Paula Blade, 59, Staff Accountant. More importantly, Mother of Eight.

Pandemic -adjective

(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.

As we keep to our homes, vigilantly disinfecting and obeying the orders instituted for safety, persistent questions remain in my mind that affect my response to the Covid-19 crisis and how I protect my household. I don't take the threat lightly. I obey the protocols, and teach the same to all my family. I also believe that being a watchman over their lives includes keeping governmental leaders accountable for decisions that affect them, and I do this avidly.

As Head of Household, I possess a Mama-Bear mentality over my own, especially those still sheltered under my roof, which includes my two youngest children, Annabelle and Keegan, my second oldest, Benjamin, here from Nevada, and my handicapped brother-in-law, Michael, 49, to whom I've become "Mom" since his mother died in 1997.

Michael, who is Down Syndrome, is very inclined toward regularity of schedule and activity. We others don't dare try to load the dishwasher, or take out the trash, or get the mail. That's his territory, and he will let us know. He loves his weekly outings to church (he has his own hymn book) and eating out afterward. He is very affectionate, and is always ready to hug our church friends, and also complete strangers. Not being able to do this when we get back into church could be a real learning curve for him. I took him over to the church recently to help him see there was no-one there. He simply doesn't comprehend the curtailing of his enjoyment.

He is accustomed to getting out to Dollar Tree for his favorite drink powders and other "essentials." A very astute shopper, he also enjoys going grocery shopping at Aldi's with Keegan. Until now.

While he enjoys his Star Trek and Cheers reruns, and his Word Find puzzles, he has been getting pretty bored lately. I've had to track him down when realizing he has taken off toward CVS or McDonald's. He simply does not understand microbial threats, and I've been trying to keep him safe.

Of course, other practical issues must be handled in a different manner, as well. He doesn't like his hair getting too long, but since getting a "socially distant" haircut is not an option, we decided to do it ourselves on the front porch.

Before all this sequestering went down, I was in the process of renewing work opportunities and recreational activities for Mike through one of the local community organizations. The other day, he came into the room where I was working from home and said, "Got to get the bus!" This is what he used to say when he had regular work and activities arranged, and it was time to go. He's getting a little tired of sitting around! Recently, we played one of his favorite games with him (Bingo!), and it was good to see how happy it made him. I feel for him, and am hoping very much we will soon be at a point where he can do what he loves and have a satisfying schedule of activities again.