Day #49 of Social Distancing – the dichotomy of Spring and the pandemic

Today was an incredibly beautiful day – it was warm, sunny and just downright pleasant. When I woke this morning, it was still a bit cloudy and cool. Had several cups of coffee on the porch listening to the birds singing, even saw one dive-bomb a crow that was too close to the nest, no doubt. This morning’s walk was a bit longer than usual – 3 miles rather than 2.5 – and the sweet smell of the flowers, the wet grass from overnight rain and lilacs were motivation enough for me. I managed to capture a photo of the elusive cedar waxwing from my back porch.

Cedar waxwing through porch screen

It’s hard to imagine, on a day like today, that we are still being terrorized by coronavirus and our federal government’s incompetence. Sadly, people are still getting sick, people are still dying, and now that the weather is warm, people are coming out into the world, swarming the parks and throwing caution to the wind – to hell with the six feet apart and the face masks! Our next-door neighbors are young renters and they’ve had backyard get-togethers yesterday and today. It makes you wonder if they are taking appropriate precautions for themselves, let alone anyone else. We went for a drive this afternoon to enjoy the warm day from a different vantage point than the house, back porch and backyard. I saw an equal number of unmasked people to masked. Even more perplexing was the family where the adults were masked but the kids were not – and I am not talking about babies or toddlers.

Maybe because we are far from the center of the hot spot? Maybe because our days are not punctuated with ambulance sirens? Maybe because our local funeral homes are fairly quiet? Our little village seems so removed from it all; I suppose that is why people seem to be so cavalier.

I imagine that it will be harder and harder for people to be as vigilant as necessary as the weather warms up – I can at least hope they will wear masks in when in groups, in public. It is frightening to think that just one point of contact with an infected person has the power to take down an entire population.

And our state governors, weary of the daily grind of tallying infection and death, tired of fighting to keep their citizens safe through all means necessary, continue to toe the line for a measured, science-based direction as our commander in chief stirs foment and discord, giving the fringe supremacists cover to terrorize their state capitols. The only elected officials concerned with public health at this point are governors who are determined to bring the death toll to heel.

So there is that. As spring blossoms and blooms all around us, the sun shines with such promise, as the pandemic lurks and spreads its contagion while we frolic in the sun. Best be wearing a mask.