Flagstaff, AZ

[Jeroen]

Arizona has had 104 cases of COVID-19 to my knowledge and two possible cases in my town. Flagstaff is a fairly small mountain town. I work for a County government in IT and have been able to work from home this past week and likely into the future. My teammates and I have been asked to help with expanding network and telecommunications capabilities for the work force to work remotely. This is going from roughly 25 remote workers to potentially as many as 800 depending on how things go over the coming days and weeks. It has been stressful to keep up with it all. We do not have very much staff in our department either.

 

The school system shutdown here. The University is having all students study online. Restaurants for dine-in and recreational facilities have been shutdown. The workers in the grocery stores have been doing a good job in keeping foods stocked though some items have been low on stock. I went to the Farmer's market about a week ago and there were fresh fruits and vegetables available. A family member told me that the local Sam's Club was emptied fairly recently.

 

In terms of health, I have not had any major cold or flu this year though I have been feeling this irritation in my lungs flare up and then clear up again since the beginning of the year. I stocked up some extra asthma meds and foods in the event there is a shortage down the road.

 

The place I live at has homes that are separated well enough so that social distancing is not an issue. I live right next to the forest so I can go walk alone. I feel grateful to have that option.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Jeroen

[ihynz]

I lived in Flagstaff for a couple of years (1989-91). Met my (deceased) husband there ... I had a dream recently that I was driving him back to Flagstaff. Maybe he should never have left. It was his spiritual home, I think. But it was even smaller back then, and I really didn't think I'd find a job there. Oh well, maybe one of these days I'll drive through on a tour of the Four Corners region, if I make it past this virus.

[NickF]

Glad that you’ve been able to work from home @Jeroen. I hope you can continue doing so. IT work seems even more critical now everywhere.  It makes sense that the County needs to reconfigure operations. The shutdowns will help to interrupt this disease. The pandemic has sure changed life for us in a brief time.

 

Glad you are near the forest to take walks. I lived in Flagstaff for two years, from ‘04 to ‘06. I enjoyed my time there. I  particularly loved that the Coconino National Forest is right there. Stay in good health my friend.

[Jeroen]

5 hours ago, ihynz said:

I lived in Flagstaff for a couple of years (1989-91). Met my (deceased) husband there ... I had a dream recently that I was driving him back to Flagstaff. Maybe he should never have left. It was his spiritual home, I think. But it was even smaller back then, and I really didn't think I'd find a job there. Oh well, maybe one of these days I'll drive through on a tour of the Four Corners region, if I make it past this virus.

 

@ihynz Flagstaff feels like my spiritual home too. I have been here since 1989. It would not surprise me if I had lived other lifetimes in this region at some point in my Grand Cycle. Flagstaff is a fairly small community. This place is beautiful but there are not all that many job options. If you make it back here somewhere down the road and would like to meet up, let me know.

Edited March 22, 2020 by Jeroen

[Jeroen]

5 hours ago, NickF said:

Glad that you’ve been able to work from home @Jeroen. I hope you can continue doing so. IT work seems even more critical now everywhere.  It makes sense that the County needs to reconfigure operations. The shutdowns will help to interrupt this disease. The pandemic has sure changed life for us in a brief time.

 

Glad you are near the forest to take walks. I lived in Flagstaff for two years, from ‘04 to ‘06. I enjoyed my time there. I  particularly loved that the Coconino National Forest is right there. Stay in good health my friend.

 

Thank you, @NickF. I hope I can continue working remote too. I agree, the shutdowns and people staying home will help interrupt the disease. I drove to the grocery store this evening and Flagstaff looked close to a ghost town. The roads were fairly empty. It is surreal. In all the years I have been here, I have never seen anything like it before.

 

I love the National Forest here too. There is so much forest to hike nearby. I often go out hiking in the forest. I hope you stay in good health too, friend! If we get past this pandemic, perhaps we can meet one day in person as I know you are not too far away.

[NickF]

7 hours ago, Jeroen said:

If we get past this pandemic, perhaps we can meet one day in person as I know you are not too far away.

 

That would be great!

[ihynz]

On 3/22/2020 at 12:44 AM, Jeroen said:

 

@ihynz Flagstaff feels like my spiritual home too. I have been here since 1989. It would not surprise me if I had lived other lifetimes in this region at some point in my Grand Cycle. Flagstaff is a fairly small community. This place is beautiful but there are not all that many job options. If you make it back here somewhere down the road and would like to meet up, let me know.

Ha, that's funny that we were there at the same time. You have seen it grow and completely change, then. I bet we even know a couple of people in common ... a lot of people there never left, or moved away and came back.

[Katja]

@JeroenI'm glad to hear that you can work at home and live near forest. Be safe and enjoy the nature. 

[Jeroen]

03/27/20

 

Arizona is up to 665 cases. The number of deaths from the coronavirus have gone up from 5 to 13 since yesterday, two of which have been reported in the County that I live in. From what I have read, doctors have petitioned the governor to do a state wide lockdown but that has not happened yet. There are some additional stores that have closed down in Flagstaff. I have heard that doctors have been canceling what are classified as non-essential surgeries. Some of the medical schools in this state are looking to graduate medical students up to several months ahead of time to join the workforce for fighting the coronavirus. This is all based on what I have read in the news or what I heard from other people in the area.

 

In terms of work, my teammates and I now have nearly 250 workers setup to work from home. We have been setting these up as requested. My Cadence Mate works with me and he has been asked to set up a mobile call center for health services relating to COVID-19 calls. It has been stressful for him to keep up with as this is all new to us. He said things have quieted down a bit today. I help him out where I can. My primary role is in the data center services but we have all come together to focus primarily on remote work setup for workers and telecommunications.

 

I have traveled with my dad to Phoenix over the past few weeks for a surgery and a medical appointment he had. I found out recently that his doctor has cancelled all appointments moving forward.

 

Otherwise, I have been continuing to work from home. My personal life has been pretty quiet. I go out alone to walk in the forest during the times when it is not snowing.

[AnnaD]

Good to hear that you are well, and you can go for walks in the forest (which sounds beautiful). I wish that I had known both you and @NickF were in Flagstaff when I visited in September 2003. I stayed at some hostel there and also went to a Michelle Shocked concert at I think the name back then was Mogollon Pub/Tavern/Bar?

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by AnnaD

[Jeroen]

On 3/27/2020 at 12:45 PM, AnnaD said:

Good to hear that you are well, and you can go for walks in the forest (which sounds beautiful). I wish that I had known both you and @NickF were in Flagstaff when I visited in September 2003. I stayed at some hostel there and also went to a Michelle Shocked concert at I think the name back then was Mogollon Pub/Tavern/Bar?

 

 

I would have liked to spend time with you and NickF too! I was searching back and Michelle Shocked played at Orpheum Theatre from what I could see. That may have been the place as they often book for concerts.

[Jeroen]

03/30/20

 

The governor of Arizona issued a stay-at home order with exception of the essentials. This order is going into effect on Tuesday, March 31st at 5:00 PM Arizona time. The number of COVID-19 cases have gone up to 1,157 across the state. The first case of the virus was reported today in the Grand Canyon which is north of Flagstaff. Grand Canyon has a very small population. The Navajo Nation has 128 cases and issued a curfew starting today from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM. All the Counties in Arizona are reporting cases now.

Edited March 31, 2020 by Jeroen

[Heidi]

10 hours ago, Jeroen said:

03/30/20

 

The governor of Arizona issued a stay-at home order with exception of the essentials. This order is going into effect on Tuesday, March 31st at 5:00 PM Arizona time. The number of COVID-19 cases have gone up to 1,157 across the state. The first case of the virus was reported today in the Grand Canyon which is north of Flagstaff. Grand Canyon has a very small population. The Navajo Nation has 128 cases and issued a curfew starting today from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM. All the Counties in Arizona are reporting cases now.

 

It's scary how fast it spreads once it shows up. Last Monday in Wisconsin, we had 426 confirmed cases. It's only been eight days and that number has tripled. Worried about the small town hospitals getting hit. 

 

Most people I know are doing their best to stay home and follow protocol, so I'm hopeful the dust will settle by the summer. *fingers crossed*

[Jeroen]

On 3/31/2020 at 6:34 AM, Heidi said:

 

It's scary how fast it spreads once it shows up. Last Monday in Wisconsin, we had 426 confirmed cases. It's only been eight days and that number has tripled. Worried about the small town hospitals getting hit. 

 

Most people I know are doing their best to stay home and follow protocol, so I'm hopeful the dust will settle by the summer. *fingers crossed*

 

It has been spreading rapidly. Only two days have gone by since I last posted and Arizona is now up to 1,400 cases. The hospital in this town seems to be holding out okay so far but if the number of cases goes up into the tens or hundreds of thousands the hospitals especially in smaller towns like this one will quickly overflow. It does appear that more people are staying home and keeping distance now which is good.

 

I hope you and your family stay healthy and safe, @Heidi.

[AnnaElisa]

@Jeroen Forest walks are the best! I send some Swedish forest roots! 

[Jeroen]

1 hour ago, AnnaElisa said:

@Jeroen Forest walks are the best! I send some Swedish forest roots! 

 

@AnnaElisa Those are beautiful roots! Thank you. I agree that forest walks are the best. I am glad to be near the forest where I can still go walking.

[Jeroen]

One of my neighbors has a really sweet dog. During my daily walks into the forest, she will run up to me, climb up on top of the fence and lick my hands while wagging her tail. She is one of three dogs that lives there.

 

Last year, a different family lived at that home and they had a dog named Mole. One day, Mole was outside of the fence and bit me in the leg. That was the highlight of my 2020 year. 

 

Things have turned around.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Jeroen

[petra]

Beloved @Jeroen  I know this is kind off topic, but this sentence of yours kept me thinking:

That was the highlight of my 2020 year. 

 

In doing so I discovered that my highlight of the year 2020 was to be with one person only for a whole year, which I am utterly grateful for, there seems something to it, that it takes only ONE.

 

I wish your injury from Mole healed well though, still I am not sorry to say that this your post made me LOL!!!

[Jeroen]

On 3/4/2021 at 8:42 PM, petra said:

Beloved @Jeroen  I know this is kind off topic, but this sentence of yours kept me thinking:

That was the highlight of my 2020 year. 

 

In doing so I discovered that my highlight of the year 2020 was to be with one person only for a whole year, which I am utterly grateful for, there seems something to it, that it takes only ONE.

 

I wish your injury from Mole healed well though, still I am not sorry to say that this your post made me LOL!!!

 

@petra I am happy for you that you could be with one person throughout the whole year.

 

My Cadence Mate was my closest contact in this place where I lived throughout the year. We kept in contact with each other throughout the pandemic to see how things were going and to keep up-to-date on the latest events. I am grateful for those exchanges.

 

Otherwise, I try to extract some humor out of the year which is why I mentioned Mole. The wound healed and I have a light scar from it.

 

When I die and go through my life review:

My Guide friend stops by and says, "So 2020 was quite the year was it not? What stood out the most for you in that year?"

Me: Well I was bitten in my leg by Mole. That is all I can remember.

Guide: Well good for you.

LOL

[Jeroen]

My mother has been sick with persistent fever, cough, and intermittent low oxygen levels (84-91). She recently started to cough up blood. We took her to the ER. I have been concerned about the possibility of hypoxia which from what I read is a symptom of covid-19. She has been resistant about going to the ER but I am glad she agreed to go today.

 

She has a pneumonia. Her right-lung is in bad shape but her other lung is doing okay. They tested her for COVID-19 and she tested positive with the possibility of it being the Delta variant. She had the Johnson and Johnson vaccine back in late March. From what I read this morning, J&J vaccine is shown to be effective at least 8 months after receiving the vaccination. I am trying to be optimistic that she has enough antibodies to prevent more severe outcomes of covid-19.

 

At this point, the doctor is not certain if the pneumonia is being caused by COVID or another infection. She is being admitted for at least a few days so she can get oxygen and a mix of antivirals, antibiotics, and steroids.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Jeroen

[Bobby]

Sorry to hear that happened to her Jeroen.  I hope she and her doctors are able to turn this around quickly.

[JohnM]

So very sorry to hear @Jeroen, wishing the best for you and your mother

[petra]

So sorry, that this has happened to your mom, beloved @Jeroen.

Take good self-care with what we know so far works.

Strength and much love unto your mom and your family.

[Marigold]

Wishing the best to your  mom, @Jeroen. At least she's vaccinated. I couldn't get mine to get vaccinated at all due to her ignorant, misinformed doctors. And antibodies (humoral immunity) are just one part of the equation. Cellular immunity (T-cells) is also extremely important and I've read that even though antibodies may wane over time, the T-cells can still provide protection by getting rid of infected cells.

[Maureen]

@Jeroen, I'm not one to say prayers so I'm sending you and your mother much love and 'get well soon' wishes... or, better yet, intentions.