A man saw a young boy shoveling manure. He said, “Boy! Why are you doing that?” The boy cheerfully answered, “There’s got to be a pony in there somewhere!”

Because of the Coronavirus, my son, Josh, and daughter-in-law, Barbara are working from home. They also had to cancel their plans for Barbara’s birthday celebration at The Inn in Little Washington. So, creatively, they took a “weekend vacation” in their own home. They moved across the house into the guest room, and their cat, Radar moved in with them. It was like a Bed and Breakfast except Radar was the only one with room service.

Notwithstanding the seriousness of COVID-19, there are still some positive outcomes, such as the reduction of pollution in major cities due to self isolation. According to CNN News, “environmental scientists are estimating that the improvement in air quality could save as many as 75,000 people from dying prematurely.” —-especially if they don’t drive anywhere.

Pollution is not a major problem in Tucson, Arizona where I live, but I am sure that fewer pedestrians are being run over since there are fewer cars on the sidewalks. Oh, Yes, the drivers in my town are very creative, and tourists are fair game, but obviously  auto fatalities are also way down.

Being in this situation together should lead to acts of kindness unless you are out of toilet paper. There was a photo of three women in Phoenix, Arizona smacking each other around, in a store, over a package of toilet paper. This was most inappropriate, because they weren’t following the CDC guidelines to stay 10-feet apart.

Even though gun stores have run out of merchandise all over the Country, people seem to be waiting to shoot each other until the emergency is over, but maybe that’s because gun shop owners are warning them that there will be no more ammunition available for at least six months. Unfortunately, manufacturers can’t meet the demand fast enough. Oh,Shoot!

In Italy, people are singing songs and playing music together from their balconies. As long as the wine holds out, they should be fine. After all, didn’t Nero fiddle while Rome burned. That’s the Italian way.

According to Johns Hopkins University, as of March 24, 2020, more than 100,000 people have already recovered from COVID-19, which is remarkable since few test kits are available, but who am I to question these positive statistics.

I am convinced that the American people will come out of this pandemic smarter, kinder and really, really ready to shop which will certainly improve our economy. In the meantime, I also suspect that 9 months from now the birthrate will go up, and if the Mamas and Papas are mindful people, they will have washed their hands before and after, even though they didn’t stay 10-feet apart.

Keep laughing, and stay well!

Esther Blumenfeld