Idaho Falls

46 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 BY GREGG LOSINSKI Hopefully, the worst of the pandemic has passed by now. It is safe to say that virtually everyone in Idaho Falls was impacted to some degree. For some, the consequences were devastating and our hearts went out to them. For the vast major- ity, the impacts were a varied degree of inconvenience. Fortunately, Idaho Falls res- idents are overall a hardy lot and generally given to preparation for times of adversity. While there were some initial sprees of panic buying, the shelves of our stores were never wiped clean. At first, I couldn't find 5-pound bags of flour, but Broulim's had a pallet load of 100-pound sacks! Although for a community where so many people col- lectively plan for Armageddon and stock- pile a one-year food supply, it seems like the aspect of storing enough bathroom tissue to go along with all the eating of said food was apparently overlooked. Of all the commodi- ties to be restocked, toilet paper was the one that took the longest to reappear. The order to shelter in place also gave a new meaning to the saying "Families are forever." While I'm sure everyone somehow benefited from all the forced togetherness, it also probably stretched a few families to the limit. In addition to all the worries about health and money, families probably had to spend more time together than col- lectively in the last decade. Wasn't it heartwarming to have everyone sitting in the living room looking at their smartphones, tablets, and laptops? If the internet had collapsed under the weight of all the data being used and families had to spend all the self-quarantine time with no other option than talking to each other, things might have gotten pretty ugly. Lots of families that were forced cold turkey into becoming homeschoolers also probably will be more supportive of the school bond levies the next time around. It's also safe to say that lots of parents probably felt more comfortable teaching the way they had been taught and that Common Core was quickly jettisoned. Unlike other parts of the country we here were given more latitude in how we were allowed to move about, especially in terms of recreation. The Riverwalk saw plenty of action and people did seem to try and respect the whole social distancing concept. Fortunately, Idaho's population density is low enough that families were able to dis- perse to areas close by to recreate. I will say though that I saw more cars parked at Hell's Half Acre and Menan Buttes during the quarantine then any time before! Because families were mostly confined to their homes I'm sure that then every house has bags of stuff dredged from clos- ets and cupboards waiting to be donated to the thrift shops. Also, because most of the good excuses got used up as time went by, home improvement projects that had been dodged for years finally got done. The yards and gardens of Idaho Falls should look incredible this summer! While home cooking is wonderful, most of us were glad that restaurants were allowed to do carry-out and each one had a unique way of keeping things moving and still keep the customers safe. Even establishments like Tap-in-Fill and Idaho Brewing Company were able to keep the barley pop flowing in growlers and crowl- ers and the Celt Pub got uber-creative with bottled mixed drinks to go! This has certainly been one of the most challenging times that we as a nation have had to face in a long time and something that I'm sure no one wants to see repeated any time soon. We all have friends and fam- ily that live in other places that had a much rougher time than we did as a whole. Part of what helped us here in Idaho Falls was all the great people that live and work here. Together we helped each get through this, even if some folks did probably grab more toilet paper than they really needed. IF Family Time Family Time OUT THERE

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