Don’t you just hate it when things don’t work as planned? Life runs more smoothly when they do. When we arrived in Florida we soon discovered our water softening system didn’t work. The water here is not as pure as Michigan’s, so we’ve found a whole house water purifier is required. Once we installed the system, our life was much improved. When I went to add the forty pound bag of potassium chloride I noted that the system was non-responsive. I unplugged and plugged the controls, hoping that if might reset like my computer does when I unplug and plug it back in. I don’t understand how the magic works, but it does. I wasn’t so lucky with the water system. I still got nothing. I assumed the circuit board was fried.
I called the water system company on Monday morning expecting a service call with an expensive price tag. I made the call three times, leaving a message each time, hoping for a prompt response. Nothing. About twenty minutes after my third attempt, a guy named Adam returned my call. I explained my predicament and sought his advice.
“Do you have power to the unit? Your garage has a ground fault. If you don’t have power, it may have tripped.” I was familiar with the location of the switch as I had to replace it last year. Sure enough, as soon as I pressed the “reset” button, I heard the unit fire up. Mission accomplished.
We added a power system to our Lanai shades last spring. You push a button and the two six foot long shades rise and lower in unison. They provide evening privacy and guard against summer’s hot rays invading our space. We knew that the system needed to be recharged before we could run it, so I plugged it in as soon as we arrived. A couple of hours later, we hit the “down” switch and things worked as planned. The following morning, we hit the “up” button and nothing moved. We’ve charged, and recharged, the system hoping to find the right balance. We’ll keep plugging along until we’re successful.
Right before we left Michigan, Governor Whitmer slowed things down again. Michigan has a set of Coronavirus guidelines that align with some states but are in direct conflict with others. While I expect everyone is doing what they believe to be the “right thing”, the only “right things” people tend to agree on are “washing” and “staying six feet apart”. Even the wearing of masks is met with controversy.
Meanwhile, Florida’s Governor DeSantis has taken another approach. He’s forbidden businesses from further lockdowns. More businesses are open, and parents have the option of face to face or distance learning. No child is forced to stay at home.
MIAMI —
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday that schools will be required to remain open despite the rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, arguing lockdowns and closures have not worked.
DeSantis also said the state was not considering any further restrictions on businesses that could lead to layoffs or financial loss.
DeSantis said countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland all kept children in schools with positive outcomes, and argued that some studies show the virus can spread more when children don’t go to school because they socialize off campus. DeSantis criticized those who are pushing again for closures as cases rise.
“Closing schools due to coronavirus is probably the biggest public health blunder in modern American history,” he said at a news conference. “People who advocate closing schools for virus mitigation are effectively today’s flat-earthers.”
I’m not savvy enough to say which approach is correct. I’ll let the mathematicians decide if there is a significant difference. Having lived under both set of guidelines, I know that Florida’s “feels” better. As of December 1st here’s a comparison of the two states.
Michigan’s per capita total rate of infection is 3.96%, while Florida’s is 4.69%.
Michigan’s per capita death rate is .098%, Florida’s is .087%.
Michigan’s per capita growth rate is 1.6%, Florida’s is .9%.
I mask up, wash often, and socially distance. It’s sort of an insurance policy for me. But I also go out to eat, golf, shop, and try to live as normal a life as possible. They say a vaccine will be available in the very near future, but I don’t expect our social restrictions to be eliminated for at least a year.
The thing I know for sure is the year 2020, and its coronavirus, won’t be altered by unplugging and rebooting its system. And if there is a “reset” button, someone should have hit it months ago.
our 20 year old grandson in excellent health had a heart attack Saturday, he followed all social guidelines and does not remember being sick, but he did have asymptomatic covid which was the cause according to doctors Bruce and Carole
Wash hands stay safe all good advice
Please don’t ring the bell because we can’t undo it