a hotel, certainly not right now. Yesterday Meijer Garden cancelled its annual summer concert series which usually runs from late June to late August. It is a very popular series (which incidentally, Craig and I have never been to) featuring big �name popular artists. It’s held in their amphitheater and is usually only canceled if the weather is bad. All the regular festivals and events for this year in Grand Rapids have been canceled at this time except the rejuvenated ArtPrize held in September/Octover. But this year, the art will be in windows or outside, and after a year off, most large venues such as museums and churches have chosen not to be involved anyway. Speaking of museums: From a UNESCO spokesman on World Museums. There are 95,000 museums in the world and approximately 98% are currently closed. They anticipate that 13% or 1 in 8 will not reopen for financial reasons. Of 200+ countries in the world, only 20 do not have a minister for culture – the US is one of the 20. Well there’s something to think about. The flooding in Michigan has had other consequences. Yesterday in Muskegon (remember we drove there in torrential rain the other day to look at the lake?) a flood surge powered a new course through the dunes at Pioneer Park and left this destruction: ��As I look at the long range weather forecast, we have 6 days straight from Sunday 24 through to Friday 29 with a 30-50% chance of thunderstorms and the average temperature ranging from 78 - 88F (24 - 29C). We’re putting the a/c in the bedroom window today! And the next two quotes from far flung popular tourist sites around the world; 5. After being confined indoors, it’s natural that you see things with fresh eyes. UsuallyBarcelona lives at night, but now when the sun sets, it already seems super late. The city and the air are cleaner. There seems to be a different light or somehow more light. 6. I have taken a real secret pleasure rediscovering the beautiful buildings and having the streets to myself. All the locals I passed were smiling too. I have the impression of having found a quality-oflife closer to what I desire, meaning more local interaction and less pure consumption. Real life has returned to this corner of Pariswith families and children who play in the street, and getting to know my own neighbors Two photos courtesy of Zar in New Zealand: �Shop dummies to allow proper spacing at tables inside a restaurant. And small glasshouses for safe isolated dining. Of course, now its Oliver photo time. ��Oliver in the kitchen with his favorite toys: Tupperware! And so to Berlin once more. One day we caught the train to Charlottenburg. Charlottenburg Palace was built at the end of the 17th century by Frederich I, Elector of Brandenburg for his wife Sophie Charlotte. You know that the area we call Germany today was in fact a collection of independent states and the only thing that linked them together was that they all spoke the German language. These states were divided by religion - some were Catholic and some were Protestant. These religious differences (among others) led to constant warring among these states. And remember, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was so named because it led to the city state of Brandenburg. It was a gorgeous day. We went through several rooms in the palace that were open to the public. It was constructed in the baroque style. ���In the top photo Craig took this shot in the Ballroom. In the middle photo, I am in the Green Room, and the bottom photo shows part of the silver service And then we went out into the grounds which were huge and gorgeous. Imagine how many gardeners this takes! ���The top photo is looking out at the grounds. These were also designed in the baroque style by a gardener influenced by Andre Le Notre, who designed the gardens at Versailles. I tried to find out how big they are and all I can say is big, but not as big as Versailles. In the bottom photo I am looking back at the palace which was undergoing extensive renovation. It was another hot day. So thats it for today. As Dr London says: stay positive, stay heroic and stay healthy. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-22_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-72 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-22 Title A name given to the resource Day 72 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ccfab6134b66229a7e9cf81fe3e25999.pdf 428c289079dc1c5b40631c13e4e9aba5 PDF Text Text Day 73. by windoworks Well, here we are again then. So last week I broke down and decided I had to try to trim my hair. Now this is a lot harder than you’d think. I tried to mimic my hairdresser’s methods and I did quite well with the sideburns and my bangs (fringe). Then, after much agonizing and careful instruction, I let Craig trim the very back of my hair at the neckline. Very stressful but I think he did a good job and overall I don’t feel shaggy anymore. Of course, the grey streaks keep creeping forward and I can’t do much about that. When I finally do get to a hairdresser, I think I’ll have them dye my hair silver, so if we’re confined again, I’ll just have to keep it trimmed. So where are we? The US has 1.64M cases and coming up on 100,000 deaths (rising as predicted). So here’s what we find hard to understand. The disease progresses slowly. May’s declining cases are the result of April’s physical distancing, and the consequences of May’s reopenings won’t be felt until June at the earliest. This long gap between actions and their consequences makes it easy to learn the wrong lessons. The pandemic is shaped by many factors. Social distancing matters, but so do testing capacity, population density, age structure, wealth, societal collectivism, and luck. … No single factor can explain differences across nations or regions. The disease spreads unevenly. “Super-spreader events,” which are rare but pivotal, become especially important when cases dip. … If a state reopens and sees no immediate spike in cases, is that because it was justified, because insufficient time has passed, because other things went right, or because unlucky super-spreader events haven’t yet happened? In a patchwork, these questions will be asked millions of times over, and many answers will be wrong. So to lighten the mood, here’s social distancing done well on a French beach. Now thats clever! �And in news from far down at the other end of the world: New Zealand has come up with a creative way to boost tourism: a four-day work week to encourage domestic travel. While the decision on whether to institute a shorter work week will be between employer and employee, Ardern encouraged businesses to think about this option, "because it certainly would help tourism all around the country." Packing our bags now. Ever since this isolation began (and we’re in the 11th week now), the children on the other side of the road from us, in 3 houses, have played and played and played. Some days they built forts on one front lawn, some days they race up and down the sidewalk in wagons, on windy days they have run up the middle of the street with kites and recently, there must be a pool up in one of the backyards as small children have appeared with swim suits, bare feet and towels. Every evening a parent will walk along the block collecting child size deck chairs, blankets, and an assortment of tricycles, wagons and such, and then its all over for another day. All the smaller children will remember of this time, will be that it was an endless summer of playing and that makes my heart glad. Yesterday Craig harvested the last of the red radish micro greens and I washed them, trimmed them and then bagged them up. We have shared them with 3 other neighbors and everyone has enjoyed them. As �John said when I told him this was the last: we’ll just look forward to next spring then. (I’m smiling as I type this, what a lovely memory from such a difficult time). My sister-in-law, Kym, who lives in Canberra, Australia, sent me a link this morning to her choir doing a virtual performance of “Your Song”. As she said, it made her realize what this virus has robbed us all of. I can’t put the video on this blog (some things are just beyond me) but it was lovely to see her face among the other choir members. Sadly, choir rehearsals are one of those most risky events because of all the air expelled and then taken in again. In Midland where the flooding was dreadful, here is a photo taken before the water began to recede: Both dams that collapsed are privately owned by the same man and both didn’t pass inspection. Sadly he didn’t bother to fix the problems - but I guess he’ll have to now, and pay compensation. I debated about this next photo. When he decided to visit a Ford plant the other day, trump refused to wear a mask, mainly because he didn’t want a photo taken. In one part of the plant, masks were obligatory and so he agreed. Someone managed this shot, much to his chagrin. �See, its not that bad with a mask! The last of the notes from popular tourist destinations overseas; Venice: It’s a good thing, we don’t want to go back to how things were before. Overtourism was the norm, but it wasn’t normal, the city was overwhelmed, it was like a transumanza. We had to deal with tourists at every waking hour, everything revolved around them. I live in Cannareggio, one of the less touristy neighborhoods, and even here Venetians were outnumbered. I used to have breakfast at the local cafe every morning, and it would be four locals and ten tourists from the bed-and-breakfasts nearby, that’s how my days began. Around St. Mark, it was really all hit-and-run tourism, people staying here one of two days, always in a hurry, with eight minutes to eat lunch. Prague: You just see the beauty of the city. I read this also somewhere on social media: People were commenting that they notice different details in the city now. For me, Prague seems greener, and I would say its beauty really came out. For example, I was looking down from Petrin Hill, and I had the feeling that Prague itself, that the buildings and everything just look brighter. I don’t even know how to describe it. �Galápagos Islands; This is the Galápagos we dreamed of. People are waking up to the revival of the islands, having a cap on tourists. We are already surviving without any activity. Every day, you have the freezer truck with the fishermen, giving away fish. Whoever can afford to pay, pays. What beauty have you seen revealed where you live? Today’s Oliver treat: ��I think I remember when that brown hoodie was purchased. Oh and the new top tooth is almost here! Today’s flashback. This is a mix of food and sightseeing. ��Potsdamer Platz. This area was totally destroyed during the Second World War and was then bisected by the Wall. Now it is a busy building site with this impressive atrium in the middle. ��There are cafes and shops all around and you can sit in the middle, drink coffee and watch people passing by. This is KaDeWe in the dining hall area on the 6th floor. KaDeWe is short for Kaufhaus des Westens (Department Store of the West). This is the second largest department store in Europe after Harrods. You ride up on the escalators through floors of expensive and exclusive clothes, shoes, hats, jewelry, makeup etc. and reach this floor with many different food stations and speciality counters. The range of cuisines is impressive and at each station, it is cooked in front of you. We had several delicious lunches there - this time it was excellent Chinese food. ��This is the remnants of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church completed in 1906. It was badly bombed in 1943. It is a famous landmark in Berlin and has been nicknamed “The Hollow Tooth”. Every Christmas they hold an extensive Christmas Market around the church and in December 2016, 4 months after we left Berlin, the Christmas Market was devastated by a big truck driven by a terrorist, through the shoppers, killing 11 people and wounding more than 70. Since then, extensive anti terror security measures have been put in place around the church. ���Under the remaining part of the church is this room with these amazing murals. Have a wonderful, safe, healthy Memorial Day weekend. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-23_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-73 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-23 Title A name given to the resource Day 73 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0946aeafe5ed8062da31408d284cf8c0.pdf c1771409d26921d259939faaa35fbcb5 PDF Text Text Day 74. by windoworks 75 days! That includes the first post which didn’t have a number. And congratulations, Reader, if you stayed with me the whole time. So on Friday morning this happened: One day after loosening social and business restrictions, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday afternoon extended the state’s stay-at-home order to curb the coronavirus pandemic through June 12. She also extended the state of emergency that enables the executive orders, including the stay-at-home order, through June 19, citing a recent Court of Claims ruling that determined she has the power to do so without the Legislature’s approval. Both orders, which she first made in March, were set to expire next Thursday. “While the data shows that we are making progress, we are not out of the woods yet,” So, another 21 days, and who knows what will happen then? The state of emergency is extended to June 19, one week later, so we could be at home for 28 more days. While I grumble, two things are true: (1) I’m not going out in crowded public places any time soon and (2) I think she’s doing a brilliant job. Stats: yesterday Kent County recorded an increase of 77 new cases to bring us to a total of 3,308 and 2 new deaths to a total of 67. If you look out the window it looks perfectly normal. It’s early on Sunday morning, so there’s not too many people out and about. The weather has turned and the warmer weather of summer is here. Yesterday as I was sitting on my porch swing, a tiny cottonwood fluff sailed past me. The fluff is part of the seed produced by the female trees. Male cottonwood trees don’t produce fluff covered seeds. Unfortunately, I seem to be allergic to the fluff and at this time of the year it gathers in huge drifts on roads, sidewalks etc. it is a short but intensive onslaught and is the first real sign that summer is approaching. I also find ragweed hard to cope with, but that’s a story for the fall. It’s Memorial Day Weekend and across the US, people have flocked to the beaches. Some beaches are trying to enforce social distancing and some states seem to have given up. It’s a bit nerve wracking waiting for 2 weeks to see if this causes a surge or not. All 50 states have begun reopening to some extent and all 50 still have active virus counts. It’s hard to close an entire country down as New Zealand did. It certainly helps if you are 2 small islands in the middle of the ocean. But while New Zealand is reopening for citizens, the ports and airports are not open to overseas visitors. Because here’s the thing - you can pretty much control or eradicate the virus in your country, but the moment you allow overseas visitors, you might be letting the virus in again, and thats virgin territory for COVID-19. Whenever I think about this I remember the ad for Mucinex (I think), where the disgusting little green bacteria people move in to clean sinuses and take up residence. Remember that? I found some explanations for what is high, medium or low risk activities for summer. There’s quite a few, so I will add 2 a day for your interest. Here goes: �1. A BYOB backyard gathering with one other household: Low to medium risk Meeting in a spacious outdoor area with only a small group isn't too risky. But our experts say that safety here depends on who you invite and what their behaviors have been. "If you have a gathering with one other household that [has] followed social distancing, this would be a low-risk activity," says Dr. Judith Guzman-Cottrill, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Oregon Health & Science University. What alters risk? To lower risk, avoid sharing food, drinks or utensils — make it a BYO everything party. Dr. Andrew Janowski, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at Washington University in St. Louis, notes the food itself isn't the risk, but touching shared dishes or utensils could be. Watch out for drinking, says Dr. Abraar Karan, a physician and public health researcher at Harvard Medical School, as it can make people sloppy about social distancing. It also increases the odds that people will want to use your bathroom. "Once you move into the house with others, the risk profile goes up," he says. 2: Eating indoors at a restaurant: Medium to high risk Indoor dining "is still amongst the riskier things you can do," Landon warns. The trouble is, says Miller, "people tend to linger in restaurants. So even if spacing is okay, the duration of exposure is longer." Also, he says, talking "appears to lead to some release of the virus." Karan notes that one outbreak in Guangzhou, China took place in a restaurant with no windows and poor ventilation, and the air conditioning appears to have blown droplets between tables. What alters risk? Janowski says the risk level depends on how well the restaurant has adapted for the pandemic. Eateries should reduce and space out seating, require servers to wear masks, and offer easy access to hand-washing stations. They should also provide single-use options for condiments so you don't have to touch shared ones, says Janowski. And they should close all self-serve areas like soda fountains or buffet tables. If you do go to a restaurant, look for outdoor seating. Landon says she would only go with members of her household, because "I don't want to have to take my mask off in the close proximity of a bunch of other people." And here is a sign of how frustrating it can be dealing with the public: �Oh dear! And here’s another document but completely unrelated, just to make you laugh: �I’m trying to imagine a turnip shepherd. Nope! Today is Day Two of the Great Bathroom Repainting. Two things have become apparent: (1) everything I normally use is on top of the chest of drawers in the spare room and I only remember that when I’m IN the bathroom and (2) painting necessitated the taking down of the bathroom curtain which means one house behind us can look in and see me sitting on the toilet. Hmmm. Well, Craig’s doing a beautiful job and we’re on track to have it all finished and furnishings etc restored by this evening. I really don’t mind, I’d just like the curtain back on the window. Later next week, Craig will repaint the kitchen. I’m excited but I have no idea how hard it will be to produce food during the painting. Our trees are slowly opening their leaves and the back garden is very pretty. The clematis on the arch are growing happily but after our long, confusing phone conversation with the gardener at the garden center, the first beautiful blossom is pink and not white as promised. I console myself that it is gorgeous, both plants are healthy and they will float like pink stars in the sky. Stop laughing Mary Alice, I can hear you. ��An Oliver update. Yesterday when we FaceTimed with Zoe and Oliver he was very grumpy which we all attributed to overtiredness due to daycare. It turns out that he has Hand, Foot and Mouth virus ( also due to daycare). It’s extremely contagious and he’s off daycare for a week. I have no memory of Zoe getting it as a child, so she may catch it from him as well. I am embarrassed to say that my frequent answer to questions like these, seems always to be: I don’t remember, which is very frustrating for Zoe. Anyway, here’s a photo from a happier day. ��Mmmm. Egg. Good to play with as well as eat. A new adventure in Berlin. One day we booked to go on a day trip on a boat on the Mugglesee. This is a lake in the eastern suburbs of Berlin. It has an area of 2.9 square miles. So we boarded the boat at lunchtime and then we were off for about 3 and a half hours cruising up the lake. It was hot and sunny and the commentary was in German only so we had to rely on other kind bilingual passengers who occasionally translated for us. Apart from the opportunity to sit up in the broiling sun on the top deck, there was the other opportunity of eating and drinking for the entire trip. We sailed along large expanses of lake, as well as some canals. We saw lots of water birds, kayakers, canoeists and at least one other tourist boat. ����We had to sail along the river to get to the lake and then we got off at a different wharf to catch a bus back home. We got off at Kopenick which has a tower of interest, but we found a welcome cafe for tea and a snack. The trip home was long and arduous, probably because I was tired and sunburnt but the boat trip was worth it! Tomorrow then. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-24_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-74 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-24 Title A name given to the resource Day 74 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/866a34e1881ff832afdc8f20d0d24f90.pdf 17152ff82529768e15ed904d7d6c1bfe PDF Text Text Day 75 by windoworks Every day I do research. I read all kinds of articles and stories and I watch many different programs, video clips etc on tv and online. It’s as if I have to know and this morning I found this quote online: I feel better when I’m informed. That’s my ironic happy place, just knowing what’s going on. It’s stressful, terrifying, horrifying and heartbreaking, but I just need to know. And that describes me perfectly during this pandemic: I feel better when I’m informed. So in a long expected event, the pandemic has begun moving from the big urban hotspots and like patchwork, is appearing in rural areas across America. To epidemiologists and physicians, this checkerboard spread was all very predictable. It was never a question of whether the virus would hit rural America, but when. Many of these communities are isolated and hard to reach. They were largely spared from the disease shutting down their states — until, suddenly, they weren’t. Rural counties now have some of the highest rates of covid-19 cases and deaths in the country, topping even the hardest-hit New York City boroughs and signaling a new phase of the pandemic — one of halting, scattered outbreaks that could devastate still more of America’s most vulnerable towns as states lift stay-at-home orders. Here in Kent County, the numbers continue to slowly rise. In April we had a small number of cases (its hard to read the Kent County graph exactly) probably about 20 or so and the count of confirmed cases yesterday was 3.359. The large majority of these are here in Grand Rapids. Dr London says we are doing a lot more testing and we have the capability to do a lot more. In some places in the world, you just have to be 18 years or older and you can walk in for a test anytime. Not here. Here you still have to be okayed by a doctor or a hospital. If we have almost 3 and a half thousand confirmed cases with limited testing - how many do we really have? As I write this it is Memorial Day Weekend Monday. Usually there are parades, concerts, picnics, camping out - the list is endless. This year most of our block has stayed home (its hard to tell if people don’t come outside). We have had careful backyard gatherings, spaced sidewalk parties, and another paddling pool has appeared in a front yard complete with parent lifeguards. It’s not the usual Memorial Day Weekend, but its the best we can do. Yesterday afternoon, after two intensive days, Craig finished painting the main bathroom. When looking at the photos, bear in mind that the previous owners of the house had painted the upper walls a deep charcoal grey. After 17+ years, I felt it was time for a change and Craig obliged me. ���I really like it - and look, the curtain is back on the window! It was an exhausting job and yesterday the temperature reached 83F (26-27C) so Craig needs a week off before repainting the kitchen. To continue the risk factor for summer gatherings, today we read about church services and beaches and pools. 3. Attending a religious service indoors: High risk Worship services involve people from different households coming together indoors, for an extended time. "All of the ingredients are there for the potential for a lot of people becoming infected in the short amount of time," says Kimberly Powers, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She points to outbreaks linked to churches: In one, 35 out of 92 people who attended a service at a rural Arkansas church developed COVID-19. Singing — whether from the pews or the choir — is high risk, several experts noted, citing a study of a choir practice in Washington state where over half of attendees became infected. What alters risk: If people are appropriately socially distanced, wear masks and avoid singing, it may reduce the risk, Karan says. Also avoid any shared worship items like hymnals, Janowski adds.Risk goes down if places of worship adapt, Guzman-Cottrill says. "My parish began having in-person services last week," she says. The church had advance sign-ups to limit attendance to 25 people. Attendees were required to be healthy, wear face coverings and sit at least six feet apart. 4 . Spending the day at a popular beach or pool: Low risk As long as you can stay socially distanced, this could be a pretty safe activity, our experts say. The water itself is not a risk. "The sheer volume of water will dilute out the virus, making the water a highly unlikely source of infection," says Janowski. What alters risk? The key question is how close are you to others? "Can you ensure that you can stay six feet [or more] from anyone outside of your designated family?" asks Rebecca Katz, director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University Medical Center. Watch out for crowds at entry points and bathrooms. Maintain social distance both on land and in the water.Landon says her biggest worry about pools and beaches is kids. At pools, "they make friends with everyone," she says. "If you want to be able to see grandma for Sunday lunch, because that's what's really important to your family, then you don't want your kids running around with other people's kids." She says a beach is better than a pool in terms of space. Go early in the morning or late afternoon when crowds are lower, and look for beaches that mark off spots for people to set up their areas. Tomorrow: weddings and public restrooms. And here’s an unusual way of showing appreciation: Here in Colorado, at 8 p.m., everybody opens their doors and windows or steps into their backyard, and kids and adults, they howl like wolves. That’s our way of recognizing all the health-care workers. �After a very sleepless night for Zoe, with Oliver waking and getting very upset at regular intervals (he has little sores or blisters in his mouth), yesterday was a slow sleepy day with naps cuddled next to mummy and also a little musical entertainment. West Side Story was the day’s choice. Here’s hoping to a slow recovery. ���Because music always makes us feel better. So after a month, Berlin drew to a close. I loved Berlin and I didn’t really expect to. Why? I can hear you asking. I’m not sure but I did fall in love with it. Neither of us speak German and our landlord didn’t speak English but his partner did. It was only towards the end of our stay that we found out that he ran the business and she was a forensic pathologist! We never did have a chance to ask her about her job. When the taxi arrived to take us to the airport for our flight to London, they came outside to say farewell and gave us both little gifts. We were astonished, it was so sweet. I would go back and stay again tomorrow (but not right now). Grocery shopping was an interesting experience and the women behind the checkout counters recognized us and always kindly helped us. Eating out was exciting - you were never quite sure what you were going to get. The Hauptbahnhof had a wonderful sushi train restaurant that we loved. (Sushi train restaurants are big in Australia). The food comes by on different colored plates - cheap to expensive. You take the plate off the train as it passes and at the end of the meal the waiter adds up the plates and thats what you pay. We did an enormous amount of walking. I think I lost a few pounds and I did feel fitter. The only downside was that all tv was in German except fo the BBC news which got tiresome quickly (they repeat the same stories over and over). We figured out how to link Craig’s laptop to the tv and we just watched movies on Netflix. ��Napoleon’s Hat in the History Museum. His hat! Extensive wolf sculpture which suddenly appeared outside the Hauptbahnhof one day and then just as suddenly disappeared about a week later. I didn’t show you photos from the Reichstag as I already did in an earlier post. �And this is it. Our last night in Berlin, waiting at our table at a restaurant near our apartment. It was hot and we chose to sit outside with the traffic whizzing by. It was sad and exciting. London was our next stop. Stay safe and healthy - it isn’t over yet. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-25_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-75 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-25 Title A name given to the resource Day 75 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/91b359fd1f8bfddd741906c3d2f8a10d.pdf b0fed4264572c3ad4712fc7f8159baf1 PDF Text Text Day 77. by windoworks Today marks 11 weeks since we began staying in our bubble. The Craig, me and Murphy bubble. So what have I learned? In the first few weeks I had a lot of difficulty sleeping. I would wake up at about 3am and lie there worrying. Then I stopped waking up and began dreaming disturbing dreams instead. That still happens occasionally. I tried grocery shopping, first wearing gloves and then with no gloves but wearing a mask. I only ever shopped in person about 5 times before my anxiety level became so extreme I couldn’t go into any store. I have a friend who has to brave a shop excursion every so often and I see from his FaceBook posts that not everyone is wearing a mask, and it is upsetting. Yesterday, on our daily drive to calm me down (Craig says: we’ll just keep driving until your anxiety levels come down, and usually they do), we stopped at a little pop up farm stall where Craig got out to see if they had tomatoes. Big tomatoes are hard to come by through Instacart, cherry tomatoes are all they offer mostly. As he stood there 6 feet back and masked, waiting his turn, the woman in front of him, no mask, breathing over the produce, leant across the booth to write with her finger on the assistant’s cellphone. The assistant (a high school graduate), then used her finger to close the transaction. And there we are. No understanding by either person of how the virus is transmitted. The assistant’s very next action was to pull her mask down, touching her face. Yes, he did buy the tomatoes, with cash and waiving the change, and we did wash them carefully once we got home. We wash or spray and wipe all the groceries that are delivered, all online deliveries and the mail each day. I have no real idea how long the virus survives on such items or even how much there is on an object. We work on the ‘better safe than sorry’ principle. It helps me sleep at night. Stats: Michigan: 54,365 cases and 5,223 deaths. Kent County: 3,420 cases and 72 deaths. We are still increasing here in Kent County. Craig is receiving daily emails from Grand Valley, endlessly discussing what classes will or will not look like, online or face-to-face but reduced in time and students, or maybe a mix of both (hybrid teaching). I believe that through all this planning, they, like everyone else, have no idea of what will happen next. And here’s an interesting development: A new USA Today/Ipsos poll shows that “1 in 5 teachers say they are unlikely to go back to school if their classrooms reopen in the fall, a potential massive wave of resignations.” The majority of teachers are women. They have not lost their love of teaching; they are understandably afraid. And they are not alone. �“A separate poll of parents with at least one child in grades K-12 finds that 6 in 10 say they would be likely to pursue at-home learning options instead of sending back their children this fall.” So what does this mean for universities and community colleges? I wonder. And here’s a really interesting development under the ‘what now?’ category: Most surprising was evidence that the lungs of people attacked by the SARS-CoV-2 virus grew new blood vessels. “The lungs from patients with covid-19 had significant new vessel growth,” the researchers wrote, a discovery they described as “unexpected.” Speculation states that may have been an attempt by the lungs to pass more oxygen to hypoxic tissue and that may be one of the things that gets people better. By the way, this discovery was made by autopsy, in case you wondered. Here are 5 things to keep from this lockdown experience: 1. Keep zooming, walking and biking, especially the exercise and fresh air part. 2. Keep making grocery lists. This encourages us to use food thoughtfully and not waste it as we might have done before. Craig and I have become really adept as using up leftovers. 3. Make meat the exception, not the rule. This is a hard one, but all forecasts point to meat scarcities in a couple of months due to the devastating numbers of meat packers who have tested positive right across the country - The number of Tyson Foods employees with covid-19 has exploded from less than 1,600 a month ago to more than 7,000 today, according to a Washington Post analysis. Meat companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on protective gear, paid leave and ventilation systems. Despite the safety precautions, the industry has still seen a significant surge in cases, showing how difficult it is to get back to normal, even in essential fields such as food processing. 4. Keep avoiding needless spending. Not so much impulse buying especially online. The hardest thing about online shopping is finding exactly what you’re looking for. So far I haven’t made many mistakes. 5. Trust science. Hugely, hugely important. Did I go to college for all those years, do the research and continue to keep up on new developments in my field? No, I didn’t. Instead I trust scientists who did - just like I trust pilots to fly a jumbo jet safely, or a dentist to fix my teeth, or a plumber or an electrician - you get the picture. So yesterday we drove out to Grand Valley, through the campus and into the Grand Ravine County Park behind GVSU. Craig often walks there at lunchtime on school days, but it was the first time I’d been there. �It was a gorgeous but hot day so I stayed in the car in the a/c but Craig got out and took some photos of the Grand River. The river is very high and there is significant flooding along the length of the river which begins on the East side of Michigan and flows right across and empties into Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. It is the longest river in Michigan. Look at the trees on the far bank, submerged to the foliage. Today’s risk factors: Letting a friend use your bathroom: Low risk Landon doesn't think it's a big risk: "What happens in the bathroom is going to be sucked out of the bathroom ventilation and you can clean all the hard surfaces really easily." Miller agrees: "You can run the fan, leave the door open after (so air flows), and clean the bathroom later. And if you use the bathroom after they do, just wash your hands." What alters risk? It's possible that your friend is infected but asymptomatic, says Janowski. "It would be reasonable to decontaminate the bathroom after a friend uses it, including cleaning the high touch surfaces of the door, toilet, and sink." �Going to a vacation house with another family: Low risk Experts said that if both families have been quarantining and limiting their exposure to others, this is pretty safe. "If one family is very active or parents have higher exposure jobs, then the risk increases," Miller says. Landon thinks this arrangement could be a good idea, especially if the house is "in the woods where you're not going to have a lot of contact with other people," she says. What alters risk? Landon suggests talking with the other family beforehand, to make sure you share the same expectations for the precautions everyone will take in the two weeks before arrival and while you're there. Ensure that no one has signs of illness — if they do, they need to stay home. Miller recommends cleaning the major surfaces in the house on arrival. "And the more that people can reduce exposure in the days leading up to the trip, the better," he adds. Tomorrow we’ll look at staying at a hotel and getting a haircut. I just put this in because its a beautiful photo of Auckland New Zealand at sunset looking across the bays to downtown. Thanks Zar. ��Oliver, in the kitchen with his favorite kitchen toy - a whisk. Apparently you comb your hair with it. Today’s flashback: Hampton Court. �����The top photo: the entrance to Hampton Court. It was built in 1515 for Cardinal Wolsey, who was a favorite of Henry VIII. In 1529, when the Cardinal began to fall from favor, he gave his palace to Henry, hoping to get back in Henry’s good graces - sadly, it didn’t work. Henry loved Hampton Court and extended it to house all his retinue. Hampton Court and St James’ Palace are the only two surviving palaces that Henry owned. Since we last visited, I think the palace had been further restored and we had a lovely day there. The portrait in the second photo is of Henry himself. It’s large and it is hung, halfway up a staircase and he gazes imperiously down at you as you walk up. In the third photo, we came into the Great Hall just as a play was happening in which Thomas Culpepper was being arrested for having an affair with Queen Catherine Howard, Henry’s fifth wife. At that time Henry was 49 years old, obese, glutinous and self indulgent. Catherine was 17 years old. She lasted 1 year or so before falling from grace, being stripped of her title and subsequently beheaded. It is said that her ghost runs screaming down the corridor towards Henry’s chambers some nights at Hampton Court, begging for forgiveness. As I’ve never been there at night, I can’t say if that’s true. �The fourth photo is of the palace kitchen. How many years has the smoke caked on the wall above the main fireplace? The last photo is of the huge walled kitchen garden, still producing fruit and vegetables for the cafe inside the palace. I had a long talk to a gardener and with the excellent lunch we ate in the cafe, that all made for a wonderful day - and the weather was perfect. So remember, act as though you have COVID-19, but keep on smiling. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-27_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-77 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-27 Title A name given to the resource Day 77 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4795162ead284d952e077271685c6301.pdf e7668af725745c881cee15f801c58632 PDF Text Text Day 78. by windoworks It’s a ‘give me a minute’ morning................ okay. Where are we now? In Kent County the average of new cases is holding steady at about 30 a day for the last 3 days, but our deaths are still climbing. This is a result of the cases diagnosed 2-3 weeks ago. I always find that the hardest thing to understand. We won’t know what our actions will result in, for 2-3 weeks. On the national scale, people are beginning to ask “when will it be over?” According to historians, pandemics typically have two types of endings: the medical, which occurs when the incidence and death rates plummet, and the social, when the epidemic of fear about the disease wanes. So when they ask that question they really mean, the social end. More and more, scientists feel that the virus will persist in much the same way that other viruses such as the seasonal flu persists. There’s much discussion of herd immunity which I don’t really understand, there’s even more discussion of a viable vaccine. And this is perhaps the disheartening part: even if the vaccine was perfected and made available tomorrow, could we all afford it? Would there be enough pieces of equipment necessary to vaccinate? (rubber bits etc). How many anti-vaxxers wouldn’t have it? Would there be enough doses for everyone? Even more disturbing, not only were we poorly placed and unprepared for this pandemic, researchers and scientists are saying we should begin preparing for the next pandemic. The next one? But here’s something I hadn’t thought about: as people start returning to work after weeks of sheltering at home, local officials are starting to worry about a return to clogged traffic. Some of that traffic may be from motorists who previously took public transit, but are too apprehensive to do so now. Eve Strother, a lawyer in Boston, says she won't be getting on the T anytime soon because she’s worried about being close to people who refuse to wear masks or follow social distancing guidelines. I really understand that and if GVSU resumes face-to-face classes in the fall, Craig will be driving out to class and back. The Enrichment Committee for the Women’s City Club have begun the big task of switching the next 4 weeks Thursday programs to virtual ones. As a committee we had weekly programs in place for the rest of 2020 and the first 3 months of 2021 - I’m a great believer in planning ahead. From working a year out, we can now only plan a month in advance. We have had discussions of possible parking lot coffee meetings with each car at least 6 feet apart but although we are eager to meet up again, we are uncomfortable at the thought of possible risks. This week on my block we discussed a possible backyard meeting of the book club, but again, that word ‘uncomfortable’ was voiced by some members, including me. I think it is the perfect word. It’s not �aggressive or rude, but it explains your feelings perfectly. I don’t know how long we might all feel uncomfortable. In Australia and New Zealand, life is opening up again, if carefully. In the next few days PM Ardern in NZ may allow gatherings of 100 people as there is no one in hospital with the virus! Unimaginable. In Sydney Australia, 2 high schools were suddenly closed again after 1 student tested positive in each school. In both countries they have a cellphone app which you turn on when enter a premises. This app notifies you if you’ve been in contact with someone who’s positive. In Italy they are opening up museums, but with limited numbers and you have to wear a necklace which vibrates if you are standing too close to someone else. What a clever idea! It’s the same principle as the alarm that sounds when you get too close to the artwork. And remember, this is Italy where they literally locked everyone in their home for weeks, and everyone complied. And to cheer themselves up they leant out their windows and doors and sang to each other. Antidepressants or Tolkien? Look this quiz up online. It’s fun and surprisingly hard and I read all the Tolkien books, and a lot of antidepressant names closely resemble elven names in particular. Risk assessments of today: Staying at a hotel: Low to medium risk The consensus is that staying at a hotel is relatively low risk, especially once you're in your room. It's best to limit your time in the common areas such as the lobby, gym, restaurant and the elevator, where the risk of exposure is higher. What alters risk? Bring disinfecting wipes to wipe down the TV remote and other common surfaces. You might also want to remove the bedspread since it may not be cleaned after every guest. Ask about the hotel's cleaning policies, as many have new COVID-19 protocols. Beware of the elevators. Use the knuckle of your little or ring finger to press the buttons. Other suggestions: Order room service rather than eating at the restaurant, avoid the exercise room, and wear a face covering in public spaces. Getting a haircut: Medium to high risk A haircut involves close contact and breathing, that is extended for several minutes. This is the primary mode of transmission. And cloth masks certainly are not perfect for this. This is one of the highest-risk scenarios on this list, because there's no way to keep six feet from someone cutting your hair. All it takes is one asymptomatic but infected worker and suddenly many customers are at high risk of infection. (To remind you, this happened this week in Springfield, Missouri and 140 people were at risk and had to be tested). What alters risk? The risk is not terribly high if both you and your haircutter wear masks, and COVID-19 is not very prevalent in your area. Look for a salon or barbershop that has (and enforces) policies to protect its employees, like wearing protective gear and sanitizing hands, because by protecting their �employees, they're protecting you. And make sure that your barber or stylist is all business as stopping to chat at close distance is something we all love doing with our barbers normally but this is not the time for it. Tomorrow we’ll look at going shopping at a mall and going dancing at a bar or nightclub. Just so you know, today’s risk assessments were numbers 9 & 10. There are 14 altogether, so we have only 4 left to learn about. An Oliver photo. He hasn’t been a happy little boy lately and although he is grumpy, he still tries to be cheerful. Two days ago he grumbled when Zoe turned her phone around so he was looking at the back of the phone instead of us. He tried to look behind the phone and protested until she turned it back again and then he gave us a big, beautific smile. ��Favorite purple blocks. Maybe its the shape? ��Sitting on the front porch and eating dinner. Still in London. Today these are photos of different days during the week. ��Inside the Imperial War Museum which was Bedlam Hospital at one time. Bethlehem Hospital opened in 1330 and was a psychiatric asylum, It relocated 3 times since then and this building was one of those moves. It’s nickname was Bedlam (a shortening of the name) and that word is now part of the English language meaning: uproar and confusion, referring to the noise inside such an establishment. This is an impressive museum which aims to study the history of modern warfare and wartime experience. Two experiences the visitor can have are the Blitz experience and the WWI trench experience, both excellent. I have to say the cafe inside had exceptional food with many gluten free choices. The London Eye Ferris wheel. We didn’t go on it this time but we had on a previous visit. It moves extremely slowly and gives you a fantastic view of London especially if its a sunny day. �An old horse trough left over from horse and carriage days, now used as a raised garden bed. ��This just caught my eye. I can’t even remember where it was in London. The Thames River with a kayaker. ��About to cross the Millennium Pedestrian Bridge. St Pauls Cathedral is behind us and ahead on the South Bank you can see the facade of the Tate Modern Gallery. We were on our way to dinner before attending a performance of A Midsummer Nights Dream at the Globe Theatre. I’ve written about this performance before. It was a highlight of the London visit for me. This is inside the Globe, waiting for the play to begin. Although the theatre is an exact replica, the atmosphere ims remarkably modern. In Shakespeare’s day there would have been more interest in the food for sale, assignations and business deals than the play - which is why he always had a song and dance number at the end, so that disgruntled patrons didn’t stone the actors or burn down the wooden playhouse. “If we shadows have offended, think on this and all is mended. That you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear” So, no offense - its just a story. On another memorable night we had dinner at an Ottolenghi restaurant just off Regent Street. This had been on my wishlist and we ate, sitting at a communal table and the food was the chefs choice. It was absolutely delicious and fun, right up to moment standing outside on Regent Street when Craig said: my lips and throat are a little numb. After a small panic attack on my part, we went back to the hotel using �the Underground and by the time we reached our room, the numbness had subsided. No more trout (or salmon) for Craig! The 3 W’s: Wear a mask, Wait 6 feet apart and Wash your hands. It’s not even somewhat over. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-28_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-78 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-28 Title A name given to the resource Day 78 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7cc1418568e266b511cab786d4f1aa1b.pdf bd534e178248e2524f77a70a8f50ef0c PDF Text Text Day 79 by windoworks Well I thought it would be exciting to get to Day 70 and now here we are, barreling down the hill towards Day 100. Unbelievable. I was talking to my counselor yesterday during my now weekly session and at the end we were trying to organize the next session. She has changed her schedule recently so her husband can have some dedicated work-from-home time too. She then offered me a weekly spot for June and I jumped at it before someone else took it. This is a sign of how deeply distressed we all are and how hard it is to cope. She is working a full load! As my neighbor said yesterday: its gotten old now. I thought about the riots that are happening in big cities but especially Minneapolis, but you can read more than enough online. For me, its an example of: every action has a reaction - and many actions have consequences. What I find hard to understand is how something is recorded and the resulting consequence does not fit the action - it falls very short. I do understand that there is one rule for people like me: white, older, privileged, educated. I don’t have the same born to it privilege of a white male (but thats a soapbox for another day). There is another rule for seemly everyone else, depending on the color of your skin. Two things that stay in my mind: every female alive now and every female born any time in the future share the Mitochondrial Eve gene - the matrilineal ancestor. I am related to all these other females through this gene. And I will always be related. The other thing is something a Futurist (look it up) said in a lecture I attended: If we all stand outside at night and join hands with our neighbors, across the world, and gaze up at the stars - how can hate exist? From my trove of notes, ideas, reports etc. Filmmaker Taika Waititi is ambling his way through Roald Dahl's classic novel, James And The Giant Peach, chapter by chapter on YouTube to raise money for COVID-19 relief. This week, he's getting help from Meryl Streep and Benedict Cumberbatch who play the parts of James' miserable, mean aunts. Cate Blanchett and Eddie Redmayne play the magical insects who help James out. each week there are different actors helping. I have only watched Episode One so far but I highly recommend it for everyone, not just children. And on an eewwww note: Rats are growing increasingly aggressive in their hunt for food as restaurants across the US remain shuttered to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned. With many restaurants now only open for takeout services, the bins that used to be filled with �scraps and refuse the rodents once feasted on are much emptier - and they are getting desperate. I think I read that they have begun eating each other to survive. Today’s risk assessments: Going shopping at a mall: Risk varies How risky this is depends on what kind of mall it is, how crowded it is, and how much time you spend there. Crowds with high density lead to substantial increase in risk. The major mitigating factor is that people don't mingle in a single place for long. What alters risk? Outdoor malls are preferable to indoor ones. And empty malls are better than crowded ones. Avoid the food court and go with purpose, not leisure. As much as you may like retail therapy, you should browse online before you go. Know what you're going to pick up or try on. Wear your mask. Go in, look at it. Make your decision and get out. Be alert while you're there to avoid close contact. Maintain your space and try to go at off peak hours.Bring hand sanitizer, and use it frequently, especially if you touch any shared surfaces like handrails or elevator buttons. Going dancing at a bar or nightclub: High risk There is consensus among the experts that going to a club is a very high-risk activity. Crowds, ultra-close contact, singing, sweating, and inhibition-loosening alcohol are a potent cocktail of risk factors. When drinking, people become less compliant with rules, and they may breathe heavier from the dancing — which means more virus is being shed. If there's an infected person in the mix, the virus can spread easily. This is a very high risk situation for an outbreak. Don't go to bars or clubs right now. What alters risk? Nothing makes this a good idea right now. If you want to dance, have a dance party at home with the people in your intimate circle. If it's a small outdoor gathering, dancing under the stars — six feet apart — would be much less risky, too. Tomorrow the last 2 risk assessments: going camping and exercising outdoors. ��I love this photo of Oliver. Here he is, enchanted by the noise and action of the washer - he thinks its better than TV! In Oliver news: the Hand, Foot and Mouth virus seems to be on the wane and he’s eating again. Today’s flashback: after our wonderful week in London, we picked up our leased car and drove north east to the town of Brandon where we had rented a cottage for 5 weeks, beginning in September. What we had rented turned out to be a tiny 2 story flint cottage on a main road out of the town. We were 2 doors up from one of the local pubs and one block over from the horse farms. When I say tiny, I mean tiny. The galley kitchen, living room and bathroom were downstairs and up the narrow twisty stairs was 2 bedrooms, one single and one double. If I left the bedroom curtains open in the early morning, the people upstairs in the double decker buses could see me sitting up in bed. If we left the front door open, people walking past would say hello to us as we were sitting on the couch. I am cured of tiny house living forever. Our flint cottage. Looks quite big, doesn’t it? �Here’s our car parked in front. Now, the cottage looks smaller. It’s built from flint, and Brandon was established as a flint knapper center. The whole area of Suffolk (the county) was a flint industry area for thousands of years from the Neolithic Era. Flint is mined underground and then knapped to produce stone tools etc., and the flat faced stones for building as above. �This is the town sign and you can see flint knappers at work. ��Craig took this photo of the stairs after I fell down them, bruising my back. You can see what I mean by twisty and narrow. And this is the Little Ouse River at the bottom of the Main Street. Many people asked us why Brandon? And we replied, because it seemed central to many other places we wanted to visit. Tomorrow I’ll show you our first week’s adventures, Stay safe, stay healthy, stay brave. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-29_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-79 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Day 79 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/79c348f599bce180f4580ab18c95aae5.pdf 2a0ad5a6f2842f5f6e94155b6029ffd9 PDF Text Text Day 793. Oh right, its Day 20 by windoworks ‘And yet, she persisted’. You know those days when you just want to lie in bed with the covers over your head and moan? If you’re having one of those days, I hear you. It was immensely comforting to me when CB recently told me that just occasionally he feels like that too. You know that moment when you suddenly don’t feel quite so alone and its not just all in your head? So on to today’s post. And speaking of which, as CB left this morning he said to the dog ‘Come on, she’s getting ready to work’. I don’t think of this as work really, although I do try to edit it carefully before publishing. It satisfies a need in me to write and its wonderful that so many of you who read it every day. So yesterday, with more rain threatening and a very strong and surprisingly cold wind blowing, CB, Murphy Brown and I went out for a drive. Along Leonard we found the other end of the trail we have walked on before. I think it probably has a name but it crosses the outer area of Grand Rapids in a north/south direction. When I got out of the car to begin walking I realized that I mightn’t have quite enough warm layers on, so I tried to walk faster. The trail has houses set back on one side and woods area in front of houses on the other side. There was almost no traffic noise so we could hear the birds singing loudly. ��Murphy Brown loves walking in new areas because there are so many new smells for her. Just occasionally we meet someone else walking and then it is an exercise to strength to stop her rushing over to greet them. I have explained to her about the coronavirus and how even she has to maintain a 6 foot space, but she really doesn’t understand. So we’re walking along and all of a sudden we hear a noise behind us. A little way back, skipping happily towards us, singing, is a solitary child, all wrapped up in blue and white layers with a hat with ears of some sort on it. Talk about a quandary. He/she was skipping in and out of the woods on the side of the path, disappearing out of sight and then reappearing. My concern was the huge pools of standing water in among the trees. Well, we couldn’t get close to her/I’m and we couldn’t see any sign of an adult. At last, the child disappeared and I can only hope they found their way home to one of the houses beyond the woods. After this we drove out the back way through the countryside to drive through Grand Valley University’s main campus at Allendale. So eerie. ���And then we drove home again and FaceTimed my brother AS and his wife LS, who live In Campbell River on Vancouver Island, BC. All Canada is locked down and the government is paying everyone a large percentage of their wage or salary. Grocery stores are open but all National. Parks are closed. It was great to see them and to talk to them. All these online tools are such a great boon in these difficult times. Our governor, that ‘young woman in Michigan’ (of whom, incidentally we Michiganders are so enormously proud and who we stand firmly with) Gretchen Whitmer is addressing the state at 10:15am today. She may be going to introduce further restrictions or increased social distancing time. Yesterday Michigans confirmed cases jumped to almost 5500 and we had 136 deaths. Kent County had 71 confirmed cases (a jump of 18 in one day) but still just 1 death. However Dr London tells us it will increase and perhaps we will hear of a friend or family member who is ill and in need of care. Such sobering thoughts. As someone wrote on Instagram yesterday and ZB reposted: Thirty days hath September April, June and November �All the rest have thirty-one Except March which has 8000 Today’s flashback ��This is the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. It connects the Forth and Clyde canals with the Union Canal. It is a rotating boat lift which goes up the right hand side of the grey metal structure and deposits the pink canal boat in the canal above. It scared the willies out of me as we went up. We then sailed along the canal, through a tunnel and then turned around, came back and came down to the dock below. This wheel is the only one of its kind in the world and although canal boats can use it, its mainly a tourist attraction now. Again, I’m glad I did it and I don’t have to do it again. Tomorrow then and in the meantime, keep your chin up. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-03-30_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-19-Day-793 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-30 Title A name given to the resource Day 793. Oh right, its Day 20 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bf63fd3449817bb3da55d10a44c06da9.pdf 4a7eeefaa7428351cc4f91d7252c5c5c PDF Text Text Day 8 by windoworks Good morning! Yes its me again. You know the funny thing is, I used to have trouble remembering what day of the week it was and know I always know! Huh! In the daily roundup: here in Michigan we jumped in 2 days from 65 confirmed cases to 110. Will we have 220 in 2 days time? I don’t know. And thats the thing, they can predict and extrapolate but no one really knows for sure. There are shortages of test kits and medical supplies and people are just doing the best they can with what they have. I have cancelled all my hair appointments so now I guess we’ll see just how grey I really am. My next learning curve will be to get the shellac nail polish off my fingernails. I might have to order all the nail tools online. I’m starting to feel like a pioneer woman. The family and CB and I are starting to FaceTime regularly and I have had calls and messages from friends I haven’t seen or heard from for years. FaceBook continues to delight and the wonderful reaching out to all is such an affirmation of the human spirit. I saw that there are 3 stages in this pandemic: shock, panic and then acceptance. I feel like CB and I have just reached acceptance. How about you? And here’s something new - for the past 2 years we haven’t been home for much of the summer and so have just done maintenance on our garden. It’s looking more and more like we’ll be here well into summer, so we are thinking of ordering seeds online and revamping the back garden with wildflowers and vegetables. I’m sort of excited! What project are you finally finding the time for? Finally, by special request from ZB, here is today’s flashback photo: �Here are ZB and I standing on the battlements of the Chateau de Foix above the town of Foix in the region of the Ariege, France. This area was known as the center of the Cathars, quite a strange religion with much fire and brimstone and avenging angels. This chateau or castle gave the ruling family control over the upper Ariege valley and easy surveillance of the lower valley. It had a long and chequered history which you can look up for yourself online. We did go inside the castle and we saw the really (for the times) big bed of the last king of the Navarre, Henri, who annexed his Pyrenean lands to France and thus became Henri IV of France. It was an amazingly cold and inhospitable place but the town of Foix was one of my favorite places to visit, shop and eat lunch. They had several restaurants and cafes which offered the Plat du Jour - 2 courses and wine for a very reasonable price, and there was never any hurry to finish your lunch. Most businesses in the French countryside close for 2-3 hours at lunchtime to allow for a leisurely lunch, either at home or out with friends. I thought it was a wonderful way of life and CB and I enjoyed it for all of November and December 2016. Most of our children came for Christmas with us and I cooked a goose - but thats another story. Stay well and safe. Tomorrow then. �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-03-19_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-08 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-19 Title A name given to the resource Day 8 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7e713b8a393477cfbcb5871feec84ead.pdf 3cfa0d04dcf95d3f6f707abc3e785b9d PDF Text Text Day 80. by windoworks I can’t even. In the midst of this life altering global pandemic, when entire continents have been brought to their knees, when compassion for your fellow man and deep understanding of the distress and fear we are all experiencing - right across the world, RIGHT ACROSS THE WORLD (yes, I know I’m shouting), this, this was the moment to carry on as normal and smirk into the camera and be filmed while kneeling on another human being’s neck. And it would be something if this was the first time an atrocious act like this had happened and we were all shocked and protested loudly and it never happened again because we all knew better, but no, its normal. It’s not even the new normal, its the same old, same old normal. It’s this strong belief that somehow, the color of my skin matters. You're really smart, for a black person" - I was told once. "Don't worry, she's probably so curious because she's never seen a black boy before" - I was told by a neighbor when I was around 9 years old, about her granddaughter, who was an infant. "If you weren't a black boy, I'd kick the shit out of you" - I was told once when I was 10 or 11 and hadn't delivered the newspaper to my customer's satisfaction. "You speak really well for being, you know, black" - I've been told more than once. "Do your parents know, that he's… (black)" - past girlfriends have been asked. "You're the whitest black person I know" - I've been told as if being adorned with a medal of achievement. "You're not really black, you're really a white man trapped in a black man's body" - I've been told, almost as a term of endearment. "Hey James, can you teach me ebonics?" - I've been asked by co-workers who are now pastors. "Nigger" - I've been called this more than once. These are the words said to the kind, gentle man who lives 2 doors down from me, who adores his wife and daughter (who thinks the little path through the curb garden Craig built, was put there just for her and she walks through it every day) and who is excited for his new daughter, coming in the fall. When I �read this post on FaceBook this morning, it broke my heart. I thought about giving you all the quick lesson in how skin color developed (you can’t help but learn these things when you live with a Big Historian) but I’m not writing my blog to educate. I’m writing this blog to record history as it is happening and is seen through my eyes. We need to do better. From Eric Payne, Grand Rapids Chief of Police: “I want everyone to know I share your concerns, I feel your frustrations and I hear you. Our department’s thoughts and prayers are with the people of Minneapolis and everyone in our community and across the country who are impacted by the events there. We share your anger over the death of Mr. Floyd and we offer our sincere condolences to his family. Our hearts are with community members who are hurting, angry and afraid. We stand with our fellow officers around the country who serve with honor and integrity in asking that our communities do not allow this tragedy to define our profession. While I typically do not comment on an incident in another jurisdiction, I believe this situation needs to be addressed by law enforcement leaders across the country. We must hold all of our employees to the highest of personal and professional standards”. Today I have moved the Oliver photo up. ��Look, you can even see his 2 bottom teeth! The last 2 risk assessments: Going camping: Low risk As far as summer activities go, this is least risky from a virus perspective. You're outdoors and isolated. But, if you're going with a group, be sure you can trust your fellow campers. Have they been socialdistancing and following the guidelines? If not, they could be asymptomatic spreaders of the virus. What alters risk? Of course, risks can creep in, depending on the particulars. Are you camping in an isolated outdoor location with your family? This is the lower risk scenario. It's more dangerous if you're at a crowded campground with a shared restroom and communal picnic areas. Sleeping in tents together with others [not in your household] can certainly be a setup for transmission. Bottom line: The activity itself is low-risk, but the people that you'll be in close contact with during the trip could increase the hazard. Exercising outdoors: Low risk Unless you're playing group sports, exercising outdoors is a good way to burn off steam while staying socially distant. Our experts agree that sports such as golf and tennis are safer than contact sports such as basketball and football. Its probably better to avoid contact sports until we have a better sense of transmission risk. And running? If you're not on a crowded path where people are brushing past each other, that's a great form of exercise right now. What alters risk? The more people involved in the activity, the higher the risk. It's possible to spread the virus when you're in close proximity to others — even if you're asymptomatic — so it's best to wear a mask if you can't stay socially-distanced. The risk depends on the sport. A game like basketball is tricky. You're touching the ball and you're going to be breathing in each other's faces, so perhaps playing only with people in your household is better. Tennis carries a much lower risk because you're far apart on either side. That's definite social distancing. Herd Immunity: this is a term I found confusing but this is a good explanation. London, Madrid and other cities around the world have only a small fraction of the coronavirus cases needed to achieve herd immunity, according to new studies. Experts believe herd immunity — after which new infections will no longer cause large outbreaks — is reached when between 60 percent and 80 percent of the population has contracted the virus. Even New York, the city with the world’s highest known infection rate, is barely a third of the way there, according to the studies. Well that’s concerning. Plus herd immunity is when we don’t have to worry about the virus any more. �Here’s my friend, Merrilyn’s book, Bear Hunt. There is interest from the West Australian State library’s COVID-19 collection and she’s talking to her local library about putting it in the children’s reading room. How exciting! Our walk yesterday. The birdsong and frog croaks were wonderful. ���One of our first day excursions was to Sandringham House in Norfolk. We drove there just after I had fallen down the stairs so I was in a bit of pain for most of the day. Sandringham is the private home of Queen Elizabeth II and it is surrounded by gorgeous gardens and parkland. The Queen spends about 2 months each winter there and it is at a small desk in one of the drawing rooms that she broadcasts her annual Christmas message. She first opened the house and the grounds to the public during the summer months in 1977, so we were able to tour the grounds and the house. There’s also a large tearoom there where we had lunch. ���Parts of today’s post were hard to write. I put a lot in and then took a lot out. It has been 11 and a half weeks of coping, trying to stay safe and healthy and trying to remain cheerful and tamp down the daily anxiety. And now there is the added overwhelming anger and grief across this nation, my adopted home. The terrible question of: how can this keep happening? We have to be so much better. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-30_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-80 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-30 Title A name given to the resource Day 80 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cb1951200a65399880c917ffe2d3a7ae.pdf 41e7ca63179b78b1c318ab058993a99f PDF Text Text Day 81 by windoworks And I thought yesterday was the hardest day. In the late afternoon, one of our high school graduates on our block and her 3 friends, dressed in black (as instructed) drove downtown to attend the silent demonstration organized there. About 8pm they all came back and Craig and I thought no more about it. No, we didn’t smell the smoke. This morning my FaceBook feed and the local news stations are all full of this: I guess it doesn't hit home until it HITS HOME!! They totally destroyed Downtown Grand Rapids. They broke into banks, the GR Arts museum, destroyed the WOOD TV news center on Monroe Center, hotels, jewelry stores, restaurants, destroyed the courthouse and police station, Secretary of State Bulding, burned police cars and much more. I thought living downtown was a luxury until we had to keep looters from breaking our glass doors and running into our building. They broke into the resturant (Sundance) and bank (West MI. Community Bank) in our building. It's 4 am and it still not over!!! ���Apparently most of downtown has been affected in some way. There are reports that these ‘protestors’ (like every other city affected in the US) are not part of the demonstrations but others with a different agenda. It is chaos and confusion, anger and dismay. We live pretty close to downtown and I wonder what tonight will bring? In 1967, there were riots here in Grand Rapids. Again it was anger and frustration by the black community. I have friends who talk about the looting and fighting along Wealthy Street which is at the south end of our block. In 53 years, I wonder how much has really changed? I see that many FB friends are saying they will go downtown this morning and help with the cleanup. As well as the graffitied walls, there are many windows knocked out, police cars and other parked cars burnt out. Some news outlets are predicting a summer of violence. Why did I think Grand Rapids would be unaffected? I am surely not that naive. People keep screaming about their constitutional rights and yet hardly any of them have read the constitution. Craig and I have because we had to, to become citizens. And this seems a calculated attempt to override the justifiable anger of the persons of color and turn demonstrations into chaos so the real issues are not heard. That is the worst bit. And all the while, the virus is still here, still active, still killing people. Health officials are investigating the potential spread of the coronavirus in central Missouri after a person who attended some of the crowded pool parties at the Lake of the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend tested positive for the virus. The Camden County Health Department said in a statement Friday it was working with health officials in the area to inform “mass numbers of unknown people” about the person’s diagnosis. Mass numbers! Mass numbers! Listen up people! it isn’t over. All the scientists and the doctors and the researchers are all still formulating theories and ideas and offering predictions and possibilities and probabilities, but when you get right down to it, we’re still here, stuck in the We don’t really know zone. I have never heard some many eminent people say: we don’t really know, but we think,,, In an alternative universe, Craig began painting the kitchen yesterday. This was the second of my projects �There will be photos tomorrow of the finished room. And can I say, its really hard to organize lunch when the kitchen’s being repainted. Yesterday at about 3:30pm I watched the SpaceX rocket Dragon lift off into space and begin its journey to the International Space Station with 2 astronauts inside. As I write I think they’re about 2 hours from docking with the Space Station. It was nerve wracking and exhilarating watching it launch. It went straight up very fast and took 9 minutes to reach beyond Earths atmosphere. You could tell when they reached zero gravity because their feet floated up. It reminded me of the day that they landed on the moon for the first time in 1969. That was my first year teaching and my class and I listened to the broadcast over the speakers at school. I remember looking at the moon that night and like everyone else thinking: there are men up there. What astonished me about yesterday’s launch was that the booster rocket landed safely back on earth - reusable! Wow! And not to overload you but in the Wait, what now? Section: An infection of the blood vessels would explain many of the weird tendencies of the novel coronavirus, like the high rates of blood clots. Endothelial cells help regulate clot formation by sending out proteins that turn the coagulation system on or off. The cells also help ensure that blood flows smoothly and �doesn’t get caught on any rough edges on the blood vessel walls. Finally, infection of the blood vessels may be how the virus travels through the body and infects other organs — something that’s atypical of respiratory infections. Endothelial cells connect the entire circulation [system], 60,000 miles worth of blood vessels throughout our body. Is this one way that Covid-19 can impact the brain, the heart, the Covid toe? Does SARS-CoV-2 traffic itself through the endothelial cells or get into the bloodstream this way? We don’t know the answer to that. So apparently it begins as a respiratory disease but then develops into a blood infection. At least I think that’s what the article said. Here’s the daily Oliver photo to lift our spirits. ��Such lovely smiles! So, today’s flashback: about 7 miles from Brandon is the bigger town of Thetford. Just on the outskirts of Thetford itself is the remains of Thetford Priory. This was a Clunaic monastic house (creating art and caring for the poor). It was founded in 1103 and was dedicated to Our Lady (the Virgin Mary). In the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it was closed in 1540 and was one of the last to be dissolved. It is reputed to be haunted and although its a lovely place to wander around on a sunny day, I wouldn’t want to be there at night. ����In the top photo I am walking across the open area. The site was huge and now I don’t remember what every part of the ruins were. However in the second photo I am gazing up at the impressive gatehouse which gives you an idea of the wealth and influence of the priory. In the third photo Craig is reading the plaque at the other entrance to the site and in the last photo, this was the Prior’s house and also accommodation for visitors. If you had money and were traveling in England, monasteries were often safe places to stay overnight, especially if you gave them a little money to cover your stay. Although the visitors rooms (cells) were plain and the beds hard, they didn’t have bedbugs and the food was often better than inns. And travelers felt safer inside the walls with the gate securely locked. Henry VIII viewed monasteries and nunneries as places of wealth to loot for his royal coffers and didn’t consider the relationship between the towns and farms surrounding these religious houses - but that’s a history discussion for another day. Here’s hoping that wherever you are in the world, that you are safe, healthy and heroic. See you tomorrow. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-05-31_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-81 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-05-31 Title A name given to the resource Day 81 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/83c4051debd720e5ba7c53501bcaa98e.pdf 526481b215825d3f1b9202ef845a09a0 PDF Text Text Day 82. by windoworks Along with everything else, spring allergies have arrived. I sneeze an average of 12 times in a row just after breakfast and it reminds me of my father. Every morning after breakfast, he would suddenly push his chair out from the table, turn sideways, whip out his big handkerchief and sneeze violently, sometimes as many as 20 times. His eyes would water, his nose would swell and redden - and here I am, looking exactly the same. I am also learning to be an historian and Craig tells me that I should always acknowledge my sources. I have collected pieces for weeks now in a file and for some I have no idea which publication they came from. So, I will put all words that are not mine in italics going forward, and acknowledge the source if I know it. To begin with, from the International Big History Association: The story of the big bang is that no matter where you come from or who you are, the origins of everything are the same for every location and person. Whoever comes from America, Africa, China, or another galaxy all share the same ultimate origin. The story of LUCA is that the Last Universal Common Ancestor, from about 3.8 billion years ago, seems to have been the common ancestor for every currently living being on Earth. The best evidence we have now suggests that primates evolved into hominins and then into humans in Africa. It was in Africa where we became bipedal, and developed opposable thumbs and the size and complexity of our brains. It was in Africa where we developed the abilities to speak, have symbolic thought, fashion tools, and so much else. And all of us humans are descendants of these Africans. All of us currently living outside of Africa have ancestors who emigrated from there. There are other meanings of big history as well, but one is that ultimately, all of us share a number of key origins. We all come out of the same story. Whoever the they is, they come from the same place as we do. They live in the same homeland as we do. They have our same ancestors. We need to sit around the same table and tell each other our mutual family stories, the stories of where we came from, the stories of our common origins. We’ll need to tell other stories too. How other galaxies are flying off away from us and out of our view. Of descendants of LUCA who became so different from each other. Of human cultures that developed after we emigrated from Africa and for a long time lost contact with each other. Of slavery, and genocide, and lynchings, and videos of murder. But we’ll tell those stories not to increase division, but to draw on our common origins. To push back against the divisions and hostilities and tribalism, and be part of a greater �complexity than before. To use our memory of a deep common past to imagine and build a common future. Yesterday was a day of stark contrasts. I spent the morning watching the SpaceX Dragon dock with the International Space Station in real time. Imagine watching something like that as it was happening. And then I watched a video post from Governor Whitmer and Lieutenant-Governor Gilchrist acknowledging the pain and anger and promising to work together with every Michigander to begin to address and recognize the problems in our society. Next there was a press conference with Mayor Bliss, Police Chief Payne and the Fire Chief Lehman. They thanked the hundreds of Grand Rapidians who had appeared downtown as early as 5 am yesterday morning, with brooms and buckets, gloves and masks, and spent all morning hammering up particle board over EVERY shop and office window on Monroe, scrubbed graffiti off everything, and swept up piles and piles of shattered glass - among other tasks. Restaurants and cafes with boarded up windows opened up their kitchens and fed the volunteers. There are reports that the second wave of protesters on Saturday night were bussed in and paid to riot. The police have arrested a number of people from photos on FaceBook. It always amazes me how people assume they are behaving in a vacuum - there are cameras everywhere! Luckily, no one was injured. Possessions and property can always be repaired and replaced, but people can’t. At the Mayors’s press conference she announced a curfew from 7pm to 5am for Sunday and Monday nights. Anyone outside for no reason can be fined and jailed. She also called in the National Guard. There were about 4,500 people downtown on Saturday night - more than the crowd of protesters in Detroit. So after lunch, we drove downtown. Some of the streets were blocked off but as we drove along Monroe below Monroe Mall and Rosa Park Circle, I took these photos. They’re not great but you can see all the boarded up storefronts. ����Then we came home and began putting everything back in the kitchen which Craig had repainted al weekend long. It does look beautiful. ���And just as Craig was putting some things back on the walls, he looked out the window and saw Murphy was in the garden itself, drinking from the bird bath. So he raced outside, flew down the back stairs, missed the bottom step and fell and badly strained his right leg quadriceps muscles, or one of them (there’s four). So after 2 ibuprofen capsules, some icing of the leg and a cup of tea and chocolate (because pain relief, hot tea and chocolate helps everything) I decided he should have someone qualified look at it. I drove him to nearby Blodgett Hospital, where he stayed and I drove home. This week they do allow one other person to wait with the patient, but I wasn’t really comfortable going inside a hospital at this time. Less than an hour later I picked him up and brought him home. The nurse had injected him on his right hip with an anti inflammatory and we had a quiet night - just like every other night for 83 days now. This morning he will call the Orthopedic Surgeon they recommended to get it checked again. I’m 70 years old. I’ve never lived anywhere where there was a riot before, never lived in a city under a curfew or where they called in the National Guard. I remain astonished, disturbed, distressed, saddened and mostly helpless. Words and feelings of sorrow are not enough but its all I have at this time. To end, the days flashback: we visited Bury St Edmunds, a market town, with a famous cathedral, St Edmundsbury Cathedral. The town itself was built in 1080 but they have found Roman coins and evidence of Bronze Age activity. We wandered through the Main Street and then through a gate into the church gardens. ��The monastery was founded here in 633 and in 903 became the burial place of King Edmund the Martyr. The gardens were beautiful. It was late afternoon on a lovely day. More Brandon adventures tomorrow. Another difficult post to write. I take great comfort from the words from Big History posted above. Wherever you are and whoever you are, we are all related. Isn’t that the best place to begin from? � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-01_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-82 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-01 Title A name given to the resource Day 82 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0b2d36069cec1fb9f2ac25820183e8b3.pdf 5e09b4851c4c26bd1cd3fefe0560f079 PDF Text Text Day 83 by windoworks Yesterday, at her three times a week press conference, Governor Whitmer said: I am lifting the Stay At Home order effective immediately. She then repeated it for people like me who thought they must have misheard. I sat there on the couch and thought: what does this mean? And then I thought, perhaps it means that it is up to each of us to decide how we are going to interact with the wider world. She did say, wear a mask, keep 6 feet apart outside the house and don’t stop washing your hands. At this point I thought it might be interesting to look back at some milestones in my blogpost: 1. March 11: Last night Governor Whitmer declared a State of Emergency with 2 confirmed cases in Michigan (only two - what did she already know?) 2. March 22: Australia and New Zealand close down. 3. March 24: Gov Whitmer established Stay Home Stay Safe. Michigan has 1,791 cases and 24 deaths. 4. April 2 (9 days later): State of Emergency extended 4 more weeks. Michigan cases: a one day jump from 7500 to 9934 and deaths: 337. In Kent County: 119 cases and 2 deaths (increasing). 5. Today June 2 we have 3,748 confirmed cases and 89 deaths (1 month later). So looking forward here’s some thoughts from the New York Times: Here are some things we think we know about coronavirus: We’ll have to live with this for a long time. You should be wearing a mask. American public health infrastructure needs an update. Responding to the virus is extraordinarily expensive. We have a long way to go to fix virus testing. We can’t count on herd immunity to keep us healthy. The virus produces more symptoms than expected. We can worry a bit less about infection from surfaces. We can also worry less about a mutating virus. We can’t count on warm weather to defeat the virus. The bottom line: Wear a mask, keep your distance. When the time comes in the fall, get a flu shot, to protect yourself from one respiratory disease you can avoid and to help keep emergency rooms and urgent care from being overwhelmed. Hope for a treatment, a cure, a vaccine. Be patient. We have to pace ourselves. If there’s such a thing as a disease marathon, this is it. �Meanwhile in Washington D.C. where the White House turned its lights out on Sunday night and that may have been the night that trump hid in the bunker underneath, this happened yesterday: In Washington, police officers used tear gas and flash grenades to clear a path through a peaceful protest so President Trump could visit a nearby Episcopal church, St. John’s, where he posed for photos holding a Bible. An Episcopal bishop in Washington said she was “outraged” that he used the church “as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.” Trump also warned he would order the military into cities if local officials could not control their streets. When Governor Whitmer spoke yesterday at the press conference, she was visibly angry about the video conversation she had had earlier that day with trump and all the other state governors, in which trump threatened to send in the military to control state streets. I personally find that prospect terrifying. We would truly be a military state and trump would be the Dictator. We already have the National Guard here in Grand Rapids and it is somewhat unnerving to see the guards and their armored vehicles blocking the main access street to downtown. It is hard to comprehend this state of affairs when it is another beautiful sunny day and we can converse with our neighbors over back fences and from porch fronts. This has become our new normal. Yesterday we took Murphy Brown out to the groomers as her coat was a mess. It continues to be so uncomfortable when we encounter business owners who don’t wear masks. There is something reassuring about seeing people wearing masks. It tells me they are doing their best. The groomers and staff didn’t wear masks - but of course Craig did - and their assurances that no one had been sick simply indicated that they didn’t know or understand asymptomatic positivity. From the Hew York Times: About 35 percent of infected people have no symptoms at all, so if they are out and about, they could unknowingly infect other people. We won’t be taking Mis Murphy back for another trim for about 5 weeks, and her daycare days are effectively over for the foreseeable future. With everything else going on, a neighbor we have known since we moved here (17 years) had developed kidney disease about 2 years ago and had been on dialysis three days a week. Yesterday, she died which was sudden and shocked us all. A sad day and a feeling of helplessness. We can’t hug her husband and I’m not sure about a funeral. My neighbor Lea who is an Environmental Educator at middle school and who helped us (I mean Craig) build the rain garden between their house and ours, captured this photo of a dragonfly in the rain garden. �In our vegetable garden we have lettuces, broccoli seedlings, garlic, strawberries and some herbs. Seeds are also sprouting in the meadow patch too. I don’t think there’s any sign of the tomato seedlings. Of course all gardening activities are now on hold due to Craig’s injured (and painful) leg. The obligatory Oliver photo. Here he is painting, with interested bystanders, at daycare. As Zoe noted: he seems to be the painting leader. ��Today’s flashback: the next day we visited Grime’s Graves. This is a large Neolithic flint mining complex in Norfolk about 5 miles north east of Brandon. It was worked between 2,600 and 2,300BCE but it might have continued in to the Bronze and Iron Ages. Flint was cheaper than metals and was used for making polished stone axes. The whole area covers 91 acres and has at least 433 shafts dug into the natural chalk to reach the seams of flint. They found flint from Grime’s Graves in France and parts of Northern Europe, mined and exported in the Neolithic era. That makes you think, doesn’t it? How did it get there? ����In the top 2 photos, Craig crawled through the mining gallery on his hands and knees which was impressive and determined as he is not keen on small tight spaces. The guide told me that I shouldn’t go down and I agreed with him. They dug down to the flint seam and then they dug out the flint by hand and sent it back up in reed baskets to the surface. In the third photo, this is the ladder Craig climbed down. The original ladder was probably wooden. In the last photo, I am pointing at the hollows surrounding me which were all shafts that had collapsed over time. This was an amazing experience, almost as exciting as the cave paintings we had seen at Lascaux 2 (the duplicate of the real Lascaux). I imagined all the flint miners and knappers living and working in the area. If there’s such a thing as a disease marathon, this is it. I’ll just close with that today. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-02_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-83 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-02 Title A name given to the resource Day 83 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0e9acedb11efe77fde1c97881cfee9ef.pdf 63ee6fdaf8ab7d626ca2f84c2f652241 PDF Text Text Day 84 by windoworks 84 days of eating home cooked food. 84 days of reinventing leftovers. 84 days of learning to order everything online. 84 days of only walking in less populated places. 84 days of wearing a mask outside. 84 days of not remembering what day of the week it was. 84 days of watching the seasons turn from winter’s tail end to spring to almost officially summer. 84 days of reading posts from NPR, WaPo, NYT. 84 days of unexpected delights, days of despair and an increasing dependency on video chats. 84 days of ‘its not the same, but its something’. Today marks 12 weeks of isolating. And while Gov Whitmer says we can go outside and we can gather in groups of 100 if we’re careful, I don’t really see a change on my block. We’re all too careful, cautious and still uncomfortable. In England, where my niece Elle is back at work with just 3 people in her office, there are some lifting of restrictions. On the weekend, she and her partner Terry went to a nearby beach and enjoyed the day without the usual overload of tourists. ��This is Portmeor, near St Ives. Yesterday the city commission here voted to lift the curfew but retain the state of emergency until June 16. As of yesterday, you still can’t drive along Fulton St, which makes travel difficult as the freeway entrance on Lake Michigan is currently closed for repairs. �This is the Police Dept building and on the corner of that building is the Secretary of State’s downtown office. �This is the clothing store kitty corner to the Police Dept. For our walk yesterday we went back to the ravine park next to the GVSU Allendale campus. ��The woods there are gorgeous. We had to walk slowly, because Craig is restricted to gentle walking for the next few weeks until his leg heals. The ravine is deep and beautiful with a heavy tree cover. Notice my hands in my pockets - that’s to stop me touching the handrails like I did on our last walk. It’s so easy to forget! Probably there’s no virus on handrails, but you never know! �This is the same river scene that we photographed last week, but look how much the water has gone down and what a deep brown, muddy color. And obviously this is the park to walk in for mothers with prams. There was a surprising number of them. When Gov Whitmer opened up some more businesses this week, here’s the list that are still closed: Amusement parks Arcades Bingo halls Body art facilities Bowling alleys Casinos licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board Climbing facilities (indoor) Dance areas (indoor) Exercise facilities (indoor) Exercise studios (indoor) Fitness centers (indoor) Gymnasiums (indoor) �Hair salons Massage businesses Millionaire Parties licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board Nail salons Personal care services that involve close contact of persons Piercing services Racetracks licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board Recreation centers (indoor) Skating rinks Sports facilities (indoor) Tanning salons Tattoo parlors Theaters, cinemas, and performance venues (indoor) Traditional spas Trampoline parks Still no hair salons which is okay because that’s something I’m still not comfortable with. So yesterday was also a hair cutting day. I cut Craig’s with the hair clippers and he helped me trim mine with the hair salon scissors. Craig wanted to use the clippers on me but I’m still not there yet. An Oliver photo: ��Notice how he puts his left leg out in front and then tucks his right leg back and sits on his right foot. Every day. Today’s flashback: Norwich. From the late Middle Ages (1300-1500) until the Industrial Revolution (1750 onwards), Norwich was the second largest city in England after London. �This is Norwich Cathedral Gatehouse. ��Inside the cathedral with a closeup of the altar. �Me walking in the cloisters. These are covered walkways that the monks used. Hence a ’cloistered’ life. Also in Norwich was a Norman castle which had been restored and turned into a museum. �����The top photo is inside the Norman castle, refurbished as a museum and very well done. The second photo is of a window or arrow slit. The next photo is of a garderobe, that is a castle toilet. These were also excellent places to have a private conversation. They emptied inside the castle walls and out into the moat below. Some years before, we visited Warwick Castle (just out of London) and I remember looking down the chute in one of the garderobes there. The wind that whistled up was freezing. I don’ t imagine you sat for long especially in winter. A beautiful stained glass window in he castle and the last photo is of the market place. It was founded in the 11th century and has been in operation for over 900 years. It generally operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays but now its open Monday to Saturdays. Kent County Stats: 3,777 cases and 93 deaths. Still gradually rising. So stay safe, wear your mask and wash your hands. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-03_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-84 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-03 Title A name given to the resource Day 84 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1258065f7b96ee0f97f6ce2e0e50ec73.pdf e90bd5767dae636b9118e4fcb783dc38 PDF Text Text Day 85. by windoworks One of the consequences of the coronavirus is that there will be no funeral for Stephanie, one of the founding members of our block’s book club. After reading her obituary, I realized what an integral part of the Grand Rapids music/theater scene she was. She would walk past our house most weekday afternoons on her way to the little house 4 doors down from us that she used as her music studio. She taught piano there. Some days when the windows were open you could hear the music being played. At book club nights, she nearly always loved the book choice and she always had a funny story to tell. She was the originator of my favorite line regarding camping: oh no thank you. I like hotels because I always like to be 7 steps from the bed to the bathroom. Goodbye Stephanie. I’m glad I knew you. The week continues. There are continuing protests around the country and around the world. The 3 other officers complicit in George Floyd’s death have been charged. Derek Chauvin’s initial charge has been changed to second degree murder. I don’t understand murder charges but I imagine second degree is more serious than third degree - and first degree must be the most serious of all. This is our Governor’s reaction to all this: The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor were a result of hundreds of years of inequity and institutional racism. I am horrified, heartbroken, and taking action. Today, I requested that the Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement Standards provide guidance to law enforcement agencies on continuing education, including diversity and implicit bias training, and urging law enforcement agencies to implement duty to intervene polices. I also called on our Legislature to act on Senator Irwin’s bill, SB 945. Under this bill, incoming law enforcement officers would be required by law to go through training on implicit bias, de-escalation techniques, and mental health screenings. These are steps in the right direction, but until Black mothers can share the same set of concerns as White mothers when their children leave their homes, we have work to do. All Michiganders have the right to be treated with dignity and respect by law enforcement, and I’m determined to see it through. And here’s an answer to a question you might have had, from NPR (National Public Radio): Will the protests spread COVID-19? The answer is yes, Robinson Meyer reports—experts anticipate an uptick in cases within two weeks. He explains why: The virus seems to spread the most when people yell (such as to chant a slogan), sneeze (to expel pepper �spray), or cough (after inhaling tear gas). It is transmitted most efficiently in crowds and large gatherings, and research has found that just a few contagious people can infect hundreds of susceptible people around them. The virus can spread especially easily in small, cramped places, such as police vans and jails. And this information: From Alan Burdick, a science editor for NYT Unlike previous SARS viruses, which tended to settle deeper in the respiratory system, this one tends to settle in the upper respiratory system — in your nose and throat. That means that it tends to spread with your voice, in addition to coughs and sneezes. And when you look at where a lot of the major superspreader events have occurred, it’s places like churches where folks are singing. It’s meatpacking plants where people have to talk really loud. It’s sports arenas. It’s call centers. And I realized, holy cow, this is a virus that is ideally adapted to human conversation. And lastly, here’s a list of what we don’t know - yet: How many people have been infected. The amount of virus it takes to make you sick. Why some people get so much sicker than others. The role of children in spreading the virus. When or where the new coronavirus started spreading. How long you’ll be immune after infection. Okay, deep breath. So yesterday, after I had attempted to pull the covers up over my head and never get out of bed again, I told Craig I would like to drive out to Lake Michigan and look at the water. So, armed with coffee and snacks, we set out along Leonard through the lush green countryside to Grand Haven. When we got there, there was a ship sailing out through the channel to the lake and as it sailed, a huge thick fog came rolling in. ��And then we drove on to Noto’s and parked there to look at the water. �It’s hard to see the fog but after a few minutes, the lighthouse and walkway (in the distance) disappeared completely from view. Then we drove home for lunch and I felt better. Two other photos for your consideration: �This is a photo of the National Guard on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. ��And I’ll just leave this here. So, Oliver: ��Oliver is holding a rainbow wall or window hanging, made by my talented niece, Elle. She lives in Cornwall, England and she made many of these rainbows, sold them and then donated 124 pounds to the National Health Service which they gave her a certificate for! My neighbors and I have bought some and are waiting for them to arrive. She also made this one which I bought a month ago and it hangs on the TV room wall. ��She is also an awesome potter and I’d love to buy some mugs or such but it’s hard to send breakable items through the mail. Check out her Instagram page: completeanduttercraft. Brandon flashback: Thetford had a day to celebrate all things Thetford, called the Thetford Open Day, and we went along. ��This is Thomas Paine who was born in Thetford in 1737. He migrated to the British American Colonies in 1774 and he participated in the American Revolution. He wrote a powerful pamphlet called Common Sense which helped to energize the revolution. He then became involved in the French Revolution. During these years he wrote The Age of Reason, which proved popular at the time - and you can read more about him and his writings online. The base of the plinth next to Craig had many of his more famous quotes written on it. ���In the top photo is a steam tractor. There was a tractor museum and this was one of 2 working models. In the second photo, Craig is sitting at Captain Mannering’s desk. This is an English comedy series set during the Second World War and is about the everyday life in Thetford and the escapades of the voluntary Home Guard. It’s called Dad’s Army and you can still find in on Netflix I think. We did not know that Thetford was used for the outdoor scenes. This last photo is inside a military museum in Thetford and after we wandered around and looked at all the rooms in this centuries old house, we stopped in the front room and listened to an expert in weapons from both WWI and WWII. Very interesting day all round! Remember: mask up! � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-04_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-85 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-04 Title A name given to the resource Day 85 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1cabca4f12641b10caa81164dc4c3d7a.pdf 1fbd044ffefdb58cbbd1d33b042cbc87 PDF Text Text Day 86. by windoworks Stats in Kent County. Cases - 3,853 and 95 deaths. Governor Whitmer referred to Grand Rapids earlier this week as still an active area. In state rankings for COVID-19, some weeks ago Michigan ranked 4th but this week it ranks 26th. Well done, us! Although Gov. Whitmer lifted the Stay At Home order, people don’t seem to be rushing out. In fact there is a personal resistance issue for many people including me. It’s not over. Cases are spiking again in places across America. Here in Grand Rapids, we wonder what will happen in another week, which makes it 2 weeks from the first protest and subsequent riot downtown. All that shouting, jostling, running (and panting), coughing and sneezing. For the first time some notable people are beginning to speak out about trump and his behavior. Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us,” Jim Mattis retired 4 star general, said in his statement. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.” And from President Barack Obama: In his first public remarks since Floyd’s death, former president Barack Obama emphasized the need for local police departments to implement reforms proposed by a task force he appointed after Michael Brown was shot by a white police office in Ferguson, Mo., six years ago. “To bring about real change, we have to both highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable, but we also have to translate that into practical solutions and laws,” Obama said during a virtual town hall hosted by his nonprofit, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. “And every step of progress in this country, every expansion of freedom, every expression of our deepest ideals has been won through efforts that made the status quo uncomfortable” In virus news: One question, answered: What does it mean do be a COVID-19 “long-hauler”? Science writer Ed Yong explains: I wrote about COVID-19 long-haulers—the thousands of people who’ve been struggling with months of debilitating symptoms. Most of them haven’t been hospitalized, so their cases technically count as “mild.” But their lives have nonetheless been flattened by rolling waves of symptoms, including weeks of fever, delirium, and crushing fatigue. Many have faced disbelief from friends and medical professionals because �they don’t fit the typical profile of the disease. Many have doubted themselves, been gaslit and dismissed, been told that it’s all in their heads. But they are a crucial and overlooked part of the pandemic narrative. But here’s a new development. Drive-in movie theaters - hands up if you remember them? When we first moved to the suburbs in Sydney with the birth of our daughter Zoe, we rented a house literally less than a block from a drive-in movie theater. We loved it. We could actually go to the movies with small children asleep in the back seat of our car. I even loved the toasted cheese sandwiches available at the snack store. At first, you had to hang the speaker box on the passenger side window but as time went by, you just tuned into the right wavelength on the car radio. For obvious reasons they’re making a comeback but not just for movies. They’re developing into music venues, concert venues etc. Would we all go to a large auditorium with spaced seating to watch a ballet, an opera, a rock concert or a Broadway show? Mmm. Maybe not. Would I go to see the same show on a stage at a drive-in, sitting safely in my own car? Absolutely. Yesterday we drove out to the Meijer Trail near 64th street. As we were driving, Craig remarked that it was probably too hot for walking and I agreed. As we neared 64th we could see lots of flashing lights and a commotion on one side of the road. As we drove slowly past, I saw a man lying on the road with a fire fighter giving him chest compressions. I think he was a motor cyclist who might have collided with a black truck. I have never seen anyone being resuscitated before except on tv. It was very disturbing. On our way home we stopped at Harvest Health, one of my favorite grocery stores with organic and diet restrictions foods etc. I had made an order online and we had come to pay and pick up curbside. While we waited, a young masked woman came out of the store and carefully wiped down the handles and the glass. Shortly after that, when Craig had paid over the phone, a young masked and gloved man came out of the store, pushing a cart with our groceries. We were so impressed that we might actually go inside the store next week to shop ourselves. And speaking of that: While staying home is still the safest option, we’ll need to build structures that allow for relief from quarantine fatigue. The key to responsibly reopening your life is understanding what makes you and those around you more or less safe at any given moment. (No memory of where that quote came from - its been in my file for some time). No photos of Oliver from yesterday but here’s one I don’t think I’ve posted before: ��This is Oliver with his Great Uncle Drew, in the grocery store. He’s wearing his koala hat. Still in Brandon. Next we visited King’s Lynn. It was built on the banks of the Great Ouse. It became a port town, and was England’s most important port during the Middle Ages. It had an Open Day and we went along. The first thing we saw was this medieval crumhorn quartet accompanied by a drummer. This set the tone for the day. These musicians were wonderful. ���Morris dancers. This is a form of English folk dance. They wear bell pads on their shins and wield sticks, swords and handkerchiefs. Some groups wear straw hats with ribbons and flowers on them. The earliest mention of Morris dancers is 1448, with a payment slip to the Morris dancers of the London Goldsmiths’ Company. We watched about 3 or 4 teams demonstrating different styles of Morris dancing. One team had women dancing as well. As they dance, the bells on their knee pads jingle. ���Brass and stone tombstones inside St Margarets Cathedral (I think this is where we saw them). In the middle of the market square there was an underground air raid shelter (King’s Lynn was bombed in both world wars). You lined up to go down, and then they let about 20 of us in at one time. It was dark and hot and a rabbit warren of tunnels. At one point our guide turned all the lights off so we were standing in the dark, underground! I guess when the bombs fall you feel safer down there. ��A dancing display inside the Town Hall. These ladies and men were wearing (perhaps) Georgian dresses, dancing the gavotte. They dragged me up to dance. It was hot and so much harder than you might imagine. I tried hard not to make a fool of myself. ���Towards the end of the afternoon we climbed on the old fashioned and very uncomfortable bus and drove around the town. Then we got out and drove our car out as near to the mouth of the Great Ouse as we could get. Another exhausting, hot but really entertaining day. So, another day. Use it well. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-05_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-86 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-05 Title A name given to the resource Day 86 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b21bf8d35d28dc386e0e970b4f8780f9.pdf c34bf8044dc8a2f6efbbf9e73bba40cf PDF Text Text Day 87 by windoworks Yesterday we drove downtown and parked in the Library parking lot which was open and then we walked to Monroe. I had thought that all the windows covered in plywood had been smashed - and certainly some had. But many windows were covered as a precautionary measure. Art students and artists have begun painting the plywood covers. ��������My neighbor James posted again about being black. I won’t reprint all of his excellent and thought provoking post, just this: It's been a rough few weeks. I mean months. I mean years. I mean decades. I mean, it's been a rough history for black people in this country. We've watched the videos and read the stories. We all know what's going on right now. America is at a breaking point. Really, a pivotal moment in our nation's history. It might be one white-hot summer. In Washington DC, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) formally renamed the street outside the White House after ordering city crews to paint "Black Lives Matter" in giant yellow letters along 16th Street NW. It’s a pointed message in support of demonstrators and against the president, who ordered an escalation of federal military and law enforcement presence on the streets of Washington in response to sporadic looting and unrest earlier in the week. Wow! That’s really big letters - you can’t miss that. And then she added this: �Now to something to make us laugh. Stuffed animals ride the Giant Dipper roller coaster at Belmont Park in Mission Beach on June 1, 2020. The park has been running the coaster to keep it from tightening up during the recent closures.(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) �Well they look like they’re having a good time. Yesterday Governor Whitmer announced that all hair salons and nail salons across Michigan can open on June 15. My hair salon is still closed but I left a message. I have decided that perhaps the days of auburnish �hair is over and I might embrace the grey. I might also get the grey enhanced but if we are locked down again in the winter, I don’t want to worry about my hair growing out. The Women’s City Club is in communication with Kent Country Club about when we could come back for a Thursday lunch and program and how would that look. It’s involving a lot more planning on the WCC part than we originally thought. And although Kent Country Club is reopening properly next week - events such as our Thursday programs are still limited to 10 people only. We have pushed our first event to July 30 in hopes that this restriction will be lifted by then. It is apparent that reopening stores, restaurants and cafes is a difficult proposition. Everyone wants everything to go back to normal. I almost don’t remember what normal used to be. An example: I asked Craig this morning if he had enough vegemite for his breakfast. He said not to worry, I’ll just go to World Market and buy more. Well no, World Market is temporarily closed and as it is owned by Bed, Bath and Beyond (who knew these things?) there’s a fair chance it may be closing permanently as I think the company is in trouble. I’ll just order it online, I said - and oh look! It will be here on Monday. Is this our normal now? And this confirms it: Along with millions of unemployed Americans, Starbucks is worried about being able to pay its rent. Retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond and the Gap have already stopped paying theirs, as have countless businesses large and small during the economic crisis. Nearly half of commercial rents were unpaid in May — setting up a dangerous chain reaction that could push landlords into bankruptcy, depress property values and freeze commercial credit markets. I just had to share this photo of Oliver. He’s 10 months old but the little baby is disappearing and in his place is this little boy with tons of personality. �The next day in Brandon. We decided to go to Ely to visit the Ely Cathedral. This present building dates back to 1083. You can read all about it on line. There is a long list of people buried there, mostly bishops and archbishops but also Alfred Aetheling son of the English king Aethelred the Unready. A fair number of the bishops were also Lord High Chancellors of England. It is a large and ornate church. ������One of the reasons we had come to Ely Cathedral was because you could buy a ticket for a guided climb to the roof. I was nervous but I joined Craig anyway (who never found a tower or a mountain he didn’t want to climb). Our guide looked to be in his 80s and I thought: well if he can,,,, ��On the way up. I thought: I can do this. Then we went inside to look across the octagon. The painted panels opened and we could look across at each other. The painted panels were gorgeous. And look how far up we are. Still not at the top though. ���Looking down from the octagon. ��It wasn’t exactly a stroll and it included tiny doorways and staircases that were extremely narrow and steeply winding. ��John, our guide standing on the roof. The view out. John said that if you looked carefully you could see Cambridge in the distance. Another one of those things I am so glad I did and I never have to do again. I do not like heights at all. Well another day and its a lovely sunny one. Remember, as you get back out there, 6 feet apart from non household members, mask up (please!) and wash your hands. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-06_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-87 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-06 Title A name given to the resource Day 87 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9c60843871bef7ebe6f8053dc1a994ae.pdf b070f63bd325de4da1f0d560db7a3acc PDF Text Text Day 88 by windoworks This morning Craig and I were talking about cruise ships. We came late to cruising and to be honest, we’ve never gone on a cruise ‘just because’, we’ve always cruised because Craig was lecturing onboard. I was prepared to detest cruising and from our very first cruise I have loved it. It’s not like exploring destinations in your own leisurely manner - you see the highlights of one specific place at a destination. Years ago I ran my own tour company, Garigal Tour Company, which specialized in performing arts tours out of and in to Australia. I always said to clients: you will see all the main points, but if you want to see more, you’ll have to come back later. And thats what cruise ship excursions are like. We cruised in the Caribbean over New Years Eve while Craig was the destination/enrichment lecturer and it was fun. As soon as we arrived home Craig was sick with the flu. Then in February we raced onto to a cruise in Central America, joining the ship in Costa Rica, 7 days into the cruise. A lecturer had dropped out due to illness and Craig agreed to fill in. On the flight from Atlanta to Costa Rica, we sat across the aisle from an extremely ill man who coughed and coughed and coughed for the entire flight. I remember joking half heartedly about coronavirus. The man never covered his mouth, ever. On the second day on the cruise, I began coughing. Eventually, I went to the doctor and he diagnosed a sinus infection, gave me antibiotics and said don’t worry. I worried whether we would have difficulty getting off the ship in San Diego but I did have a cover letter from the ship’s doctor. No one ever asked me anything. At this time cruise ships were experiencing great difficulties with quickly spreading infections. I’ll repeat: no one asked us anything. We flew home from San Diego on March 1 and I spent the next 2 weeks feeling miserable, seeing my own doctor and getting a second different course of antibiotics. I remember my doctor looking at my throat (no mask) and then suddenly moving back from me. I also remember losing my sense of smell and taste completely for about 2 days and they’ve never returned completely since. On March 11, Craig and I decided to self isolate for safety reasons. A few weeks later, I got in touch with a friend I had made on several cruises and she wrote to say that she had checked our cruise in February for infected passengers and there was one confirmed COVID-19 passenger who disembarked in San Diego with us. No one ever contacted us about testing. Craig still can’t believe we managed to get off the ship. Some weeks ago I wrote about Craig and I being tested. We were both negative. Did I have the virus? Did Craig have it in January? We’ll never know unless we are tested for antibodies. We did ask our doctor about that a few weeks ago, but the test was not considered reliable at that time. So why were we talking about cruise ships? Because of the massive overhaul that they are all doing in order to prevent another outbreak onboard. I have just watched 2 videos about changes in cruising. I think �most significant are: no over 70s without a doctors certificate of health (hey, thats me!); no buffet; no touch door handles; daily temperatures taken; limited seating with booking only for bars, restaurants, theaters and possibly pools; air conditioners with HEPA filters and fresh air not recycled; smaller groups on shore excursions perhaps using jeeps instead of buses; cleaning cabins twice daily to high sanitation standards; a mud room area at the door of your cabin for clothes and shoes changing after shore excursions. There are more changes but it makes me think. On the one hand, the passenger feels safer but on the other hand, it takes a lot of the fun and relaxation out of cruising. Plus, if I’m struggling with thinking about eating in a restaurant while social distancing, I can’t really consider cruising or even the flying to get to the port. Craig has a colleague who lives in California and his child is coming to West Michigan for school. He and his family are driving across to Grand Rapids at the end of this month because they didn’t feel comfortable flying. And to finish this virus discussion: yesterday Kent County had 3,922 cases and 99 deaths. We continue to rise slowly here. I imagine that if they continue to test in the aggressive manner that has been adopted, we will see larger numbers in the days ahead. Our local CVS (4 blocks walk away) has drive thru testing now. There was another demonstration yesterday downtown. A very large group of people assembled and chanted loudly. It looked well organized and well attended and I applaud all those attendees. I spent yesterday afternoon in bed feeling exhausted, but even if I was feeling great I would have been too nervous to attend. My heart goes with the demonstrators but I’m too scared to make my feet to go too. Here’s a photo of Oliver with his father, Christian. �Still living in Brandon. 2 miles from Brandon is the village of Santon Downham. Adjacent to the village is a park, on the edge of Thetford Forest. This is situated next to the Little Ouse river. On one side of the river is the public park area and on the other side are horse farms. The first time we went there to have �our picnic lunch, there were 2 women riding horses in the river itself and we stood on the bridge as they coaxed the horses under the bridge. ��In the above photo, on a different day, there were 2 other women training one very nervous pony who was most reluctant to go into the water. We also met a forest ranger who was breeding highland cattle from Scotland, and she had permission to keep them in a field near the park. They are very hardy animals with heavy coats, and look at those horns! ��This is the original Santon Downham church. The village that thrived along the river bank in medieval times is long gone now, but in its heyday it was a popular trading port on the river. �Over the bridge to the other side of the river, there are stables and horse farms, and a walking/riding track open to the public. It winds along through the trees and was a great spot for walking. These women rode quietly past us while we stood on the side of the track. ��It was a favorite place for us to picnic and walk and sometimes just enjoy the sights and sounds of children playing in the shallows of the river. So, another day. Big excitement today - our grocery order is arriving! � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-07_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-88 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-07 Title A name given to the resource Day 88 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/acfd4f5b2faac08506986714a9ec306a.pdf 76d4c83570d77802d832463ed84c2a50 PDF Text Text Day 89 by windoworks I read an interesting article in The Guardian, titled: Were We Ready? Here are the main points. One emphatic response from scientists stresses that it is now clear we were very badly prepared for the arrival of Covid-19. This disease has turned out to be much worse than any of the pandemics that we had been anticipating and making plans to counter. It has a 1% death rate and it is highly transmissible, features that were considered to be highly unlikely for any new emerging disease we thought we might face. Such features represent the worst possible realistic scenario that we could envisage and lie at the very limit of what we thought we should expect. So the pandemic we have got now is about as bad as we thought it could ever get. It is a very sobering prospect. When we first encountered this disease, we thought it was just a respiratory illness that affected the upper part of the chest. Now it is clear that it can cause illnesses of the sinus; can affect the lining of blood vessels and can lead to blood clots developing. The disease has also been linked to extreme fatigue, kidney damage and heart attacks – and quite often in relatively young people. This is not a disease to be underestimated. The problems concerning the disease’s impact on adults start when a person reaches 50 and get exponentially greater for each additional year of age. That means a significant proportion of our population – those over 75 – need protecting from this virus because its consequences for them are extremely serious. This morning Craig was listening to NPR (as he always does as he is making breakfast) and he heard a piece by Dustin Dwyer interviewing shop assistants at 3 Meijer grocery stores in Grand Rapids. Apparently some shoppers refuse to wear a mask and angrily tell the store assistants: its just a hoax! Just a hoax! I’m sorry but that beggars belief. If you read nothing else or listen or watch far right TV or radio - the borders between Canada and Mexico are closed! One more time for the people in the back even if you don’t believe that its a real thing - how do you account for the 112K people who have died in the United States since January? And not from car smashes, or drug overdoses or shooting or any other cause at all except the coronavirus? And explain to me what the 398K people died of across the world, or why almost every country in the world is closed to outsiders - no one in and no one out. This morning we have almost 2 million cases in the US and there are 6.8 million cases world wide, an increase of 136K overnight! If this is all a hoax, then it’s the best hoax ever thought of in the history of �humans. And what would be the point of all this suffering and death? What would be the prize for this hoax?` One shop assistant said, through her tears: I have to wear this mask for each 8 hour shift. It’s hot and uncomfortable, but you can’t even be bothered to wear one for 30 minutes. I cannot understand why someone can believe that they don’t need to wear a mask when inside any store or office. And here’s something to think about: at great financial cost, New Zealand closed their ENTIRE country down for 2 months or so. You could not drive anywhere except to the store, doctor or pharmacy. It wasn’t a plea, or a suggestion. It was policed and mandatory. They noted 7,000+ citizens who stopped for failing to comply and 315 of these were charged. You were allowed to go for a short walk near your home. That was it. No drive through food, coffee, pizza, burgers or alcohol - if your grocery store didn’t sell it, you didn’t get it! Totally locked down. My daughter-in-law nearly went stir crazy. And the prize for all this? Today New Zealand is totally virus free and almost all restrictions are lifted, except the borders are still closed. Was there an enormous cost to the economy and people’s anxiety levels? Yes, but they have no virus at all and they have great contact tracing and testing in place, just in case. Now I know its a tiny island country but a big part of their success was to trust their prime minister and comply. Yesterday in Kent County we had a new total of 3,941 cases and 100 deaths. Admittedly its not increasing hugely day by day, but it is increasing. Over the weekend, Zoe and Oliver went to stay with Bernie and Drew for the night. Here’s a photo of Oliver making a beeline for Archie, the cat. ��My next door neighbor high school graduated senior, Nicolas, decided to do a small part in making this time a little brighter. He put together care packages for people who are going through a hard time. The care packages will go to people who don't have a permanent home, have lost jobs, have family that needs support and so on. I think he was surprised at how much stuff was donated. ���I am always so impressed by young adults like Nicolas who have such big hearts and then show how they care in positive ways. One sunny day in Brandon, we drove off to visit the Norfolk Broads. This is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The lakes, called Broads were formed by the flooding of peat workings. There are 7 rivers and 63 Broads. At first it was thought they were natural waterways but in the 1960s it was proved that they were flooded Medieval peat excavations. Peat is formed by partial decomposition of vegetable matter in the wet acidic conditions of bogs and fens, and it was cut out and dried and then used as fuel. In the Middle Ages it was a lucrative business. But then the sea levels rose and gradually the peat pits began to flood. Nowadays it is a type of national park and a popular place for vacations. We cruised along the broads for about 90 minutes and it was gorgeous. �����Four photos from our cruise of waterways and lakes. This bottom photo is of a roof being rethatched. With the flooding of the peat pits, the other industry developed, was using the large amounts of water reeds which grow along the waters edge and in the marshy areas for thatching. Thatching is a very old method of covering roofs. You have to dry the reeds first and then they are densely packed onto the roof surface. It keeps the roof dry as the water simply slides off the top layer. Eventually, the thatch deteriorates and has to be replaced with fresh thatch. Our guide told us it is a dying occupation with few master thatchers operating or teaching apprentices. I was so excited that we got to see a roof being rethatched. Another sunny day. Tomorrow then if you’re still following. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-08_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-89 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-08 Title A name given to the resource Day 89 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aa47b909d9db1655b88f24849ee7b372.pdf 167f665d6d660226ed000c910abb847a PDF Text Text Day 9 by windoworks �So this is a part of the new daily plan: a walk before lunchtime. This is Highland Park, an old golf course which was purchased by the adjacent Blandford Nature Center. It is a huge rambling place and an excellent spot to walk your dog. We did see a few other people in the distance but everyone kept well back from each other and didn’t even say hello Still, we enjoyed the walk and then the drive out and around CB’s campus which was very forlorn. FaceBook continues to amuse. ZB posted a video clip that featured Fred Astaire and his partner dancing to Dancing Cheek to Cheek being run on the side of an apartment block somewhere in Italy. One couple were dancing in their apartment. My neighbor has set up a Family Feud quiz online and another friend posts the winner of the day’s funny. I can feel everyone reaching out across the world. A note of caution: FaceBook is experiencing its biggest traffic flow ever and in Europe the EU has asked Netflix and YouTube to use Standard Definition instead of High Definition. CB worries a power outage might be next and diligently charges our battery chargers. This is also the moment we regret not buying a generator. Yesterday I looked online at them but as I have absolutely no idea of size, capacity or even how to instal them, it was a wasted effort. In Michigan our cases climbed yesterday from 110 to 365. And thats only those tested and confirmed. A triple jump in 24 hours is really disturbing, I’m almost nervous to check the numbers today. Our streets are quieter and quieter. Here’s a photo from 2 days ago of Wealthy Street taken from the middle of the street at 9:30am on a Wednesday morning �And this is Lake Drive at 8:30am the same morning. Normally bumper to bumper traffic. �And. as usual, here is the throwback photo. �This is the Canale della Giudecca in Venice. What you’re looking at is a temporary man made bridge across the Giudecca Canal. Every year on the 3rd weekend of July, Venice holds the Festa de Redentore. Between 1575 and 1577, a terrible plague killed about one third of Venice’s population. It spread very fast through the high density population (oh where have I heard this before?). In 1576, the Senate commissioned a church dedicated to Jesus the Redeemer (I’ll Redentore) hoping this would get rid of the plague. A year later, the city was cured and they held a celebration, Festa de Redentore (Feast of the Redeemer). Every year now, they build a bridge across the canal to Giudecca Island. Hundreds of Venetians and tourists cross the bridge in a pilgrimage to the beautiful Il Redentore Church where they light candles and pray. The. Bridge is called the Thanksgiving Bridge and it stays in place for 3 days only. We sailed in on a cruise ship that CB was lecturing on and stayed docked in the canal for 3 days. At the end of the second day, there is the most extravagant and lengthy fireworks display I have ever seen. It begins at 11:30pm in St Marks Basin and continues for more than 30 minutes. Our captain said: you will get bored, and in a terrible way he was right. After standing on the top deck of the ship for about 25 minutes, CB and I gave up and went to bed. We had run out of ooohs and aaahs. I wonder how Venice will celebrate when all this is over? Stay well and safe. Talk tomorrow. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-03-20_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-09 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-20 Title A name given to the resource Day 9 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3aaa49a106418312f673760db416039c.pdf 5b01034b01b7b0ad2a730c137233a18d PDF Text Text Day 90 by windoworks Well there was a brief moment when my fact file (thanks Mary Alice for the name), grew very thin. However that moment is over and once again I have been sent and I have found, interesting facts, to use. So first up from Washington Post Health: Shutdown orders prevented about 60 million novel coronavirus infections in the United States and 285 million in China, according to a research study published Monday that examined how stay-at-home orders and other restrictions limited the spread of the contagion. A separate study from epidemiologists at Imperial College London estimated the shutdowns saved about 3.1 million lives in 11 European countries, including 500,000 in the United Kingdom, and dropped infection rates by an average of 82 percent, sufficient to drive the contagion well below epidemic levels. The two reports on the effectiveness of the shutdowns come with a clear warning that the pandemic, even if in retreat in some of the places hardest hit, is far from over. The overwhelming majority of people remain susceptible to the virus. Only about 3 percent to 4 percent of people in the countries being studied have been infected to date. This is just the beginning of the epidemic: we’re very far from herd immunity. The risk of a second wave happening if all interventions and precautions are abandoned is very real. And to speak to that: The evidence suggests that the pandemic may be intensifying in the Sunbelt and the West more generally. We know this, first, by looking at cases and hospitalizations together. If cases are rising simply because the health-care system is testing more people, we’d expect most of the newly diagnosed people to have relatively mild infections, because someone with a more serious illness would have likely gone to a hospital in May. If cases are rising and more people are going to the hospital with COVID-19, we’d expect that more people are getting seriously sick. And in Arizona, alas, cases and hospitalizations are both at alltime highs. Cases and hospitalizations are also rising in Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Craig read this morning that 14 states including Puerto Rico, yesterday recorded the highest rate of increase of cases, so far. Cases are rising dramatically in Texas where the governor is opening up more businesses etc., after having begun to open up on May 1, against CDC recommendations. Here in Grand Rapids, people seem to be flocking to stores again. Yesterday we decided to visit Home Depot. We could get everything online and delivered except for a length of wood Craig needed cut to repair a broken plank in our back deck. �So armed with masks and pocket hand sanitizer, off we went. Nobody was cleaning the carts and there was a do it yourself station at the door. Inside was a strange mix of masks and non masks. The first thing we were looking for was a kitchen faucet. As we agonized over a third replacement faucet (don’t ask), two men, talking loudly with no masks came and stood next to us and then brushed past us to leave the aisle. After choosing the faucet, I left the store and waited in the car. When Craig came back he was furious. We talked on the way home and decided we weren’t ready for in person shopping yet. I asked him what his feelings were and he said: anger at people’s selfish attitude so clearly displayed. I thought then that if trump had ever once worn a mask publicly for just 5 minutes, we wouldn’t be having this problem. As we drove home, the man driving the pick up truck behind us had a MAGA hat on his dashboard. I wonder about trump supporters - are they always on the defensive, having to justify their stance? On FaceBook in what might be troll posts, they always seem so angry. Anger is exhausting and consuming, and it seems to take over your whole life. These days I try not to get as angry. Now we have to think how life will be going forward with whatever the pandemic hands us. I found an article which lays out a 5 point plan for going forward. I will post one point a day, starting today. 1. Check the health of your state and community To gauge your risk of coming into contact with an infected person, pay attention to two important indicators of Covid-19 in your area: the percentage of tests that are positive, and the trend in overall case rates. Start by learning the percentage of positive Covid-19 tests in your state, which tells you if testing and contact tracing are finding mild and asymptomatic cases. When positive test rates stay at 5 percent or lower for two weeks, that suggests there’s adequate testing in your state to get virus transmission under control, and you’re less likely to cross paths with the virus. The closer the number is to 2 percent, the better. It doesn’t mean you have total freedom bu it means there’s enough testing going on there that you can feel confident that your interactions in society are going to be of much lower risk. If the percentage of positive tests starts to rise, you should take more precautions. We’ll look at number 2 tomorrow. And in the complete contrast category, after lunch I called Romence Gardens and ordered and paid for tomato and sweet pepper seedlings. The instructions were clear and easy to follow: drive past the entrance and your plants will be on a table with your name on them. There they were and there was the worker carefully sanitizing carts to go in the ‘sanitized cart’ lane. A complete no contact operation and the seedlings are healthy and a great addition to our vegetable garden. It is Pride month, which I had forgotten in all the ongoing hoohaa and these appeared overnight in Eastown. ���Two beautiful rainbow crosswalks. And also appearing overnight, the first evidence of the cottonwood drifts. It’s just a light drift at this point, but it’ll get deeper as the week goes on. Funnily enough, wearing a mask while walking outside helps to protect us from them as they fly past. And an Oliver photo. He still has his cold and he seems to have given it to Zoe. In another development, he now ‘kisses’ Zoe and others - those big open mouthed kisses I remember from my children’s babyhood. ��At the end of each day’s FaceTime, Craig and I sing to Oliver. Our repertoire is meager - The Wheels on the Bus and If You’re Happy and You Know it, Clap Your Hands. He always rocks in time with a big smile on his face, but in the last 2 days, he’s started to sing with us - little growly baby sounds but he is singing. He also ‘talks’ nonstop. It’s bub-ba and the tone of his voice tells you clearly if he’s happy, sad, angry or irritated. I do so love being a grandmother and I do try to limit my Oliverisms in this post. On a very cold and rainy day we drove to Framlingham to visit Framlingham Castle. In the 15th and 16th centuries this was the home of the powerful Mowbray and Howard families. The Howards were headed by the Duke of Norfolk, and at the castle they told us that Anne Boleyn stayed there briefly when she returned from France and before her uncle (the Duke of Norfolk) placed her before Henry VIII’s roving eye. but thats a story for another day. This is the town of Framlingham. This photo was taken upstairs through the cafe window. Most castles of note have a village within the castle estate and in the past, the villages depended on the castles to survive. ������As you can see it was a miserable day. The castle was a circular construction with a newer lodge house in the middle. The entire household lived in the castle walls, which was most unusual. You could walk almost all the way around at the top of the walls and you listened to the commentary as you walked. Another interesting day in England. So, be careful out there. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-09_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-90 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-09 Title A name given to the resource Day 90 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/423c4ab9d958774e9bd63c9b84b9383a.pdf 3b3e0641347422037668727df92b7b51 PDF Text Text Day 91 by windoworks This morning the rain has cleared away temporarily and the sun has come out. At the bottom of our block there is a large house owned by Calvin College and it houses senior students with a married couple as house parents. Every 3 years or so, the house parents leave and new parents are appointed. The current parents are leaving at the end of this week and so last night they invited us all to come to happy hour, sitting outside in the house parking lot. Craig and I went down for about 10 minutes ad then Zoe called so we went home and called her back. The gathering was nice but slightly awkward and we all stood or sat carefully apart. But it was good to have an opportunity to say goodbye to Becca and Kyle and we’ll miss them. Yesterday my friend canceled her annual 4th of July party (which was no surprise) and the Eastown Community Association reluctantly canceled September’s StreetFair for the first time in 47 years. Also yesterday, I read an article from Air New Zealand which said no long haul flights until 2021 at the earliest and probably 2022. They also said this was the same for all other airlines even if they’re not broadcasting it. This morning the numbers are out for a group of states that had large gatherings over the Memorial Day Weekend. These numbers are predominantly of cases that have been hospitalized. In Michigan we are flattening the curve but now the agonizing begins over schools reopening etc. My dentist wrote and said please come back as did my dermatologist. I’m not ready for those challenges just yet. A movement to slash funding for police departments is gaining traction. Though long a concept floated among left-leaning activists and academics, officials from Washington to Los Angeles are now seriously considering ways to scale back their police departments and redirect funding to social programs. On Sunday, nine members of the Minneapolis City Council announced they were seeking to dismantle the city’s police department. The ideas seem to be that police have been asked to intervene in a number of areas that should be the responsibility of other bodies, and that the equipment that some police departments have amassed such as tanks a) give entirely the wrong impression of police and their work and b) are a great waste of available resources. From my fact file: Stopping the steady stream of battlefield equipment into American cities will not solve systemic racism, but many criminal justice reformers see demilitarizing local departments as both an essential first step to �restoring public trust and a far more realistic goal than the rallying cry among some protesters to “defund the police.” Many Democratic strategists worry that calls for defunding the police will create political headaches, especially in swing states and the suburbs. What police departments need are techniques and training for deescalation. Giving them increasingly dangerous and powerful weapons of war moves us in the opposite direction,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in an interview last week. “There is no evidence at all that the police in any of these situations have been outgunned. The idea that the solution to what's happening across the country is to arm ourselves to the hilt, and then essentially point those weapons in the direction of citizens, is preposterous.” The Justice in Policing Act, unveiled by congressional Democrats on Monday with more than 200 cosponsors, would ban chokeholds, establish a national database to track police misconduct, prohibit certain no-knock warrants and scale back liability shields for police officers in civil and criminal court. The 134page measure would also ban the Defense Department from transferring military-grade weapons to law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels. The measure would specifically stop the Pentagon from providing bayonets, silencers, grenade launchers, grenades (including flash bangs) and other explosives. The Democratic proposal also bans the military from giving MRAPs to domestic law enforcement agencies, as well as armored or weaponized drones and long-range acoustic devices designed to disorient enemy combatants. In other disturbing news this morning is the wrap up from yesterday’s primary election in Georgia. It seems to be a conglomeration of new untried voting machines with untrained poll workers; poll workers calling in sick; long lines lasting 4 hours or more; people scared to go out to vote in case they got sick; and so on. Here in Michigan we received our absentee voting permission slips a week or so ago. We will vote absentee in August and November. Apparently our State Attorney-General sent these out to all citizens eligible to vote in Michigan. This year I will need to carefully research all vacant positions and the candidates, both local and national. And here’s something that is a tangent from above, but it made me laugh and maybe cheer. �In case you didn’t know - that’s the front door of the White House in the background, and this is one of the fences trump had erected to keep himself safe. The next point in how to reengage with the world safely; 2. Limit the number of your close contacts You’re safest with members of your household, but if you want to widen your circle to extended family or friends, keep the number of close contacts as low and as consistent as possible. One way to do this is to form a “corona bubble,” which happens when two households form an exclusive social circle, agreeing on safety guidelines and to see only each other. The arrangement allows people to visit each other’s homes and lead a somewhat normal, if limited, social life. It may be particularly helpful for families with similar structures — such as those with young children longing for playmates or teenagers seeking in-person contact. This requires a high level of trust. How does each family define reasonable precautions? Count the number of potential “leaks” for each member of the bubble — such as trips to the store or office, play dates, children and teens who see friends, or housekeepers and nannies who may visit multiple homes. Keep communication open and without judgment, so people feel comfortable disclosing new exposure risks and potential “leaks” in the bubble. Tomorrow we’ll look at managing your exposure budget - an intriguing idea. I wrote about possible cruise ship changes and one cruise line has come out with a very comprehensive list that they are going ahead with right now. �From Condé Nast traveler: Expect pre-boarding health screenings. Before boarding, passengers will undergo mandatory touch-free temperature scans, and possibly secondary medical screenings by health professionals. Any passenger with symptoms of illness (and perhaps, who has traveled internationally within 14 days) will be denied boarding. Luggage will be sanitized before loading. Expect touchless embarkation (crew will maintain touchless contact throughout voyages), and staggered boarding (same for disembarkation), with passengers wearing masks in public areas. Lines will cap passenger numbers. Cruise ships—especially large ocean liners—likely will sail with a reduced passenger count to better maintain social distancing throughout the ship while passengers and crew are on onboard. Crews will enhance cleaning measures. Expect frequent and in-depth disinfecting in all public areas, with hand sanitizing stations prominent throughout the ship, particularly in high-traffic areas. Cruise ships could extend turnaround times between trips to ensure deeper sanitization and disinfection. Some cruise lines, such as Avalon Waterways, are instituting new cleaning technologies. Their new electrostatic spray systems allow them to use the same environmentally friendly cleaners that protect against COVID-19, in a far more effective way. Ventilation systems are under intense scrutiny. Optimally, ships provide 100 percent fresh air to public spaces and passenger staterooms, through non-recirculating air conditioning systems using hospital-grade HEPA filters. Tomorrow I’ll post some more changes to cruising. One day in Brandon we decided to drive about an hour to the north coast to a town called Southwold. An interesting fact about this town is that is was the home to a number of Puritan emigrants to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. It was a grey day and threatening to rain. ������The church at the top and then the beach and pier in the other photos, as well as looking back at the town from the pier. In this bottom photo is a painting on the pier in homage to George Orwell who may have written Animal Farm while he stayed there again in his 30s. It was so nice to sit by the sea again and this became the first photo in a series of me sitting by the sea in many locations. If this mornings blogpost (which is later than usual) seems disjointed, I had an ongoing ocular migraine this morning which forced me to take a migraine medication. And honestly, I am tired, fed up, sometimes bored and always trying to manage as best I can. I hope your day is going better for you. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-10_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-91 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-10 Title A name given to the resource Day 91 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/857e4bc675988562b9ab0ee7bd13fc91.pdf 047f4aa891e3a42817568bff8f059ea0 PDF Text Text Day 92. by windoworks Another morning. Yesterday we drove to Meijer Gardens to check out how careful they had been in reopening the gardens themselves. I sat in the car while Craig reconnoitered. He came back impressed with what was in place. ��This is their formal notice. I think in all that careful verbiage one phrase popped out at me: Visit at your own risk. So thats their cover against being sued by someone who tests positive. And here’s the notice from a popular local brewery; So this is our life now. In New Zealand where life has literally returned to normal, Air New Zealand, which is operating mostly as a domestic airline, immediately released the middle seats in all planes and people flocked to buy tickets to vacation destinations within New Zealand. The borders are still not open and that may continue for some time. As I sit here typing, it is almost unimaginable to me to be able to return to a ‘normal’ life like that. �However, also in New Zealand, apparently 2 big companies with downtown office buildings have found that there is no need for their staff to return to work in the office premises. Both companies have decided to work online from home going forward. In Melbourne and Sydney, both of our children are continuing to work from home and feel that in the future they may work in the office for one or two days a week, but nothing has been decided yet. Zoe manages to work well, even with Oliver playing on the floor in the background. Sidewalk chalk art remains popular in our area. Here are some thinking (and talking) points: • Cops,” the long-running reality show from the Paramount Network that glorified police, was canceled in the face of protests. The show’s 33rd season was scheduled to premiere on June 15. (NYT) • The movie “Gone with the Wind” has been pulled from HBO Max. The network said that the 1939 cinematic classic, set partly on a plantation during and after the Civil War, is a “product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society.” (WSJ) • NFL stars Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins urged Clemson University to drop the name of slave �owner John C. Calhoun from its Honors College. (Des Bieler) • The founder of CrossFit “retired” under pressure after a firestorm over his flippant comments about Floyd. Greg Glassman told staff on a Zoom call that, “We’re not mourning for George Floyd." (Des Bieler and Jena McGregor) • Kennedy Mitchum, a Missouri woman, successfully prodded Merriam-Webster to change the definition of racism. The dictionary defined racism as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race,” a definition she said was too simple and didn’t mention that racism “is a system of oppression for a certain group of people.” After a few back and forth emails, dictionary editor Alex Chambers said that a revised entry is being drafted. (KMOV4) • Confederate flags are a familiar sight at NASCAR events, but that could soon change. Bubba Wallace, the only black driver in the sport, wants a ban on the flag at tracks. (AP) Today’s reentering the world safely point: 3. Manage your exposure budget Risk is cumulative. Going forward, you’ll need to make trade-offs, choosing activities that are most important to you (like seeing an aging parent) and skipping things that might matter less (an office goingaway party). Think about managing virus risk just as you might manage a diet: If you want dessert, eat a little less for dinner. During a pandemic, every member of the household should manage their own exposure budget. (Think Weight Watchers points for virus risk.) You spend very few budget points for low-risk choices like a oncea-week grocery trip or exercising outdoors. You spend more budget points when you attend an indoor dinner party, get a haircut or go to the office. You blow your budget completely if you spend time in a crowd. Moving into a long-term management phase, we have to start thinking like this. Don’t take risks where it’s not needed, and make trade-offs that are congruent with your larger health needs and priorities. If seeing your grandchild in the park means, to balance this, you can only go to the supermarket every other week, maybe that’s a trade-off you’re willing to make for your mental health and well-being. After we left Meijer Gardens and began to drive home, the storm that had been threatening for some time arrived and we drove home in torrential rain and strong winds. You could not see 3 feet in front of the car. It was quite scary and the gutters were completely overwhelmed so we kept driving through torrents of water racing down the side of the road. When we got home it had eased off but the flooding between the garage and the house was so deep, I took off my sandals and walked barefooted into the house. �About an hour or so later, it got so dark we had to switch on the lights and then the rain and wind swirled around the house, lashing all the windows. In some spots in Grand Rapids, friends reported that it was like a mini tornado. Afterwards we found out this had happened to our neighbor Alsiha’s garage, 2 doors up. ��That’s a tree sized branch just waiting to fall the rest of the way. I imagine I’ll hear the sounds of chainsaws some time soon. At the designated pick up time of 3:30pm, Craig went to fetch our order from Harvest Health. Unfortunately they had lost power, so we will have to try again later today. An enormous number of houses lost power across Michigan in the afternoon, somewhere around 300,000. Our lights flickered once but this time we were lucky. This morning there are still well over 100,000 without power. Some more cruise ship adjustments: Buffets are on pause. Passengers must use hand-washing stations or hand sanitizers as they enter restaurants onboard. It's possible they'll only be able to dine with their traveling companions at assigned tables with assigned servers. Those servers will serve them items like condiments and bread, or they'll be presented in single-serve packaging. Passengers will receive single-use paper menus. Ships may institute multiple seating times, emphasize outdoor dining, or open more venues to minimize the number of passengers dining at once. Self-service buffets will be suspended, or manned by PPE-outfitted servers transferring food from behind transmission barriers to passengers’ plates. Self-service coffee and snack bars may be removed—though room service hours and menu selections likely will be expanded as a result. Staterooms will also get new safeguards Interactive televisions and digital apps may replace printed daily programs. Throw pillows and bedspreads could be eliminated, as well as welcome and turndown amenities. Cruise lines will likely place masks, gloves, multi-purpose disinfecting wipes, and hand sanitizer bottles in staterooms, and disposable covers could be seen on high-use items, like television remote controls. Inside cabins, which are interior and do not have windows or balconies, could initially stay unoccupied on sailings. For those of you wondering how our vegetable garden is performing, here is a photo from yesterday. �In the 3rd week in Brandon we visited Wicken Fen. This is (wait for it), a 254.5 hectare biological Site of Special Interest, a National Nature Reserve and a Nature Conservation Review site. A large part of it is owned and managed by the National Trust. it includes fenland, farmland, marsh and reed beds and we saw it all. A fen is a low and marshy or frequently flooded area of land and Wicken Fen is one of only 4 wild fens which still survive in the enormous Great Fen Basin of East Anglia. 99% of all the other fens have been made into farm land. It is managed in much the same way it always was, for example, the sedge (water reed) is harvested every year and sold for thatching. The first recorded sedge harvest at Wicken Fen was in 1414. I cannot even begin to describe all the birds, butterflies, dragonflies, swans etc that we saw. We walked around some of the trails and then we bought tickets to ride in a small boat with a guide on the recently cleared canals in the Fen. I loved the whole experience. �������I apologize for so many photos but between us Craig and I had about 15 photos which shows you how much we loved the place. So, from the top: walking through the grassland; a restored windmill used to irrigate nearby farms,; me in one of the bird hides (the British are big on birdwatching); Craig walking on another part of the trail; my new favorites - a bug hotel; on the part of the canal that had been given its annual dredging; and on the part of the canal which was still waiting to be dredged. Stats: as I haven’t posted these for a while: the US has 2.04 million cases (up 19,958 since yesterday) and 115K deaths. Michigan has 64,998 cases and 5,943 deaths. Kent County has 3,998 cases and 107 deaths. Some ares are trending down and some areas are continuing to rise. Thats it for today. The weather is cooler and less humid. Remember: its not over yet. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-06-11_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-92 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-06-11 Title A name given to the resource Day 92 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng