We’re Clear! in Everyday Ramblings

There is this cool map on this website called Purple Air that maps the air quality all over the world based on registered gauges spread around the globe. When you bring it up it shows air quality indicator numbers in the color where it is on the health scale. Today the three closest gauges are green, and the numbers average out to about 27!

This after 10 days with the numbers mostly in the almost dark purple range in the 400’s. Over 100 is considered harmful, just to give you an idea. (There are areas in South Australia that are at 112 right now.)

Luckily this year, where I am, there isn’t that much ash. One needs to be careful about cleaning it up and tracking it in and…we are learning all this new self-protective stuff.

I can assure you that right now the air quality in my place is worse than it is outside. But I am able to start opening windows. It is not too cold yet.

Thursday night I was on the Yoga Teacher’s call and there were people on their devices outside and there was this longing watching them that is akin to the longing to see someone in person and to be able to watch and see all the nuance of a body that is close. We are wired that way.

Zoom is working on some artificial intelligence features that corrects for when one is looking at the camera it looks instead like one is looking at the eyes of the other person being imaged.

Today, though, big excitement, I get to go out! I have an actual library book due back, it is late, but they have done away with fines so the important thing is to get it back and it is just over a three mile trek round trip.

The next challenge is getting a hat arrangement that works with wearing a mask so I can go out in the rain. I think, especially walking alone and avoiding people, I can walk in the pouring rain without a mask, but I need to have a dry one available in a pocket. Today we are just having light drizzle later. We had incredible thunderstorm Thursday night with lots and lots of lightning.

I have always been terrified of thunderstorms, we had a big tree come down when I was a kid but also the rolling sound; it sounds like an earthquake, like the 89 earthquake and aftershocks in San Francisco. My body is in complete control of the response, my mind just goes into hunker down not functional red alert mode.

Other than the 15 minutes previously mentioned talking to Charity outside and a brief conversation with my hyper-conservative paranoid upstairs neighbor at the same time I have not interacted with another human in person in 10 days. I think early on I said thank you to my grocery delivery person at a distance but since then the deliveries have been contactless. They text you and leave the stuff.

Thank the gods for Zoom. My classes, my sister. I am walking with Mrs. Sherlock tomorrow. It is her birthday next week. She had to take her older friend to the hospital on Wednesday, so we haven’t communed in a couple of weeks.

Also, I have been hooked into a League of Women Voters discussion unit on Privacy and Cybersecurity that involves a lot of reading and then, having an opinion and working with the group on consensus. The questions on the worksheet are all multiple choice but wow…

Originally, I was thinking it only related to security in terms of elections. We all have paper ballots here and are 100% mail in or dedicated drop box, (except if your residence has burned to the ground, then you can vote at a local state office). Of course, the tabulation is done by computers. But the League is coming up with a policy paper for the whole shebang, Federal law.

This is really good for me to practice. Having well thought out and reasoned opinions on things as a voting citizen in what may or may not still be a democracy.

I burst into tears last night as I was taking a bath and the notification that RBG had died came through. Diego had just thrown up for the third time in the day, (conveniently in the bathroom sink), and it all felt rather too much to bear.

But using her courage and determination to hang on to protect us as long as she could as an inspiration I got out, got dressed, went out in a regular cloth mask and got the mail.

The anti-nausea medicine was in there. With treats and a towel to wrap him in I got the medicine down him and he is resting comfortably today, his sweet affectionate feisty self.

May RBG’s dogged obstinate will to protect the rights of women in a free and open society act as a beacon for all of us through the terrifying days our democracy faces now.

Last updated September 21, 2020