Melinda
Covid-History Item Type Metadata
Age
60
Date
11/17/2020
Location
Auburn, New York
Long Lake, New York
When did the impact of COVID-19 first occur to you? How did your reaction to COVID-19 change between then and the first case in your town?
I had a box of masks stored from the SARS epidemic waiting for the eventual next epidemic. It seemed surreal to actually get out the box and use the masks. I'm a teacher, so when school moved to distance learning, I spent four month alone on my farm barely seeing another human. I became very depressed and realized I need other people more than I thought I did.
How is your life different now than it was before the pandemic?
My job is more difficult - teaching 60 students in person and 30 on Zoom.
How are you feeling? What are you doing to relieve stress?
All week I think about being at my cabin in Long Lake. I hike there and am in nature. Every week I take a Jeep load of belongings from my house to my cabin so I can live there full time after I retire. This goal gets me through.
What have you noticed has changed in your community since the outbreak? What has surprised you?
I have two friends who have had heart transplants. One is super cautious about avoiding Covid. Surprisingly, the other is not at all.
Are you an essential employee? What do you do? What precautions are being taken at your workplace? What precautions are implementing at home?
At school, students are limited to twelve per classroom and have to sit in their seats all day. Mask breaks for two minutes. No real P.E. class. No recess. They are handling it surprisingly well. Discipline problems are way down.
Do you have animals? Did you adopt a pet? How have they impacted your day?
My elderly dog is blind and half deaf, but still loves our weekends in Long Lake. I would be so lonely without him.
What positive things did you contribute to or notice take place?
I have supported local music groups by Venmo and given tips to my mail carrier. I don't eat out, but am having food delivered by a restaurant supply company to help them stay in business.
Did you or someone you know contract COVID-19? What was it like?
No, but a young medical student from my daughter's tiny town died from Covid. A particularly ironic loss of a young life.
If you lost someone during the pandemic, how did you celebrate their lives?
A strange drive- by funeral outside the funeral home.
What do you wish you knew before the pandemic began?
Pandemics and other difficulties happen to every generation. This is one of ours.
What would you want future generations to know about the 2020 pandemic? How would you recommend they prepare for it?
Supply yourself for emergencies all the time. Be prepared so you can help others instead od needing help yourself.
How do you think this pandemic will change how we behave going forward? What will the “new normal” look like?
I believe we have not paid enough attention to pandemic possibilities for many years. Because it has always been an interest of mine, I have long thought more attention / money should go to the CDC. I think increased awareness of germ - control and public exposure will be the new normal and that is a good thing for all people at all times.
Is there anything else you would like to add that hasn't already been asked above?
Thank you for having "big city" library essentials available in Long Lake.
Dublin Core
Title
Melinda
Subject
COVID-19 (Disease)
Publisher
Southern Adirondack Library System
Date
11/17/2020
Contributor
Finger Lakes Library System
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Language
English
Type
Covid History
Identifier
12177304359
Coverage
Coronavirus Pandemic
Collection
Citation
“Melinda,” Leaving Our Fingerprints on History, accessed April 27, 2024, https://fingerprints.sals.edu/omeka/items/show/249.