Don't Get Out Much, Do You? in Everyday Ramblings

The local Peace Rose from a few days ago. It seems appropriate. There was a big boom near here last night. I am certain that there are a number of protestors among us here in my neighborhood not that far from the downtown area where most of the after peaceful demonstration activity is happening.

Yesterday Charity and I saw a thin man in black clothes wearing a full face Joker mask get out of an old beater car full of junk (with another mask on the dashboard) and go towards an older apartment building with historical significance in the neighborhood. I thought it odd he was wearing that mask at noon, which is when we were walking.

We had a good walk. We did the big South Portland/Downtown waterfront loop. I haven’t been down there since at least February and it was quieter than normal. Although we are officially still in full lockdown there are way more people out and about than this time last month. There were maybe a third as many folks out as before times normal on what turned out to be a mild overcast day. Charity doesn’t like heat and it was perfect for her.

Thursday Kes came up for the first time in four weeks and after much finagling with masks and hearing aids we both decided we were going to officially be in each other’s bubbles. Both of us are cautious because we are both vulnerable. There was hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes and social distancing in the car involved. It all seems so…done already.

We took Diego to the vet. They came and got him while fully gloved and masked as we were masked. Then there were a number of phone calls with the vet tech, to the vet, to the vet tech again.

Sitting in the car I couldn’t help exclaiming at the various and totally random seeming measures everybody in the small upscale shopping area were or were not taking around the virus. You can tell I don’t get out much.

We do not know what has been troubling Diego but she was able to treat a number of his symptoms and he is feeling so much better. They told me is was clear that he was insecure without me there in the room with him and that made my heart hurt a little.

His organs all seem normal and good and now I am waiting for test results on the elaborate blood panel I approved. He gets anti-nausea medicine everyday and eardrops twice a day. But all the stress of giving him medicine is worth having him clearly feeling so much better.

It could be a food sensitivity issue or allergy, IBS, or even a thyroid problem. I hope the blood work gives us some clues because the next diagnostic step is an ultrasound that costs $600 and I don’t know if I am willing to manage that. It was one thing when I was working but…

For now we will all spend this rainy day home taking care of each other.

Mrs. Sherlock and I may walk tomorrow. It depends on the weather. I haven’t seen her since the fall but she did take my class Wednesday and says she is fine.

I have been listening to this interesting podcast, Slate’s Hi-Phi Nation, about this idea of collateral consequences of the criminal justice system for offenders who serve their full sentences but are then still not given back their full civil rights. Oh say like the right to vote.

In light of all the talk of defunding the police and getting them out of our schools (when we get our schools open again) and demilitarizing them I think this is a big area where work on racial justice needs to happen.

It is interesting that before all this, before this horrific public murder of George Floyd our League of Women Voters had already set in motion a study of disciplinary practices in our local police department; a department that is now run by a strong and capable young white woman.

As we were walking along the east side river bank next to our big science museum yesterday our fire department, (which is also run by a black woman), was having a roping and climbing exercise on an old radio tower there. We stopped to watch and I could tell Charity was getting ready to comment on something and I just burst out, “There are no women! They are all men.” I said it loud enough that they heard it.

Charity was thinking the same thing and burst out laughing. They were all white too.

Last updated June 06, 2020