Rhododendron Retirement Community and ...

#Pandemic Postcards from the RantFamily. RantWoman will separately write of Go Here. Go There. Buy Groceries. Look for a Microwave. The Bus….What’s to eat Takeout? But first, family.

 

More Science

More Scientific literature about RantMom’s retirement community.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2766448

RantWoman celebrates Global Accessibility Awareness Day #GAAD202 by appreciating ease of access; However RantWoman decided to stop reading the article and just write pandemic postcards

The Community Slowly opens up.

RantWoman has not been paying meticulous attention to the time interval RanMom’s retirement community has gone without any new positive cases after everyone who tested positive either died, according to the article above experienced a few mild symptoms, or cleared the virus without ever developing symptoms (Go RantMom).  RantWoman, though does HUMBLY and with great appreciation note two signs of the facility coming back to life: WALKS IN THE GARDEN and Options for RantMom to DO HER OWN LAUNDRY!

The garden is a HUGE Big deal. The garden was one of the things that sold RantMom on that location, though really frequent transit options also did not distress RantWoman.  Walks in the garden started slowly, tightly scheduled with staff and only a few residents at a time and everyone observing social distancing and wearing masks. RantMom is not crazy about the masks, but seems to be coping. RantWoman feels the same way. RantWoman also goes out into the world enough to just think managing about masks at this point is a Really Good Idea.

This photo somehow reminds RantWoman
of a picture of RantMom as a teenager
with her horse

 RantMom talks about the gorgeous rhododendrons and about blueberries in bloom. Slowly the frequency and permitted time outdoors for walks have increased. This week, RantWoman thinks there were THREE walks!

After 10 weeks most of it involving strict isolation and laundry options involving too much hot dryer to suit RantMom, today RANTMOM DID HER OWN LAUNDRY!!! RantMom also reported a walk in the garden and some other activity that made her think the long isolation without enough exercise was letting her get out of shape. RantWoman definitely hopes RantMom can resume something like her previous level of activity. Some of the previous activity, though, involves things like an important volunteer gig and church, both of which probably are still a long ways from full re-opening.

Recently in Family Digital Inclusion

The RantFamily achieved TWO Zoom meetings in one week, a birthday celebration and Mothers day.RantMom definitely still needs cheerleading about learning new things on her phone. There seem to be occasions both from family and from things organized by the retirement community.

After a fun family birthday, RantWoman went ahead and scheduled a Zoom call for Mothers’ Day. RantWoman connected with Irrepressible Nephew by text with a request for help about Mothers’ day flower purchases. Nephew has A CAR, and Little Sister’s household, close by, has found it quite manageable to drop things RantMom needs or requests on a table outside the facility for staff to pick up and deliver. Nephew was already somewhere with satisfactory flower options and even offered to pay for the ones RantWoman would have given his mother.

RantWoman is glad to have learned about Venmo from one of the younger guys who attends a technology meetup RantWoman hosts. RantWoman has paid Nephew through Benmo before.  This time, while RantWoman was reviewing her own transactions, she also realized she had to tell Irrepressible Nephew to check his Venmo privacy settings. Hint: NO, NO, NO! As far as RantWoman is concerned, the default privacy setting should NEVER be “Public.”

RantMom is funny. The other night she told RantWoman it is time to come visit. RantWoman tends to refill her water bottle with ice and ice water at RantMom’s house. RantWoman also tries not to leave half-empty ice cube trays. RantWoman suspects RantMom may not be as careful about the subject. RantMom said she cleaned out her ice cube trays and will keep them full. RantMom also says someone, probably a daughter is coming every day to take care of a neighbor, probably her father. It sounds like he is in way worse shape than RantMom. So even though RantMom and RantWoman have not been in the same place since March1, RantWoman is really glad RantMom is eager and able to do her own laundry. RantWoman will also pen separate meditations about the bus, cars, travelling companions…and then RantWoman someday will be too happy to come refill her ice water supply at RantMom’s.

RantBrother? Tents? Sweeps in Seattle

RantBrother lives in Denver, in precarious circumstances; the whole situation is painful for everyone, but probably not unlike similar aches for many other families.

RantBrother seems not to be able to hold onto his own phone and calls RantMom from time to time on a borrowed phone. RantWoman has been saying a prayer for awhile every time she hears Denver and #COVID19  mentioned in the same news report.  RantWoman really had not thought about how much more worried than average the virus made her until this week. RantBrother called RantMom. His health was in the better than average zone. The call was about average length, which is to say pretty short. And he has been living in a tent with his own space, not in a congregate shelter, even one like the ones in Seattle where de-intensification has occurred.

RantWoman has formed the opinion based on a sprinkling of alarmist reports about indoor air and transmission, that, besides general social distancing having more cubic feet of air to oneself means less chance of transmitting virus to others. RantWoman found herself VERY grateful to hear of RantBrother living in a tent. True, spring in Denver can still be quite cold, but RantBrother has a bit of a mountain man ethos anyway and one way RantMom has found help manageable is to send long underwear and new jeans periodically.

But speaking of living in tents, RantWoman has not been charmed by helicopter noise and social media streams about the police clearing two tent encampments a little over a mile from RantWoman, that is definitely close enough to hear the chopper surveillance. RantWoman understands there is a homicide connected with one of the camps. RantWoman gets that the site of many tents near an offramp from I5 is pretty alarming. And RantWoman is still thinking, that tents, while definitely not preferable, are safer than shelters, and what happens when everyone’s belongings and ID and other important documentation just get scooped up and hauled away in a garbage truck?  Never mind the supply of housing: how does anyone expect someone treated this way is going to have enough trust to come indoors?

)RantWoman appreciates encountering this item from NW Asian Weekly about the two International District Encampments. and RantWoman stands by her concerns about people having someplace safer to go
NW Asian Weekly: Open Letter to Mayor Durkan

Collaboration in Seattle

And on the possibly bright side, collaboration between local businesses and some homelessness advocates to find funding and resolve building code complexities for 6500 units of permanent supported housing. RantWoman thinks this is mostly a good idea. Mostly. Based on one comment in the article about eliminnating “expensive” requirements like Bike storage, the conversation really needs to be informed by someone who can articulate and present data about the transportation needs for the population likely to live there. RantWoman would not expect a high percentage of residents to own cars. Transit, walking, and biking are likely to be key. Building code revisions should take that point into account!

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https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/businesses-and-homeless-advocates-offer-plan-to-create-housing-for-seattles-chronically-homeless/