UPDATE (ONGOING BIRD BATTLES)

  

Well this round to the humans. I have a fear of being closed in (claustrophobic), however no problem with heights. I used to peer over the side of tall buildings on safety inspections and yell "hey look at the view, whee" while my guides would be hovering towards the middle of the wide open expanse. Actually led me to write a lot of notes about proper barrier systems not being installed. 

Even took my daughter to the top of a 4 story parking ramp once to teach her how to spit correctly (true story). There are moments in life when a derisive spit in a direction near but not on a protagonist is necessary but letting it clumsily cover ones chin does not denote the correct level of disdain.

Anyway I digress, as usual.  Got out the really tall ladder when Mother Dove was away and gingerly tugged the "occupied" nest out of its snug spot on the ceiling. I then reinstalled it in the fork of that nasty Willow tree, which due to its constant preening, should supply plenty of continuing building materials for future nest fortifications. The old neighborhood was permanently sealed off from future house hunters. 

ONGOING BIRD BATTLES

Congratulations all around. We had managed to stymie the industrious sparrows trying to establish residence in the patio cover ceiling. Wire mesh is holding. Birds nesting in trees as pre-ordained and desired. All is quiet Sunday.... Then came Thursday. 

There is always a pile of discarded twigs, branches, leaves from the majestic (in her mind) Willow overhanging the patio that miraculously appear overnight...every night. Willows are slovenly dumpers that are deeply into self-pruning and preening apparently. A lot of shade if you can put up with the constant grooming. However there was an odd little pile of twigs and fluff in the middle of the table under the fan. Looking up I groaned as I realized the frustrating cause of the minor twig-nado.

In a measly six-inch wide stretch of board holding the newly-installed overhead fan was Mother Dove in a fully-established nest. Said nest was clinging precariously with its pieces hanging sloppily on either side of what should have been recognized by any bird engineer as a terribly inadequate platform. As the bird bitch was perched tightly "en neste" I assumed it was occupied or soon to be with little replicas of their acrobatic Mother.

With little compassion the fan was turned on (heh, heh). Expecting a flurry of feathers or possibly other bodily fluids I was chagrined to realized it bothered her not a whit. No doubt she felt it was a concession from the "humans" to provide cooling to the maternity ward. ARRGGHH. Not only could she fly away from it without injury, she managed to re-alight with the fan running. Oh joy.  

I can only assume an ongoing battle with Mama and her sprouts. She may have won round 1 but there will be no further acts of defiance. Back in the trees Madam.

                                                     

THE AGE OF PANDEMIC: CHAPTER 19 Lining Up

The news is full of the stories. Several partiers going out in a group all test positive for good old covid-19. Restaurants and bars close down for more sanitizing, more rules, more trying to figure out how to keep young, healthy people from congregating in tight groupings.  Who cares? The people they then interact with after they are infected like good old mom and dad, grandpa and grandma. Though as some old "farts" are saying, from a safe social distance of course, we should be willing to sacrifice ourselves for the good of the economy. 

Science and medical be damned-boys and girls "just wanna have fun".  The idea that we actually live in society and perhaps owe something to our fellow humans is not a consideration as it reeks of control. Such as waiting your turn at that promotion until you have proven yourself or letting someone else in front of you on the road.  The same folks who don't vaccinate their children as "the government is not going to tell me what to do" or will not believe the completely debunked theory on autism. Again you live in society not a cave in the mountains. Please let me know so I can keep my children away, thank you Ms. or Mr. Philistine.  It could be we have always been that way but it just seems our selfishness is better advertised these days.

Businesses eager to reopen; people excited about getting out have led to a perfect tsunami of spreading infections. Is it not logical that those places that opened early and often are now seeing explosions of new cases? Hospitals are starting to be overwhelmed; the second wave is upon us or as I see it, the actual first wave for those who still do not believe in what they cannot see (a virus). Wearing a mask or standing apart is so hard for the social animals that we are. We are drawn to each other regardless of the intensity of the flame. To be silent and alone is against all that we feel and are. Even to our own detriment.

At my first rock concert as a freshman at Michigan State we stood in a line that snaked halfway around campus (slight exaggeration) and when the doors opened, we were told to "run for your seats". That was enough. I am a huge proponent of assigned seats and the most expensive I can afford or why bother.

Where one has to draw the line, however, is we cannot have everything all the time. It is not our right or necessary. The pandemic is not political, discriminate or malicious. It just is a fact of life. The new "normal" is definitely not the old normal and change is inevitable. Those who refuse to change will be left behind, or maimed or dead; that is clear.

On the positive side, I love reservations. When we were young teens my parents took us to nicer restaurants on occasion, to learn how to act in an "adult venue", where they actually took reservations! (Note: other people don't find your misbehaving child as endearing as you do in "adult venues"). I find it so galling that an establishment that wants our money, lots of our money, thinks it is alright to let us languish in inadequate waiting areas jockeying for position or on the street just for the privilege of spending OUR money. Or to be tethered to a blinking disc to signal they are allowing me the distinct honor of dining with them. As my family knows, I find it irritating and usually will not do it. (I also hating seeing onions in my dish) No place is that good. I have even said the next line I stand in will be for the 2nd coming.

 Unfortunately people are so eager to visit or dine at a popular spot they are not at all put off by waiting in a line outside like so much cattle. And being human they tend to gather together to talk loudly, laugh, spit and generally toss their assorted juices to all and sundry.

Also to my joy I hear Disney is implementing a reservation system that texts you when you're next in line. Brilliant! Wending my way around acres of pipe barriers for an hour in the heat or racing across the park trying to even get in the line just to enjoy one ride is a sure pleasure-killer in my book. Why these common sense and respectful policies were not implemented before now is beyond my comprehension.

Of course it begs the question. Would I get in and wait in line to get tested or receive a vaccine for the current scourge? Well, at least it's worth some serious contemplation.

OUCH THAT HURT

Sustaining a "non-life threatening" mishap myself this week I was reminded of different injury accidents I have had the distinct and stink pleasure of investigating over the years. Is there such creature as an "accident-prone" or "accident waiting to happen" person? I tried not to have that mindset, but sometimes....

For example, I had a hard-working, friendly, experienced forestry worker who I met more frequently than I cared to...in the emergency room. Each episode more thrilling than the last. The final straw was when he almost cut off his own leg cutting UPHILL with a powered chain saw. Thank goodness for leather chaps. I told him in emergency that I sure was getting tired of calling his wife to let her know the latest adventure. He would just smile at me and ask when he could get back to work. Now that I think about it he usually worked alone. That should have been a clue.

Another beloved worker bee at the plant seemed to have more first aid issues than seemed normal. 

Digress: The Heinrich theory of occurrences states there are 300 incidents, FA (first aid) or otherwise before one lost time accident occurs. In other words you have been warned. It is so hard not to count failures of a system rather than successes as they are much more dramatic, but I have never changed someone's mind by telling them what "could" happen next based on statistics.

Anyway back to the point on the beloved worker bee. When monitoring an operation at the plant I asked why there were so few working on the issue. They said well "so and so" is part of the crew but we just set him aside as accidents tend to happen around him or to him, etc.  See the people always know but they never bear witness before the worst happens. 

How to keep people aware at all times of hazards is impossible no matter the intensity of nagging. But to explain to the engineers that designing a machine or process to be "fool-proof" usually elicits claims of "they're just lazy". No they're worried about the mortgage, their child's problems in school, their spouse's birthday. Also how anyone can ever design something without ever setting foot into the space or speaking with the operators is excessively arrogant. "Book learning" is great added to experience; if not yours than others.

My machine guarding training explained the importance of designing and using guarding that would not let someone come anywhere near the point of operation. That came home to me at MIOSHA when one of my employees and myself went into a plant MIOSHA had shut down to perform machine guarding training. Imagine tasked with trying to educate fellow employees just after an accident that took both of a young woman's arms. She was caught in a press which no one knew how to back off. She had to stand there in shock and agony until the fire department and another plant's experts came in to release her from the press' unrelenting grip. I think management attention to proper procedures and guarding would have been a lot less devastating and expensive. If I was not a believer before I got religion.  

That seems to be the problem a lot of the time. The modern "doubting Thomas' " do not believe unless they see it, feel it, taste it, (so glad I didn't step in it). Time to believe in science and other's expertise. Together we are stronger, healthier, happier and alive.

THE AGE OF PANDEMIC: CHAPTER 18 Venturing Out

Red Letter days. The ability, tentatively, to run errands to other destinations except those needed for life and health. Well life and health but not emergency type. Two routine doctor visits. I decided not to rush a third the Dentist by rescheduling and will just wait for the next appointment in September. Talk about your intimate exposures to mucous membranes. They have worn masks/shields and gloves for years, but there's still a lot of moisture spinning around in my view with all those swooshing machines, scrapings and spitting action. 

Digress:  I've been going to the same dentist for many years and even brought the next generation there when it was time for my daughter to be seen. I think I still have the picture they took of her in the big" chair". She was smiling. 

2nd digress: When my daughter and I met her orthodontist for the first time to discuss the treatment plan I was told what a fantastic doctor he was-because he was extremely expensive and lived in, basically a castle I guess. The mark of truly great doctor. Anyway I am a prodigious note-taker and I was doodling away on the complicated payment plan when he tapped the table and said "Mother, pay attention to me!"  I believe I said something like "excuse me?" (asshole) , the animal reference silent of course. Well, number one, I was not his Mother and number two, what a jackass. Never liked that guy but the results were beautiful. I probably own a brick of his castle. His attitude rankles me to this day obviously.

Anyway, I was a patient of my dentist when the guidelines for HIV came into effect. Being an intrepid safety and health proponent who never rests I, of course, lectured them on the use of proper protective equipment before we could continue our relationship. They complained of not being able to do their job with gloves on bla bla bla, but they survived and thrived as they say.

I had done so many lectures and training sessions on AIDS/HIV at that point, I had no problem explaining in detail the horrendous consequences of not taking precautions. As I succinctly put it at the end of my training sessions as they squirmed in their seats (they were primarily male audiences), "If you're not shooting drugs or having sex in the workplace you shouldn't be exposed". The mosquito questions were the best. Depends on what you and the mosquito are doing obviously.

My first visit was to the ophthalmologist. Interesting experience taking all the eye tests with a mask on. Having a small face it was a constant battle between fabric, hair and getting my eye into proper relationship with the machines. Watching them clean the machine seconds before one places one's precious organ against it was an "eye opener", pardon the pun. As an ex-FA/CPR teacher I understood a full 60 seconds was needed to actually achieve some type of sanitation or the semblance of same.

Check-up with the Doctor went well. No changes, no problems though I have to wonder how effective the technician was who managed to totally obscure one eye photo with little hair-like structures covering the all-important parts. What disease had I contracted in this age of pandemic? Imagination running wild, I later learned the little hair-like structures were.... HAIR! It's been many months since I had a haircut, but really lady, could you not see the wildness of my coiffure  before you snapped the picture? 

Next a routine checkup with the Internal Medicine chap to see if I aced my six-month blood test scores. How do you have a contact-less, touchless physical exams? Everybody keeps their clothes on and gloves are used. Hand washing by each participant is overseen by my eagle eye. Masks are mandatory for all who play and the medical staff are pretty used to them anyway so that seemed normal. As long as we don't lie any about symptoms when they ask the usual pandemic questions all is good.  

Though I do miss the mandatory handshakes that say "I'm a real person and I see you and acknowledge your uniqueness as a person". As far as I know I am just a chart and we no longer have any pretense about it anymore. There is something discomforting about the thought that at a certain age, you do not feel you are taken as seriously as you used to be when you were young and more vital apparently.

Noticed a favorite breakfast place was open for internal digestion so we took a chance. We were treated like royalty with "virtual" bowing and scraping occurring. Although there were cars in the lot, the manager acknowledged they were staff decoy cars as they were hoping people would see them and feel safe enough to take the bait. As a few more consumers arrived they were literally applauded. Need I say service was impeccable even though the pepper was delivered in little packets and my hot sauce needed to be requested. Although a lot of cleaning occurs right before your eyes, take your own Clorox wipes to be sure.....After all these people are all wearing masks.

PAINTING PARTY

Deck painting, a never ending task and now necessary at two houses. The inevitable debate on what color as we try something different each time in hopes of finding one that doesn't set your bare feet on fire on a sunny day. Having a southern exposure and no shade does come with some risks, but wearing boots is not the answer. The white/gray combo we tried one year actually glowed in the dark. Very eerie. 

As far as the lake house deck goes, easy color choice - leftover paint from the new dock install last summer. I have dubbed the color either "peanut butter" or "baby poop"- both are appropriate though I believe the official name is cedar (update, it's actually smoky topaz). Yeah well.  

                                                       

Following the theme of "if it ain't broke don't go to any more expense" I decided to use up some other paint we had to spruce up the side deck we never use to give the neighbor a consistent view apparently. The color matches the shutters and the gate. Now I just have to eke it out to avoid buying more that I probably will not use.  Those who know me probably know what color it is.

     

As it is a cool and windy day it's fantastic weather for outdoor work. First power wash. Then sweep and sweep and sweep as the fluffies, maple helicopters and various green stuff keeps pouring down because its a cool and windy day. In frustration as the wind was making the paint dry in record time I just started painting in the fluffies, helicoptors and green stuff.  I do believe I encased a spider, complete with prey in a sac, in thick paint. Hey you pay extra for texturing or that will be my story. I do believe I have a new hair color due to having to stand upside down to reach all the undersides of the railings. Totally in fashion I wager.

As this particular deck has not seen "the light of paint" in I don't know how many years, it soaked up the paint with a definite slurping noise (ala Homer Simpson) as the first coat went on. Or maybe that was the sound of the kids splashing in the canal next door. Whatever. 

I impressed myself with my limber moves of bending, stooping, twisting, crawling and jumping up from a sitting position to hit all the spots to be painted. However after relaxing at the end of the day, my body chirped its displeasure at my acrobatics and stiffened right up. Well since the BIG deck is due to be painted tomorrow, we shall see how it goes.  If.... I can get out of bed.

THE AGE OF PANDEMIC: CHAPTER 17 Shopping/Running Errands

With society slowly opening and grocery stores no longer filled with hordes of scavengers attempting to corner the market on paper goods, shopping is a bit easier. It opens one up to going to other venues and taking care of errands other than food and medicine. As I now sport a multi mask wardrobe, I can coordinate my protection to my outfit. Tres chic.

Only decorating the eyes allows some interesting explorations into the make-up world, something our middle eastern sisters have perfected over the centuries. For example, when getting a blood test I asked the phlebotomist how things were going. She thoughtfully answered, "I really notice people's eyes now". Cool but what about watching where that nasty little needle is going as I gaze at my multi-colored bruise that has been extending slowly across the entire real estate of my inside elbow?  But I'm glad I made the effort and did my eye make-up.

Digress:  have you of the masculine persuasion ever pondered the difficulties of a woman filling the good old urine specimen thimble? You dudes just aim and shoot. We ladies need to "guess" where the best stream is located and after much fumbling around manage to catch a small sample, thoroughly wetting our hand in the process. Ah well, not fatal I suppose.

Tried the "touchless, contactless, human less" pickup at Best Buy. I could swear I was just in their store the other week but now instead of going in I had to follow extremely LARGE arrows in a fun little circle to have a couple of dudes toss my teeny-tiny little package into my trunk. They think they know who I am. I think I got the right product. Nobody knows, because of the touchless, contactless, human less process named above.

Next needed repairs to my trusty electric broom. I know old-fashioned. But I have tile floors as I have a tendency to pace up to 9, 10 miles a day and tile works great. Note to fans. Always check if a location is open or has special hours or just call! In the age of pandemic normal is not normal. Went all the way over there to find they are not open on Wednesday, arrghh. 

 Back Thursday, properly masked, peering into the darkened interior and assuming another wasted trip although the sign said they were open. A clerk came scurrying out the door also properly masked. He proceeded to manhandle my little vac all the while claiming they are a bunch of crap and never last more than a year. I gently pointed out I bought it at his "crap" shop because my other Riccar vac was so good. Oh the old stuff yes. Meanwhile he is opening up compartments and spilling two years of assorted fluff and dirt all over the sidewalk instantly marking me as a house pig I guess. I do clean it out I just never imagined it had so many hidden nooks and crannies. He filled out the paperwork and "whisked" (vacuum pun) it away to the bowels of the shop.

After several years of not actually losing or leaving behind my "cheater" bi-focal sunglasses, I of course managed to destroy them in the midst of pandemic.  Love those things as they allow me to read on the beach or in the car and still look cool. Especially since I do not have to wear glasses otherwise. Apparently sunglass shacks, etc. are not considered "essential" as they were not open. The optical shops want a prescription so they can grind them right and apparently telling them I don't wear glasses just leads to a repetition of they need a prescription; I don't wear glasses; we need a prescription - like that old vaudeville bit about "I can't pay the rent" "you must pay the rent"(ends with a hero entering to pay the rent apparently) Goodness, I have had polycarbonate protective eyewear for construction sites that had bifocals built in. I was not going to fork over $300 for non-prescription sunglasses!

Opticians are considered "quasi-medical" establishments so you only make two steps inside before you are attacked by the temperature police. Everyone seems to have these cool thermometers that can shoot a beam from 10 feet away. Cleared to enter Ma'am. I don't mind them trying to do the right thing although any asymptomatic person may not have a fever anyway. 

Of course the whole food pick-up thing is a challenge. Everyone has their own system and it's a guess what the rules of the game are. So eating whatever is in the freezer is the first choice. 

Sir Pizza is ruined after their two person in the shop rule is immediately compromised when one person decides to stay inside and wait for their pie. Then its anyone's guess when yours is ready as you are now hovering six feet from anyone outside even though YOU CALLED AHEAD.

A favorite spot in Gun Lake was a total fiasco last weekend. First the food foragers (FF) of our group went to get barbecue at a restaurant two hours after they opened to find they were sold out. Ordered from the second place and there was a 60 minute wait. Fine. We have beer and wine at home for appetizers. The FFs headed back out for the order to find a packed venue and pizza boxes piled up to the ceiling threatening to cascade to the floor. At one point they started putting the takeout boxes on the floor! Meanwhile the phone keeps ringing, the people keep coming and the lone clerk takes 10 minutes to check each person out often grabbing the latest box to sell rather than the folks waiting, for the most part, good-humoredly, for their order they can see piled precariously on the take-out tower behind her.

The gentleman next to my group had been patiently waiting two and a half hours and could actually see his order behind the clerk. When asked why he hadn't given up he said "No doggone it, I'm going to see this thing through".  It was cold.  LOL. Oh yes, side note. Small town and all. Not ONE person was wearing a mask including the restaurant employees except my folks. When you're one of the only  games (restaurants) in town......c'est la vie!

Glad to have several styles of masks as I think this is going to be the new normal for the foreseeable future.

RACISM

 

A man died today because he was black. Chaos ensues.

Here we go again some uninformed may lament. It's not again, it is ongoing. Our history of dealing with folks of another stripe or color is abysmal. White privilege is a real thing. 

In my lifetime people of color were denied access to the simple pleasures we of the white persuasion take for granted. Community swimming pools, restaurants and lunch counters, drinking fountains, adequate schools, jobs and life really. Plus being looked at as a thug, criminal or rapist because of the color of their skin. All that happened after the 60's is we just covered it up better. It's been going on for 400 years but it is only recently, thanks to technology, that we have been able to shine a light on the injustice and feel it in our hearts and souls to the degree we do today.

 A man died at the hands of the police after he was rendered helpless on the ground and in handcuffs. A man died because racism is so common-place and expected we have allowed ourselves to become callous to its impact on American citizens who happen to be black or brown. A man died because if you're a white person possibly passing a bogus bill it would have been considered innocent until proven guilty.

Never mind that they tried to play it our way. Family and church and jobs, that we let them have. It did not dawn on me for years why I never saw any black families in our neighborhood until a college mate explained that his father was steered to "certain neighborhoods" as acceptable. Never mind that "separate but equal" meant those on the wrong side of the color spectrum got whatever was left over after the white schools got theirs. Better neighborhoods mean higher taxes and better education. But it's the black man's fault because he is lazy not unlucky or turned away.  How else could we justify it to ourselves?

A  decent home that builds equity allows children to go to college and be prepped for better jobs and opportunities, but the black man is lazy, not discriminated against. A black business man has to use a "white" partner to be accepted in certain neighborhoods or the bank.  A decent family man and preacher has to worry that if he doesn't get home by dark he is a suspect because he is black or brown. When he or she sees flashing lights in their rearview, the fear is there. Am I going home tonight? A highly educated deputy director gets pulled over for a broken light and the officer has his hand on his gun.

More black and brown people die of Covid-19 so no reason not open up you cowards. My freedom is being infringed upon. Though the black man feels his freedom as an American citizen questioned every day of his life, the black man is lazy. Its not as if the only job he can get is low-paying, has no medical insurance and can't be "worked from home" like his privileged white brothers and sisters.

Several elephants in the room.

 A President who stokes the fire of division and threatens military action because, there can be no other explanation, he is afraid. No words of calm or wisdom, he is incapable. The man who hits the links as 100,000 Americans die, partially because of his mishandling of the health crisis. His crass exploitation of a religious setting "complete with props" after using armed soldiers and police to clear his path (again how brave) makes vomit rise in the mouth. A view shared by religious leaders and allies alike. Though there are still some in their religious beliefs swear that the white man is endowed by God to use the black as a footstool and slave. 

Looting by a various colored (white & black) "thug" element. Do I think some of the protesters were involved? Possibly, though I think its more a matter of "others" taking advantage of a moment to do what they do best-destroy, steal and wreck havoc hoping it will be blamed on again, that lazy black man. Does it diminish the message that black and brown people have been exploited for 400 hundred years? Think about that--400 years. Yes, it does for some.

My own thoughts and feelings. I who thought myself enlightened and understanding of the black experience did not really. How shocked I was as a Senior in high school visiting my brother at his marine base in California for Christmas. Visiting and sharing a meal with one of his military friends and their family at their home who happened to be African-American. As I held and played with their baby the Marine and father said if it came to revolution, he would side with his family and friends and we would be the enemy. I thought I understood when my co-workers told me of being picked upon for no reason or how they had to counsel their sons not to be assertive or argue when stopped by police. Not until I saw that police officers knee on that handcuffed man and others stood by aiding and abetting did it finally hit me. We are wrong and I was naïve.

The time is now, there is no going back.  Affirmative action worked so we of course got rid of it and a whole generation has had to fight and claw to get even a piece of  that American dream they hear so much about but do not receive.  And we wonder why they are angry? Why they are singled out to take the punishment and derision that comes with being less than "white" in this country? When will we ever be able to just say a man died today and it was wrong.