Big spider scares us; nearby school now Covid clinic

Part of our daily routine is to give our kids baths before dinner. Joanna takes care of her own business, from filling her small bathtub to barely washing her hair for fear of getting soap in her eyes. A couple of days ago as she's getting ready she says, "Dad, there's a Charlotte in here. Look!" I was half-listening and the words didn't register because I was making dinner while she prepared for her bath. Actually, I was soaking the salmon in milk to reduce the fishy smell.  She repeated herself, and said something about "a creature", so I walked into the bathroom and saw a pretty big spider next to her tub. The picture is on the right. Joanna, who still wasn't ready for her bath, didn't act scared since she's always on the lookout for creatures (geckos, ants, flies and spiders in the house due to Covid lockdown). I was a little nervous at first, but regained my composure and captured the spider in a tin can, and Joanna and I set him free in the street. Two neighbors came over to watch. Not much happening with Covid in full bloom. Joanna went inside and got on with her bath and I got on with dinner, which turned out quite nice by the way. Later, I asked Joanna: "Did the spider scare you?" She paused for a moment and said, "Yes, he said 'boo!'"  Funny kid. The Charlotte reference is from Charlotte's Web, of course, which we've read twice together, and the inspiration for the "Boo!" line came from The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Shadows, which we've read countless times. Comments like this from my daughter make me so happy that she and her dad have read –– and still read –– so much together. Our son Ellijah likes Llama Llama Hoppity Hop, but he prefers sports and the outdoor life to books. After all, he's 15 months old and he can make up his own mind now.
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The surge continues here with little relief in sight. There's a school on the street behind us that's been turned into a Covid hospital. An ambulance sits out front. I was told that only one or two doctors were assigned to the site, which everyone knows is an issue here -- there just aren't enough doctors. A country that controlled the virus so well for so long seems to have more than its hands full with the Delta Variant. We had 347 new cases in Dong Nai on Friday. Every day there's 7,000 to 8,000 or more new cases in the country. Without a real vaccine program, it will be the ultimate challenge to control the new variant. Most people wear masks now, but there's a handful who don't and still take walks and gather for exercise near the park -- since you can't go in the park any more. I'll go out once or twice a week in full regalia to get some stuff from the pharmacy and to go the local market. I'll also sneak a walk around the block in the middle of the street to get exercise and provide some relief for my back, usually when I return from the market or pharmacy. Otherwise, I'll watch my masked daughter ride her scooter up and down the street, provide daily lessons for Joanna, play with Elijah, cook, clean, read and lay real low.
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The simple pleasures in life have taken on added significance with the Covid surge and subsequent lockdown. My wife came home from her family's house and said almost triuphantly,"I've got bread." Then she producced two small sandwich rolls. I was expecting a bigger haul, but we made do. I used one roll for Joanna's "toast and jelly" breakfast and the other for her sausage sandwich at lunch.  Bread is a strange commodity here all the time, not just during Covid. There's usually a lot floaing around in the early morning, but it's OK to eat for only an hour or so after purchase before it gets rock hard. Sliced bread is scarce unless you go to a specialty store or bread shop. We've never really wasted food in our family. Once in a while part of a potato Joanna didn't want might have gotten tossed in the past. Not these days. All meals are eaten completely, and it doesn't matter who finishes what.  At the local market, candy bars and ice cream remain in ample supply while peanut butter, honey, cereal and other essentials are gone, as in GONE. That's OK with me. I can live on Snickers indefinitely. It's funny because I was just chatting online with a friend about how healthy my eating has become since the lockdown and with the purchase of a new toaster oven. That was true ... until I discovered the mother lode of candybars and ice cream at the little market.