Are you like me and consider it ironic, to say the least, that President Trump offered to help North Korea with coronavirus problems when this country has massive shortages of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and ventilators for patients? Do our intelligence sources say North Korea is doing worse than we are (and why would our governmental resources be spent on monitoring North Korea’s response to the pandemic?) or is this just another Trumpian hunch? Then after the president’s gracious offer (have graciousness and Trump ever truly been used together in the same sentence?), North Korea fired some more ballistic missiles, I guess as a way of thanks. Perhaps cities and states should send missiles over Mar-a-Lago to get more aid. Or perhaps cities and states should beseech North Korea for a helping hand.

          In this time of social distancing, a Swiss proverb seems apt: “Love your neighbor, but don’t pull down the hedge.”

          With the new health and social norms, are you, too, finding it hard to give up sex with strangers?

          “She kissed me, her mouth tasting of liverwurst on rye.” John Fante, Ask the Dust.

The Arizona governor issued a stay-at-home order, but he said that essential businesses could remain open. The essential businesses include golf courses and beauty and nail salons. Make of that what you will.

Perhaps without sports to participate in or watch, it may be a bit easier to ignore my age: “There are two things that are particularly good at reminding us how old we are: children and sports.” Fredrik Backman, Beartown.

“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” Lucille Ball.

The headline said: “Grand Canyon Closed.” Is there footage of this remarkable geologic event? Was anyone squeezed to death?

The news reports that some Americans see the pandemic as an end-of-times sign. They maintain that God is fed up with all the abortions (even though He never mentions it in His Bible) and all the homosexuality (even though lesbianism is not mentioned in those aforementioned scriptures and Jesus does not condemn same-sex relationships). I am surprised that the apocalypse would be provoked by these things now and not by all of history’s wars where humanity has found so many ways and reasons to kill each other. Even if you see abortion as killing, why is it so much worse than the impalings, stabbings, garrotings, hangings, bombings, beheadings, and gassings that God’s creatures have carried out since the time the world was saved through Jesus? Why don’t people who see the pandemic as an indication of God’s wrath ever conclude that God looks down and sees who humanity has chosen as leaders and has gotten disgusted?

“If man had created man, he would be ashamed of his performance.” Mark Twain.