The Pond, a COVID-19 Story by KimB

This is a story about a pond. This is a story about COVID-19.

It's not the usual story about ponds. It's not the usual story about COVID-19.

This story requires the reader to participate.
This story requires you to physically do something, but it's not hard.

You will need:

1 piece of paper - fairly large - 8x10 common paper will do.
1 pair of scissors - sharp enough to cut the paper.
1 pencil or pen to write on the paper.

Optional

A calculator - physical or electronic or from your smartphone. Nothing fancy needed.

Paper Pen Scissors Calculator

In this story the pond is covered with algae.
In this story we know that the algae doubles every day.
In this story we want to know how long did it take for the algae to cover the whole pond.

The pond is the paper. You can write POND at the top of the page.

Now comes the hard part. A series of steps writing on the paper and cutting it with scissors.

1. In one corner of the paper write the number 1 and 100%.
   This is day 1 and the pond is completely covered.


2. Cut the paper in 2. You now have 2 pieces of paper.
   Set aside the part you wrote on in step 1.
   Label the new portion 2 and 50%.
   This is day 2 and the pond is covered 50%


3. Cut the day 2 portion in half. You will have 2 pieces of paper.
   Set aside the portion marked 2 aside with the day 1 paper.
   Label the new portion 3 and 25%.
   This is day 3 and the pond is covered 25%


4. Cut the day 3 portion in half. You will have 2 pieces of paper.
   Set aside the portion marked with the other days.
   Label the new portion 4 and 12.5%.
   This is day 4 and the pond is covered 12.5%


Now repeat the steps, changing the day and the amount the pond is covered by 1/2.


5. Cut the day 4 portion in half. You will have 2 pieces of paper.
   Set aside the portion marked with the other days.
   Label the new portion 5 and 6.5%.
   This is day 5 and the pond is covered 6.5%


On day 5 less than 10% of the pond is covered in algae.
In 5 days the pond will be 100% covered in algae.


6. Cut the day 5 portion in half. You will have 2 pieces of paper.
   Set aside the portion marked with the other days.
   Label the new portion 6 and 3.125%.
   This is day 6 and the pond is covered 3.125%


7. Cut the day 6 portion in half. You will have 2 pieces of paper.
   Set aside the portion marked with the other days.
   Label the new portion 7 and 1.56%.
   This is day 7 and the pond is covered 1.56%


8. Cut the day 7 portion in half. You will have 2 pieces of paper.
   Set aside the portion marked with the other days.
   Label the new portion 8 and .78%.
   This is day 8 and the pond is covered .78%


On day 8 less than 1% of the pond is covered in algae.
In 8 days the pond will be 100% covered in algae.

Continue cutting the paper into smaller pieces, labeling each piece by day and amount of algae covering the pond by 1/2.

How much algae was in the pond for each day in the month?

30. 100%
31. 50%
32. 25%
33. 12.5%
34. 6.25%
35. 3.125%
36. 1.56%
37. .78%
38. thru day 1 less than 1%
    
    
    There are 22 days where there is barely enough algae to notice.

Now start to reassemble the paper pieces.

Notice how slowly the algae grows is when the numbers are very small.
Notice how quickly the algae grows when the number hits 1%.

The story of COVID-19 is the story of the algae in the pond. It seems as if small numbers mean things are just fine and then only a few days later, we are in lockdowns, facing fines for going out and having our lives disrupted.

This is because 1% isn't fine. 1% is 8 days from covering the entire pond. 1% is a tipping point.

The story of COVID-19 is also the story of the power of 1. One may not seem to be a big number compared to all the other numbers and sequences of numbers. 1 algae is all it takes to cover a pond in 30 days.

All it takes is 1.

The Pond

Sailing on the COVID sea by Kim Bigelow

Sailing on the COVID sea by Kim Bigelow

Copyright © 2020 by Kim Bigelow
All rights reserved.
Revised 06/19/2022

Chorus:
Rollin' down the river to the COVID sea,
Wonder what will happen to you and to me.
Lock down, turn around, don't breath on me!

Said the rich man to the poor man, Your life is Mine,
You work when I say and die on time.
Sailing down the river to the COVID sea.

Rowing down the river and what did I see?
Masquerqades, Pass-Parades and Jammed-Buries*,
Two foot, four foot, six foot hops,
Sanitize, Sterilize and Neck-Mask Flops.

One hundred, two hundred, three hundred dead,
The President says, "Good Times are Ahead!"
One thousand, two thousand, three thousand more,
The President says, "Stats are just a bore!"

Chorus:
Good times, dead times, money for free!
Stay at home, buy a tomb, no doctors to see.
Stay in place, leave a trace, don't cough on me!

Ten thousand dead from walkabouts town,
"Twenty thousand dead," says the Pres with a frown.
Two Hundred Thousand dead and it's plain to see
Morgue Trucks; The President ducks ... out to the tee.

Shout Out:
I don't care,
I'll take the dare,
gotta breath some air.

Windows Up, no drives around town,
"Bad Luck," says the Pres to Blacks and to Browns.
Can't buy nuthin', There's nuthin' to see,
Dead air, it's not fair, it's no way to be.

Chorus Backing:
Eviction is comin',
And I'll be strummin',
On the streets for free.

"Pay me," says the Rich Guy with hands so clean,
Thirteen Billion in a day is his dream.
Eight hundred thousand dead and I'm ready to scream!

"Hey you fool!", send your kids to school,
Take a trip or a ship, overseas.
Death will be waiting, for the easy takings.

Chorus:
No more pensions, health care preventions,
unemployment compensations
or subsidies.

Dying for the Pres, it's your patriotic duty,
The government grabs all the loot and booty.
It's roll one for them and twenty for you,
Show your face, you're The Ace with your MAGA cap too.

You die just the same and the pickin's are rich.
You get the same care as the folks in the ditch.
'Cause there ain't no cure and there ain't no fix.

The Dead Herds fillin' graves, will make some rich,
As long as we all buy the hype and the pitch.
There is only one guarantee:
The dead in the graves are you and me.

The President says, "We gotta hold our nerve".
The President says, "We're trying to flatten the curve".
says the Man in the Hat, "We're gonna beat it like THAT!"

Johnson, Trump, Morrison too,
add in Bolsonaro and you got quite a crew
Andres in Sweden is fixing the stew,
The only thing missin' is me and you.

"Look around, at how Great We Be",
Don't hesitate, don't be late, you can call on me
Six months later; not a word to be heard,
Everyone's gone back to the herd.

I work for nickles and I work for dimes,
I'll work any days, hours or times,
No food on the shelves and that's the way it will be,
They gotta make a profit in the Land of the Free.

Rich man says, "Come jump in the pool!",
Rich man says, "You gotta get IN, I made it a Rule!",
Everyone says "The water's just fine!"
See all the Morgue Trucks waiting in line.

Forget the past and your future too,
Vaccine's acoming and I hope it's true,
Cause all of these folks are making me blue.

We clap for you and fall on our knees,
The golf course is callin' there's room on the tee.
President says "I can do as I please."

Wear a mask or not, you gotta chose,
You only have one important thing to lose,
Pick out a place where you want to be,
'Cause you are gonna be there for eternity.

We are all in the boat on the COVID sea,
There is no immunity or guarantee,
Spoken:
The only thing we have is our humanity.



*note: this sounds like jamboree but spelled Jammed Buries pronouced Jammed-Borees

Waiting

While waiting for the virus vaccine, I've beeen reduced to having only several choices of self amusement; reading, knitting or watching TV since we stay home and have few visitors.

We can only take so much news about the number of deaths occurring and the scary projections of higher numbers as the weeks roll by. The debate about wearing a mask or not wearing one leads me to think ignorance is more polific among humans than I had previously thought.

Now, on top of the covid worry, we have the wild fires on the west coast spreading faster than the virus, and a hurricane heading toward New Orleans.

Do you think it's time to listen to the scientists who talk about changing our lives to combat Climate change?

Doggerel Kisses by Anno Nymus

Doggerel Kisses

A Tribute to Bingo the Dog

*

When I go to bed

My dog sleeps

On a big pillow

right by my feet

Now they must smell

Alluringly sweet

'cause the dog thinks

it's a super treat

to just curl up

and lick those feet ...

… but c'est la vie

that’s how it goes

though it really tickles

when she licks my toes !

* * *

Copyright R. Bigelow 2020

Better Late than Never ? by Anno Nymus

 

Better Late than Never ?

Better late than never

that’s what I often say ...

Just don’t wait until tomorrow

what ya gotta do today ...

You can be a rascal,

or Hero all the way

Just don’t wait until tomorrow

what ya gotta do today

Now I was – go-ing-to …

… get a bite to eat

but then I got busy ..

and was in a frazzled state

so on my main mission

I did pro – cras – tin – ate …

when I finally got 'round to-it

The hour was just too late !

I'll do ___ all tomorrow

It's better off that way

I'll do ___ all tomorrow

What I was gonna do today

So ,,, here's the news – Don't snooze !

… to avoid the blues – just chose

to be on time - like 'late' 's a crime

or you will surely lose

the early bird gets the worm ..

don’t fidget, sit or squirm

Agendas tight – all day 'n night

be late and you get burned

keep track of time --all night or day

and get things done – in a timely way

Better late than never –

that’s what I often say ...

Just don’t put off tomorrow –

what ya gotta do today ...

*

Original Song by -- R Bigelow 8-26-20