Shelter in Place, San Francisco, California
We’ve had quite a string of windy days of late - not atypical for a San Francisco summer, but starting earlier in the day and lasting longer into the evening than normal. Or so it seems. Already this morning, the gusts are revving up. It’s all about the air coming off the ocean that, from here, we cannot see. Oddly enough, our large variegated maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis), which looks windblown in any weather, seems one of the least affected plants when the real stuff starts to blow. I took this picture in the midst of a huge gust, and only a few of the front fronds bothered to bend and sway. Mystery.
I’m really bothered by the pictures in the news this morning of the Vice President wearing a mask. NOT because I think masks are unimportant - just the opposite - but because it took a dip in the polls and rising criticism to make him put it on. Whichever way the wind blows, eh? He looked absolutely foolish the other day when he stumbled badly over the lame explanation as to why the administration was not requiring masks, a clip played endlessly on various media. After the bad press, he cancelled some of his events and, as of yesterday, started wearing a mask. Too late, sir, too late. How many people have died needlessly because of the administration’s mean pig-headedness and the VP’s cowardice? How many more to go?
Day 103: Seize the Moment
Shelter in Place, San Francisco, California
Walking down the path and past the Agapanthus last evening, I saw what I thought was a deformed flower until I got up close and realized it was both flower and a moth… no, two moths, back to back. I’m not sure of the mechanics around moth mating, but this couple, shall we say, was firmly stuck together and impervious to the wind.
They say the best camera is the one you have with you when opportunity strikes, and it turns out my phone was nearly adequate to the task and to the breeze that sent the subjects swinging. The focus isn’t perfect, but the light, symmetry and colors were a wonderful surprise. It’s a good reminder that, though it is easy to think our lives are on pause during these strange days, there is always some small, beautiful something just around the corner.
Day 102: Early Fireworks
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.