June 27, 2020: Early Fireworks
Shelter in Place, San Francisco, California
My garden diary says that this Dwarf Poker (Mango Popsicle) bloomed last year the first week of July, so I’ve kept my eye out for blossoms among the grassy stalks. I love the flowers’ evocative name, though for me the word ‘firecracker’ always comes more readily to mind. Maybe that’s because of when they first begin to bloom.
These are not the only pyrotechnics to appear a little earlier than expected. For over a week now, we’ve been hearing not the little cracklers in the street and sky that I remember from years past, but big booms, like cannon shots, that wake up all the dogs. Complaints to the San Francisco police department have increased 71% this year, and evidently the East Bay is even worse. Nobody’s quite sure why there are so many and so loud, but theories on the Internet, of course, abound: people are fed up with being inside with none of the regular outlets for excess energy; various official events like parades and baseball games were cancelled so the surplus is being sold off, much of it online; the illegal activity is somehow linked to recent protests; and/or maybe, some think, it’s that our senses have been dulled, and therefore noisy noises just sound louder than before. Whatever the reason for the increase, the noise is only surprising and mildly annoying to us here, but the fireworks can pose real danger to others - re-triggering PTSD, starting fires California cannot afford this time of year, and causing injuries to reckless perpetrators. This week the city went so far as to hold an online webinar for citizens to talk about how to cope with the noise and stay safe. I guess it has gotten that bad.
The real Fourth of July fireworks are often a disappointment here in the city because of the heavy fog. And this year, the official list of displays elsewhere says “Distanced/virtual” or “cancelled” after the name of every town. So what we are hearing from the street each night this week is probably all we’re going to get. Happy 4th, everyone… in keeping with the fireworks, I’m going to wish it to you early.