DON'T FORGET THE POTATOES...

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How is everyone faring in the  midst of this global pandemic? Hopefully everyone is hunkered down, safe and sound. And if you do get the COVID-19, may your symptoms be mild and the duration be brief. And hopefully we'll all be back to work and happily moving along soon.
In the meantime I can't help but think of my mother, the inspiration for my character, Fiona. 
My mom loved to read up on disasters. In part it might be because she was born in 1937, in Germany, no less, and well, let's just say she saw a lot of shit as a kid. 
She has a real zest for life, for exploring and traveling and trying new things. At least until dementia robbed her of the ability to travel so readily.
But she also liked to be prepared. In the 1980s she brought up the threat of nuclear destruction. How were we going to survive the fallout? (I'm still not sure that's a desirable outcome, to be honest.))
In the late 1980s and early 1990s she liked to bring up climate change. One day the ocean levels are going to rise, and temperatures will get more unpredictable. (Damn, she was reading up on some good sources back in the day. As for me, at the time I was a moody teen listening to goth-adjacent music and writing cruddy woe-is-me poetry, so the less said on that, the better.)
Later she liked to just go on about disasters in general. She was pretty calm after 9/11 but she did like to keep supplies on hand. An extra jug of bleach. Some extra beans and rice. If a snowstorm was imminent, let's get some meat, potatoes and onions, because it makes an easy soup.  Especially potatoes. I cannot stress how much the woman loved her potatoes.
Now with people hoarding hand sanitizer and toilet paper, and bread and other staples flying off the shelves as we self-isolate, I think of her often.
I also can't help but think, if she could see what's happening now, she'd just light a cigarette, and nod her head knowingly. 
She didn't, and couldn't, predict the coronavirus, but she always did like to say, shit sometimes happens. May as well be a bit prepared.
Did I listen?
Sort of.
I've got a few rolls of TP in the closet, and I've got some potatoes and canned goods in the larder. (Bought on sale, of course, because mom liked to stash a bit for a rainy day, and dad loved a deal. Actually, they both did. As do I.)
​Stay safe everyone!

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