Ray and I went to our local Smart & Final this evening and discovered this list on the front door:

Several of the shelves were close to empty that were not part of the list above. These included the shelves for pasta, canned tuna and meat, boxed mac and cheese as well as dried beans and rice. Clearly, people are stocking up in case they need to be quarantined.

The biggest surprise with all of this is the run on toilet paper. I never realized just how essential a product that is before, particularly if you think you might be holed up at home for several weeks.

I think the general attitude here in LA from the people I’ve talked to is to be prepared and hope for the best. Everyone I know is washing their hands more frequently and being generally aware of good health procedures. They are not so far limiting their exposure to restaurants or group gatherings though we’ll see how many people make it to church tomorrow. Also, the Episcopal Diocese has been proactive in telling all churches under its domain not to administer wine at all during Communion so there is no “shared cup.” That is probably very wise.

But we were out at the park with a bunch of young parents this morning watching a whole gaggle of four-year-olds playing (or learning to play) t-ball. I didn’t hear much conversation at all about the coronavirus among this group, though it has been a general topic of conversation among our older friends.

I suppose we will see what transpires. Living in a large city in a state where there have been numerous cases so far, the potential for quarantine feels a bit more pressing than it might in a small town far from where any cases have been found. Though I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that people all over the country are out buying bleach, paper towels and loads of Purell. Oh, and don’t forget that toilet paper. Our daughter Sarah has graciously offered to “sell” us a few rolls if push comes to shove.

I’ll be checking back in with you tomorrow.