Shelter in Place, San Francisco, February 24, 2021
Just today our Ceanothus' earliest blossoms began to open, giving a hint of what’s to come. Soon the bush will be heavy with blossoms and bees. It will become the anchor to our garden for a month or so, just as it was last year before we knew what was about to hit us. Tomorrow, our mayor reminds us, marks the one year anniversary of her issuing a state of emergency for San Francisco, the first in the country to do so. Though not yet officially restricted to the house for another two weeks, a year ago tomorrow was when John and I began to quarantine ourselves.
This year, the Ceanothus’ first small, blue-purple blossoms coincide with John’s second vaccine shot and the anticipation of mine next week. What a difference. There are, of course, more possible pitfalls up ahead before we’re truly free, but each day we hear more optimism in the experts’ voices, feel more lift to our spirits as we gingerly stick our toes beyond the garden gate. Last year, the Ceanothus’ dark and smokey perfume marked the beginning of the beginning. Maybe this year it will signal the beginning of the end.