By Rick Hinton
“Nobody told me there’d be days like these … strange days indeed … most peculiar mama.” John Lennon, “Nobody Told Me,” 1980.
Locally, no one person garnered more attention in the 1930s than bank robber John Dillinger. This May, Laura and I were to join a group of friends (paranormal adventurers) to explore the Lake County Sheriff’s House and Jail in northern Lake County at Crown Point. It’s been a bucket list thing for years. I wanted to see the cell in which Indiana bad boy, John Herbert Dillinger, escaped from on March 3, 1934 using a carved wooden gun. However, that may very well not happen due to COVID-19. Even paranormal investigators, and all the venues they set foot in, are practicing social distancing. We are shut down until further notice. Is ghost hunting an essential activity? I would believe the governor would say it’s not.
Laura and I work at “essential” termed jobs. We’ve had the fortune to continue to draw an income when so many others have either lost jobs or are on furlough. Everybody knows, or at the very least, has heard of someone familiar that has contracted COVID-19. So far two people from my work have tested positive. They closed down a few days for deep cleaning and disinfecting and we are currently back – until it happens again. It has, however, been a strange work environment for the both of us, where the normal has transitioned into the peculiar.
It is a strange and peculiar feel at home also. Always busy Southport Road is no longer busy. Ghostly activity courtesy of our house spook has subsided. Even though I am still working, my hours have been reduced, giving time to wrap up my third book and start on the fourth. The daily drive into Wanamaker is like a Sunday jaunt, traffic wise. Yes … there has been adjustments. Since I’m in the age demographic, I now wear a mask and nitrite gloves when I visit Kroger and Menards. I watch and listen far too much to news concerning the virus. My thoughts often turn to, “When will disinfecting wipes be in stock again?” I have moments of depression when it hits me, I can’t have a sit down at my favorite Mexican restaurant. My church’s online services, along with texts and Messenger, have kept me in touch, yet there is no substitute for “real” contact. I pray a lot more. I have been blessed with a strong immune system and have not suffered so much as a sniffle, yet my wife struggles with headaches and fatigue as of late. We have an elderly mother-in-law and a teenage boy living under our roof and we have to be careful. We know this. Everything can change in the matter of a few hours.
As of this writing – Sunday, April 12 – Indiana has 7,435 positive cases of the virus, with 330 dead. Today’s totals include 530 new cases since Friday and 30 deaths just since Saturday. Marion County takes the lead in the state; Lake County (where we were to travel) is rising with 676 cases and 25 reported deaths. The coronavirus may be starting to peak, but it’s far from over. We can only pray that it doesn’t return in the fall. And pray that we can return to a normal pace of life sooner rather than later. Yes … prayer is what is needed in these strange days.
Easter Sunday at Elevation Church online … Jesus has risen … God is in control … Triumph is reality! That’s where my thoughts lie today!
