Looking back, it was a whole lot easier, reporting on the coronavirus, at a remove, seeing our traffic spike from such coverage, tracking the impact of the virus spread on factories and feed supply in China, writing about the soaring feed additive prices and the influence of the disease outbreak on international grain and oilseed markets.
It was all happening somewhere else.
Keep your distance, s'il vous plaît!
Now we are hit, confined to barracks.
Not yet at full lock-down but encouraged to stay inside, isolation imposed.
And a bit afraid to venture out for long - the threat all the more disconcerting in that sunny suburban sky.
But, yes, that’s correct, that is our dog you hear barking, she still needs to be walked, and the wisdom of our third-floor apartment living is coming under heavy scrutiny - “Yeah, we never factored in a global pandemic, funny that.”
I am keeping an eye on industry developments, but my seven-year-old needs someone to read out his dicteé: “Monsieur et Madame DuPont ont une grande famille…”
Where are “mamie et papy” when you need them?
Well, evidently, not here.
Kids could be silent vectors, super germ spreaders, they say, keep them apart from the over 65s.
We’re on our own, this time.
And, a quick check, no one yet breaking into song in our neighborhood. Though, maybe, all that is needed is several more weeks of containment to find the soprano or tenor within.
And this could last for weeks. No end in sight.
Quite unprecedented times…
Anyone in a similar situation? Tweet us at @FeedNavigator your tales of working through a lock-down, of dealing with coronavirus confinement, and we can publish a collection of them at the end of the week. You can also leave a comment below this story, or email me your stories on jane dot byrne (at) wrbm dot com.