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OBSERVATIONS
April 14, 2020 |
 |
 Wingate Lassiter |
Memorable family reunion wouldn't
have taken place in normal times
I'll bet we weren't the only family to hold an online Easter Sunday reunion in place of the real thing.
Thanks to the Internet app known as Zoom, about 20 of us got together for the better part of an hour, logging in from seven states stretching from New York to Georgia and Florida and westward to Arkansas, Michigan, and California.
My, how the gang has gotten spread out over the years!
Such a reunion in person would be highly unlikely these days, given the logistics of pulling so many folks of many ages and situations into one single gathering place.
Wonder if this will become a regular thing to do on special holidays.
Coupled with online church services, Reunion by Zoom made this an Easter we'll never forget. I'm sure many of you had similar experiences, and you're welcome to share them with the Sun's readers if you so dare.
With apologies to my relatives, here's a screen shot of our Easter Zoom Reunion (their names shall be withheld to protect the innocent).
Coronavirus: How bad is it here vs. NYC?
These are incredible numbers showing the relationship of the coronavirus outbreak in our region and all of North Carolina compared to what has been occurring in New York City, obviously "ground zero" for COVID-19's impact in the United States:
Johnston County --- 209,339 residents, 104 cases = 0.50 cases per thousand.
Wake County --- 1,111,761 residents, 501 cases = 0.46 cases per thousand.
North Carolina --- 10,488,084 residents, 5,024 cases = 0.48 cases per thousand.
New York City --- 8,398,748 residents, 106,763 cases = 12.71 cases per thousand.
Rhododendrons blooming here already?
Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020 and our backyard rhodendrons are already in bloom. Isn't this a bit early for that? The Triangle Land Conservancy once hosted a guided tour on Mother's Day weekend through its 25-acre preserve in northern Johnston County known as Flower Hill --- to view the rhododendrons, galax, and other plants normally found prevalent in North Carolina's mountains, not around here. Called a "freak of nature," the place where the plants bloom is an undisturbed patch of woods bordering a northward-facing cliff along Moccasin Creek on the Johnston-Nash county line. The guided tour isn't being offered this year, but folks are still welcome to explore Flower Hill even now --- with proper social distancing, of course.
Visit the TLC website to get directions to Flower Hill>
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