Life in Waimea while in Coronavirus Quarantine is not too bad! I am not the only person who has commented on how happy many people seem.

People are making it to the beaches, in a social distancing sort of manner, and reporting that the beaches are empty and glorious. I haven’t heard from anyone who has gone hiking lately, but I’m sure the trails, too, are empty.

We can’t gather in groups, which is a shame, but this respite from the usual overcrowding by tourists is really very enjoyable.

Businesses are hurting, that’s for sure. I don’t usually go out for meals, so the shutting down of the restaurants is not something I’ve really noticed. I have noticed that the parking lots are far less full.

I’m mostly staying home, trying to train my dogs to use a slumped cypress tree as an agility course. It is far more beautiful that a typical agility field, and they are slowly getting the hang of it.

I’m working more with my horses, who certainly need a great deal of work.

I’m harvesting and processing tea, and stripping the seeds off the plants.

I am also spending more time sitting down, though, and that is beginning to take it’s toll. I’m running, but I haven’t done pilates, yoga, or water aerobics now for a week, and I’m getting stiff.

I could certainly do pilates or yoga on my own (and will do a modified water aerobics workout when I get to the beach) but I need some motivation. So I just signed up for a zoom yoga session through Waimea Yoga, https://waimeayoga.com/and also signed up for a pilates session with Maria Sevilla, https://www.sevillabodyworks.com/ I’m still working on how to get into the ocean.

We have had a little bit of hoarding-today was the first day I was able to find anti-bacterial wipes in the store-but surely the hoarders will run out of room to store their hoarded goods, the ships and barges will catch up with deliveries, and all will be well.

Is the Big Island a good place to be in the midst of a pandemic? Probably better than some places, because we have a small and dispersed population. But we also have severely limited medical services, and, when people hoard, it takes longer to replenish necessities here than it would in a more connected community. The advantages and disadvantages are amplified now, https:// http://yrh.ewp.mybluehost.me/2019/08/06/the-pros-and-cons-of-living-on-the-big-island/

Life in Waimea while in Coronavirus Quarantine is good but risky. If the virus spreads even moderately here, our resources will be overwhelmed and we will lose people we should not lose.