It's the little things during difficult times that keeps one sane.  For instance, tomorrow I am getting my hair cut.  Yes!  It will be the first time since the end of February!  My hair stylist/barber and I are doing all the necessary precautions in order to be safe and that makes me feel good too.

#republicans have now made the plague political.  They know they cannot win on the issues that are facing this country...so they character assassinate as well as divide the population.  Their latest ploy is that 100,00 to 200,000 deaths are ok as long as the economy is doing well.  In my book any society that is willing to sacrifice lives for dollars is far sicker than any virus can make it.

Spring has fully arrived and today's forecast high temp is to be 76 (F).  Blueberries are in season and I plan on baking a blueberry pie.  Once again, it's the little things.

​All is well here.

Memorial Day weekend is approaching.  This weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer which then ends with Labor Day weekend.  This year with the plague we are confronted with many things...choices perhaps...as well as moods that are generated by what was, what should be and what is actually happening.

A dear friend and I were discussing this via emails this morning.  Here are my thoughts:

"I heard you loud and clear in your comment(s) yesterday for like you I have those moments and/or days.  Sometimes it's a whole day.  Sometimes it is a day of roller coaster moods.  When I was in California at Christmas...little did we realize what 2020 would bring and that it may be a very long time before all of us can be together once again.  When Sandra & Rod or Tammy & Adam were here in January we did not understand it might be a very long time before we see each other again...in person.  Zoom is nice but it is not the same.


So it was with shock that I realized this coming weekend was Memorial Day weekend.  I think back to better times...nicer times...when the weekend was about starting our summer tans, getting together with friends and family, barbecues, bar hopping...just having fun.  This year it is going to be CJ and I.  The weather is to be very nice so maybe I will grill a steak or a burger...but it is not the same.

And now Wisconsin is wide open.  Minnesota is opening up today.  Rates of infection are starting to spike.  My doctor had a very frank discussion with me a few weeks ago and he said that this is a very dangerous virus about which we (the medical field) know little.  Immunity?  He laughed at the idea and said it may be 10 years before we understand that.  In conjunction with what he said there are now news articles showing up that say the virus is attacking children...that it is not just a respiratory thing but that it can damage hearts, livers, kidneys.  And we are rushing to open up the country???

The bars & grills here may be jam packed this weekend but I am not going anywhere close to them.

Yup...we all have our moments of being discouraged and/or blue...for it seems no end is in sight to this nightmare.  Yet somehow I know someday we will get beyond this.  I hope I am alive to see it.

A couple of loads of wash are going this morning.  It is cloudy right now but the weather is supposed to clear and be a nice sunny day.  I need to get to my parent's and sister's grave this week to put flowers on them.

And that's it for here.

hugs
us"

Today I am not going to dwell of the horrific numbers except to say that here in the United States the death toll is over 80,000 and that number is growing by 2,000 to 3,000 people per day.  Meanwhile #republicans continue to play politics and are guilty of depraved indifference.

A couple of days ago I mentioned the story of Gabby and Hatties.  Wednesday of this week they finished raking my yard and getting it ready for spring and summer.  It truly has been a delight to know these young women.  Their hard work couple with their thoughtfulness has earned my respect.  Needless to say, they agreed to come next spring and help once again.  And...they also said if I needed any help this summer...they would be willing to work.

Next week I will talk to their grandmother (Doreen) and advise her of the game plan.

I am happy to report that my friends and family are all well.  That in itself is the biggest blessing I could ever want.

​Enough for now.

Here are the tragic numbers as of this past Friday.  Please note the numbers are based upon those people tested and do not included the millions not tested:

People infected worldwide - 3,864,696
Deaths worldwide - 270,020

People infected United States - 1,256,972
Deaths United States - 75,670

The term that comes to my mind most often these days is depraved indifference.  Here is the legal definition:  "To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be 'so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime. Depraved indifference focuses on the risk created by the defendant’s conduct, not the injuries actually resulting."

The republican Trump administration is guilty of depraved indifference in every way imaginable.  The virus is mutating...new types of symptoms are appearing...immunity is not guaranteed...and republicans want to open up the country and force people back to work.  Americans should NOT have to choose between poverty or death.  Yet that is unfettered capitalism in today's America.

I despair for my country.  And for all of the lives lost and for all of the lives yet to be lost...I despair.  God help us all.

Here are the grimm numbers:

Infected people worldwide - 3,772,667
Deaths worldwide - 264,189

Infections United States - 1,228,609*
Deaths United States - 73,431

*These number under report the severity of virus for the republican administration is hiding the numbers...they consider the average American to be expendable.  As long as the 1% does not get sick and is able to maintain its wealth, that is all republicans care about.

However, on a lighter note, let me tell you about Gabby and Hattie.  About two weeks ago there was a hand printed brochure on my front door for a Gabby and a Hattie. The brochure said they would do the spring raking, supply tarps, and a trailer with which to haul away the leaves. Their fee was $10 per hour. They were available weekdays between 3pm and 5pm and available on weekends “by appointment only.”

So I called the number on the flyer and talked to their grandmother…Doreen. I am sure the phone conversation was a screening process. The first day these two 12 - 13 year olds showed up, I had my doubts…especially as I listened to the non-stop young chatter while they worked. But, you know, they did a good job. And they continue to do a great job for they have been here one to two hours each afternoon for the last four days. In the next two days the job should be wrapped up.

​Honest to gosh, these two young women have been hard workers and a pleasure to know. These two pics capture the essence of this adventure…a gas can and a sequined purse (Rick Sanders! It’s not my purse!)…and a trailer filled with leaves. BTW, at the end of each time here, they tell me what they have accomplished and then give me the game plan for the next time they are here. It’s all quite professional. And it makes this olde man smile.

Here are the grim numbers:

Infections Worldwide:  3,601,760
Deaths Worldwide:  251,910

Infections United States:  1,180,634
Deaths United States:  68,934

The United States has almost one third of the world wide infections due to the incompetence of the Trump administration.  Olde Pucker Lips and his republican minions are more concerned about reelection as maintaining power than the well being of the American citizens.

It is a total disgrace...and there is no excuse for it.

The state in which I live is still SIP until the end of May.  Then if I am understanding correctly, it will be a structured re-opening.  Right now there is state-wide testing for the virus happening.  The testing will determine the so-called "hot spots" and those areas will not open as soon as the areas that have minimal numbers for the virus.  This makes sense to me.

Here at the homestead it is a beautiful spring day with lots of sunlight and mild temperatures.  The fountain on the deck is burbling away, flowers are blooming and the bird bath has been filled with fresh water.  There is one robin that really gets into bathing so much that when he is in the bath it looks like a fountain!

Have a good...safe...and healthy day.

Here are the numbers as of May 1, 2020:

Worldwide infections - 3,274,474
Worldwide deaths - 233,792

United States infections - 1,070,032
United States deaths - 63,019

Mind you...the infection rate is of only the people that have been tested.  The United States has no testing in place nor any effective plan for testing so that are millions more people with this virus walking around and exposing others to its cruelty.

Spring arrived for a day here in the Northwoods.  Today is different in that it is going to be about 20 degrees cooler.  However, the world outside my windows is turning green.  The azalea in my front yard is getting ready to bloom.

​During these strange times we take joy in the little things for they are the things that carry us through the crisis.  So...all is well here today.

Here are the numbers as of yesterday:

Infections worldwide:  3,212,262
Deaths worldwide:  228,299

Infections United States:  1,040,488
Deaths United States:  60,999

It seems hard to believe that tomorrow is May 1.  What is also hard to understand how republicans continue to put money and wealth before the well being of the people of the United States.  And that is why we have a failed response to this plague.  Republicans consider us worker bees to be expendable as long as the wealthy are able to maintain their wealth...AND ARE PROTECTED.  The rest of us are on our own.  Quite simply the administration of Olde Pucker Lips and his republican enablers have blood on their hands.

However, it is hard to be gloomy today for it is a beautiful spring day.  The sun is shining, the grass is green, the trees are budding and it is forecast to be 65 (F) degrees.  It is going to be a wonderful day to be outside.

Here are the numbers as of Thursday, April 23, 2020...and therefore they have been rapidly outdated.  Yet they will give a glimpse of this nasty virus and its effect on humans:

Worldwide infections - 2,994,960 with 207,270 deaths
United States infections - 965,933 with 54,877 deaths

It gets discouraging when one observes the politics in Washington and witnessing the inhumanity of the #republican party and #Trump (aka Olde Pucker Lips).  The flaws of this country are viciously apparent.  Now we are being warned of meat shortages and this is along with flour shortages, medical supplies, etc.  In three years under the administration of Olde Pucker Lips we have descended into a third world power full of corruption...that cannot do anything right.

Most days during this time of SIP, I am ok.  But...BUT...after all it is only CJ and I and I get lonely at times.  The hugs of beloved friends and family are a precious commodity that is not to be enjoyed for some time.  I could go on listing my petty problems but it does no good for myself or anyone else.

I remind myself that I am healthy today.  I remind myself that although it is a rainy and cold spring day, that the wee cottage in the woods is warm and comfortable.  I remind myself that I have the companionship of my cat CJ.

​And lastly, I remind myself that someday we will get to the other side of this. 

Spring sincerely arrived here in the Northwoods yesterday.  The high temperature during the sunny afternoon was 67 (F) degrees.  I spent time sitting on the deck sipping wine, enjoying the warm sun and listening to the symphony of birds.  Perhaps I drank too much wine for I have a touch of a hangover today and the usually ironclad stomach does not seem happy.

I also hired two kids to do the spring yard raking...to remove the leaves from all of the garden beds.  They are charging me a whopping $10 per hour.  If they do a good job, it is money well spent.  If they do a so-so job, then it is a learning experience for all of us.  It always amazes me how things come back to life so quickly during a day of warm sunlight.  My crocuses will probably bloom today.  Yay!

Meanwhile, sadly, the death toll in the United States passed the number 50,000 yesterday.  This is so unnecessary.  This is so sad.

Today is to be sunny and mild once again.  I had a cup of coffee on the deck early this morning.  Although it was a touch chilly at that hour, it was nice.

​And another day begins.