Year: 2022

The status of each day changes. A new month brings another set of conditions: A two two pronged fork stuck in the ground; A volunteer escorts me back to my home… apparently there’s a new lockdown; A volunteer attempted to play with a kid, but ends up in a bitter exchange with the father who…

Just feels so… empty… It’s been two calendar months. Today was a strange day. After yesterday, and its focus on people, everyone seems to have vanished, leaving an echo of, “owned,” things. Does this environment reflect my inner feeling, or am I just resonating with what I see, or don’t see, around me?

Yesterday… Nothing to say… It just drifted away… Just another PCR Testing Day… South Gate Rotunda in the morning sun; The “Beimax,” the “Big White’s,” the volunteers prepare for the day; A moment to say hello to Toby;  The driver of the mobile testing center; The medical staff assemble; Testing begins;  People lined up in…

Today we are under a new, “anti-gathering” curfew – half the compound is allowed out in the morning, the other half in the afternoon. Apparently, there were too many people, “gathering” and, “get together”-ing last night. We are not a Designated “Controlled Area” yet we are maintaining “loose” Controlled Area Epidemic management in combination with…

The blockade goes on… and on… Deliveries come to the gate, but the weather is hot, now… Residents must now come to the gate to receive their deliveries; In the compound I found a Tesla charging station… how about that? More perishable deliveries; The volunteers are anxious, residents do not come to collect; Some residents…

We are in transition. Today the notice came that our compound is moving from Controlled Area to Precautionary Area, yet we still are in advisory lockdown, no one can leave the compound. 6:00 am Time to take Toby (头哔, Little Beep) for a quick walk; A conflict between two middle aged men draws a crowd,…

The rude awakening, is that when one fosters a pet dog, you have to get up early in the morning to walk it. The sun is dancing in a cloudless sky, I walk to the corner of the compound, there’s a mirror near the road; The north garden is a place for children to play…

The new normal exerts itself:  We have deliveries at the gate; Local convenience store’s shelves are almost empty; eggs… I have eggs; Kids play; People walk their children; ‘And their pets; Today I received a rescue dog – he needed a place to stay.

We are now in a Controlled Quarantine. The compulsory, “Stay At Home” orders are being relaxed and the various, “concierge” services, (“direct to, and from, your door…”) are being wound down. The last rubbish collection from the entry door, we now have to, separate and sort, our own garbage and dispose of it ourselves; “Everybody Out!”…

There is a shift in our Lockdown Status, a glimmer of light on the horizon. We are now a designated, “Controlled” Area. This means, “highly recommended,” home isolation with daily self-health assessment. Some statistics from the last 52 days: March 8-15 Compound Lockdown (8 Days) March 16 Community access restored (1 day) March 17-27 Compound…