Notes From the Isolation Ward, Day 10

Keeping Sanitized (Part 1)

Do you know how many things in your house you touch each day? Let me give you a hint: EVERYTHING! Well, almost everything. By the way, did you just touch your face while reading this?

Long before we started our trek home, I made a dilute bleach solution to disinfect things we had touched in the trailer. I started with the kitchen counter (spray, wipe). Next, the microwave and toaster oven (spray, wipe). The cupboard doors and drawers (spray, wipe). Oh wait, the coffee maker and toaster (spray, wipe). The bathroom sink and toilet. And what about the shower door? And the bedroom doors? Argh!

And that was in the trailer. Just think of how many more things there are in a house to touch.

Eventually, I realized I was becoming paranoid but, as they say, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. Now I just do kitchen counter and sink, and bathroom counter and sink. And my computer and cell phone. Maybe the occasional door knob.

As I spritz the bleach solution around, I imagine a comic book-like scene. Cue the ominous music. Evil nefarious COVID-19 lurks in black hat and cape, chortling “nyhaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha” as he infects the house, when suddenly TA-DA! Javex-man armed with his Bleach-omatic Ray-O-Death gun appears. The battle ensues – “Take that, you cad!” Biff! Bop! Smack! Ka-pow! And COVID-19 flees from the scene, whimpering, never to be seen again. Or at least not until the next episode. Cue the dramatic music.

Whatever it takes to keep us amused while quarantined.

Keep safe. Keep on laughing.

(P.S. Use shop towels instead of your usual grocery-store paper towels. They are so much stronger. Bet you never thought you’d hear a house-cleaning tip from the queen of avoiding house cleaning.)

* * *

From “Our Bull’s Loose In Town!”, the Spanish Flu (the conclusion):

Life was almost back to normal by the beginning of December. For the first time in over a month, Rev. Beauchamp held services, and he prayed for the families of those who had passed away, and thanked the Lord that we had finally been delivered from the pestilence. The children were happy to go to Sunday School. Edith was even glad to go back to school when it re-opened. And we were glad, too, to be able to go about our normal business again without worrying about being infected.

It wasn’t all happiness, though. We lost six people that month. I think the last one to pass away was William McKay in early December. He had served overseas in the Saskatchewan Regiment and had survived that horror only to succumb to the flu. As if we hadn’t already lost enough young people during the war.

They say that flu killed more people than all who had died during the war. We certainly felt like we had been at war, except this enemy had been invisible. In all the years that followed, whenever we faced whooping cough, diphtheria, measles, chicken pox, mumps, even smallpox, we couldn’t help but think of that horrible flu of ‘18 and wonder if it would ever come back to haunt us.

(If you would like to read the entire book, Smashwords is having an “Authors Give Back” sale on many of its e-books, including “Our Bull’s Loose in Town!” Tales from the Homestead. The sale lasts until April 20. You can find the book here.)

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