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There's a disturbing phenomenon that's been going on for a number of years, but that's become downright dangerous during this pandemic. It's the death of expertise. We have full-blown experts in epidemiology who study epidemics and pandemics, but our country is not utilizing their expertise. Our first clue was when John Bolton, as director of the NSC, got rid of the global health security team in Spring of 2018. The Administration also cut the CDC funding, which was to come out of it's disease monitoring budget, but Congress found ways to give the CDC back that money. The CDC was writing about Covid-19 as early as February 7th and talking about preventing the spread of the virus in the Unite

I've written about migraine guilt before. Most of us with chronic migraine end up with some level of guilt. I think it comes from having an "invisible illness". We feel guilty when we can't participate in work or social activities yet we look normal on the outside. There's no reason for migraine guilt. Migraine pain and nausea (and all the other symptoms) are real and legitimate. It's 2020; we also can see migraine on fMRI scans. Migraine disease is as real as a broken arm or heart disease. It just doesn't feel real. At least not between attacks. Even though I have headache between the bad migraine attacks, I get myself twisted up into untenable thinking patterns and try to figure out how I

Dr. John Fea, a history professor at Messiah College recommends that people keep some kind of record of what life has been life during the pandemic and quarantine. One of these days, our kids and grandkids are going to ask. It will be interesting to look back and see what we say about it now compares with what we remember. I've been having a rough few days because of migraine. My emotions are off kilter, so I'm anxious and I want to eat everything, particularly carbs. And I can't exercise my way out of it because the headaches are bad. I have been knitting while listening to books. I'm working on a shawl that is coming right along! Patrick is teaching math online and trying to make sure to g

I've been listening to a book about Nazi hunters, people who went looking for Nazis who escaped Germany after World War 2 so they could bring them to justice. That got me thinking about theodicy, the problem of evil. If God is all-powerful and all good, why did he allow the Holocaust? Back in my more Evangelical days, I would have said that the Holocaust was carried out by sinful humans and God allows us to be sinful because Adam sinned in the garden of Eden. This is called the problem of moral evil. I'm not as comfortable with that explanation as I used to be. Currently, I'm pondering why God allows pandemics. Right now, it's Covid-19 which will not be nearly as bad, as the Black Death or e

Just some thoughts about education during this strange time in our history. Patrick and I homeschooled Lydia and Christopher for most of their academic careers. It worked out best for our family. And both kids made it to college! But, homeschooling isn't the right choice for all families. And that's just fine. Christopher did his last two years of high school at Wega-Fremont. Patrick started teaching at the local high school the year that Christopher started his junior year. For the last five years, he has been teaching Math, Engineering, and Computer Programming. Patrick and I loved home education, but we recognize that it's not for every family. Schools are the best option for educating m

So how's your quarantine going? Are you getting a bit of cabin fever? You'd think this wouldn't really bother me since I don't get out of the house much. I mean, really, I'm still knitting, reading, and occasionally cooking dinner. It's not having the option of going out to a movie that's the problem. Sure, I've had a headache for three days and couldn't have gone to a movie, but the idea that there isn't a movie to go it is the issue. And snacks. Can we talk about snacks? I was perfectly happy on a ketogenic diet, eating very low carb. Until now. All of the sudden I want every Reese's peanut butter cup I can get my hands on. And cookies. Oh, my goodness, cookies! I at a ton of cookies yeste

I have so many thoughts bouncing around my head, so I figured I'd get some of them out onto virtual paper. Here we go!! 1. Today has been one of my best days, emotionally. I think it's because I was physically active and productive. Yes, it helped that I didn't have a migraine, but I pushed through the headache that I did have to finish the laundry, clean the cat boxes, etc. I'm going to make it my goal to not just be productive in less physically active things like writing and knitting, but to also do more active things like decluttering and cleaning. The house will be the better for it, too. 2. I can't watch the President's press conferences anymore. According to the Washington Post, the P

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. We live in interesting times. The coronavirus pandemic is a challenge to our society. All of the sudden our social norms and mores are being turned upside down. Instead of handshakes and hugs, we're giving fistbumps and elbow bumps. Schools are closed and we're being asked to stay at home. Introverts are thrilled; extroverts, not so much! When I read my social media feed, I see so much free floating anxiety. What is this coron

No, I'm not actually anxious about the coronavirus itself. Right now, there are very few cases in our area and it actually has a low mortality rate. That being said, I'm concerned about it reaching our elderly population, so I am concerned. But, I'm having general anxiety because I like to plan out life and living in a global pandemic is not conducive to planning. In fact, living through a pandemic is pretty much the opposite of being able to plan. We learned this evening that the schools will close on Wednesday for at least three weeks. We're not sure when they're going to open back up; that depends on the situation with the pandemic. This means that Patrick and Minh will be home most of th