COVID-19 is messing with life as we know it but it can’t stop spring. On Tuesday, I decided to stop by the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe and check it out.

I wasn’t alone.

Cars in the Chicago Botanic Garden parking lots. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The parking lot was jammed.

In the garden, people were everywhere (so much for social distancing). It was the middle of a workday but families were enjoying each others company, elderly couples were holding hands, photographers–some with iPhones and others with heavy duty equipment–were busy catching the early signs of spring. Others were sitting on benches soaking up the rays.

I didn’t see a lot of bees buzzing, flowers in full bloom or hear many birds singing, but I definitely saw those early signs of spring that are particularly welcome this year.

The leaves of the willow tree getting thicker. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The willow trees were swinging in the breeze, their leaves swelling with the promise of spring while a nearby robin, unaware of any quarantines, was busily gathering building materials for her nest where she will soon  welcome her new family.

Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

In the Garden’s Esplanade bulbs were breaking through the soil waking from their winter nap. Soon their annual color show will turn the brown landscape into a multi-colored carpet of tulips flooding the entire Esplanade in a sea of vibrant color.

Snowdrops. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The snowdrops–the first in the garden to awake from their winter slumber–started pushing their white bells up through snow in February. Currently they are the stars of the garden putting on a glorious show for all to see–no tickets required.

Chives. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The chives in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden were anxiously poking their green noses through the soil getting ready to lend their pungent flavor to all kinds of dishes. 

Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

A herald of early spring, Eranthis hyemalis, the yellow buttercup-like flowers are one of the earliest spring bloomers—and also among the smallest. They could be spotted popping up here and there throughout the garden adding a welcome bright splash of color to the leafy landscape.

Photo; Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

Lily families could be seen congregating in the Graham Bulb Garden where they’ve been welcoming new family members on a daily basis.

All this proving that nothing can stop Spring.

PLEASE NOTE: Sadly on Tuesday, March 17, the day I visited the Garden and took these photos, they closed at 5:00pm. to the public until April 30 due to the coronavirus.

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The question no longer is avoidable. The possible ruination of the U.S. economy at the hands of the extreme measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is a reasonable question that has become more and more urgent.

The question is again brought to the forefront by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shelter-in-place dictate for the state’s 40 million residents, a state whose $3-trillion-plus economy by itself is the fifth largest among the world’s nations.

The question was justifiably raised this morning by a Wall Street Journal editorial that observed, “No society can safeguard public health for long at the cost of its economic health.”

If this government-ordered shutdown continues for much more than another week or two, the human cost of job losses and bankruptcies will exceed what most Americans imagine. This won’t be popular to read in some quarters, but federal and state officials need to start adjusting their anti-virus strategy now to avoid an economic recession that will dwarf the harm from 2008-2009.

Asking this question does not make one a Cassandra. Or heartless. Just as  Covid-19 has cost lives and money, the economic downturn already is costing, not lives, but the livelihood of millions of Americans whose jobs and savings have disappeared.

How long will these measures last? Fourteen days? A month? Months? It’s hard to imagine the economic consequences of a nation of 330 million people going dark for any length of time. The Journal calls the impact of a coronavirus shutdown “a tsunami of economic destruction…”

At first, people wondered if the panic would lead America into recession. As the impact grew, they no longer wondered; a recession is a certainty. Now the question becomes, will it amount to a depression of historic proportions?  I fear it will.

[email protected]

www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

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Hi, Paula.
You’re right: almost everything that was on my calendar has been canceled. My mom’s residence won’t allow us in except in an emergency. I don’t argue with that, but it’s hard on a 92-year-old woman who lost her husband less than three months ago to not be able to see her children.

Teletherapy sounds like a good idea under the circumstances. Do your clients all have access to Skype?

Hi, Nancy.
I hear you can work from home. Hope that eases your apprehension.

Hi, Molly.
Thinking about you two [in Ireland] and hoping the travel restrictions aren’t cutting into what you want to do. Stay well and safe.

Hi, Rick.
It’s going to be weird for you with no games to watch. And what’s the Herald-News sports section doing with nothing to cover?

Hi, Shawna,
We can’t even look at Mom through a window — she’s on the third floor. My brother was denied entrance to the building over the weekend. The residents were told today that they would eat in their apartments. I understand the precautions, but can a 92-year-old widow go for weeks without human contact except the people who bring her food and medicine? We’ve all been trying to call at least once a day.

Hi, Leanne,
I’m not being very resourceful. I decided I want some sort of a room divider between my living room and alcove that doesn’t block the light or make the alcove feel like a closet. Have spent the bulk of the last couple of days Googling possibilities and trying to decide. Maybe tomorrow I’ll do something more productive (like taxes). Maybe not. I did say in the blog post that I wouldn’t pressure myself to do chores during this time.

Hi, Rick, Pat, and Nance,
I talked with Patti, the American House activities director. She said that they’re aware that older people have to stay engaged, so she’s putting out games that they can play in common areas. The rosary video will continue at 10 a.m. because few people come, so at least Mom has something to leave her apartment for once a day.

Hi, Jeannine.
Happy birthday! This will probably be the weirdest birthday you ever have, and I hope you find a way to celebrate.

Hi, Ash.
I’m sorry you had to cancel your spring break trip, but I’m proud of you for doing the responsible thing.

Hi, Sarah.
Maybe some kids off school would like to make cards to send great-grandma.

Hi, Leanne,
Thanks for sending the doggie tales, and please keep them coming. You are entertaining your friends as well as your grandkids.

Hi, JoAnn.
I’m okay but don’t feel I’m using my time especially well. I’d said I was going to go easy on myself and not force myself to do chores — but I’m not even doing edifying things like watching good movies. I spent the better part of the last few days searching online for a narrow divider between my living room and office alcove to hide my messy desk. Finally settled on bamboo blinds, which I intend to order this morning so that I can stop obsessing.

I have been grocery shopping and taking walks. Getting out helps.

It’s going to be weird not to have church during Holy Week.

Hi, Sandie,
The doorman is going to ask you for an ID. If you don’t want to show one, just call me and I’ll come down.

Got the Siskel Center mailing for April — wonder whether there’s reason to look at it.

It’ll be great to see you and do something normal [Scrabble].

Hi, Joan.
My neighborhood is still busier than you said yours is in Evanston — auto traffic and people on the sidewalks, though not as many as usual.

You asked about what my building is doing. We finally got a notice yesterday. The hospitality room, business center (where the books and magazines are), and storage locker room are closed. We, not the doormen, have to open the lobby doors with our own key fobs. We have to hoof down to the first floor with our recycling instead of leaving it in the floor trash room. Go down to the lobby to get food deliveries. Not ask for any maintenance help unless it’s urgent. Email or call the management office instead of dropping in. Limit visitors.

Hi, Nance.
Any word on whether Alex will have trouble returning from Mexico?

Hi, Marge.
Thanks for checking in. I’m not sure there’s much difference between the limitations here and the sheltering in place that you Californians are doing. I’ll print out your email and the photos and send them to my mom; they will enliven her day.

Hi, Molly,
Glad you’re back safe and sound. I’ve been getting out for walks and grocery shopping. Not much else to get out for. It does feel isolating.

ANTI-TRUMP QUOTATIONS: 105TH IN AN ONGOING SERIES

“How can anyone have confidence in his or her government when the leader continues to brag in the face of widespread evidence of incompetence?”
— Michael D’Antonio, CNN

While many would often first compare the current coronavirus pandemic that we’re facing to the Spanish Flu and World War I, there’s another way to look at it. Maybe this more like WWII, where every single facet of our daily lives was altered (we’re certainly at that point now), and every single one of us changed our daily habits to aid the war effort.

It’s a full on mobilization- whatever you do everyday for work, now you do work that helps the cause. During WWII the car companies switched to making tanks. If everybody does their part, it all adds up, and soon we get through, triumphantly, to the other side of the pandemic.

One such example is Chelsea FC, a southwestern London football/soccer club. Reputable worldwide for their recent success and popular stateside because it’s the club where the most expensive American soccer player in history plays (Christian Pulisic, who was acquired from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019 for $58 million), when Chelsea does something important, it draws awareness.

To combat the COVID19 pandemic, and the shortage in hospital beds that we’ll see if the UK doesn’t flatten the curve, the club is making the team hotel at their home stadium, Stamford Bridge, available to the sick.

The club’s owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s 200 richest men, is picking up the tab. Again while this itself is not a huge game changer, these things all add up. If everyone takes the coronavirus pandemic seriously, and does their part, we’ll beat this thing.

And while our current situation is indeed extremely serious, there is no need to be full on gloom and doom all the time. It would be a lot better for morale if the news outlets here in America would give more attention to any and all of the following eight developments. Perhaps they do not because a lot of the progress is being made overseas, and American media is notoriously ignorant of what is going on outside our borders.

Perhaps they spend less time on these kinds of stories because they do not attract the types of ratings numbers that fear or anger inducing segments do. That is the number one rule of television, keep people watching, and nothing grips you to the tube like fear or anger. (Social media platforms operate this way as well)

Whatever the case, read on about these eight different groups of scientists working on cures and/or a vaccine. They are the real heroes now and should they succeed, this will indeed be their finest hour. So share these developments, in the coronavirus pandemic, with friends and family.

EU Says Germans Could Have a Vaccine Before Autumn

Typically, phrases like “the Germans are on the move, they have a plan!” does NOT put the world at ease, but in this case it’s the opposite. We keep hearing that a vaccine could take a year to a year and a half to come to market. However, Germany and the European Union could actually have that ready in a few months.

South Korea Has Provided the Blueprint on How to Flatten the Curve

“Trace, test, treat” is the phrase that best summates the secret to their success in combating the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, they’ve been through this kind of thing before, with MERS, so they have better experience when it comes to containment. Go here for more on the secrets to their success.

Canadian Scientists have Isolated the Virus

This means they now have the ability to map the DNA, and through sequencing the virus’ building blocks of life, you can then develop a way to kill the infection off. Listen to a news segment on this development here.

French Have a Treatment Regimen that Seems to Be Working

Azithromycin (AZT, the drug used with HIV patients) plus plaquenil gets results in treating COVID-19 patients

A glimmer of hope on #COVID2019 from a French lab: plaquenil combined with azithromycin cured patients in a matter of days. This is a small scale non-randomized clinical trial but still promising results… https://t.co/TpD57CiuqG pic.twitter.com/yzBerdHWWa

— Xavier Didelot (@XavierDidelot) March 17, 2020

Australia also claims to have a cure

According to the Daily Mail, the two drugs are Chloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, and HIV-suppressing combination lopinavir/ritonavir. It is of course, extremely important to remember that 1.) some of these drugs have nasty side effects and 2.) we’re a long way from generalizability for the population at large. 

China Health Official Says Japanese Flu Treatment Gets Results 

Shares in Japanese concern Fujifilm Toyama Chemical soared this week because they’re the makers of Favipiravir, an influenza drug that gets results, according to a leading Chinese Health Department official. Again, be cautiously, optimistic with all these developments as much more testing is needed for external validity beyond anecdotal evidence.

Human Trials Have Already Begun on a Vaccine in Seattle 

A Q&A, via CrossCut, with Dr. Deborah Fuller, a vaccinologist and professor of microbiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Knoxville Scientists, Aided By a Supercomputer are Working on a Cure

Knoxville is about to be known for something much bigger than the Sunsphere from the 1982 World’s Fair, and The Simpsons episode depicting it.

Via Go Vols

With the help of Summit, the world’s most powerful supercomputer, through a partnership between the University of Tennessee and the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory, researchers tested how more than 8,000 chemical compounds interacted with the virus, according to a report this week from Knoxville’s WBIR-TV.

Of course, there will be a lot of tough times ahead, and things will get worse before they get better. However, we know the enemy now and there is an abundance of progress already being made by medical science. There’s no reason to think we won’t ultimately get through the coronavirus pandemic.

Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No,  I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation. 

You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.

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I love a free trial. I make it a personal goal to cancel before I’m charged for subsequent months. I note the cancellation date in my calendar. I also note it for a few days before the deadline so it’s fresh in my mind and I don’t forget. When I cancel it’s a personal victory and a feeling so satisfying you’d think it actually mattered.

Disney +  is offering a free 7 day trial. I went for it since my kids have been asking for it and we have so much home time. I thought the purchase was mostly for them. I explored what it offers and it had me at Encore.

Before I continue I should establish that I am a card carrying musical theatre geek. I know, I know. I come off as totally “snatched”, “Gucci”, “sic” (as the kids say) but really I use to stage entire musicals in my childhood living room while singing along to Broadway soundtracks.

Theatre in grade school and high school defined and saved me. Not only did it give me purpose, passion, a sense of belonging and joy it gave me my career track and the world I would engage in the rest of my life. Thank God.

Encore is a high school reunion on steroids. Alumni from a high school musical theatre department come together to re-stage and perform a show they performed back then. To make the stakes even higher they do it all in one week. Some of the casts are from 28 years ago and some are from 10.

These folk have history, life experience, regrets, unrealized dreams, successes and fails. All of them share the desire to get that moment in the spotlight back for one night. As Kristin Bell the producer and host says,

“Being on stage feels like someone else but also more yourself than you’ve ever felt.”

That says it all. As a professional actress some gigs are just a pay check; not life changing. Sometimes you have the opportunity to remember all the reasons you first fell in love with theatre and dedicated your life to a career where there is more rejection than glory.

I had one of those transformative experiences with School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play at The Goodman Theatre which sadly was suspended last week due to the coronoavirus. I played the role of Headmistress Francis the matriarch of an all girls school in Ghana. The entire process was fulfilling and rewarding.

There is a moment where I stand center stage with 7 other Black women around me and with an amplified voice from the depths of my being say “HEY!” in order to bring the chaos happening to a halt. In that moment,

“Being on stage felt like someone else but also more myself than I’ve ever felt.”

It was a powerful window into my inner strength and my potential. I’ll never forget it.

The cast, artistic staff & crew at The Goodman

Every episode of Encore has brought sweet tears to my eyes whether it’s a member of the cast having a breakthrough or another expressing a pain from their past or present. These people are in a safe place where they can have the courage to let themselves be seen in all their vulnerability. That is the potential of theatre for a performer and for an audience.

Seeing the family members watch their loved ones have their moment on stage again is one of my favorite parts. In particular the delight on the faces of the children as their parent is the center of attention. The spouses with their proud grins and parents beaming with pride is heart expanding.

My children and husband came to see my final performance of School Girls and imagining them seated in the audience with those kinds of looks on their faces makes me want to ugly cry in a good way. I’m so grateful.

I highly recommend Encore on Disney +. I don’t think I’m going to cancel it either. My kids are loving it and I keep finding more things I want to watch.

Disney + if you’d like me to do at home commercials for your platform please contact me. I certainly have the time.

What are you watching? Please share in the comments below.

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For oft, when on my couch I lie

in vacant or in pensive mood,

They fall upon that inward eye

which is the bliss of solitude;

and then my heart with pleasure fills,

and dances with the daffodils.

— “The Daffodils” by William Wordsworth

This has been one of my favorite poems for much of my life. The joy of memory, the pain of nostalgia, and the bliss of having time alone to think, read and write — all familiar things to me — are there in Wordsworth’s poem.

But “the bliss of solitude” is beginning to ring hollow now that the only company I have is phone calls, texts, and the occasional clerk or shopper in the neighborhood. I’m writing this in the library, conscious that I may not be able to get out tomorrow.

Yes, I need my time alone, but this is a bit much even for me. I find myself turning the radio on to hear a different voice in the morning.

I picked up a takeout meal last night, and I had to wait for a few minutes at the corner restaurant I want to support when I can. But I caught myself thinking “I haven’t done this since before the war,” without meaning September 2001.

That’s all for now. I’ll be back when I can.

Margaret Serious has a page on Facebook.

SELF-ISOLATION, DAY 4

Good morning everyone! Here is Day 4! More than that for many in the world, but it is my DAY 4.

I want to say that I am not wearing rose-colored glasses. No Polyanna. In fact my glasses are conventional except they do this dark-tinting thing in the sun. Does not stop me from keeping my attitude, my mood up. If it gets down, some of you please reach out to me. I appreciate that some people enjoy my blog thing. As I have said, I am not even sure why I do this except that in my life, when something really affects me, I write about it. OMG, the sun just broke through the clouds! I need to go out and walk in it. I will finish this later.

So, I’m back. There is a real disparity between those people who are not allowed to go to work, or are unemployed, and those who still need to go to work. In particular, healthcare workers, police and fire. Also, pharmacy workers and grocery store workers. I am one of those and will see if any measures are being taken to enforce social-distancing as I experienced at a local pharmacy.

Music. I enjoy music. It can make my day. I have no talent. As the saying goes, I only know how to play the radio. I do sing…badly. But I only sing at home when no one is listening except my dog and she does not seem to mind. There is an almost endless supply of online music. People are coming up with innovative ways to put on a music display. Someone posted a short piece on FB by the Chino Hills Choir, I believe. Most likely from California. These high school kids synchronized a performance with the background of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Really beautiful. It is on You Tube.

Also, DO NOT FORGET TO FILL OUT YOUR ONLINE CENSUS FORM, if you received one. No excuses.

OK, stay in touch with family and friends. Let us keep track of each other.

Stay safe and well out there. Stay together and believe in the higher powers.

March 20, 20202

If you have a birthday coming up, I hope that you can still find ways to make it fun. Here are 12 ways that I’m celebrating this year:

Scrolling through my phone. Thank Google for social media. Even without Coronavirus, I think we usually appreciate the “Happy Birthday” texts and posts, but especially now. We’ve also gotten friendly with FaceTime and Marco Polo.

Going for a run AND showering. I ran outside this morning for the first time in four months. And then I showered! And shaved! And put on makeup!

Eating breakfast in bed. My oldest made this request at his eight birthday, and it’s become a family tradition. I improved on this tradition this morning by asking for cupcakes. #dessertforbreakfast

Doing zero dishes. Another tradition we have is no chores for the birthday boy. In my case, I couldn’t see skipping all chores as the mom, so I’m going to avoid my least favorite one. 😉

Taking family walks. This is something I love to do, and everyone else…does not. But guess what we’ve been doing every day for a week? Walking twice a day, that’s what!

Drinking rose all day. Okay, I have to be honest: it’s actually Prosecco.

Napping on the couch. I tend to reserve nap time for Sunday afternoons, but birthdays are an exception. And actually, I lied again: I’m writing this post instead of napping.

Having MY turn with Alexa. “Baby Shark?” Nope. “Dance Monkey?” Nah-uh. The sweetest words I’ve ever heard out of my child’s mouth: “Alexa- shuffle songs by Shakira.” 

Learning “Thriller” with my boys. Last night, my five year old asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I love experiences, and so we’re going to set aside time every few days to learn the dance. Under normal circumstances, we’d probably never do something like this. #coronabucketlist

Dining in my at-home restaurant. On Sunday, the eight year old and I planned out our dinner menu, with two choices in the drink, appetizer, entree, and dessert category. He’s going to take the order like an actual restaurant. And I’m going to do zero dishes (remember?).

Watching “The Greatest Showman.” Friday is our movie night, but (no surprise) it’s usually kids’ choice. Not tonight. Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, please!

Enjoying Saturday homemade brunch. Going out for brunch is one thing that I’ll miss, but we’ve gotten pretty good at making this meal at home. Bacon wrapped dates and chicken and waffles, anyone?