Field of Grass

We were both up fairly early and decided to take Spike on his walk first thing.  This particular patch in the meadow is made up of grasses that are fairly innocuous where Spike is concerned, so we turned him loose. He quickly flushed a turkey and a quail. He couldn't see them but he knew they were there and he bounded around this meadow several times before giving up. He was so focused (so to speak) on the fowl that he didn't even go into the pond. We repaired to Trail House for a coffee and  an impulse phone call to Lady Findhorn. Our timing was unfortunate as she was trapped far from the phone in her wheelchair, but it was lovely to talk to her....

John had errands this morning and I had back to back appointments today so a certain amount of planning and negotiation for the car was necessary. We're both getting a little weird about time and how many things we can do in a day. John made an itemized list with estimated times next to each one. I just have a vague sense of unease about getting everything done before having two scheduled appointments close together.

In the end, John's errands took far less time than his time table indicated and while he was gone, the pressure of the entire afternoon being scheduled actually made me more efficient and I got several tasks done that I have been putting off. I went on to have a relaxing facial with just enough time to get to physical therapy. I think I'd rather go at 7:30 in the morning than 3pm.

The United States passed the appalling record of 1,000,000 deaths due to Covid. That is more than the Civil War and World War I combined. And that figure doesn't even begin to indicate the untold number of fathers and mothers, children, grandparents and friends and relatives who are mourning a loved one whose life might have been saved if it had been treated as the public health emergency it was and continues to be, and not a political issue. 

A newspaper article compared Australia and the U.S. and their handling of the epidemic. Both countries had similar restrictions in place but Australia has had far lower death rates. The main difference between the two countries is compliance with restrictions and higher vaccination rates. It continues to mystify me how Trump managed to create a cult of liars and those who unquestioningly believe them even in the face of clear evidence to the contrary....