More thoughts in the time of COVID-19 …
Heat … it can be fatal.
Yesterday it got me. I went out early to pack the lunches for kids (118 this time). No problem. Warm, but not unusual for summer here.
By 0900 finished there and met friends in the park with apple fritters, coffee, masks and distancing. Warm, but still no problem.
By 1030 I was at the monthly Tailgate produce giveaway to do my volunteer “check-in” thing. Had shade and water. Sign-ins went well. Only four people refusing to wear masks. I took names and locations so if we have a cell develop and need to do tracking, we can start with them. Also had one rather adamantly vocal objection to the census (I had a census worker with me handing out late filing advice).
Produce was in boxes so there was little or no interaction between volunteers and recipients and had one rather loud complaint about having to tote a box to her car and not being able to choose what produce she wanted.
There were plenty of cantaloupes however.
By time to go home (1300), temp was in the high 90s.
Got home and that was it !!!
Now for the backstory …
Way back in 1951, George and I made a trip to New Mexico to visit Carlsbad Caverns (there’s another story there, but it will wait for another time). We were going across the bottom of the states since we were living in southern California then.
Crossing the desert into the southwest corner of Arizona was HOT. I was riding with my feet out the window (you could do that in those days … no seat belts).
We stopped in Gila Bend for gasoline, I got out to go to the toilet and wash my face which was salt crusted … and passed out as I opened the door to return to the car (our beautiful, white, Chebbie coupe). The next thing I remember is being led to the house of the station owner across the highway, put on his living room couch with a wet cloth over my face, and being forced to drink tepid, salted water.
Seems I had a heat stroke.
I never learned the name of those lifesaving folks, but I’ll never forget them.
And ever since then, I’ve been very sensitive to high temperature. It is mostly controlled by having learned what to do and how to act. In point of fact (to quote Mrs. Chelm), it has been years since I bonked out.
However, yesterday something went wrong. By the time I got home and got the groceries unloaded (that may have been the final straw), I was done for. I was red in the face and covered with salty sweat.
I spent the rest of the day and all night on my bed.
But I’m much better now. Even managed to do up yesterday’s dishes.
Still when you step outdoors and 70 degrees feels cool, you know you’re having a heat wave.
Today all I have to do is go to the library, pick up Tyler’s spinning wheel from the friend who restored it, and do a wee bit of shopping (orange juice and salad greens). Won’t be out of the air-conditioned car very much.
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The far north central part of California is on fire. Fortunately, they are all between 60 and 100 miles away. Some evacuations are in effect, but none near us.
The Badger fire (the one Mark was on) is on its way to being out. A neighbor (RN) left to work on the Hog near Susanville yesterday (the road between here and Reno has been closed for several days by that fire). One of the student live-ins from our station leaves this morning for the Hog. He had said he was interested in becoming a wildland fire fighter and will have a good resume when this season is over.
Sunrise this morning was deep red orange from the Hog smoke and there were two small fires in Montague east of Yreka north of us. Both quickly contained.
I do believe we are in fire season. Maybe the new seasons for California are rain and boggy roads followed by drier, anxiety-prone, pre-fire followed by a-bit-scared evacuation prep followed by FIRE SEASON followed by where’s-the-rain? followed by mop-up followed by here-comes-the-rain and flooding followed by take-a-breath it’s snowing followed by melt and boggy roads and …
Oh well …
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Still no decision about how, or even if, local schools will open next month. Current home plan is for Paul to go to a classroom once or twice a week and home school the rest of the time. But we’ll see.
~~~
Now seems to be the time for Pantheists to remember and model behavior for the lesson that …
In this universe, all activities, events, and entities are related. Everything in the universe has value and instructs us in some aspect of life. Everything is alive and is making choices that determine the future, so the world is constantly creating itself.
We are all connected to all things. Whenever we harm anything, it causes harm to ourselves. If we destroy the air, then we will be affected by what we breathe. If we poison the Earth, we poison ourselves. We must respect our Mother Earth and She will respect us in return.
We must open our eyes.
With the wisdom and time for reflection that old age provides, we may discover unsuspected relationships.
Allow me to honor and respect the things You, the Creator, have made. Let me see the beauty of all things.
(adapted from STANDING ROCK SIOUX – Vine Deloria, Jr)
So … stay safe … ‘til next week (and even beyond) …