Reading back through the wuhan coronavirus thread from page 1 is eerie

[Ginevra]

I mean...it’s just so strange. @Carrie12345 has one of the earliest accuratepredictions of what *could* happen. 

I wasn’t reading this thread when it first started because my MIL was staying here and I spent little time on this site in january because of it. It was during my trip to Europe in mid February that I started reading on that thread. I’m really grateful for all the information posted on there by numerous people, particularly @Ausmumof3, @Pen And @Arcadia. Had I not been following along, I expect I would have been very confused by the news rhetoric going on here. So thank you. 

Ausmum said something about how relaying information was “like [her] love language.” I think that’s an interesting idea. 

[katilac]

I was just thinking I wanted to read it again! 

[Arctic Bunny]

Every time I tell DH, my homeschooling board is saying x, he’s like, okay, let’s do it, just so we stay ahead!

[mlktwins]

8 minutes ago, arctic_bunny said:

Every time I tell DH, my homeschooling board is saying x, he’s like, okay, let’s do it, just so we stay ahead!

Mine too!

 

[mlktwins]

16 minutes ago, Quill said:

I mean...it’s just so strange. @Carrie12345 has one of the earliest accuratepredictions of what *could* happen. 

I wasn’t reading this thread when it first started because my MIL was staying here and I spent little time on this site in january because of it. It was during my trip to Europe in mid February that I started reading on that thread. I’m really grateful for all the information posted on there by numerous people, particularly @Ausmumof3, @Pen And @Arcadia. Had I not been following along, I expect I would have been very confused by the news rhetoric going on here. So thank you. 

Ausmum said something about how relaying information was “like [her] love language.” I think that’s an interesting idea. 

I started the other day, but stopped.  It made me cry 😞 !

I was looking for an update from you about your daughter.  What is her status?

[Ausmumof3]

I 100 percent would not have been paying attention if it weren’t for the thread and this forum so also a thanks to garden mom, Susan wise Bauer especially.

[Pawz4me]

People are being advised to journal about it, to make personal, written records for history. And I think that's a fabulous idea. But my goodness if that thread could be saved for posterity--how awesome would that be?

Edited March 19, 2020 by Pawz4me

[Carrie12345]

57 minutes ago, Quill said:

I mean...it’s just so strange. @Carrie12345 has one of the earliest accuratepredictions of what *could* happen. 

I wasn’t reading this thread when it first started because my MIL was staying here and I spent little time on this site in january because of it. It was during my trip to Europe in mid February that I started reading on that thread. I’m really grateful for all the information posted on there by numerous people, particularly @Ausmumof3, @Pen And @Arcadia. Had I not been following along, I expect I would have been very confused by the news rhetoric going on here. So thank you. 

Ausmum said something about how relaying information was “like [her] love language.” I think that’s an interesting idea. 

So what’s my prize? I’m guessing not toilet paper.

I’ve lost my taste for sharing my instincts about the future.

[Guest]

53 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

I started the other day, but stopped.  It made me cry 😞 !

I was looking for an update from you about your daughter.  What is her status?

She is back home, quarantined primarily to her bedroom/bathroom, although she ate lunch on the patio, six feet from her brother. We’re also about to eat dinner out there “together” too. 

She is not experiencing any symptoms. 

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

So what’s my prize? I’m guessing not toilet paper.

I’ve lost my taste for sharing my instincts about the future.

Right? It’s not something anyone would have wanted to have the “winning” prediction about. 

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

People are being advised to journal about it, to make personal, written records for history. And I think that's a fabulous idea. But my goodness if that thread could be saved for posterity--how awesome would that be?

Im definitely doing this. Also, I am going to add in a sub-narrative in my photo book as I make a record of my travels. I did write about it some in my travel journal and, between that record and the original thread here, it’s pretty comprehensive. 

 

[Guest]

I also told my dd that she should make a Vlog for during quarantine. 

[I talk to the trees]

I don’t think we have had a thread that long since the Great Cupcake Kerfuffle. 😞I wish it was just another thread about cupcakes...or shopping carts...heck! I’d even welcome a troll with a new “controversy” for us to debate! 

[cintinative]

On 3/19/2020 at 7:52 PM, I talk to the trees said:

I don’t think we have had a thread that long since the Great Cupcake Kerfuffle. 😞I wish it was just another thread about cupcakes...or shopping carts...heck! I’d even welcome a troll with a new “controversy” for us to debate! 

 

I am unfamiliar with the cupcake kerfuffle.  How did a cupcake inspire such a long thread?

[Guest]

3 hours ago, cintinative said:

 

I am unfamiliar with the cupcake kerfuffle.  How did a cupcake inspire such a long thread?

It was started by a poster who was furious about being required to bring in cupcakes for her child’s birthday - might have been Kindergarten or something? - don’t really remember the details, but she was super mad about the cupcakes. So it turned into sort of a jokey thread with people posting they were Team Cupcake or whatever. 5his was before we got in big trouble for posting licensed photos without attribution and the thread got extremely long with a bunch of jokey photos in it. 

[ElizabethB]

On 3/19/2020 at 5:52 PM, I talk to the trees said:

I don’t think we have had a thread that long since the Great Cupcake Kerfuffle. 😞I wish it was just another thread about cupcakes...or shopping carts...heck! I’d even welcome a troll with a new “controversy” for us to debate! 

Yes, it would be much better!  Even crock pots, which got quite (pun intended) heated.  Shoes are an entirely different matter, the shoe thread had some strong opinions.

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, StellaM said:

I was entirely not bothered by the entire thing in those first few pages. 

I definitely did not anticipate how things have turned out! so never call on my powers of prediction!

But, do you know, I think I prefer that I couldn't see what was coming?

That was actually the job of government (they failed), but for me, it would just have meant borrowing trouble. As it was, I focused on getting to know my new students, getting my girls settled in their new places, making progress on other things in therapy, listening to good music....I'm glad none of things were 'contaminated' by fear of what was to come. 

 

 

The way all this went down in the US...it was handled so inappropriately by people in a leadership position. I am truly grateful that I started reading that thread when I did, which was around mid-February because I was way better prepared for how things might be by the time I got back from Europe. 

I know many people who felt completely blind-sided when our President closed down travel in and out of Europe. That message was such a reversal of the previous rhetoric that some people were completely stunned. 

Also, I had a good toilet paper supply from before I went away! 

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, StellaM said:

 

Oh yes, definitely. 

I was thinking more of the first few weeks, when news was just coming out of Wuhan, and there was no certainty at all that it would become a global pandemic. 

Same. In the first weeks, like in December and beginning of January, I was literally the one in my household saying, “Oh, this news channel...it just loves to hype up anything. Remember how they hyped Ebola? SARS? Zika? They just live to freak everyone out!” Then, weirdly, the official message of said news station changed to minimizing. Right about the same time I started thinking this really could become a serious issue. 

I saw a montage of how certain news anchors changed their story about this virus so drastically from Feb to March. I mean they truly just look like a bunch of asshats now. 

I truly cannot stand people who can’t confess they were mistaken. 

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, StellaM said:

 

The very first WTM thread I posted on was the Tiger Mom one. 

And I got so scared by the posters here that I didn't post again for about a year. 

Imagine the luxury of arguing about whether mothers should let their children go to the loo during piano practice now!

Haha, that Tiger Mom thread! 

I joined here originally when my first kid was around six years old, but I was extremely intimidated by the rigorousness of some classical homeschoolers. I mostly lurked and didn’t post, and I didn’t come here much. I remember talking to an IRL friend who was also a member who rarely posted. She said, “Oh, yeah...Well-Trained Mind...I only go there when I want to feel inadequate.” 😄

I remember several posters who were doing like three different math curriculums for their first grader because they were worried about gaps otherwise. I couldn’t hang with that, lol! 

[LMD]

On 3/20/2020 at 10:28 AM, Carrie12345 said:

So what’s my prize? I’m guessing not toilet paper.

I’ve lost my taste for sharing my instincts about the future.

My dh, who stocked up in January when the news started coming out of China, said it would have been nice to be wrong on this one...

[ktgrok]

I fully admit to being a bit too..naive I guess? I figured I already order groceries now, so what would be the issue in a quarantine situation? I failed to consider the totally empty shelves lasting for weeks. I also thought initially only people who were positive would be in lock down, not whole counties/states. 

[Guest]

On 3/29/2020 at 9:32 AM, Ktgrok said:

I fully admit to being a bit too..naive I guess? I figured I already order groceries now, so what would be the issue in a quarantine situation? I failed to consider the totally empty shelves lasting for weeks. I also thought initially only people who were positive would be in lock down, not whole counties/states. 

It is true I never even had a mental category for “weeks and weeks of grocery stores with totally empty shelves.” I have never experienced that in my lifetime; the closest thing being a panic-buy before a snowstorm, and those resolve after a couple of days and usually only affect a few items. 

I admit to being a bit naive wrt a country returning its citizens back from abroad. Up until the day my dd abruptly decided to come home, I literally did not think there could be a scenario of “too late; you are now to remain abroad for the indefinite future.” I didn't even fully appreciate how completely trans-atlantic flights were about to cease. Some carriers are not flying at all. 

One of my dd’s friends who was in the same program did not come home and is now pretty much stuck there. The only bright spot is that her father has dual citizenship and she has other family in France. But it’s not ideal. 

[Carrie12345]

On 3/29/2020 at 9:32 AM, Ktgrok said:

I fully admit to being a bit too..naive I guess? I figured I already order groceries now, so what would be the issue in a quarantine situation? I failed to consider the totally empty shelves lasting for weeks. I also thought initially only people who were positive would be in lock down, not whole counties/states. 

I don’t think naïveté is the accurate word. I do think that we’re all programmed to respond based on what we know to be true combined with what we *believe to be true/likely/possible, and that all varies by individual experience and personality.

I see problems/holes/danger everywhere.  I actually feel pretty lucky that I’m able to go about a relatively normal life considering my disastrous outlook, lol. Or maybe it’s because I have 3 plans for every scenario that I’m able to. Regardless, I know that isn’t how most “normal” people look at the world.

[Excelsior! Academy]

On 3/19/2020 at 5:36 PM, arctic_bunny said:

Every time I tell DH, my homeschooling board is saying x, he’s like, okay, let’s do it, just so we stay ahead!

 

This.

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I don’t think naïveté is the accurate word. I do think that we’re all programmed to respond based on what we know to be true combined with what we *believe to be true/likely/possible, and that all varies by individual experience and personality.

I see problems/holes/danger everywhere.  I actually feel pretty lucky that I’m able to go about a relatively normal life considering my disastrous outlook, lol. Or maybe it’s because I have 3 plans for every scenario that I’m able to. Regardless, I know that isn’t how most “normal” people look at the world.

I wasn’t sure if I should “like” your post, because I’m sure that is sometimes a difficult tendency or ability to have. 

I remember when I was reading the book “Unthinkable,” which was about how people respond to tragedy/catastrophe/extremely stressful situations. It said repeatedly that the people most likely to survive and/or rescue others in a tragedy were people who are always alert to possible bad outcomes. Many are military, former military, law enforcement or first responders. People like this automatically do things like: listen to evacuation instructions on an airplane, know where emergency exits are, even notice security flaws and create a contingency plan in their minds. It may seem on the surface like these people are biased to the negative, but we know that such people frequently make the difference in lives lost when something tragic happens. 

In this extremely strange situation,  those of you who saw this possibility quite early have helped many more-sanguine people who would otherwise have just been planning our European vacation with little thought to how much this could change in the last two weeks of February. (Speaking for myself!) The thread on this forum was literally the only place mid-Feb where I was seeing these things expressed. No - wait - I did have ONE friend on FB who said in February that this virus already had met two of three criteria for pandemic and should not be disregarded. But that’s it. Everything else I was hearing was dismissive. 

[ktgrok]

44 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I don’t think naïveté is the accurate word. I do think that we’re all programmed to respond based on what we know to be true combined with what we *believe to be true/likely/possible, and that all varies by individual experience and personality.

I see problems/holes/danger everywhere.  I actually feel pretty lucky that I’m able to go about a relatively normal life considering my disastrous outlook, lol. Or maybe it’s because I have 3 plans for every scenario that I’m able to. Regardless, I know that isn’t how most “normal” people look at the world.

What's crazy is my DH is like you usually. His job is literally to think of worst case scenarios. He's programmed by life experiences and training and personality to think of the negative. And yet even he was slow on the draw with this. Honestly, I was more on it than he was. But, i have more biology training. So I think he underestimated the actual virus, and I didn't. But I underestimated the panick and supply chain issue. Had he fully understood the virus, he would have known what to do to prepare. So we each had part of it, but not all of it, and we've been so busy we didn't really coordinate enough. 

I suppose that is one life lesson I've gotten from this - he and I work better together. And need to communicate more?

[Selkie]

44 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I don’t think naïveté is the accurate word. I do think that we’re all programmed to respond based on what we know to be true combined with what we *believe to be true/likely/possible, and that all varies by individual experience and personality.

I see problems/holes/danger everywhere.  I actually feel pretty lucky that I’m able to go about a relatively normal life considering my disastrous outlook, lol. Or maybe it’s because I have 3 plans for every scenario that I’m able to. Regardless, I know that isn’t how most “normal” people look at the world.

I'm hypervigilant, too, and so are my three kids. I'm pretty sure it's embedded in our DNA. It's often a pain to be this way, but it sure comes in handy during a pandemic.🙂

[RootAnn]

39 minutes ago, Selkie said:

I'm hypervigilant, too, and so are my three kids. I'm pretty sure it's embedded in our DNA. It's often a pain to be this way, but it sure comes in handy during a pandemic.🙂

My anxious kid takes this to an extreme, but she probably got it from me and from my mom. Plan for the worse & you probably won't need the plans. But if you do, you are prepared.

The US (and WHO) "experts" assuring everyone early on about how COVID19 acts based on previous experience & not based on reports out of China (which, I understand, aren't the most trust-worthy usually) really annoys me.

[Katy]

2 hours ago, Quill said:

I wasn’t sure if I should “like” your post, because I’m sure that is sometimes a difficult tendency or ability to have. 

I remember when I was reading the book “Unthinkable,” which was about how people respond to tragedy/catastrophe/extremely stressful situations. It said repeatedly that the people most likely to survive and/or rescue others in a tragedy were people who are always alert to possible bad outcomes. Many are military, former military, law enforcement or first responders. People like this automatically do things like: listen to evacuation instructions on an airplane, know where emergency exits are, even notice security flaws and create a contingency plan in their minds. It may seem on the surface like these people are biased to the negative, but we know that such people frequently make the difference in lives lost when something tragic happens. 

In this extremely strange situation,  those of you who saw this possibility quite early have helped many more-sanguine people who would otherwise have just been planning our European vacation with little thought to how much this could change in the last two weeks of February. (Speaking for myself!) The thread on this forum was literally the only place mid-Feb where I was seeing these things expressed. No - wait - I did have ONE friend on FB who said in February that this virus already had met two of three criteria for pandemic and should not be disregarded. But that’s it. Everything else I was hearing was dismissive. 

 

It's ALWAYS a good idea to count how many rows to the emergency exits both before & after you on a plane.  Because if you have to evacuate there's a good chance there will be smoke, limited visibility, and you'll be crawling on your hands and knees.   Just like how it's a good idea to hold the steering wheel at 8 & 4 instead of 10 & 2.  The chance you'll get in a wreck and have your airbags deploy in any given trip are low, but if you do get into that wreck one of the most common injuries is a broken arm from the airbag.  Holding the steering wheel lower makes your arms less likely to break.

I was never in the military, but my parents, my brother, one brother in law, and my ex were.  And my dad made sure we knew how to survive.  At times I've questioned if my desire to keep months of food in the pantry was silly.  When this is over I'll probably keep a year's supply for everyone in my family and extended family for the rest of my life. And we'll probably make sure our next house is acreage in the country where gardening is allowed vs the HOA controlled place we live now.  Hopefully this will never happen again and my grandchildren will be rolling their eyes when they clean out my house.

[Jaybee]

I'm pretty vigilant about things as well, but it was that thread that put this situation on my radar. I really wasn't hearing it from other places much. Even now, that's where I go to keep up with the latest outside of my community/state. I started quietly adding things to my grocery list--not to hoard, but to have more than just that week's needs in the house. And I've added a couple of things here and there that I wouldn't normally have on hand until needed. So I am very grateful to you all for upping my awareness of what was going on. ❤️ 

[duckabell]

I'm a long-time lurker, but I thought I'd chime in. There are two moments (so far) that I think I'll always remember when it comes to this virus. The first is when I saw the Coronavirus thread in Jan(?) and read the three or four pages while watching a show in bed. I remember thinking this could be something to pay attention to. And I did keep visiting the thread over the next few months.

My undergrad was in public health. And although I haven't held a job in that field, I remember wondering when our country would do more testing and contact tracing, even when there were just a few cases. I also wondered why we didn't do more at the airports. Topics that were also mentioned in this forum.

The second moment was when I came home from book club on a Wed night and then learned the NBA and other major leagues cancelled games and Trump had banned some flights. It seemed to all happen so fast, when it did happen, and happen while I was away at book club.

I appreciate this forum. Even though I don't homeschool, I value this forum for the support you show to each other, the variety of opinions that are still respectful to each other, and the wisdom. Because of this forum, I shopped for a little extra a few weeks before everyone else and felt more prepared. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Katy said:

 

It's ALWAYS a good idea to count how many rows to the emergency exits both before & after you on a plane.  Because if you have to evacuate there's a good chance there will be smoke, limited visibility, and you'll be crawling on your hands and knees.   Just like how it's a good idea to hold the steering wheel at 8 & 4 instead of 10 & 2.  The chance you'll get in a wreck and have your airbags deploy in any given trip are low, but if you do get into that wreck one of the most common injuries is a broken arm from the airbag.  Holding the steering wheel lower makes your arms less likely to break.

I was never in the military, but my parents, my brother, one brother in law, and my ex were.  And my dad made sure we knew how to survive.  At times I've questioned if my desire to keep months of food in the pantry was silly.  When this is over I'll probably keep a year's supply for everyone in my family and extended family for the rest of my life. And we'll probably make sure our next house is acreage in the country where gardening is allowed vs the HOA controlled place we live now.  Hopefully this will never happen again and my grandchildren will be rolling their eyes when they clean out my house.

Here, here. 

Several years ago, I became very interested in sustainable living stuff. I canned more vegetables than in prior years, grew herbs and dried them, got chickens. I never made it quite to the ultimate level, but I sure am glad I got as far as I did. I’m tremendously grateful for my chickens now (even though I only have three now and they are old) because I am not out of eggs and have even been able to share some with others. I have a seed-starting shelf unit dh made me and gave me a few years ago, so I am able to get my gardening going even though I can’t really leave my house. 

[Carrie12345]

22 hours ago, Quill said:

I wasn’t sure if I should “like” your post, because I’m sure that is sometimes a difficult tendency or ability to have. 

I remember when I was reading the book “Unthinkable,” which was about how people respond to tragedy/catastrophe/extremely stressful situations. It said repeatedly that the people most likely to survive and/or rescue others in a tragedy were people who are always alert to possible bad outcomes. Many are military, former military, law enforcement or first responders. People like this automatically do things like: listen to evacuation instructions on an airplane, know where emergency exits are, even notice security flaws and create a contingency plan in their minds. It may seem on the surface like these people are biased to the negative, but we know that such people frequently make the difference in lives lost when something tragic happens. 

In this extremely strange situation,  those of you who saw this possibility quite early have helped many more-sanguine people who would otherwise have just been planning our European vacation with little thought to how much this could change in the last two weeks of February. (Speaking for myself!) The thread on this forum was literally the only place mid-Feb where I was seeing these things expressed. No - wait - I did have ONE friend on FB who said in February that this virus already had met two of three criteria for pandemic and should not be disregarded. But that’s it. Everything else I was hearing was dismissive. 

I truly appreciate that, Quill.  I’ve been going through all sorts of weird emotions and thoughts, including the whole “even a broken clock...” concept. Just because I called it doesn’t mean I’m not crazy, right? Lol. 

I’ve added that book to my list, since I’m not sure if it’s a good time to read it, but I do want to.  Most of the people around me (figuratively for those not in my household these days, lol) are EMTs, firefighters, military, hunters, and “woodsy people” big on survival skills. We don’t all follow the same trajectory, but there definitely are a lot of similarities.

I know that, in all my preparedness thoughts, pandemic was NEVER at the top of my list, which is kind of funny.