Grounded.

Essentially, the world has been grounded.

World, you've been naughty. Stay in your room and do your homework for the next two to six weeks. 

A friend says this is God's way of telling us to slow down, to be grateful for the many things we take for granted. I can kind of see that -- and I do believe that God can make good out of bad -- but you'd think we'd still be able to go to church.

All the religious outfits in town have closed, except for things like emergency food distribution. Religious services are nonexistent, and groups that normally rent church space, like people renting a hall, or AA or NA or Al-Anon groups, or even the local Weight Watchers meeting, have been left homeless for the time being. Ditto with all schools and nighttime school events.

I'm not sure what to make of the fact that our favorite local Chinese takeout was shuttered last night, and will be for the duration of hostilities. So I went to get pizza instead. I was surprised to realize I had not left the compound all day. The town was very quiet for a Saturday night. The movie theater was closed, of course; the barbershop that stays open late, the library, so many other places, too. A lot of the restaurants have just given up for the present, or maybe forever. The pizzeria, always a bustling joint, was a ghost of its regular self. With no table service allowed, it was terribly quiet. Normally there are a stack of pizza boxes on the oven, waiting for their owners; last night mine was the only one.

Of the few cars around, half were being driven by idiots, so I guess some ratios never change.

Things seemed to be optimistic for a while, with China reporting that new infections had cratered and productivity was close to normal. Not surprisingly, it now looks like those reports were so much bat soup, to put it nicely. Since that duplicitous government has been covering up and lying about this thing from the start, it's pretty much what we should expect.

So, we remain grounded.

Many people have commented, especially those older than thirty, that they love to stay home, except when they are required to stay home, and then they resent the hell out of it. I'm seeing signs of cabin fever just outside my door. There are more pedestrians around lately than I might typically see even on a breathtaking May day. I am curious to see what happens Monday, which is supposed to be colder and either rainy or snowy, depending on which forecaster you trust.

But I'll bet people will still be walking, and dragging their kids along. Some kids seem to really be enjoying it; little boys love to run ahead down the sidewalk to see how far away they can get in one burst of speed. Children usually like spending time with their parents, but may regard being torn away from the screens as an enforced march. Teens may walk, but only with other teens. Babies are in strollers and they never know what the hell is going on anyway.

One of the cutest ideas I've heard is to put teddy bears in your windows. Little kids on one of these enforced marches will be looking for them. We might do that. And this big kid will no doubt be looking for them, too.

Anyway: Monday is the big announcement I have been promising all last week during the Crazy Freddie Kindle Book Giveaway (His Prices Were Nonexistent!). So please tune in tomorrow and see what I hope might be a publishing note of interest.

Meanwhile, chin up, eyes clear, upper lip sturdy; we'll see it through. As the great Red Green says, "I'm pullin' for ya. We're all in this together."