Otsego has been like a ghost town over the past few weeks. Bob’s Hardware is the only business which has been opened consistently during regular business hours through this whole ordeal. They have been in the same location close to 70 years as a family-run business. Judy’s restaurant is open for takeout with limited hours. Nowadays one rarely sees a car parked on the main street.
All of the action has been at Home Depot, Meijers and Walmart between Otsego and Plainwell. Walmart is the store that finally closed most of the mom and pop grocery stores around the city. Harding’s market closed a couple of years ago which had been around as long as Bobs Hardware. The city has changed a lot since I was a kid growing up here. I have been around almost as long as Bob’s.
I won’t get into the history of the city as most of you live north and south of us. I have lived here a good portion of my life with a brief time spent in Maine then moving back to live in various locations around southwest Michigan. I grew up here then after moving around Maine and exploring New England, Canada, and Michigan finally resettled here.
I can’t help thinking we are settling into a new normal even being the optimist that I am. Businesses are going to have to rethink the way they operate if they want to survive. We are resilient people and we will overcome this but our lives will be reshaped by this pandemic.
I was reading Bills Blog yesterday about a possible bear attack on his bird feeders. We also have our feeders under a silver maple which are populated by squirrels, chipmunks, and a wide variety of birds. I saw a couple Oriels feeding yesterday. On a sad note one of the red squirrels which feed on the sunflower seeds and corn I set out passed away yesterday. I found her in my side yard dead. I think she fell from high up in the trees. If you have ever watched them they are quite the acrobats flying around the trees. All of the critters have been a good source of entertainment.
Covid 19 deaths in the USA is nearing 65,000 and in MI it is nearing 4,000 and the virus is still spreading rapidly! I am very thankful that Whitmer is out governor! Keep up the great work and keep the stay at home order! We need a lot more TESTING and tracing before any state opens up! 6 feet apart or 6 feet under! We need some federal leadership for testing! Get it together!
The protesters at the state capital are an embarrassment for our state! What in the world is wrong with those people! Give me a break!
And if it was something you wanted to happen would the protesterers be a embarrassment then? I believe they got what they wanted the state re opens tomorrow other then the stay home act right is May 15th People can finally go back to work ….INDY
Calling for a very warm summer again. Get ready!
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/accuweathers-2020-summer-forecast/729643
I have read a few articles which are predicting hot and humid for this summer – which means cold and wet 🙂
The CPC’s long range guess has a odd look to it. Cool, dry May then warm wet the rest of the summer. But keep in mind that there is a heat wave going on in the SW US and that happened in the spring of 1992 and guess what summer of 1992 was a cold summer.
Slim
Rain gauges showing between 2.6 – 2.9 inches as of precip yesterday. No new news…cold with more cold, and snow on the way. A mild day or two does not move the Arctic out of the Southern Arctic. Granted, it’s depressing to have a useless, very cold year layed out before you, but celebrating 48 “mild hours” is just “optimism”…which in itself is useless as well. We’re left with living within our winter coats, and a furnace that never rests.
LOL 2020 has been very warm so far in Lower Michigan.
GA Governor suspends road test requirement for teen drivers, yet opens gyms, barber shops, massage therapist, etc! This is the same person that stated he was not aware that you could have the virus without showing symptoms! This was about a month after this fact was widely reported by the experts! Incredible!
Last day of April and temps in low 40’s along the lakeshore wow thats cold for this time of year plus its wet feels even cooler outside ….INDY
Just over 2 inches of rain here the past two days. Everything sure greened up fast with the warmth and rains. As for our area, traffic is down some, but as Slim said there sure are a lot of cars buzzing by all day yet. Just getting the mail yesterday I had to wait for 6 or 7 cars to cross the road. I went out to get gas, and even the gas station was just as busy as normal. We get a lot of “inside” information from our daughter who works at Zeeland hospital, and they have been sitting… Read more »
We can all thank Governor Whitmer and your fellow citizens for that! The stay at home orders have helped the situation from becoming a total catastrophe! Even with that the rates of infection and death are both going up in West MI! Don’t let up now and keep the stay at home orders rolling! #six feet apart or 6 feet under!
https://www.newsweek.com/georgia-coroner-invites-those-forgoing-masks-coronavirus-stay-home-orders-visit-morgue-see-1500525
Temps will be 64, 70, 68 this weekend. Enjoy!
Michigan COVID cases continue to soar! Even the increase in testing doesn’t fully explain the sudden uptick. Reports from up north and the UP saying many smaller businesses are starting to close for good. Tourism has almost completely dried up with no real end in sight.
Over the past week cases are almost doubling each day in Allegan County where I reside – we now have two deaths where we didn’t any last week.
If it takes 5-14 days to get the virus and people have been home for weeks, how are thousands of people in Michigan getting sick everyday? Just think what will happen when things reopen.
Basically dont believe everything you see or hear that’s what probably the best answer ….lots of deaths happen everyday in Michigan through out the year lots of deaths happening
now saying it’s the virus but really it’s not lots of people getting love ones death certificate and saying wait a minute.. When this pendemic is over the political scene story with this will be bigger then the pandemic it’s self …my opinion ..INDY
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/28/us/coronavirus-death-toll-total.html
There have been reports from the Tampa News (a news paper) that there have been under reporting deaths if Florida. That the ME’s were told by the state to lower the number of reported deaths. I was going to post the news story but the Tampa News is one of the news papers that only give you one or two free before they want you to buy a subscription. Many of the death certificates in Florida for people who die at home stated as “of natural causes” I have several from my relatives that died down there in Lee county.
Slim
Hey Mookie for once I totally agree with you! This is a major health disaster and Kent County and the surrounding counties are now seeing “community spread”! It took longer to get to this side of the state and now it is more important then ever to stay at home! Keep the stay at home in effect and save lives! This is the absolute worst time for states to be reopening! All the scientific data is clear! The conservative media and the conspiracy theories are out of control! 6 feet apart or 6 feet under!
You know here in Grand Rapids while the traffic is down some what there are still a lot of cars running around. Not sure where they are all going. I did notice that the traffic by the Rivertown mall was much lighter then normal. But that said I take a ride out to Coopersville once a week to get out of the house and on 96 there is still a good amount of traffic and the old GM plant in Coopersville is busy. The way the numbers have been going here in Kent county I am not so sure that… Read more »
It’s been like that for days Slim I see it going to work and coming home people are everywhere you maybe on something about the stay home band ….INDY
With light rain the current temperature is at 48 here. The total for this system here at my house is now up to 2.36″
Slim
44* degrees currently out at the YARDof BRICKS NE of GR with a cold rain falling with only a few days left to May April will end up below average just like a year ago try to stay dry today the rivers are on the risee …INDY
I agree. Hamilton, although smaller than Otsego is also struggling. Gilroys Hardware and the Grocery store seem to be doing well though.
On the flip side, of this, I cannot recall when gas was this cheap, home fitness companies must be doing well, along with those that make any cleaning products. Many families are reconnecting with each other; first oriole on the feeder yesterday! And lastly, we will dry out and see the sun after today:)
Sorry about the depressing post – it is what it is-
.28 of an inch of rain in the past 24 hours. We have rain and 42 degrees
We are up to 3.09 for the month – 1.82 since the low-pressure system moved into the state.