Us, May 10, 2020: Roy, John, Leo, Shadow, Ondine
Us, May 10, 2020: Roy, John, Leo, Shadow, Ondine
Ondine bought Leo a cap and gown, Roy is on the dole, and John started summer school.
And, in the tree out back, the hawk couple continue tending their chicks. There are at least three chicks, possibly four. We can see them clearly because they're fairly big now, lurching around an increasingly filthy nest like gangly, molting teenagers, gulping down all the food the harried parents bring back to them in the form of battered birds, bloody bunnies, and squidgy squirrels. Yum! What's for dinner at your house?
Speaking of eating, someone is eating our tomato plants in the front beds. And someone else, or perhaps the same someone, is digging holes in the bed itself. A rabbit got stuck in the other bed, the one with no current plantings. It got caught in the wire mesh, but kicked itself free when John went closer to investigate.
Coronavirus update: There's been a rapid upsurge of COVID-19 cases worldwide as more places open up, and in the U.S. the virus appears to be out of control again, demonstrating the fragility of libertarian values in the face of a long-term threat. President Trump reiterated that the U.S. will not close down again, then abandoned leadership piecemeal to local officials, who are increasingly facing personal attacks and threats.
The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracker shows that COVID-19 has been confirmed in over 9,169,300 people worldwide, and has claimed over 474,200 lives. That's over 1,072,900 more cases and over 35,400 more deaths since last Tuesday. The U.S. now has over 2,332,800 confirmed cases and over 121,000 deaths, up over 202,300 cases and another 4,300 deaths since last Tuesday. In San Diego, our local toll soared past 10k to 11,096 cases with 338 deaths.
San Diego has passed the outbreak trigger threshold for five straight days, raising the possibility of closing down again. Meanwhile, more people nationwide are fighting for the right to be infectious, opposing masks and social distancing policies even as the virus resurges.
In good news, NASCAR banned the Confederate flag, a huge positive move that has been met with protests from white supremacists and their allies. And, police reform measures are hot on the ballot, with mixed reviews from all sides.
The big sad news here is that Ondine's aunt Katrin died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Katrin was Barbara's younger sister. Ondine used to spend
part of every summer at Katrin and Peter's house in Danville with their family. And, Barbara took Katrin's daughter Anita with them to Sand Pond and
even on a trip to Europe. In semi-retirement Katrin and Peter bought Alta Ranch in Montana. Ondine is still close to her cousin Anita, in
San Clemente. Katrin's death came as a real shock to everyone. Here's a photo of Liz, Barbara, Katrin, and Ulli, at our wedding 22 years ago.
Leo is in a four-week course in music production. Here he is in a cap and gown, Class of 2020!
Roy is now collecting California unemployment, about $40 a week because his earnings from his job at UCCS didn't count. He receives the money electronically, on an EDD Visa debit card. He seems to be spending his new cash flow entirely on Lego sets.
Ondine took today off when she heard the news of Katrina's death, so she could be with Barbara. She's getting ready to start marketing her novel to publishers and agents, which is exciting.
John is already into the second week of his class in Cultural Anthropology at City College. So far, he's really enjoying it, and now thinks the anthropological aspect of advertising may have been his favorite part of the field. Well, that and writing.
Neighborhood gas prices are around $3.19 per gallon. The stock market closed Friday at 25,872.56, and is now around 26,150.
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