Washout!

Describing today totally.  It was gloomy when I first got up, which quickly changed to drizzle and then to a steady, hard rain.  What's a blipper to do?  Well, luckily, this blipper has a hide which quickly went up on the patio where said-blipper then huddled for a happy several hours, occasionally tossing out peanuts for the blue jays and chipmunks.  Who probably think the hide is the worlds largest treat dispenser...

For reasons I don't fully understand, blue jays (yes, that is what this is) don't seem to be at all water-repellent.  Most birds seem to shed water pretty efficiently, even in hard rains.  But not the jays - no, they get utterly saturated.  You actually wonder how they can fly when they are this wet, but they manage.  In truth, all the birds were looking a little bedraggled today, even the normally dapper blackbirds (see Extra).  But none so bad as the jays.

After hide-time, I watched Governor Cuomo's briefing which was one of his best ever, in my opinion.  Oh, how I wish he was on the Presidential ticket this November.  He announced a competition several weeks ago challenging NYers to film a short advert for wearing a mask.  The winner's video will be featured in a series of Public Service Announcements on television.  NYers are now voting on their pick among the top 5 and if you want to feel good about your fellow humans, I encourage you to watch the top picks as well as maybe some of the Honorable Mentions.  Clips can be seen HERE - just scroll down and click on each one.  My two personal favorites are "We are compassion.  We are NY" and "Do the right thing".  

The message stays the same - be safe, wash your hands, be kind...

xo
Debbi

Covid Stats for New Jersey as of this Day
Positive cases to date  153,104
Number of deaths to date  11,081