Hello everyone, Don Dziedzina here.  I hope many of you remember me from my blog here at ChicagoNow titled Illinois Outdoors.

The Illinois Outdoor blog still exists, however I’ve not made any posts there in quite a while.  I had to step back and shut down my TV Show, Illinois Outdoors, my co-hosting of the Fishing and Outdoor Radio Show, and all of my writing in local papers and magazines.  Let me just say it was for health reasons.

But I’m doing okay now.  I miss sharing my outdoor experiences with viewers, listeners and readers.  It’s always been fun and I appreciated all of the positive response that I received for well over 35 years.

So here I am.  Saying I’m back in the ballgame, but that’s not exactly proper.  I’d like to say, I’m “Back in the Outdoors”

I’ll be submitting blog posts as often as possible.  I’ll be writing about fishing, hunting, other outdoor sports as well as some travel destinations where I feel others will enjoy learning about for a weekend trip or a week-long vacation.

I invite you to feel free to comment on the posts or ask questions.

If you’d like to be notified of future posts, please subscribe to this blog.  No other emails will be sent to you and you can opt out whenever you like.

Glad to be back and remember…

“Great Fishing is not that far away.”  tm.

Veganism. HOOO BOY. What a humongous topic, right? It’s a natural segue for me since I became a vegetarian a little over a year ago. Actually, I would bet that if you knew that I recycle, compost, drive a fuel efficient car and own a Mac, you’d say I was a breathing vegan stereotype. But hear me out. Stereotypes are harmful but sometimes, SOMETIMES, they are in place out of an acknowledged truth many are aware exists. And many things in this world have natural progressions. If you were in an English class you really enjoyed, you’d likely take an advanced version of it next semester. And because of these classes, you’d probably end up reading and falling in love with certain authors and a particular style of writing. From there, you might branch out to other genres and start reading more and before long, you’d be writing and your writing would evolve. Not long after, you’d venture into the publishing world and make money. WHAT? I know, real green money. Go you.

Hopefully you see where I’m going with this. Veganism is a natural move from vegetarianism. Publishing is a natural progression of establishing yourself as a writer. Eating better is a natural progression of wanting to be healthier. Becoming a vampire is a natural progression of having an aversion to garlic but insatiable taste for blood. Who knew? You knew, that’s who.

Back to veganism. I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries on food and factory farming, diseases and the health industry, food myths and different diets. There’s a lot out there so I just started to watch a little of everything, even on the stuff I knew about but didn’t subscribe to fully. Like on the addictive nature of sugar (this is irrefutable) and the effectiveness of the Ketogenic Diet (not into this diet, but I learned quite a bit) because it limits sugar and carbohydrate consumption. But I just finished a documentary that I’ll continue to carry with me like I do Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret. This one is called The Invisible Vegan, about the unhealthy dietary patterns within the African American community.

What I love about The Invisible Vegan is that it compels each of us to examine the role of food in our culture and to dismantle the ideas that hold us back from making better eating choices. One of the biggest reasons against veganism pointed out in this documentary is how this lifestyle change is considered to be a white thing. I get it, I’ve thought this before too, but it’s a silly argument. Actually, it’s not an argument at all. Caring about animal welfare isn’t a white issue. Wanting your community to be healthier and live longer isn’t a white issues. The desire to create a more sustainable world is not a white issue.

Factory farming and slaughter houses are not humane. I sincerely believe that if more people saw footage of the deplorable conditions these animals live in, they’d think twice about what they ate. In the documentary, writer and activist Christopher-Sebastian McJetters says we lose our humanity when we consume meat. We are so separated from our food sources that we aren’t even curious about the foods journey to us. When it comes to dairy, it starts getting real when you think about how weird it is for humans to be drinking the stuff created for calves by their moms. Imagine a human mother’s breast milk being fed to cows. Weird, right?

My goal isn’t to typify the annoying vegan everyone dreads. I don’t want to shove my beliefs down your throat because honestly, the biggest changes happen when something within you clicks of your own free will. I just want to give you the facts. Veganism isn’t a white thing. We don’t need to hurt and kill things to survive, there’s enough plant-based food to feed us all. You can eat a plant-based diet and still be healthy. You can eat plant-based and still be big and fit if that’s what you want (giraffes and cows are, to name a couple). Vegan food doesn’t taste bad and it pushes you to cook more. A plant-based diet can be affordable and sustainable. It can fill you. No, eating only plants doesn’t make you less of a man. Yes, you can still shower and be a vegan. No, you can’t use deodorant and be vegan.

Kidding, please, for the sake of us all, use deodorant.

If you want to learn more about what happens to animals on factory farms and slaughterhouses and/or want to know how you can adopt a plant-based diet, vegan.org is a great resource to browse.

If you’re looking for some suggestions on vegan alternatives for some refrigerator staples, here are my favorites:

Milk substitute: Simple Truth Oat Milk–the texture is the closest thing I’ve found to milk and unlike almond milk, which can be too watery, tastes awesome in coffee.

Ground beef and chicken substitutes: Quorn products. I can’t say enough good things about this brand. I discovered them by luck because my friend bought them while hungry and when I tried one of the faux chicken nuggets, I was floored. The texture is on point but the flavor is even better, I’ve had the nuggets, spicy meatless patties, and grounds. Can’t tell the difference, no joke. I say this as someone for whom chicken was the hardest thing to give up.

Vegan Mayo: Follow Your Heart Soy-Free Vegan Mayo–this is the first vegan mayo I’ve had that I can’t tell apart from the classic.

Butter substitute: Earth Balance Soy-Free Butter Spread–my way of testing if alternatives taste like the real thing is to try them by themselves. I tried this butter straight on and could not tell the difference.

Cheese-substitute: I’m not gonna lie, I have yet to discover a cheese alternative that tastes and behaves like cheese. I’m convinced there is no such thing. I hope the world proves me wrong someday.

If you like my posts, type your e-mail address in the “Subscribe by Email” box to the upper right, which you can opt out of at any time.

Local Business Series: LLF-Consulting

Hey Laisha! Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to learn more about LLF- Consulting.

Please start by introducing yourself and then tell us a little about your background? 

Thank you for having me. I’m Laisha L. Fox, CEO of LLF-Consulting and Professional Development maven. I assist professionals with climbing the ‘Corporate Ladder’, I too help entrepreneurs take their business(es) to the next level. My strategies have proven to be effective both on and off the job. My customized best practices and tools have improved business bottom lines and increased paychecks. I have over 18 years of combined experience in Project Management and Human Resources. I was born and raised in Chicago. I attended Northern Illinois University where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications. I started my career in the Project Management industry and have led projects for a variety of organizations. Some to include: Microsoft, Dell and Careerbuilder. After earning two Master’s degrees (Project Management and Human Resources) I coupled my education and professional experience and created LLF-Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in Professional Development.

That’s amazing and quite impressive. Tell us about some of the services you specialize in?

My most popular service is coaching, career and business. I also offer professional resume writing services: resumes, cover letters, reference letters etc. I also offer branding services. I offer a complete suite of professional development products & services.

Great, what do you love about being able to help people better themselves? 

Like most professionals, I experienced my fair share of adversity when starting my career. Unfortunately, I overcame adversity alone. My most troubling days, made me want to be an extension of help if I ever rose above the occasion. So, here we are.

I love that! What do you think makes an experience with Coach Lai different from other professional coaches?

I’ve helped hundreds of professionals accelerate their career. I also happen to be a product of my own best practices. Not only do I talk the talk, I walk the walk. I’ve helped professionals seamlessly transition careers, negotiate higher wages and even secure their dream job. I’m a ‘No Nonsense’ Coach, I pride myself on producing high-quality results.

Yes, I’ve attended a few of your workshops and I love your style. What has been some of your most proudest accomplishments?

• Helping over 500 professionals achieve their career goals
• PUMA l Fashion Geek Collaboration, Coat Drive
• Black Enterprise feature, 5 Ways to Propel Your Career Forward
• Launched an online store with, career tools, masterclasses, templates & more

That’s definitely a list to be proud of. Ok, let’s shift gears a little bit. We know that entrepreneurship is certainly not easy. What types of obstacles have you faced along the way?

LLF-Consulting was my very first child. I endured labor pains and was overjoyed with the birth. I celebrated milestones, I too nursed bruises. I’ve watched my baby grow over the last five years and I couldn’t be a prouder mom. Prior to birth, I second guessed my decision to move forward and I couldn’t be any happier those abandonments, notions, and thoughts were cancelled. Fast forward, 5 years later I gave up my working class mentality and generated revenue from what I knew instead of what I did. Everyone has a skill but they don’t have my story.

My biggest struggle was time. As my business grew I unfortunately didn’t get more hours on the clock. My time management skills by default became a priority for me.

I can certainly relate to the time management struggles. What has helped you overcome this?

I learned to automate! Again, as my responsibilities grew my time didn’t. I learned to create systems that allowed me to automate my day-to-day tasks. For example, I use scheduling apps to aid with my social media management. I learned to work smarter and stopped working harder.

I love that. Now, I can imagine you to be extremely busy during a time like now. What advice would you give professionals displaced from work during this economic pandemic?

Keep looking! Your job search should continue, business as usual. Continue sending in your applications and update both your resume and cover letter. The job market will be even more competitive with more applicants. It’s likely companies may need to temporarily stop their search but once we resume normalcy, they’ll still need to fill those roles.

That’s some great advice Coach Lai! Before you go, you gotta give us a Lookclusive. What exciting things can we expect from LLF-Consulting this year?  

eLearning, lots of it! Professional Development is a journey that should never end. Post this pandemic, I’ll be partnering with local businesses and hosting a job fair. My goal, is for professionals recently displaced as a result of this pandemic will be to secure employment.

Awesome, thank you so much Laisha it’s truly been my pleasure. Please tell everyone how they can find and connect with you?

I can be found on the web & social media. My websites are as follows: www.llf-consulting.com and

www.climbingthecorporateladder.com . My social media handles are: llfconsulting (Facebook, Instagram & Twitter)

The below press release is via shopinplacechi.com:

In just seven days online, www.ShopInPlaceChi.com has become a website where Chicago residents can find more than 250 small businesses selling products essential for residents sheltering at home. Tens of thousands of Chicagoans have used the site to search for small businesses by category and neighborhood.

The website is free to the public courtesy of the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago (IJ Clinic). The IJ Clinic provides free legal assistance, support and advocacy for low-income entrepreneurs in Chicago.

“Neighborhood small businesses have a lot to offer to Chicagoans during this difficult time,” said IJ Clinic Director Beth Kregor. “The number of small businesses listing products they offer at ShopinPlaceChi.com is growing rapidly and it’s been heartening to watch new pins fill up the site’s map. The increasing number of businesses participating makes the site more useful both to consumers and businesses.”

One of the businesses listed at the site’s launch last week is Dinobi Detergent, which manufactures and sells all-natural detergent. Augustine Emuwa, co-owner of Dinobi Detergent said, “It may be early but we feel that this idea is turning into another great platform for building an ecosystem here on the South Side and Chicago as a whole.”

The website continues to welcome new submissions from Chicago small businesses selling products in categories such as bath and cleaning products, books, educational supplies, games and toys, food and more. Businesses interested in being listed on the website should visit shopinplacechi.com/submit-your-business/ and fill out a short form with information about the products they offer, their neighborhood locations, and how consumers can safely purchase their products through delivery or curbside pickup. Listings will be added after a review by IJ Clinic staff and volunteers.

SELF-ISOLATION, DAY 15, already

Time is flying by.

I am so used to having some kind of deadline; a date by which I need to do something. Most of these deadlines and goals or projects, things I want or need to do, either no longer exist or they exist only in my mind. Well, most things, all the stuff we want or think we have to do; most of this stuff just exists in our minds. But I guess we need to feel like someone or thing needs us to do, whatever. We need to be needed. Maybe that is just me. The hard part is maintaining my daily routine. I shower, brush my teeth, change clothes, do laundry, wash the dishes, and on…. I call people or email them or, WRITE MY ESSAYS! Or whatever this is called. That is probably one reason I do this. I started writing it and now I do not want to stop.

A good friend of mine who is a teacher for elementary school, went in to her school 6:30 this morning to help with distributing iPads, I believe, to parents. She is planning the curriculum, doing what she does very well, teaching her students. She has a whiteboard at home and will be livestreaming I think. When I was in elementary school I loved having little lined writing pads. I used to write with a pencil. I had never heard of a computer yet. How the times change. Anyway so she is navigating doing distant teaching of her students while her high school son does his online learning. She goes for walks. Another friend cares for dogs and cats of others, and drives friends to doctor’s appointments. So many people are doing so many things for someone else.

I see a lot of people walking and running where I live. I no longer run. I walk and I take my dog out sniffing. It is hard for me to stay focused but I keep at it everyday. The exercise and being outdoors helps me a lot. I am starting to formulate a new sort of vegetarian dish. It would not make “Top Chef.” But I have fun fantasizing about it. Other than that, I keep working my part-time grocery store job. Partly, helps me with my bills, and I have explained to some friends and others that I just planned my retirement poorly. No, didn’t do drugs or anything weird. Partly, it does give me a job to do, if I don’t do it someone else has to. Not heroic, just being busy doing something someone needs me to do. Sometimes in the evening the trucks start coming in and I help out unloading because they are often short-handed. Not how I planned my retirement, but it is ok. There is a comradery I feel. I may bs a bit with the driver, ask him how long it takes to drive down from Wisconsin. Then I grab a pallet jack and start unloading pallets. If there is a very heavy one, one of the young guys says no I’ll take it.

So, no intentions of practicing medicine again, but today I received a text message from the State of Illinois about “IllinoisHelps”, a program of registering medical personnel of all kinds for help in an emergency. Like now; or in 1 week; or 2. So, I may be too old, though I could likely do something. I have almost no idea. So I signed up. I never wanted to retire and “sit on the front porch with a glass of wine,” or whatever. I don’t know why. For me the meaning of my life is more and more to go where my soul leads me. I am trusting it. There are many who believe that “The Divine” is within all of us. God, whoever, whatever that might be, within us. So, as my wife was dying of cancer over 13 years ago I began to meditate and pray for guidance for wherever I should go. So, many wonderful things have happened and I have come to know some wonderful people.

I do not know where my soul is going. I am ok with that. As I have said, my beliefs are non-traditional. I think it is all more complicated than some kind of Heaven or Hell. I believe in Reincarnation and the Karma of responsibility for my actions. Ha! I tricked some of you into reading my spiritual stuff again. OK, I am joking and also not. I never know how my blog will turn out. I believe I have a soul and am responsible for it as well as my sister and brother souls, whether or not I like them. So, maybe I will just go on trying to take care of all the details and someday I will remember how bad the epidemic seemed back when. But if I need to do something else I am willing. I am not a hero. I cannot imagine as a firefighter running into a burning building. Or a cop who faces down someone with a gun to save unarmed people. Cannot imagine it. I just try to be true to my soul.

So, people, please, let us all remember what is important. Yes, we should be careful. I am not hoping to die soon. Tomorrow, if I do not die in my sleep, I will be 73! I still enjoy life. But important is where we should go with our lives and how we help those near us, or farther away.

So, Be safe, stay well, believe in the higher powers. We can do this together.

David, March 31, 2020

by Edward Shanahan.

The Unexplained World podcast is back with Chicago Psychic Medium Edward Shanahan and Pagan Truth Seeker Annette.

Annette and I are starting our 11th year of podcasting The Unexplained World podcast and could make us one of the oldest running podcasts in this field.

Starting this year, we have a new podcast host, Anchor.fm  It is different than the last host, and I am getting used to the workings of the new hosting service. We could not wait any longer, so we have jumped in, and some learning will be by doing.

The New Shows can be heard at the locations listed below. Also, remember to please subscribe, and like The Unexplained World podcast at the website you will be listening to it.

You can find the website for The Unexplained World podcast on Anchor.fm  at; The Unexplained World podcast.

Google Podcasts –  podcast link.
Anchor.fm  – podcast link.
Spotify  – podcast link.
Breaker – podcast link.
Radio Public – podcast link.
Pocket Casts – podcast link.
OverCasts – podcast link.
Apple Podcasts – coming soon.

The Unexplained World podcast just published has:
Annette – my Co-Host on The Unexplained World, talking about ‘This Moment in Time’.
Jim Blaze – Chicago Pro Wrestler traveling the country and trainer for POWW pro wrestling. Jim joins me with making predictions about the matches at this year’s WrestleMania.
Edward Shanahan – His end of the show commentary being:  Internal Spiritual Knowledge.

Enjoy The Unexplained World podcast, and remember to subscribe at your place of listening so you are updated on each new podcast.

Blessings and Prayers to all,
Edward Shanahan

Visit Edward Shanahan’s  Psychic Medium website and awarded Best Chicago Psychic at: Edward Shanahan’s website.
Private Readings, House Party/Gatherings, Spirit Communications information at the website.

The Unexplained World podcast – The Unexplained World Internet Broadcast Website,
On Twitter – includes a daily Spiritual / Paranormal Newspaper.
Edward Shanahan on Facebook – Facebook Page .
The two books by Edward Shanahan. The Kindle Version

(c) 2020 Edward Shanahan

ENGLISH:
As announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the Department of Housing is giving a limited number of $1,000 grants to low-income households having financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 Stay at Home Order. It takes 10 minutes to submit the online form. However, upon request, applicants must be able to show documentation demonstrating loss of work or the negative financial impact of coronavirus in their livelihoods.

For more public relief during this pandemic, Chicagoans have to pressure the mayor, Governor Pritzker, their aldermen and state representatives.

ESPAÑOL:
Como lo anunció la alcaldeza Lori Lightfoot, el Departamento de Vivienda repartirá un número limitado de becas de $1,000, por medio de una lotería, a los hogares que han sido impactados negativamente por la cuarentena del COVID-19. Sólo se toma 10 minutos llenar la forma (en inglés o español) y la aplicación no pregunta el estatus migratorio. Más adelante, los finalistas tendrían que comprobar la pérdida de días/horas de trabajo con talones de cheque, declaración bancaria, o una carta del empleador.

Para más asistencia pública durante la pandemia, los residentes de Chicago deberán presionar a la alcaldeza, el gobernador Pritzker, sus concejales y representantes estatales.

COOKING WHILE ISOLATED

And if you want an interesting story don’t expect it all to be true.

So I’m standing in front of my stove cooking vegetables with beans. Well, to be honest, and as I said I don’t like to go that way too much, but to be honest, it was shredded carrots and Bush’s Baked Beans cuz they have more flavor. I know one can take dried beans and soak them for like 2 or 3 weeks, I am not sure how long, but that is supposed to get the farts out of them. But that sounds really intimidating so I generally do something really technical like getting a can opener and opening a can of beans. They are vegetables, no meat, lots of protein, I think, and combine them with, maybe shredded carrots, and, let’s see, I think I have also used, well, shredded celery, yeah, and I can’t remember what else. So also, I love rice. I used to mainly cook and eat rice and chicken, but I know some people, well, this one friend of mine, not my girlfriend, but friend friend, whatever, anyway, nice lady and she is a vegetarian. When I was a kid I would get that mixed up with veterinarian. So I loved animals, still do, but when I found out I was trying to become a vegetarian I freaked out and went into another profession. So, trying to eat more vegetables, besides my Internist, who is a cool guy, always tells me eat more vegetables, I need fiber, and exercise to get rid of my gut. Well, that is not going so well, but nobody is perfect, right? So, ok, then I cook rice, usually brown rice, which I like and is supposed to be healthy, and then I throw the rice in with the beans and shredded carrots and anything else which I think might be healthy. It tastes pretty good, I just want to tell you, really not bad at all. I use some spices too, in case you were wondering.

So, as I said, I’m standing at the stove and there is a knock on my door. Now, I live in an apartment complex, nice place, in a suburb of Chicago with nice trees and birds, squirrels, raccoons and such and I like it a lot. I live on the ground floor and look out of my balcony onto the parking lot, trees, etc. Nice. Oh, yeah, a small river. That all has nothing to do with my story. Anyway, no one knocks on my door. Like, I don’t get visitors. Twice someone knocked on my door and one time someone was complaining that my dog was barking. I explained the situation to that person, like, we can go to court if you want, so they left me alone. Another time a young lady, who it turned out was from Sweden, and I apologized if my dog was barking or if my music was too loud but it was neither. She was just doing a Super Bowl thing where you bet on certain spaces on a form, whatever, I did not get it but she said she was raising money to help her mother in Sweden with some illness. Well, she was cute so I didn’t care so much about her mother or the Super Bowl, I just gave her some money. Whatever, you know?

Well, this time, a knock on the door. I turn down the heat so my beans and carrots don’t overheat. A guy is standing there, wearing one of these complicated masks, like N95 or G95, or some letter. I think N95. Keeps droplets and viruses away from your face. Good idea I guess. So he asks me if I have a spare N95 mask. So, like, I do not remember ever seeing this guy before, although I kind of keep to myself. I see people around the complex and I say hi! Or stay well, or have a nice day. You know how it is. These days we try to be extra good to our neighbors. I’m dyin’ and one of my neighbors calls 911, so it is all good. Anyway, I said no, sorry, do not have a mask. I do have something from last Halloween but no mask. At this point I am not sure if this guy is for real or he really has a problem. So, anyway he says his girlfriend is coming over and she does not have a mask and he promised her he would get her one but he has not succeeded so far. They are hard to get it seems. Well I am thinkin’ hard because he seems like a nice dude and I do not want his evening with his girlfriend to be messed up, although, in the back of my mind I am kind of picturing the two of them tryin’ to make out wearing masks. So, then I remembered something I saw on the Internet. Listen I tell him, I saw this on the Internet. It’s perfect. You take a lady’s bra, cut it in half and on each cup you fasten the elastic to go around your ears, and presto! You have a mask! And I told him, in addition, if you use her bra to make the mask, she’s not wearing a bra! Kill two birds with one stone! Well, he gave me this look, like, no, that is not going to work. So, me, thinking hard, “wait! I have another idea!” I go into my cupboard where I keep cans of beans, etc. Meanwhile he is standing in the doorway and my dog is giving him this low growl. So he is trying to not get bit and says stuff like “Good dog, nice boy” and of course she is a girl dog. Anyway, I come out with a coffee filter. Kind of cone-shaped. I tell him you just fasten elastic from, well, whatever, or maybe shoelaces to it, and presto! You have a mask! He kind of thinks this might work more than the bra cup. I can understand that. I have actually thought about this, because, like, I do not have a mask. And I do not have a female friend who I could ask for her bra for a mask.

And then I pictured this: I go to a lingerie store and buy a bra to make a mask. First, I have to endure the saleslady giving me this look, like “yeah, sure.” Also, what kind. I am thinking pink or lavender. But if I buy one with a little lace on top,… I like those, and I make my mask, and then I go to the grocery store and I have a pink or lavender bra cup on my face, and I am standing in line. So I am standing on my X, keeping my distance, and there is a couple in the line next to me, I am staring at the floor, staring at my X. I look up, kind of glance over at the guy and he is staring at me but looks away. Then he kind of looks at his wife or girlfriend and she takes a quick glance at me and giggles. Yeah, no, I am NOT doing that!

So, I give the guy a coffee filter. Actually 2, in case he messes one up. I say, sorry, I don’t have any spare shoe laces. He says no problem, this should work. I go back to cooking. I add the rice into the beans and shredded carrots. I add some barbecue sauce for flavor. This should be good. Spooning it into my dish I pour myself a glass of wine. I am looking forward to dinner. These days, there is not always a lot more. Then, I guess the young lady arrived. I thought I heard a knock across the hallway, a door opening. Then, “Oh my God, are you kidding me! You want me to wear a coffee filter on my face?!! “ Then a sort of muffled, “Well, I have another idea.” I poured another glass of wine.

March 31, 2020

Wringer Washer Machine                                            (www.automaticwasher.org)

While I grew up my grandmother Hannah Baker Tarrant took care of me. She lived in Trumbull Gardens, a housing project on the Southeast side of Chicago. I spent my first five years there with her (during the late ’60s and early ’70s.) On certain designated days, she would do her laundry in the basement of the apartment complex that she lived in. On her designated day she was able to use a fenced lawn in the projects to hang out her clothes. If the weather was too bad she could use a sectioned off room in the basement which had clothing lines.

She would tell me how much she liked her wringer washer machine. She thought of it as such a luxury. I was always fascinated by it. After the clothes went through a spin cycle she would have to grab each piece and put it through the “wringer”, which would squeeze out all the water. Then she would drain the soapy water from the basin of the machine and let it fill up with clean water. This was the rinse cycle. We would repeat the wringing one more time. She never let me wring them; she said my fingers would get smashed.

During these times she would tell me all about Ireland. She grew up in Dingle until she came to the United States as a young 18-year-old girl. In Ireland, they did not have things like the wringer machine. She told me about how hard things were then. Maybe because I myself was very little, it never occurred to me that anything she said could be possible. Her stories were just that, a story. Like a fairytale. One story that just recently came to mind and literally woke me from my sleep was the story about how her siblings started dying, one by one.

My grandma told about a time when she was my age that she would go to bed at night and wake up the next morning to find one of her brothers dead, sleeping next to her. I could not wrap my head around this then, but I had to look into it now as we are sheltered in place during the Coronavirus pandemic. After verifying with my Aunt Mag that this was a true memory (my grandmother passed away in 1998), I decided to look into my grandmother’s story a little deeper.

Around 1916 in Ireland, most families lost children to infectious diseases such as whooping cough, scarlet fever, Diptheria, and the disease which took my grandmother’s siblings, tuberculosis (TB.)

One-eighth of the population in Ireland died from TB, which at that time was 6,471. Another 6,708 died from pneumonia and bronchitis. TB, like many other viruses, was transmitted by respiratory droplets. I learned that men were more at risk of contracting and dying from TB than women, which explained why my grandmother lost all of her brothers.

My grandmother told me that when a sibling would pass away, her mother would cry a distinctive cry. One day when my grandmother was walking home from school, she could hear her mother cry. She said to me, “I recognize that cry and ran off. I knew another one had died.”

I think her story runs so powerfully in my mind now, while I am working from home during this pandemic of Coronavirus. I think of what my Great-grandmother went through back in Ireland in the early 1900s, burying child after child. I think of how my grandmother felt, wondering each night who would be next.

With each pandemic, it seems the world has learned valuable lessons. Prior to the TB episode was the Diptheria pandemic. Diptheria comes from the Greek word for “leather” which described the way the throat looked inside when a person had it. It was during this pandemic that a doctor performed the first tracheotomy. This involved cutting open the trachea and inserting a tube the opening to allow air and cleaning out of the lungs. This is what we now call “intubation”, and is done when a patient is put on a ventilator.

An antitoxin was developed for Diptheria and was able to save many children. An Alaskan doctor, during the height of Diptheria, had ordered the medicine for his town of Nome, Alaska in 1924. A hospital in Anchorage had 300,000 units of it but could only deliver it to a city that was 674 miles away from Nome. Twenty mushers with dogs and sleds braved sub-zero weather, with several dying or getting frostbit to make the rest of the journey. The physician was able to save the children in his town. This journey was called the Great Race of Mercy.

The Great Race of Mercy antitoxin delivery for Diptheria (1924)

Before Diptheria, there were other pandemics in history that I barely remember learning much about. The “black death” was also known as the bubonic plague. During 1347 and 1350, this disease killed 30% of all of Europe.

The 1918 flu was one of the worst diseases in history, accounting for more than one-third of the world’s population in loss of life (approximately 50,000 million people at that time.) Through this outbreak, the importance of sheltering in place became a concept. Cities who strictly adhered to social distancing saw far less mortality. The city of Philadelphia disregarded the warning to shelter in place and threw a parade to celebrate the World War I effort, with over 200,000 people attending the parade. By the end of the week, over 4,500 people died from the flu. The neighboring city of St. Louis, which did not participate and instead shut down its public transit and city, suffered half of the loss of Philadelphia. Children would wear little satchel bags of camphor around their necks to prevent the spread of the disease. For them, camphor was the 1900s version of hand sanitizer.

During the Spanish Flu of 1918-19, children wore small satchels around their necks filled with camphor.

Novel coronaviruses such as SARS, Ebola, and Zika have a high mutation rate. A new study suggests that for every confirmed case of coronavirus, there are likely 5-10 more people who also have it undetected. Just this week our U.S. Government experts have warned that perhaps 100,000 people could perish from the coronavirus disease. The importance of social distancing, a method that was emphasized during the Spanish flu in the early 1900s, stands true today. We are converting McCormick Place into a makeshift hospital, similar to the time of the Spanish flu when schools and other buildings became makeshift hospitals, and medical students had to take the place of doctors.

It is believed that the bats are to blame for the spread of the Coronavirus. The Cholera pandemic of the 1800s is believed to have been spread by a contaminated water pump handle which now sits in a museum in London. The flu pandemics are believed to have originated from avian flu that came from Hong Kong and China.

Social distancing, cleanliness such as washing your hands, and sheltering in place are critical during this time as it was during the time of other pandemic diseases in history. Unlike my grandmother and great-grandmother from Ireland, we have so much more on our side through social media, our news and information that we can access at any given time, our incredible medical facilities and doctors, nurses, first responders, and labs. I would never have guessed that I would ever witness a pandemic in my lifetime. My family is safe, unlike my great-grandmother’s experience of burying more than half of her children. We may have moved so much further from the days of the wringer washer machine. Yet we have to learn to respect the lessons from those days and the stories shared with us by our ancestors. We must pay great tribute to their hard-fought battles during times of disease and pandemics, lest we blindly suffer such tragedy again.

My grandmother Hannah Baker-Tarrant (right) with her sister Kathleen (1926) Chicago, IL