"T Stands For Teddy And Connecticut Lock Down" - Photograph

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(Click on image to enlarge)

I am joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth for this week's T Stands For challenge found here.

This is my summation of the past week:

Teddy will be serving double duty as my main image plus as my "T-Day ticket" for my T-Day posts for awhile.

United States covid-19 / coronavirus news: "well, that escalated quickly" "and so it begins" New York Quarantine Lock Down Began at 8 PM Sunday March 22, 2020 and Connecticut Quarantine Lock Down Began at 8 PM Monday March 23, 2020.

CT Lock Down: list of what is still open  which is based on:

CISA 16 Critical Infrastructure Sectors

Teddy told me I need to be Strong like a Lion, and Tough like a Rhinoceros during this coronavirus covid-19 crisis. (C³, pronounced C cubed, as Teddy is now calling it. That is also why this week he is posing with a rhinoceros teapot that I got a few years ago.)

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For me here in Connecticut US, over the past week, starting on Monday or Tuesday (March 17, 2020), each day felt like it was 48 hours long, due to the escalating covid-19 / coronavirus situation here in the tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) area. By Friday (March 20, 2020), Saint Patrick's Day felt like it had been one week prior, even though it was a mere three days before.

For those not familiar with the geography of this area, if you drew a circle with the center point in Manhattan, New York, with a radius of about 45 miles (72.4 km), you would have parts of New Jersey (NJ) and Connecticut (CT) in that circle. Many people commute from NJ and CT into New York City to work, via automobile or train. Others commute from within New York (NY) to NJ or CT. Make the radius a little bigger (farther), and now you also include parts of Pennsylvania (PA) in the circle.

My T post two weeks ago first mentioned the local covid-19 / coronavirus news, last week's T post mentioned it again, and today, only two weeks after my first mention of it, several US states have gone into Lock Down, including Connecticut. (I scheduled this post on Monday, before the Lock Down here went into effect, so I won't be able to tell you what it's like until next week, but I do have some information about what it entails written below.)

Something I re-tell myself, when I start to worry, is my own saying that I came up with. Both it and a saying that CJ told me are now posted at the top of my blog page:

Me worrying about things over which I have no control will not change what is going to happen, so it's not helpful. =>

Don't borrow trouble: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ Matthew 6:34

During the Lock Down, essential businesses / services will remain in operation. So some people will still be commuting to and from their jobs. Grocery stores will remain open, so we can still go to them to get food, etc. But everyone is supposed to limit their travel to only what is essential. I don't know if everyone is going to comply with that, though, so things could "get ugly" if they don't. (Just my opinion, and I won't spell out what I mean by that term.)

An important thing for people with pets to know: veterinarians are essential, so they will remain open during the Lock Down. (But if you have to go, many / all here are saying you can't come in: they will come out to get your pet from your vehicle, they'll go inside with it, then bring it back out when they're done.)

Another important thing for people with pets to know (if you choose to ignore the rules and do whatever you feel like), is this message from one veterinarian here in CT: "Please also note that we recommend you apply social distancing practices to your pets as well. This is not a good time for them to get sick!" A few days ago, there were news reports of people here in CT taking their children and/or dogs out and ignoring the social distancing rules.

Speaking of animals, zoos and rehabilitation sites are enacting contingency plans, so that those animals still get care, too:

Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT had closed effective March 17, 2020, with a plan in place for continued "essential animal care".

March 22, 2020: Ansonia [CT] Nature Center’s permanent residents [animals] moved to temporary homes: "All [of the animals except for] the three owls are going to the homes of the center’s staff and a volunteer. The owls will be housed temporarily at a Killingworth bird aviary [Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center - Killingworth CT]."

As of Monday morning (March 23, 2020), "Connecticut State Parks and Forests are open for solitary outdoor enjoyment. If you plan to visit a park, it should be for solitary recreation, not group activities." Hopefully "bad apples" don't ignore that requirement, and ruin it for the rest of us, because then CT will probably close them. Already, towns are closing their local parks and beaches (if they have them), so the only places left will be the state ones.

CT State Parks and Forests Covid-19 Updates  (see my Local tab/page for more links)

Saint Patrick's Day artwork (it feels like it was two weeks ago, not one week ago): Ireland Green Woman, Saint Patrick's Day Ireland.

Other artwork: Cigar Labels.

Indoor flower photos:  Saint Patrick's Day Green Flowers, Daffodils and more Daffodils.

Movies:

Double Indemnity (1944) (DVD) - excellent, a classic film-noir

Strange Illusion (1945)  - pretty good

You Only Live Twice (1967) (DVD) James Bond Action - pretty good

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) (DVD) James Bond Action - pretty good

(Roku - Tubi TV - a few commercials) movies:

The Woman in Green (1945) Sherlock Holmes mystery - very good

The Gate (1987) Fantasy, Horror - pretty good

Riding the Bullet (2004) Horror, Thriller - good

The Six Wives of Henry Lefay (2009)  Comedy - pretty funny

The Fields (2011) - Thought it was a horror - okay, but not a horror, so I wouldn't have watched it had I known that