A Cooler Day

5 May 2020

Today in the Midwest the season has changed.  The air temperature not even at 50 degrees F at two p.m.  Standing outside this day feels like very early spring.  The weekend’s warmth has fled back south for a polar vortex has dropped a passel of cold upon mid-Michigan.  Various flowers are in bloom everywhere, they like people who opt to leave here are hardy.

On the virology front the news is not good.  From the research it appears that Coviid 19 has mutated and the mutation has become the dominant strain.  This is bad news.  This is bad news because the mutation is much more contagious.  https://apple.news/APYLRcU6BTgKHfFbdTbWscw

According to the researchers cited in the article this mutation may negatively impact the development of a vaccine. If the structure of the mutated virus is different from the one variation of the disease researchers have been working with up to now, the vaccine produced might be ineffective. Not good.

Today I decided I was going to be productive and not a slave to trashy television programing.  So long Nina Dobrev and the pretty people and pretty undead of the Vampire Diaries. I broke down and bought a book about an amateur who wants to learn from a chef. This work has been out for a bit of time but is not in the online libraries I have access to.  The book is called Heat and it is by Bill Buford. First chapter down and it feels like a fun read. I have also been reading some of the winners of this year’s Pulitzer Prize and the nominees.  These writings have been quite engrossing.

I have already walked for forty minutes today.  While the temperature is not the best for writing outdoors at a table (like I am doing now) it is perfect for walks of 20-30 minutes in duration.  I also carved out about 10 minutes for meditation.  It went well until the cat took my still posture as being ripe for a lap nap.  Acceptance and awareness.  Today’s communing with Aretha the cat and tomorrow’s remembering to close the bedroom door are all part of acceptance and awareness. 

At the end of yesterday’s very low-key celebration of our 35^th wedding anniversary Francie and I sat out by the fire pit.  The air was cool and Francie wrapped a throw blanket around her torso.  I was in a leather jacket.  The fire was relatively small but it did kick off some nice warmth.  We sat and listened to an album by the Call. The first song was sort of an anthem when we were camping.  It is called Let the Day Begin.  Smelling the woodsmoke and feeling the damp chill it was almost like those camping trips of 25 years ago.  Life in its rich parade travels by so very fast.  

Here is a link to the Youtube posting for Let the Day Begin.