Things are looking up! Spring arrives today! Here are today’s “Random Thoughts”…
SPRING!
Because this year was leap year, spring arrives a day earlier this year!
Don’t get too excited. Spring doesn’t officially arrive until 11:50 pm tonight.
But, even so, it will be the earliest spring we’ll have seen in our lives. The last time spring arrived this early was in 1896 — a whopping 124 years ago!
MORE CORONAVIRUS CLOSINGS
We have more stores closing down for a few weeks.
Apple closed their stores last week. Joining Apple will be JC Penny, Old Navy, and Five Below.
Other stores that have already announced that they were closing include: Macy’s, Sephora, Nordstrom, H&M, DSW, Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and Ralph Lauren.
THE NUMBERS
According to the website put together by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, as of Wednesday afternoon at 2 pm there are 80 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state of Michigan.
At a news conference with Governor Gretchen Whitmer later in the day, it was announced that an additional 30 cases had been confirmed. That brings our number up to 110 confirmed cases here in Michigan now.
In addition, these numbers are only the cases confirmed by tests administered by the State. It DOES NOT include cases that have been confirmed by testing using private labs. Once those numbers are included in the total, you can expect that number to jump pretty significantly within the next couple of days.
WORKING OUT
I know there are a lot of people missing out on heading to the gym everyday.
In an email to members, Planet Fitness wrote, “with news changing daily, we’re committed to continuing to provide you with healthy and safe alternatives to keep moving. We know the best way to stay healthy is to stay active, especially now. Exercise can reduce stress, help you stay healthy, and keep you feeling great. So, we’re offering FREE in-home workouts, live-streamed daily, for all Planet Fitness members and non-members alike. Workouts will be led by our trainers and surprise celebrity guests. If you miss the live class, you can come back and watch it later. “
You can watch the workouts and take part LIVE each day on the Planet Fitness Facebook page.
Or, if you have a tile floor in your kitchen you could do this…
HOW DID I MISS THIS?
Several celebrities are lending their voices to “Operation Storytime” and “Save With Stories”. These initiatives are aimed at lifting the sprits of kids and parents while dealing with all this coronavirus uncertainty.
Here’s how it works: Participants post social media videos of themselves reading various children’s books aloud to entertain self-quarantined families whose children are no longer in school because of public health concerns.
You can read more about it and see some of the videos here.
And then, while surfing the internet, I found this gem…
Two of my favorites! My favorite book as a child was “Harry the Dirty Dog”. My favorite celebrity is Betty White (Is 56 too young to date at 98 year old? Asking for a friend!). I don’t know how I have missed this over the years, but look what I found from 2012…
Seeing this definitely made my day! I hope it put a smile on your face too!
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
You may see more and more homes in your neighborhood with their Christmas lights on!
Many people are turning to putting up these decorations to lift their spirits.
You can read more about it here.
I say “why not?!”. If it helps us get through all of this in a little better mood then go ahead and do it. Maybe we will see a lot of colorful displays in the coming weeks!
How long will it be before we start seeing “Coronavirus Lights” in stores?!
Wash those hands, and stay safe and healthy. I will talk to you on the air on this afternoon — local and live — from 3-7 pm on 98.7 WFGR!
If you have any comments on the above stories, please leave your remarks below…
