Somewhere In Between in Everyday Ramblings

It is getting to that time of year where I need to start getting a little more creative with the photos I am taking, looking for the unexpected in the mundane. Our heat finally broke but we still don’t have any rain in the forecast. It is overcast and a comfortable temperature, which means I can venture out in the middle of, or later in the day. Yay!

Of course, with the transmissibility of the Delta Variant, venturing out is an endeavor that takes risk/reward calculations.

We were basically in some sort of mandated lockdown here from mid-March 2020 to the end of June 2021. And our older population is close to being fully vaccinated (we have an overall 73% vaccination rate for those eligible) and all this meant that the prudence paid off and we had a low infection rate and a modest amount of death. (Although everyone of those matters).

And then we opened up. Just in time for the Delta Variant.

Our governor has called in the National Guard to help with the rural hospitals that are overrun with cases. Our test positivity rate is 13.5%. We had 2,971 positive cases confirmed for yesterday and 19 deaths. We are closing in on 3,000 over all deaths. The whole state is affected and while Portland, where I live, had the most cases all along, now it is all the rural counties that are getting the bulk of them.

Yesterday Kes and Most Honorable came up for a visit. The first time I have seen them in almost a month. All three of us have had rounds of symptoms that could be Covid and tried to make the decision to get tested; something we have agonized over. Our breakthrough case rate is 14.4% for the first two weeks of August.

When I was in the grocery on Wednesday, (double masked, walked there, took the bus home) I noticed the pharmacy line was longer than I had seen it in months. And oddly it was full of healthy-looking young men. No, they were not picking up meds for grandma. They were finally deciding to get vaccinated.

That, I suppose, is good news. Better late than…

It is all just crazy making. I am social distancing outside but only wearing a mask when I know I am going inside, which I am doing as little as possible. I have cut the short bus trips in half and am thinking about a hiatus on those until the case counts go down.

Sunday the plan is to have lunch in the garden at the Sherlocks’ place. I will wear a mask when I am transiting through the house, but I am even wondering about that with the transmissibility.

The truth is, I think in time, we are all going to get it. One wants one’s immune system to be as robust as possible, not to transmit the darn thing to anyone else and to not be a burden on the healthcare system if possible.

The state of the world has not improved in any noticeable way in the last few days. I don’t have to pay attention to it every minute though. Still, the obvious suffering out there is hard to handle even in incremental doses. I am finding little ways to help and am trying to be kind and look at the big picture, but it is hard.

The other day while doing these forward bending squat things (for the resilience training) I strained a ligament in my left hip joint. It mostly hurts when I have been sitting for a time and then get up, but thank goodness, it is getting better, and I can both walk and teach. I was back doing resilience things today, except for the bits that hurt a little and I am grateful for that.

There is a fall vibe out there and I am thinking about all the things I have not done over the summer. So many annoying tasks that I would feel so much better if they were done. The League of Women Voters stuff is amping up, and I for sure have marketing things to do. I have great faith in the morning open practice I am offering but so far have not yet been able to build the community that will sustain it for the long term.

I am going to stick with it through the fall though. And then we will decide.

Diego is standing right next to me on the workstation patiently and quietly imploring me to give him some wet food. Instead of twice a day, I feed them the same amount but four times a day instead because it helps with his gut.

He is as skilled and regular as any clock. I may not know what day it is, but I sure as heck know what time it is.

Last updated August 21, 2021