This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/well/family/coronavirus-nature-mountain.html
The article has changed 27 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| A Pulse of Joy Amid Tragedy | A Pulse of Joy Amid Tragedy |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Just as we’re about to abandon our mountainside search in defeat, my 6-year-old son shouts, “I found one, guys!” His older brother, my husband and I step over brambles to join him where he’s crouched on the old logging trail we’ve followed through the forest. His small hand cups our family’s first-ever morel mushroom, the honeycombed cap of this elusive spring ephemeral unmistakable. We whoop and cheer, and he deposits his find into our basket with a proud smile. | Just as we’re about to abandon our mountainside search in defeat, my 6-year-old son shouts, “I found one, guys!” His older brother, my husband and I step over brambles to join him where he’s crouched on the old logging trail we’ve followed through the forest. His small hand cups our family’s first-ever morel mushroom, the honeycombed cap of this elusive spring ephemeral unmistakable. We whoop and cheer, and he deposits his find into our basket with a proud smile. |
| We’re foraging the mountain we live on for morels for our dinner, something our family has always intended to do but couldn’t seem to find the time. Now, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina’s stay-at-home order mandates that time is one resource our family has ample access to. As the world has stilled its frenetic pace, time has illuminated the offerings of the forest that surrounds our home. In our corner of Appalachia, the virus has yet to hit us hard. But as we all face uncertainties, the forest provides solace. | We’re foraging the mountain we live on for morels for our dinner, something our family has always intended to do but couldn’t seem to find the time. Now, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina’s stay-at-home order mandates that time is one resource our family has ample access to. As the world has stilled its frenetic pace, time has illuminated the offerings of the forest that surrounds our home. In our corner of Appalachia, the virus has yet to hit us hard. But as we all face uncertainties, the forest provides solace. |
| From what we’ve read before embarking on this day’s hike, where there’s one morel, there are more morels, so we disperse and scour the nearby forest floor, shuffling layers of dry brown leaves as we move through them, methodically covering ground and yelling “morel!” when we spot another. This patch of woods has seen recent fire — morels thrive in that particular destruction. | From what we’ve read before embarking on this day’s hike, where there’s one morel, there are more morels, so we disperse and scour the nearby forest floor, shuffling layers of dry brown leaves as we move through them, methodically covering ground and yelling “morel!” when we spot another. This patch of woods has seen recent fire — morels thrive in that particular destruction. |
| Like any family, we have our dysfunction. And it’s heightened in this time of stress and social isolation, especially our mornings spent navigating home-school and work and boredom. My default is anxiety and my husband’s is anger, but thankfully the kids seem to, so far, be fairly insulated from any emotional effects of the pandemic. My husband and I worry a lot, fight sometimes, work through it and start over again. Though our gratitude for our safety and health is immense, sometimes isolation feels claustrophobic and hopeless. But our troubles do not follow us into the woods. | Like any family, we have our dysfunction. And it’s heightened in this time of stress and social isolation, especially our mornings spent navigating home-school and work and boredom. My default is anxiety and my husband’s is anger, but thankfully the kids seem to, so far, be fairly insulated from any emotional effects of the pandemic. My husband and I worry a lot, fight sometimes, work through it and start over again. Though our gratitude for our safety and health is immense, sometimes isolation feels claustrophobic and hopeless. But our troubles do not follow us into the woods. |
| On our first day of isolation, my 6- and 8-year old sons took the lead as we roamed downhill and they located a spring-fed stream tumbling over rocks within earshot of the house. It was hot, so they played, digging in the dirt and letting the water pool around their feet. I wandered back inside to wash dishes with the windows open, their collaborative conversation threading in with the bird song. | On our first day of isolation, my 6- and 8-year old sons took the lead as we roamed downhill and they located a spring-fed stream tumbling over rocks within earshot of the house. It was hot, so they played, digging in the dirt and letting the water pool around their feet. I wandered back inside to wash dishes with the windows open, their collaborative conversation threading in with the bird song. |
| Another day we sat cross-legged on the ground and listened to the calls of the birds in the branches above us: Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, robin and blue jay. We watched a fat squirrel groom a smaller one from head to tail, the receiver’s eyes narrowing in pleasure. We hiked from the bottom of our property to the top, naming the wildflowers underfoot: spring beauty, trillium, bloodroot, purple dead nettle, mayapple, the words like pearls in our mouths. | Another day we sat cross-legged on the ground and listened to the calls of the birds in the branches above us: Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, robin and blue jay. We watched a fat squirrel groom a smaller one from head to tail, the receiver’s eyes narrowing in pleasure. We hiked from the bottom of our property to the top, naming the wildflowers underfoot: spring beauty, trillium, bloodroot, purple dead nettle, mayapple, the words like pearls in our mouths. |
| The heap of mushrooms in my basket grows. “I kind of like life right now, and I kind of don’t,” my younger son says, voicing something that’s been weighing on my mind as we comb the mountainside. “I like hunting for morels, but I don’t like the coronavirus.” | The heap of mushrooms in my basket grows. “I kind of like life right now, and I kind of don’t,” my younger son says, voicing something that’s been weighing on my mind as we comb the mountainside. “I like hunting for morels, but I don’t like the coronavirus.” |
| His observation points to the dissonance of locating a pulse of joy amid tragedy. Like the photos widely shared on social media of blue skies absent of their usual air pollution, it is discomforting to appreciate unintended but nonetheless beautiful effects of a faltering economy, disease and death. | His observation points to the dissonance of locating a pulse of joy amid tragedy. Like the photos widely shared on social media of blue skies absent of their usual air pollution, it is discomforting to appreciate unintended but nonetheless beautiful effects of a faltering economy, disease and death. |
| I recently read an account from a nurse on the front lines. She described the terror of her days. She also said she’s never felt closer to God. | I recently read an account from a nurse on the front lines. She described the terror of her days. She also said she’s never felt closer to God. |
| While I don’t believe in a deity in the sky who doles out grace to some and withholds it from others, I do believe in a little spark of the divine in each and every one of us. And proximity to both nature and death can sometimes draw us closer to it, can thin the veil into something threadbare and shimmering. Though we remain on the pandemic’s periphery, my husband and I stare at each other each evening when we say good night, awed by a heightened awareness that life is precious and finite. | While I don’t believe in a deity in the sky who doles out grace to some and withholds it from others, I do believe in a little spark of the divine in each and every one of us. And proximity to both nature and death can sometimes draw us closer to it, can thin the veil into something threadbare and shimmering. Though we remain on the pandemic’s periphery, my husband and I stare at each other each evening when we say good night, awed by a heightened awareness that life is precious and finite. |
| In a different account, another front line nurse described having never felt this alone. | In a different account, another front line nurse described having never felt this alone. |
| The boys toss several snail shells into the basket, and the youngest finds a broken and bleached turtle shell that he places on top of his head, giggling. The sun is settling behind the mountain, and it’s time for us to hike back home and cook. | The boys toss several snail shells into the basket, and the youngest finds a broken and bleached turtle shell that he places on top of his head, giggling. The sun is settling behind the mountain, and it’s time for us to hike back home and cook. |
| The mushrooms reduce in the pan, and I’m impressed with how much work it takes to grow, forage or hunt enough food to feed a family. So much work for so little yield. As I place dinner on the table, I light a candle for the people who work to provide the rest of us with food so we don’t have to rely on our own labor to do so. Just as the pandemic has designated our mountain living a privilege, it has thrust food production and grocery-store workers into roles both essential and precarious. | The mushrooms reduce in the pan, and I’m impressed with how much work it takes to grow, forage or hunt enough food to feed a family. So much work for so little yield. As I place dinner on the table, I light a candle for the people who work to provide the rest of us with food so we don’t have to rely on our own labor to do so. Just as the pandemic has designated our mountain living a privilege, it has thrust food production and grocery-store workers into roles both essential and precarious. |
| The morels are delicious, meaty and robust; even those of us who claim to hate mushrooms are enthused. Everyone is worn out, the adults grateful another day at home is done and our duties nearly finished, the kids happy, our bellies full. Our days in the forest are beautiful. | The morels are delicious, meaty and robust; even those of us who claim to hate mushrooms are enthused. Everyone is worn out, the adults grateful another day at home is done and our duties nearly finished, the kids happy, our bellies full. Our days in the forest are beautiful. |
| I do not mean to imply that this pandemic is a blessing. Quite the opposite: to save ourselves, society is betraying our very human nature, much as we poison a body to rid it of cancer. We’re sitting in our apartments and houses alone, away from the loving touch of family, away from the warmth of friends. We’re entering hospitals alone and we’re dying alone. We’re enduring food insecurity and job loss and rotting crops and working with the public despite exposure risk. And there are those of us spending long shifts tending very sick patients without the right medical equipment or appropriate protective gear. | I do not mean to imply that this pandemic is a blessing. Quite the opposite: to save ourselves, society is betraying our very human nature, much as we poison a body to rid it of cancer. We’re sitting in our apartments and houses alone, away from the loving touch of family, away from the warmth of friends. We’re entering hospitals alone and we’re dying alone. We’re enduring food insecurity and job loss and rotting crops and working with the public despite exposure risk. And there are those of us spending long shifts tending very sick patients without the right medical equipment or appropriate protective gear. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | Updated June 12, 2020 |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| But as sure as spring comes to the forest, incidental beauty emerges from crisis. This is also human nature. We can’t help but hope for good things. Hope for survival, for better medicine, for widespread testing, for more ventilators, for intuitive leadership, for a successful vaccine. Hope for the day we will gather to grieve what’s gone and celebrate being together again. | But as sure as spring comes to the forest, incidental beauty emerges from crisis. This is also human nature. We can’t help but hope for good things. Hope for survival, for better medicine, for widespread testing, for more ventilators, for intuitive leadership, for a successful vaccine. Hope for the day we will gather to grieve what’s gone and celebrate being together again. |
| My family didn’t do a damn thing to deserve this time, just as those to whom this contagion is bringing suffering didn’t do a damn thing to deserve it either. | My family didn’t do a damn thing to deserve this time, just as those to whom this contagion is bringing suffering didn’t do a damn thing to deserve it either. |
| But here we are, with an unexpected opportunity to cultivate a connection to the land and to each other. Being together in the woods feels more authentic, more grounded, more connected than what we had before. I would trade it in a second if it meant this collective trauma would ease. But despite the weight of the circumstances that brought us here, my human nature can’t help but appreciate the beauty. | But here we are, with an unexpected opportunity to cultivate a connection to the land and to each other. Being together in the woods feels more authentic, more grounded, more connected than what we had before. I would trade it in a second if it meant this collective trauma would ease. But despite the weight of the circumstances that brought us here, my human nature can’t help but appreciate the beauty. |
| Mary Pembleton is a writer and mother in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. | Mary Pembleton is a writer and mother in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. |