So very sorry about your loss, Gwenn.
Thank you all!
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On Day 59 of our isolation, weāve managed, for the first time, to place a delivery order with one of the two supermarkets where we shop in ānormal timesā. HURRAH.
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Condolences and hugs all around. In these times itās easy to forget that weāre still losing people due to most of the normal things (except maybe traffic accidents). My cousin passed away Tuesday morning of cancer, kidney failure and a few other things. He lived 1,000 miles away but we talked at least twice a week.
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So very sorry, Midlife.
Iām so sorry for your loss Midlife.
Sincere condolences on your cousinās passing. It sounds as though you stayed close in spite of the miles between you and thatās truly special.
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Strange phenomenon here in Philly. There are far fewer traffic accidents overall, but more fatal accidents than usual. Police surmise that the decrease in traffic has led to an increase in speedingāpeople are now zipping along I-95 and the Schuylkill at 80-100 mph. Those two highways are dangerous at traffic-clogged speeds, but at 100 mph pre-Covid serious crashes become covid-age fatal accidents.
I havenāt been driving much for the past two months but, when I do, itās obvious that people are driving faster on the freeway than their normal fast. Iāve also noticed that the āCalifornia Rolling Stopā (especially right turn on red), has now often eliminated the ārollā in favor of plowing through.
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As a right-coaster Iām not sure what that means, but I do know that reduced traffic has led to higher-risk driving on the highways. On the plus side, streets/roads that have traffic lights every block or two with reduced traffic are much easier to turn into/out of.
ETA: Police are out more often than I can recall. Even a friend who has been on the Philly force for 30+ years and hasnāt actually worn a uniform for 20+ years had to go out and buy a new uniform (how many of us can fit into clothes from 20 years ago). From Narc detective to traffic enforcer . . . Strange times.
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We had a bicycle police officer riding through our neighborhood today. Never ever seen one outside of downtown.
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Iāve been in my current house for about 10 years. Iāve seen a police car on the street 2 or 3 times. Now itās more like 2-3 times a day. Admittedly I donāt sit at a window and count cars/police cars in good times or bad times, but with the current quiet and the (finally) warm weather allowing me to open doors and windows it has certainly been more noticeable. My street is also a short-cut from one main road to the other that has the hospital entrance, so many more sirens than usual.
Yes down in Houston scofflaws are now doing u turns on red in the middle of intersections or just stopping barely and running the red.
The freeways are out of control. The Houston Police chief and Harris County Sheriff have urged drivers to use restraint. Right!
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Interesting. I remember signs near Texas borders that said āWelcome to Texas, please drive gently.ā People really did. Admittedly it has been a while but I remember some of the nicest drivers anywhere in Texas. The advantage of pickups with gun racks? grin
The turn signal thing took some getting used to but in rural areas it is really quite considerate. Is that still done in Texas?
Similar happening in the UK. Two cases have hit the headlines of speeding in a 40 mph urban area - one doing 134, the other 115.
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Ugh. I admit I routinely speed on highways where 60 mph means 75 mph and 70 mph means 85 mph.
But urban and suburban streets with posted limits of 25-40? I usually go 5 mph below.
I remember when mom and dad taught me to driveāstep on the brake when you see the ball in the street; by the time you see the kid itās too late. Years later I was dropping a non-driving friend (lots of them in the city) when I saw a skateboard fly across the street. She asked why I jammed on the brakes two doors down from her building and then the kid came flying from the lot. Better a seatbelt bruise than an injured or dead kid.
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Asterisk discussion:
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a32092440/26-hour-38-minute-cannonball-record-coronavirus/
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Got this from a genuine Aggie about Texas drivers:
Q. How do you tell a redneck from a good olā boy?
A. The good olā boy throws the cans in the back of the pickup.
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My mother told me the same thing when teaching me how to drive almost 50 years ago. If a ball rolls out in the streetā¦brake. Good chance there will be a kid behind it. Like you, advice thatās held me in good stead all these years.
It wasnāt on the written part of the test at the time. If itās not nowadays, then it should be.
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I believe it was āDrive Friendly.ā Now itās āDonāt mess with Texasā which means donāt litter plus donāt knock on my door specifically at MY place unless you want a 16 or 20 gauge shotgun answering.
Sorry but Iām a boomer from the Greatest Generation and was taught gun safety, cleaning and firing safely.
I was told once you cleaned a gun, put it back together, it was treated as if it was still loaded and act accordingly, do not point it at anybody.
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