October 5, 2021 ~ Tuesday (gray/heavy skies/wind advisory … aka: a normal day)
Happy October! I’m a few days late in my monthly salutation … my intentions were good/my actions were lagging. This month is one of my favorites … and as much as I like it, I really ONLY like it when it is actually October. Living in the NW, pretty much any month (aside from July and maybe August) feel like this month – over and over and over again.
I never really know what month it is here … are their pumpkins marching down my front porch steps? No? Then it’s not late Sept/Oct or November … even though the temps/skies/and everything else might belie that thinking.
Up here, on this rock, it’s “October” for about 9 months of the year … maybe 10. This past year (thank you global warming) we had a lovely warmer (not hot – except for that HOT long weekend) summer that lingered (most days) through September. It was nice.
I really love October with the leaves changing and the pumpkins and gourds and the rusts, cranberry, and mustard colors all around … it’s exceptionally nice when it actually arrives.
We are pretty green up here still … a few trees are donning their autumnal gowns but for the most part, due to the severe dry summer, the trees are stressed and probably will just drop their leaves without much color change or fanfare. Too bad. My dinner plate maple is loaded with clusters of tan whirlybird seed pods … they must not be ready to fly yet because with the winds we are having, I’m surprised they are not flying off the tree up to Alaska already.
I drove up island the other day … thinking it would be nice to take a drive, get a coffee, grab a few groceries. It was a sunny day with bluebird skies … I didn’t think it would take me nearly 4 hours. But, Annie (lab) was with me and she was happy because she scored a handful of chicken nuggets from Burger King (surprisingly tasty – for us both!) … and she got to get away from the house. We haven’t been to the beach lately – too cold/wet and she’s been limping more than usual – walking is now only short jaunts. I’m considering buying a turtle to take her on her walks she is so slow!
Today is one of those days … my daughter chipped her tooth on her coffee mug and lost a contact on her bike ride … I tried to flip a stray hair out of my eyes and gouged my forehead with an unusually (for me) long nail and now look like I’m Triclops. I’m off to lunch soon with a friend and hope I don’t spill my soup into my lap or that my house hasn’t blown away before my return (or after). I’m also hoping the power stays on.
Yesterday I was looking back on some of my past year’s October posts. I read the one from last year and am so thankful we are post-Trump (as much as we are but don’t get me started on all the crap going on) however, Covid is still a nightmare. You’d think we’d be better off than this now!
Here is the start of the post from a year ago … sadly things have changed so drastically … yet stayed so much the same:
“October 3, 2020 – Saturday (Covid-19 running rampant = nearly 7.4 million cases in US w/209,000 dead, wildfires still raging, election going off the rails, you name it … )
It’s been a week.
And that’s putting it mildly.
If the best part of the week was me swallowing my temporary crown … yeah, it’s been one for the books. Read on!
We are now at nearly 7.4 million Covid-19 cases in the US with more than 209,000 deaths. Worldwide there are nearly 35 million cases and 1,000,000 deaths. Disgusting. Upsetting. Completely heartbreaking.”
Today, October 5, 2021 … we are now past 44, 781,000 cases in the US with nearly 725,000 people having died in this country from Covid-19. And the numbers continue to rise. More than half a million MORE than a year ago. Worldwide there have been more than 219 million cases with nearly 5 million deaths. The medical community is now saying that over 200,000 deaths here in the US have occurred SINCE the vaccines were available. The vaccines don’t guarantee 100% prevention from getting the virus (there are still chances of breakthough cases) – you need to still do your part. However, if you do get it, you’ll have a much milder case, probably won’t need hospitalization and you won’t die. Why is this still such an issue?
From last year … “The wildfires continue raging making this “fire season” in the western US (OR/CA/WA) the worst in at least 70 years. I don’t know the size of an acre but I can visualize how big a football field is … and in these states, to date, over 5.7 MILLION football fields of homes, businesses, forests and land have gone up in flames. That is roughly the same size of the state of New Jersey. What is left is a blackened landscape of charred dreams, towns and wilderness. Aside from the horrific personal tragedies of people and lives lost and all the animals and wildlife lost … and complete towns being decimated … the air quality has been, at times, the worst on the planet and the drinking water supplies are now having issues meaning health issues for all in these states as well as across the globe.”
And … this year has been worse. The fires in the west (CA/WA/OR/MT/ID and BC) have outpaced those from last year’s historic “fire season”. And, yes, “fire season” is now a real term.
Schools are opening and realizing that they are incubators for this virus. Elementary schools to universities are fighting hard to come to terms with a new normal for this school year … just as they did for last year. However, the virus is hitting kids. As of last week 64% of the new cases were in children under the age of 19. Astounding. And people balk at wearing a mask and social distancing and vaccinations.
Businesses continue to be closed or have closed permanently or are suffering because they cannot get workers to work. This virus has been so hard on so many.
Mask and vaccination mandates are in effect for some states and agencies … but we need more done.
When I wrote this last year the election was just around the corner – god am I glad that is over (and I used the term “over” lightly in light of all that has happened since). New voter restriction laws are taking shape in 16 states and continue to plague the voting process with venomous spewing from the Ex-President, himself, concerning voter and ballot fraud, a rigged election, and his continuation in office. A year later all this shit continues. Stupid is as stupid does.
So, it’s been a year … and most of it was spent in weather that was like today … mid 50s/on and off rain/wind/gray skies … perpetual October.
More of the same coming tomorrow.
Except now I have those pumpkins marching down my steps and I know it’s really October.