This is Not Normal

One of the amusements of retired people living in a sunny spot is to sit outside and watch puffy white lines crisscross the sky all day. They intersect, sometimes two planes chase a third in the same direction, always, always there are contrails to watch. At sunset they catch a bit of orange fire; during the day they form and dissipate in white streaks that linger.

You know what I've noticed as I sit outside today? There are no contrails in the sky. No airplanes in the blue expanse above me. A news report from today says domestic air traffic is down 7%, but my sky viewing tells me it's down to almost non existent.

Jim is still sick. No fever, but this is not a chest cold. It's definitely flu; he feels just awful, and his glands are swollen. His cough is bad, but it's a deep, wet cough, not dry. He's mobile and up and around, but sleeps or watches movies all day.

With no fever and not needing hospitalization, he does not qualify for a Covid-19 test according to his doctor. It doesn't matter, there is no treatment whether it is flu or coronavirus. All he can do is stay home.

I feel fine. But of course I have to isolate in case he is contagious. Neighbors are being generous, and there isn't much I need to do outside the home. I live in my little garden or I sit in the sunshine on the deck and watch the sky.

I miss the contrails overhead -- seeing airliners flying over us east to west and back the other way, 30,000 feet in the sky, making patterns. It doesn't seem normal. Nothing does.

🛫
Update: Here's an article about the reduction in flights. International flights are way down, but domestic flights are down 40% from the beginning of March to the end of March. But that still leaves thousands of airplanes in the sky at any time!