Waterlogged! Yet history suggests ...

No, I am not referring to the downpour and thunderstorms of 24th April here in Florida [much needed due to current drought conditions].  Rather I mean my "over-washed" hands! However it is more than my hands that are beginning to feel antsy --

Florida is a weird state at the best of times, so now #FloridaMorons is trending - I give up!'

One Florida resident is now taking to wearing a grim reaper costume and walking the beaches to protest their 'premature opening' [ie like Jacksonville]. Look 1600's familiar? Read on ....

source: The Patch

Now let's put this all into a historical perspective. Extracted from the Museum of London:

"The Great Plague of 1665 was the last major plague in England. The outbreak began in London in February. Within seven months 100,000 Londoners (20% or one-fifth of the population) were dead. Many fled the capital to escape the disease. Victims were shut in their homes and a red cross was painted on the door with the words ‘Lord have mercy upon us’. The theatres and other public entertainments such as football were banned to stop the disease spreading. 

now we wear masks vs 1500s rule of carring a
white stick to warn others away
picture:  https://daily.jstor.org/

Many people believed the plague spread through bad air so they smoked tobacco to stop any bad air entering their lungs.  . .People’s lives and businesses suffered terribly because so many were shut in their homes. One eyewitness said that London became so quiet that every day was like a Sunday and grass started to grow in the streets. Many were forced to beg or steal food and money because the plague had such a bad effect on trade.

Once the plague was over, the population of London recovered surprisingly quickly. . .There was a sudden rise in the number of marriages and births." 

For my American friends, reference the 1918 Pandemic in Philadelphia when a parade arranged to rally war bond efforts was not cancelled despite medical advice which led to the rapid spread of the Spanish flu and overwhelmed hospitals.

social distancing? 4/27
before the reopening

Looks like the grim reaper has lost/won ... my county which shut beaches on 19 March is reopening them on 4th May with hotel/condo pools opening on 30th April (just announced 28th).

Deaths rising at one of the largest one-day increases in recent weeks. Beach lounging has already begun to pick up and nothing has 'opened' yet.

Social distancing to be in place  . . . but what do you think will happen??

To counter this weirdness .... well, maybe distract from .. I have been researching and writing up my family histories into little picture books with vignettes along with a 700+ strong family tree. And of course crafting ...





Out our window today (27 April) we saw a large black blob in the water moving slowly north just beyond the offshore sandbar and inside the swim buoys - what was it - a school of cownose rays -- and yes they can sting you if you step on them!

See the black blob more or less in the middle of the picture  ---?