52 – if I was only 52 again …

Day 52 – Monday May 4: Numbering the days didn’t stop me from using cheesy headlines after all. And I don’t *think* I wish I was 52 again. Maybe my body does, but I’m happy where I am. Maybe five years younger would be good but maybe not. There’s been a lot of learning in the last five years. The last seven (eight?), actually.

Anyway, first walk done. Now out for a much longer walk (mine is just 2k) with the trainer (along with training on the way). I love it. He comes back obedient and tired, LOL. He’s getting better. But we have to take such care that he never even *smells* the other dog (Rosie). Big trigger. Just her. It is what it is. And it’s not forever. This house is good for that, I have to admit. We’d be back to all kinds of logistics should we actually sell and be on our way to La Paz. So this lockdown really is a rest/vacation in that sense.

I think I need to watch Justin today in an hour (10am central). Just to hear his calming voice at the start of the week. I am so proud of Canada – the country is doing such incredible things for Canadians – and they aren’t stopping, they keep doing more. I’m glad we had a surplus and I know we’ll be in debt for a long time but I am happy to pay Canadian taxes. Fortunate. Blessed even. Living in Mexico sure taught me how much being Canadian is worth. And watching America. OMG.

I planted herb seeds. From last year, but they are Renee’s Garden and some will still be good. I overplanted in each chopstick hole to compensate. They are out on the terrace in pots. So now I have another thing on my schedule in the morning, light watering. Basil (two kinds, both broadleaf Italian), Parsley, Dill, Sage, Cilantro. I’ll keep you posted.

A schedule is invaluable during these kinds of days, btw. If you don’t have one, create one now. Start with one thing. And do it every day. A short thing, a few minutes. Then add to it. Then add things you do weekly. Keep a calendar. But get a schedule. It helps. A shower can be part of your schedule. Washing yesterday’s dishes. *When* you clean after a meal can become part of your schedule, pick the time that suits you and stick to it. Voila, a schedule. You can do it.

Ok, off to do DogStar edits, add chapter titles etc. Then PADI. It’s Monday. Better check some statements (outgoing, haha) too.

Ta-da. DogStar and PADI are done for today. I’ll check the statements tomorrow. Or later today. It’s not a biggie, nothing is due until mid-month. I can’t believe it’s 12:23 and I’m kind of out of things to do. Maybe I should clean out the liquor cabinet. We actually don’t drink liquor at all and most of our friends drink tequila, mescal and vodka. I have lots of rum. Not sure why, LOL. And maybe I won’t clean it out, because where would I put it? I should go clean out my top drawer. We have huge built-in drawers and I put too much in them. Ok, that’s what I’ll do. Half an hour, tops, why am I procrastinating?

This is Brian Andreas

Ta-da! This being accountable, even if self-imposed, is working. So now I’m having green tea (berry) and reviewing where we are. CW and I just had a brief discussion about the logistics of bugging out if this goes on too long. I don’t mean quarantine or Coronavirus directly. I mean the house not selling because of quarantine. But in that case, I think we have to bug out all the way back to Canada (so does he), regroup and then go to La Paz. If, indeed, that happens. Plus, as we realized in our five-minute meeting – our dog situation could be different by then. Which makes the logistics totally different so no point in going that deep.

I made cake yesterday. The icing is wonderful (only 1/2 granulated sugar in the whole thing – no icing sugar) – I love it. But it sucks for decorating (the rest is whipped cream and cream cheese). I crapped out on the double-boiler buttercream (Italian). Next time. The cake was fine. I think next time I am going to make only buttercream (no cake) and just practice decorating and making flowers with it. We gave some cake to our friend and her significant other (the dog trainer). And to the neighbour. But it’s too much for us to eat just so I can test recipes.

Day 53: Monkey chatter night. I hate those. Awake at 3am thinking about all the things that are (and yeah, could go) wrong these days – not healthy. Chanted. Counted backward from 100. Sometimes though, I think you just need a good cry so I did that in the shower. I think I got it out. What a fucked up world we live in. There is a lot of sorrow out there today. And the anger that I see really hurts my heart.

I got into a discussion on FB yesterday that started with the cruise ships and how happy some people are that they are shut down and not polluting the oceans. I mean really, they are floating towns at 3,500 passengers, that is just ridiculous. In any event, it got on to planes and I suggested that we all needed a quota of miles every year in order to protect the environment, the overall total matching a sustainable amount of planes in the air.

I got attacked for dare suggesting that I should limit anyone else’s rights (?) and it was suggested perhaps stricter rules of no flying at all could be for people like me, who have already had my chance to travel in the past. A little aggressive, but I considered it and said, ok, that’s good too. But they didn’t like that either, even though it was their suggestion. Ended up being basically an argument about the collective good (having air to breath) and this person’s individual rights. “You have no right to tell me not to travel.” How fucking privileged is that? I have news for you, sister. Your right to swing your arm ends at my face. And that includes environmental damage.

I am so getting arrested when I get back to the Island (or Vancouver). For the cause. Working with the local chapter of Extinction Rebellion will be my day job (volunteer). Do read the article from Rolling Stone if you aren’t familiar with the group. Read it even if you are – it’s a good story.

So, first walk done, trainer not coming until this afternoon so I’ll do his second walk (my favourite actually) in a few minutes. Late today, it’s already 9:30. I got really sidetracked by that monkey chatter, slept until just after five (on purpose, normally I would be up about 4:45 but consciously said no, stay in bed), got up, made coffee, fed and medicated dogs, checked the news, had a shower, did a walk, watered my herb seeds, have my list and waiting on City Market to deliver our food order anytime after 10 am. So I’d better do that second walk now, I’m late …

Ok, done. Nice walks this morning. He’s still not settled, PJ. He knows Rosie is in the house (in general). He gets a little more excited about her smell, I think, later in the day after she’s passed through the house a few times. She’s on the other side, he can’t see her but there is a big open bar that separates the kitchen from the dining room – our meeting place, CW and I, LOL – and she walks through there maybe four or five times in a day. I’m sure by the evening a bit more scent lingers. It’s tough. Truly, if he didn’t have his heart issue, I would have tried to find him a good home (a while back) for everyone’s sake. He doesn’t like being nervous and anxious about her. And I’m not crazy about living like this. But what choice do we have? Very small cross to bear compared to others is what I tell myself.

The transmission rate is now back to six states only above that 1:1 magic mark that means the virus rate is on it’s way up in that specific market. That’s good. Things are holding. Ish. Bad news from the trump administration’s modelling crew today, but models are just models. Good news out of Germany and Pfizer (I may have even spelled that right) about more clinical trials starting for the vaccine. And because Germany is involved, even if Pfizer is a US company (Pfizer was a German immigrant, btw) – the vaccine will belong to the world. America won’t be able to hoard it and price gauge the rest of us (yes, sadly, that’s how we all think of America now, and it’s even how a lot of Americans think of their country). This is the saddest thing I’ve lived through yet. America used to stand for something. It’s sad and scary.

Day 54: First walk done. I just realized I did not do PADI yesterday. And it’s a big test next (part 2 of 5). I’d better review the section and take the test. It was a better night and a better morning today. Not overly enthused about anything but not having anxiety, either. You play the hand you have, it’s all you can do. Six states are above the danger zone for transmission rates today, it seems to be fluctuating between 5 – 8 these past few days. Others are just barely under the 1:1 mark, which means decreasing very slowly. No state is below 0.8 – but they are still on the right side of the fence. You remember the url? RT.live I think it will be slow going.

Ok, 9:30am. PJ had a second long walk with the trainer and Maxi, the cistern is full – had to order a tanker of water because I put water in the pool yesterday and forgot and almost ran the cistern dry. We have city water but it’s not city to faucet like up north. Three days a week they give us A defined amount (sometimes not enough) and we store it in our cistern. (and the tinaco, on the roof is the next step, it draws from the cistern for the house, while the cistern is the direct source for outdoor water. That’s why I can’t put the automatic sprinkler system on a timer – we never know when we will have water and sometimes, I’d rather have a shower and clean clothes than have a green lawn. In fact, every time, LOL.

So the days go on. I received the grocery order yesterday, got it put away safely (wiped down or tossed out of plastic packages) but half of it was missing so spent another hour yesterday ordering from a different store and it will come tomorrow. The wind was brutal again last night (always is on this season change) and all the patio furniture was upside down and askew. As I think I said last time, why can’t it pick up this house and put it on Vancouver Island?

Speaking of Vancouver Island, do you know Hakai Magazine, based out of Victoria? You can kill a lot of time on their website, reading some very interesting pieces. And hey, I know you have time 🙂 I’m off to take my PADI test, enough procrastinating (I already vacuumed two rooms haha).

Oh man, was I wrong. I still have one section with 12 topics to do in Part II. So I did six of them today, six tomorrow, test on Friday. So there’s that for now. Waiting for part two of four on DogStar edits (this is only the first round) but they don’t take long. Sometime this week – CW really is doing the heavy lifting this round. After this, we’ll sit with it, complete and stitch together anything that fell apart in the update. There are a lot of changes.

I watered my herb seeds and moved them into a better sunspot (still on the terrace). Our friend the agent sent us spaghetti sauce so we’re going to make Chicken Parm for dinner. We had lemon butter Cod last night and it was quite nice. With homemade fries (yes, that’s butter … non-salted pasture grazed butter from Ireland … I am a butter snob). And something green because we have to eat vegetables too. I suppose I should have added a green garnish, a little parsley maybe, on the fish. Or some sauce of colour. But way too late.

Sometimes we eat on bamboo boards. I like it. Wouldn’t work well for spaghetti though, I don’t suppose. Or anything with mashed potatoes and gravy. Oh god, I need to make fake poutine again soon (fake because of Moz cheese instead of curds). But we’ve got a lot of things to cook. I don’t know how we eneded up with so many dinner ideas but I’ve got a list on the fridge. And it grows every day.

Day 55: Might be a bit much to open with today, but here is a quote from a Globe & Mail story that gave me a little perspective this morning. NOT to say ease up. Keep taking ALL PRECAUTIONS. But here is a little perspective that helps when you’re feeling anxious:

“Experts still predict that most people who become infected will survive and many won’t even realize they’re sick. But stories of people who recovered safely don’t tend to make headlines.

“Nobody’s writing a story about ‘I got COVID, didn’t know it and ran a marathon,’ but those stories are out there as well,” said Dr. Michael Gardam, chief of staff at the Humber River Hospital in Toronto.“

Again, just a bit of perspective and yes, there are still the horror stories – just balance yourself.

I also did cry already this morning. We know an aunt and uncle of 23-year-old Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, who died when the Canadian Forces helicopter she was travelling on from a NATO exercise crashed into the sea near Greece. I read the Globe Story about her body coming home and burst into tears. Partly for her, partly for her aunt who posted a photo of the flag-covered coffin being removed from the cargo plane with the status “Abigail’s home …” That choked me.

Then this morning, as I read a piece about the repatriation, my thoughts turned to the families of the other five Canadian forces members – who have no bodies to return – so a pillow and a headdress for each were solemnly carried to individual hearses from the plane. That image really chokes me. Sometimes, I just can’t detach from stuff like this so easily.

There is a lot of suffering in the world – and it was there long before Covid-19. Of course, now there’s more. We really need to change the world we live in. Really we do. Have I asked you to read Umair Haque yet? I’m sure I have (settle down, Lou, I know I drive you nuts with my links to Umair stories, LOL). This is the story that I think everyone on the planet needs to read. This is what we have to do: What Coronavirus teaches us about the kind of world we have to build.

Ok, enough virus for today, except to say the Rt chart now has six states showing red, the rest green. But the greens are still way too close to the danger mark and need to lower a lot more. The government can open up the country but until the public (that’s YOU) feels safe, you do NOT have to engage. You can hang back, take precautions, go out slowly and infrequently – protect yourself. It’s up to us now that the restrictions are being slowly lifted, up to us to be sensible.

Not even 7 am yet, sun just starting to peek up from behind Popo. Better have a shower soon so I can do the first walk around 7:30. It’s a nice time to walk – no one out there at all and PJ loves his first walk best, I think. Although he really loves the long one he gets with the trainer, especially when Maxi is there. I think his life is ok. I’m a little preoccupied with him, I know. But it’s odd. We aren’t able to develop the relationship I have had with other bull terriers because of the house situation. I’ve never had a dog who didn’t sleep at least in the same room as me. Well, I’ve also never had one that was restricted to half the house, either. One foot in front of the other. That’s all I can do for now, and stop thinking about it. But he doesn’t really feel like my sidekick. When I think on it, the other bull terriers have all accompanied me everywhere (in the van to yard sales, to the store, etc) but here it’s both too hot much of the time to put a dog in the van and our van is currently in the country without a permit (to be rectified by going to La Paz, details not important but connected to visa status and temporary import).

And I feel bad for not being closer to him by now (2.5 years). But the trainer reminds me, “He’s a dog first off and he has a great life – homemade food, room to run, walks every day – TWO beds of his own” and I get it. It’s just odd to feel kind of detached. I’m not even sure he likes me that much but CW reminds me that Junior was decidedly UNaffectionate for most of his life, yet he was my boy in the end. Ah, hopefully, I will have years to develop my relationship with this one.

Okay, I finished PADI for today – six topics to finish part II (I think there are five parts) plus took the knowledge quiz which is like a pre-test and got it all correct. Ready for the real test tomorrow. And man, I got excited when I remembered the ‘giant stride’ entry from the boat. It put me right back there, always a really exciting time, you never know what you’re going to see (or find) and all the hard work (suiting up and pre-check) is done. Then you are under the water. And in a different world.

I do have DogStar work that I could do. But already I have recieved and put away a large Superama food order (that’s in addition to the City Market order of yesterday … or thereabouts) and building a Costco order for tomorrow. And I have other stuff on my list. I’ll see how far I get.

CW, the eternal pessimist, is starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic. Possibly far down the end – but it’s there. By July, he thinks things could start to look a little easier. But every country needs to keep quarantines (14-days) in effect for non-citizens and returning citizens. Italy and France have already said they will be in place through December. Until there is a vaccine or super simple oral treatment, they *need* to do that – we all do.

I think I should research some ships that sunk in the Sea of Cortez that have never been found. It might be fun to go on a treasure hunt. CW even thinks that we stand a good chance of selling this summer and getting to La Paz by fall. Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

Day 56: Friday. The day to wash the floors and windex all the glass tables. Ugh. I’m getting used to it, I guess. All part of the “schedule”. Got another query on the house from a Mexican who lives in Chicago (from Craigslist Mexico City) – he wants to see the house if it is still available in September when he has a flight booked. He also has family here, about a 1/2 hour away. So, another backup if not sold by then. And he’ll pay in US dollars.

Only four states in the red on Rt.live today! Good news. But 15 states are on the edge 0.94+ up to a few at 0.98 and 0.99. But moving very slowly in the right direction. Still not over and you know it’s not over for a month after all states get to 0. So a long way to go. A very long way. Way more than 100,000 deaths. Very sad. But maybe turned its first corner at least. We can hope.

Canada is doing okay, Mexico – who knows. If the reporting is accurate, we are going through our peak now, until Sunday or Monday or so — and they use the sentinel system and test very few people – and assume 10 times the tested rate but it may be far more. Not relevant to us as long as we stay behind our walls. And only a few hospitals are full (Covid wards, that is) in the south of Mexico City where most hospitals are, but overall I think the capacity is at 68% through what they are considering the peak. So they might make it through in Mexico.

I guess Ontario and Quebec are still our trouble zones in Canada. This is going to be a very long recovery for every country. But I think we’re perhaps coming over the top of the mountain.

To be honest, this week hasn’t been as bad as last week. Most of my anxiety this week has been around PJ, who is rebelling again. Honest to God, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. So I put on my mask and walked with the trainer today, me with PJ on one side, he with Maxi on the other and did some exercises. Starting Monday, he’ll come morning and afternoon. I sometimes feel that my life is being decided for me.

From 9 until 10am, you will work with the dog. From 3-4pm, you will work with the dog. On Thursday, you will water the house plants. On Friday, you will wash the floors (I have not, and probably will do them tomorrow, there, blatant defiance). I may do a laundry today though. Or I may decide to do that tomorrow. What the hell.

I did do my PADI test today and got them all correct. Part II done. Next week, I will tackle Part III. Maybe even tomorrow, but no pressure, it’s Saturday. Gawd, I feel like getting kinda silly (drunk) tonight. Haven’t done that in well over 56 days. But no one to do it with. It’s no fun getting giddy alone.

Oh, I got Kiki’s books! I miss her, she was the bomb. Keep in mind, they are old. From the 80s and very very early 90s when she wrote for Cosmopolitan (among others). I was late 20s when she was writing these and I remember her in Cosmo. God, times were different, LOL.

Even just reading the back, I can hear her speaking. My god she had some wonderful stories. I wonder how bad it would be to share one.

Okay, I’m going to do it. I’m going to take out the name of the airline, LOL. Here’s Kiki, 40 years later, (and for perspective, 76 and on a walker). I told her the next place I was going was to Morocco and she said (email convo):

“The first time I went to Morocco was quite by accident.  It was 1968 (I was 26) and I was in Lisbon having an affair with the head of (deleted name) Airlines.  For some reason, he had to get rid of me for a few days and he gave me some $$ and put me on a First Class flight to Casablanca saying “women like you will like Casablanca.”  Beverley, I didn’t even know it was in Morocco until I got off the flight (a bit high) and saw all these guys in white sheets.  Anyway, I made it to a hotel, went out to the center of town and hit a bar where the waiter told me some fellow wanted to buy me a drink .. . oh, he was gorgeous.  So off I went on another affair …“

She was hilarious. What we called (in those days) a ‘trollop’. We had some great lunches. And really, we didn’t drink that much. She was in her later 70s and on all kinds of meds – not well because of her botched hip operation a couple of years prior – and used a walker. But she was game until the end. It didn’t stop her from flying to Paris twice a year for about a month at a time. She had a good life, I guess but I know she wanted more (she told me she found out through all the trouble with her hip that she “really did want to live”). Wasn’t ready. I guess that’s part of why I wish she was still here. But that ship sailed, that dog won’t hunt and all that. Back to work. Maybe I can at least clean all the glass tables and vacuum today. That would make me feel less delinquent. I’m making beef broccoli for dinner tonight (oh look, there’s a squirrel).

Oh, you need to read Umair’s latest: Sorry, Donald, you can’t grab an economy by the p*ssy. And let me say, I hope he’s wrong. But logic tells me that he’s not. Half a million, or a million, will die and trump will just say he did a great job, could have been 10 million! Seriously. I hate to watch this unfold, I just hate it. What happened to that country? Neither Canada, nor Mexico, can afford to open their borders to anyone from abroad, without a mandatory quarantine. Controlled somehow. And I’m very serious. Especially from the USA. Mexico is going to let the Americans back in this fall for tourism, I’m pretty sure – AMLO seems to believe in the almighty dollar above all else. The American one. And milagros.

So, it’s Friday afternoon, 3pm. I’ve had a training lesson with the dog (and a walk prior to that), done my Padi test, cleaned all the glass tables. I did have a shower and I washed my hair. I can’t believe I didn’t do anything else. Oh yeah, I facilitated, recieved, cleaned and put away a Costco order. I have been watching news (online, by watching, I mean reading), I did check the markets (time to do that again, it’s 4pm in Toronto). I vacuumed. But I don’t feel like I have accomplished anything of import if you know what I mean.

Oh my lord, sometimes I feel like my life is on hold. We don’t know when we’re going or if we’ll go to La Paz (the plan) and then onto BC or just up to BC. We don’t know how many dogs we will have (two, one … ? ) We don’t know when this will happen. We don’t know when it will really be safe to move.

One thing I do know. The pre-sale condo is on track for September. This is good, I have the money lined up to close and hope by doing that (getting it privately, nothing to do with banks, as a bridge loan for the interim) – we can close from here doing DocuSign. I’ve already confirmed that we can sell it using DocuSign. Waiting to hear back from the notary on purchase but I’m pretty sure we can. That will free up some cash (the deposit back plus any profit). I really want a house on the Island again. Even if we rent it out for a while and live in Vancouver.

Day 57: Another Saturday. Trainer coming at 8am and I will go with him and PJ again. Masked up, on opposite sides of the street and he’ll bark orders at me. This is my life. So much easier to hand the trainer the leash but better if I go along. In all my years of owning dogs – decades (40+ years not counting living at home), I’ve never had one who was this difficult. Although all BTs are difficult during the first few years. Was I that much younger before? That’s probably it.

I had goddamn monkey chatter at 3am again. I hate that. But I’m pretty sure I fell back to sleep around 4 (got up at 5am). I breathe deeply. I chant (Oh mani padme hung … ) I count backwards. Something that helped me last night was playing that RJ Clarke video in my head. I’m serious. I just can’t not smile at that little angel’s face. Even when the monkeys are circling. If you’re interested in learning more about him, he has a website that his mother built to preserve these memories for him when he is older than four and can actually understand the effect he has had on people. Click here to check it out.

Back to the waking up issue – it’s all because I have to go to the goddamn bathroom that I wake up at all. I wonder if sleepy tea would help me sleep through the night, or make me pee more. I guess I could test the proposition.

Ok. I’ve had an epiphany about the USA and I think it will do my blood pressure a lot of good. I articulated it in a Facebook comment on a friend’s page but will share it now for the sake of expediency.

“Interestingly enough, after this Covid crisis and mishandling in the US, which is not nearly over, I am remarkably sanguine about him and his followers and enablers. This just happened to me. But I realize that they are becoming irrelevant on the world stage as far as having any influence at all. Not there yet, but WELL on their way now. I have no doubt.

The rest of the world will band together and create a better WHO. We will create better global connections for health. The world will continue to have social programs, only more social programs (kind of like the Crash Test Dummies and Kraft Dinner). The world will continue to get better and hopefully, fight climate change without them somehow. We’re all looking at ways in which we can carry on with at least “less” (and hopefully much less) USA. That’s the best I can hope for in my lifetime.

Maybe if things change and stay changed for a while, they can improve education and in a few generations, their country can climb out of the hole it digs for itself, both economically and on the world stage. We may all be players, but I believe these guys are the antagonists. And I believe we’re playing out the final act. And they’re going down.“

I’m a little dramatic when responding on Facebook (who, me?) but I am truly just shrugging my shoulders at stuff the US does now. And very sadly, equating the country with trump more and more. I suppose that’s because he is controlling it more and more so it is more like him. In any event, I don’t see a good ending for them, but it’s kind of like my new t-shirt now:

I’m sad for them, but I’m Canadian currently at a house we still own in Mexico – and those are the two places I care about most (and I do care about the rest of the world not including the USA, which coincidentally is also the coverage of our international health care so voila)… To clarify however, I actually *would* love nothing more to see them pull out of this. But I don’t believe it to be possible. So IDK. That’s how it has to be. You can only beat a dead horse so long before it starts to smell.

I have said for a while, part of being back on the Island (or in Vancouver) will be Extinction Rebellion. I’ll fight for Canada and am happy to go to jail for her (what are they going to do to me there?) while practicing non-violent civil disobedience. In fact, I’m looking forward to it almost as much as I am looking forward to diving again.

Wow, here is a heartwarming story. The real “Lord of the Flies” – actually happened 15 years after the book, in 1966. With a much different ending. It’s a lovely story if you’d like to read something nice for a change: The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months. The story gives me faith in humanity. That it exists at all. But on the other hand, it was 54 years ago.

Day 58 Suday May 10, 2020: It’s looking like the US may be coming out of this. Do note, no one in the US is below 0.06, which means 6/10ths of a person gets sick for every one who is infected now. This is much better. Only TWO above the red line today! But now, they’re opening up to early. I hope I don’t have to show you bad news next week:

Today, Sunday:

Six weeks ago, it looked bad. I am worried about the US opening up their country too soon and losing all this progress. The progress above happened *because* they locked down. But as noted at the end of the day yesterday – their country. Just stay out of mine until you deal with this as a nation. r be prepared to quarantine, at your expense, for 14 days.

We had brunch today. It was good and I am so full. I could live on one meal a day. I really could. Not sure what’s for dinner – I think chicken pot pie – in any event, it’s CW’s turn to cook. It’s noon and I’m exhausted actually.

I don’t have a lot more news to share. I am washing the floors, three down, maybe three to go but at least two. And then it’s all over until Friday. God help me, I need Genaro back (our houseman/housekeeper). One of my horoscopes said I would be cooking and cleaning until June 27 – based on one, or two of the three (or is it four?) retrograde planets (but not Mercury). Seriously. I cannot fathom that. Oy. But I guess it’s only another what, six, seven weeks?

The president of Mexico and health minister say the peak is now until May 20 in Mexico. The experts at the national university say more like the third week of June, which matches more with that one astrological prediction. We don’t really know, we don’t go out, I don’t read Spanish news – I see it a day or two later translated. We’re in here for the duration. It could be far, far worse.

Remember those seeds I planted Monday? They’re rocking. Plant something. You’ll feel accomplished.

And that would be a wrap, folks. Hang in there. I’m not sure what image (or song) I will close with, but I’m about to find out. Remember, I’m always just at the end of an email if you want to chat.

Stay safe, stay informed, stay kind.