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| We should protect people's lives/health here (B.W. photo) |
We live in Minnesota with the knowledge that the cold weather months just go on and on. We pretend we can stay cheerful but there's a kind of futility. Minus the pandemic we could get along fine. "Getting along fine" sounds rather Minnesotan, doesn't it?
The federal government is starting to use public relations to deal with the pandemic, to "sell" its efforts. Same thing was done in the response to the Flint MI water crisis. And did the residents there ever get proper relief from that? Michigan had a Republican governor then - at present it's a Democratic female.
I believe the predicted low temperature for this coming Monday is 42 degrees. Minnesotans at this time of year can feel an urge to think "maybe we'll have a mild winter." It's denial. "Maybe I won't have to use the snow blower, or at least not much." When the contrary reality happens, we just have to deal with it.
There are indications now that the federal government is inclined toward "herd immunity" as a strategy vs. Covid. Millions could die. We elected the head of the federal government and we might just have to deal with it.
The Morris community is rife with talk now about how a particular religious denomination has become a concentration of Covid cases. The rumor is prevalent so if it's wrong, the media or the church itself should act to correct it. If this talk is supported by fact, I do not expect the local commercial media to inform us about it. It would be too sensitive, would step on toes. If all of this were not such a life or death matter, I might just shrug. Mainly I'd shrug because the people showing such questionable judgment are so important and influential in the Morris area. The questionable judgment is in the form of allowing formal church services.
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| Apostolic Christian Faith Church of Hancock |
This friend repeated what I'd heard about the church/Covid connection.
The lack of federal government initiative means we are headed to an arduous time. I would suggest we're not ready psychologically for the endless-seeming cold weather months. The opiate of football is not available.
The radio station website informs us there was a spike last weekend in the number of confirmed Covid cases in Stevens County, up to 45. This compares to 64 for Pope, 63 for Swift, 55 for Grant, 21 for Traverse, 34 for Big Stone and 166 for Douglas.
I'm suggesting that our collective mood will be threatened in the period of time lying ahead. How will we handle adversity when it becomes more difficult if not impossible to get fresh air outside? And when we live with indoor air continuously? More forced togetherness with family, which we only hope will go well.
Distress close to home
My concern about our collective mood is supported by this kmrs-kkok website headline: "Grant County getting violent." We're right next door of course. "Grant County Chief Deputy Jon Combs told the Grant County board of commissioners that crime in the county has taken a violent turn." Another snippet from the comments: ". . .we are not quiet little Grant County anymore, and it's frightening." I was rather surprised to read that.
Now vs. then in Morris
Looking over our community of Morris, we are not the buzzing, contented "people" type of place we once were. The Shopko building was once abuzz. The Coborn's/McDonald's parking lot was a "hopping" place. Coborn's was a 24-hour grocery store. The businesses there now are nice but don't draw as many people. IMHO "people" activity is important to assess when checking the condition of a town, and we have allowed our annual Prairie Pioneer Days to shrivel away and die. This trend was fully established before the pandemic.
Don's Cafe opens at 8 a.m. now, was 6 a.m. pre-pandemic.
We have an outdoor performing stage at East Side Park. A group of people once thought it would be positive for Morris to have this. The stage got negligible use even before the pandemic. When I try dropping hints about how performing groups might organize there for summer, I get disrespectful retorts. "Nobody has time" or "why don't you do it yourself?" But kids of the community have gone to great lengths to attend sports camps and play in sports leagues in summer. But performing arts? That's way too much trouble for people. When I was in high school we had a very robust marching band. Yes, a celebration of "people activity" or "youth activity." What could be more uplifting? But now our community seems so quiet, almost morose and cynical. And people get gruff if you challenge them about it. We have a Chamber of Commerce to try to combat this. The Chamber allowed Prairie Pioneer Days to fade away.
Could things get worse or darker here if the state of affairs in Grant County spills over? Marshall's article concluded:
"Combs did not know if the cases (of the crime) had to do with the economy or Covid-19, but he does not see the situation getting any better anytime soon."
Yes, and we are on the doorstep now of the prolonged depression-inducing cold weather months. We may be underestimating the distress we may be about to fall into.
Will we slowly discover just how incompetent was the federal government in dealing with the spreading virus? That's tough to argue to people locally, due to the overwhelming local support for Trump, a factor led in part by the church denomination we're discussing here. If Trump dismisses the virus threat or masks or makes other such gestures, the Apostolics will certainly reflect that.
So the Shopko building is empty, the old Sunwood looks rather inactive and then there's Northern Impressions. The old Lesmeister Motors on East 7th is vacant. These are just the discouraging examples I can cite from top of my head. We are losing "people activity" and in the process, some intangibles that lend themselves to contentment and morale as a community.
Kids were everywhere in town when I was young. Many of us misbehaved, sometimes badly. We have heard the joke about "how did the boomers survive growing up?" We laugh but we ought to consider the intangibles of simply "living life" without so many laws and restrictions to protect our "safety." We "let it all hang out."
We reminisce with fondness but with resignation, like we know those days are never coming back. Prices were lower for everything. At present we have a Federal Reserve under Trump that wants to see more inflation. We seem to accept this as if we are sheep.
Intersection of school, church "misconduct"
Will school start here on September 8? Will the Covid spike and its strongly suggested connection to a local religious denomination be an impediment for families?
An email from a friend on August 29:
"I heard a rumor (no, didn't read it on the Internet but heard from an MAHS teacher) that there were at least 50 Apostolics in the area that had tested positive for the Covid. If that is the case, that may well affect the September 8 start of school for here and Hancock."
This contact of mine followed up later with the following:
"If the Apostolics story is true, then yes, I would attribute it to their resumption of church services for the last month or so. I would also assume they are for the most part 'anti-maskers' as well."
I have heard such reports echoed by others in the days since. I have talked to quite responsible people. And if the issue was right vs. left politics or oddball religious views, only, well we need not make a fuss. But the issues at hand, school starting along with our very lives, warrant attention.
Some people might think the absence of football is the most concerning issue. Well, this is Morris, Minnesota, a place where enlightenment can seem an elusive commodity.
My podcast for Sept. 1
My "Morris Mojo" podcast episode for today is inspired by the UMM choir rehearsals at East Side Park. These are limited due to the obvious circumstances of the health concern. A few students show up twice a week, weather permitting, and go through exercises under Brad Miller. The permalink:
https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/UMM-choir-at-park-eivoc1
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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