Thursday, 31 December 2020
I’m with the majority, I’m certain, that I’m happy happy happy to say goodbye to 2020. I sure hope 2021 is much, much better, and the trend-lines suggest it surely will be.
That blue object is a stray piece of trash, but so…um…artistic?…the blue-ness anyway…with the mini-fern and moss. And natural detritus. It’s an outlier!
Wednesday, 30 December 2020
Surprised to find this pitcher plant in a front garden…although the BotGarden has them and I think distributes them (or did) in various situations. A change from pansies and camellias typical of Dec/Jan.
Keep the darned B.1.1.7 contagious variant of Covid-19 away from meeeeee. And youuuuuuu.
Tuesday, 29 December 2020
I was (unhappily) waiting for this: the super-infectious Covid-19 is confirmed to be in the USA. Given how infectious the standard, ordinary version is, well, fan-and-do-do now, especially since the US population/residents, as a whole, are not good at distancing/masking.
For the rest of us, we will keep distancing while waiting for the laggards to…well, too hard to embrace that stunning and awful reality.
I have yet to come across the cost per taxpayer/resident/whatever for this pandemic…so far and projected. Too sobering, I’m sure (and probably a few too many assumptions to be made…still).
Happily, the database informs that our ballots have been received and accepted. Yay!
Monday, 28 December 2020
Just skimmed a NYTimes article by Pam Belluck titled “Small Number of Covid Patients Develop Severe Psychotic Symptoms;” I’m no human biologist, but I find Covid-19 replete with nasty surprises…but: psychoses? And in people in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Wow, that’s unexpected (to me).
However. For context, Belluck notes: “Sporadic cases of post-infectious psychosis and mania have occurred with other viruses, including the 1918 flu and the coronaviruses SARS and MERS.” So, should I have known this?
People: wear a mask and stay away from other people. Six feet of social distancing is only sufficient if it’s for say, five-to-seven minutes or less—and less is best.
Sunday, 27 December 2020
I am lousy at thumb-typing on my phone. I probably should practice.
I’m lousy at shooting selfies. They don’t seem to improve.
Saturday, 26 December 2020
I rather bundled up against the (presumed) cold, headed out, step step step, and after 2½ miles, well, deep exhale, I started shedding. Gaiter first, then pushed up sleeves of outer garment…then inner turtleneck sleeves…. Nice that it wasn’t as cold as yesterday!
Friday, 25 December 2020
At mid-afternoon during my walk, I had to look in the shade to find ice, but there it was: glazed puddles. Like a miniature world’s topographic image.
Thursday, 24 December 2020
Not surprisingly, I imprinted on my childhood and teen-hood seasons with respect to the calendar (in the Midwest), and based on that, we are now in winter, early winter, but still winter. Fully winter.
However.
Yes, um. Now I live in the piedmont Deep South. And here…well, December does not have ice storms and snowbanks…maybe a bit of white, but not sustained white. And white only perhaps umpf years out of every decade.
So, here we are: December on the calendar, with recently fallen (piedmont GA) oak leaves and lichen-decorated stone steps. So aesthetic.
So not winter in the Midwest.
Wednesday, 23 December 2020
I thought this was a thistle when I snapped it, but now I don’t. Perhaps a Crepis (hawksbeard) spp. Count me confused.
Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Nice, super-nice today! I wore shorts and a T for my mid-afternoon walk. Wonderful!
Purely temporary warmth, however; there’s talk of snow flurries on Friday evening. Of all things.