Been Traveling

 

31 August 2022 (Near Saldahna Metro Lisboa)

 

Finally, a moment which might be called near normal has arrived.  Been in Lisboa for 9 days now. Our time has been nonstop running, spending, waiting, etc.  Each night we have gone to bed exhausted.  When we awoke, we were still tired. Jet lag encompassed the first few days. Things are improving. 

 

We are familiars with Ikea and Buy/Sell/Trade Lisbon.  Last Saturday the hotel rooms paid for with points ran out.  Luckily the beds had arrived at the apartmento.  Yesterday the washing machine and the refrigerator got here.  Watching the delivery person carry the washing machine up two flights of stairs on his back was impressive.  Now that the refrigerator is here days will pass without dining out.  Yeah, the wallet rejoices.  Today our first chair arrives, a sofa sleeper.  It will be nice to sit in a chair.

 

Takes a bit of time to get used to the cycle of life here.  I have been awake for an hour and a half and the city is just beginning to move. This computer on which I am pounding away is on my back deck which is totally in shade. The shade won’t last. 67 F with the merest hint of a breeze.  By midday the deck will no longer be shaded and these bricks the landlord has laid down will heat up like bricks in a wood stove. As God is my witness you will be able to fry and egg out here.  

 

The deck right now is great for writing.  By midday it will be more than great for drying clothing on the line. When 7 pm comes it will be comfortable to be back out here.  Going to have to pick up an umbrella and a base. Need to expand the time we can be out here.

 

The pulse of business seems to start between 9”30. The subways and buses are crowded then and most commercial establishments open at ten.  Except for the malls (and there are only a couple of them really) most businesses close down at eight.  Dinner hour is roughly 7 pm to 10 pm and it is assumed you will be spending an hour or more at the table.  

 

I do not think that I would say I love the neighborhood.  Alternatively, I would say I really like the neighborhood.  So many restaurants, shops, easy access to transport make it a wonderful place to be. Being under the airport flight path where the plans fly so low you can count the bolts on the belly of the fuselage is not as enticing.  But hey, I doubt there is any place in Lisbon where that is not the case. Plenty of parks, plenty of culture and lots to explore.

 

Oh well, I have to go get some keys made.  Life goes on.

 

 

The Weather Has Broken Today (Perhaps the Darkness Will Too)

 

Amazingly the humidity has disappeared from the air this early morning. Temperatures as I set out have dropped a good 15° from what they were yesterday. Walking in short sleeves and nylon shorts the first 100 yards of striding are crisp. 

 

August is traditionally Michigan’s transitional weather. Often fall creeps in shortly after the 20th. Cool mornings, mild days and the hints of leaves ready to change color were common in years past.  Not so much recently; real summer warmth has lately been lingering until after Labor Day. I won’t be here to see which is true of August this year.

 

Spent time yesterday online rearranging some details of my airline tickets to Europe. With the kafuffle that is air travel this year, each segment of my flight has changed several times. With each change in departure time or routing the airline has unilaterally imposed new seat assignments. Grabbing decent seats with less than two weeks remaining before I travel is not a pleasant experience. Everything I read says nothing about flying this year is pleasant. I note my family’s ultimate destinations airport will be suffering the effects from a two-day general strike when we get there. Sigh. Repeat after me, “I am one with the universe”.

 

It doesn’t take long to feel comfortable walking in this cooler weather. ‘Tis a moment of joy after days and days of oppressive heat and humidity. I don’t believe I’ve ever experienced such a long a stretch of both high temperatures and high humidity in Michigan. Floods, fires and heat waves are engulfing the world. Gaia seems to be working through some not so pleasant changes. Climate scientist say these various extreme weather phenomena are the signs of a rapidly warming planet. The changes are not over, they are accelerating. We need to take action to mitigate what is happening. At least I believe so.

 

After more than two and 1/3 years COVID-19 made its way into our house. The youngest brought the disease home from his workplace. Luckily, he had been vaccinated and boosted. His symptoms were similar to those of a bad cold or a mild flu. A very strict isolation was enforced. After five days of isolation no one else tested positive in the household. After eight days he is testing negative now and will return to work today. It will be just in time to give his two weeks’ notice.

 

My son’s Covid case will not show up in any federal database. I am assuming that he like millions upon millions of other Americans have self-tested at home and then not reported positive numbers to a health department or the CDC. I would guess very large portion of our population has now had the disease; a number far greater than has even been estimated. The pandemic is not over. At least we have antivirals and other medications to ameliorate much of the devastating consequences of the disease. But there is always the next variant… I plan to keep wearing my mask in larger group settings.

 

An additional note, the land around me is green again. What broke the hot and humid weather was a series of thunder and rain storms. Never felt so happy to feel drops of rain on my face. Michigan looks good in green.

 

A final note.  48 years ago this day, I travelled to the old Atlantic City Raceway to see a triple bill.  I believe the opening act was Jesse Colin Young.  Santana came on next and finally Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young took the stage.  The day was momentous because President Richard M. Nixon’s resignation became official. The crowd was ebullient because a dark cloud over our democracy was lifting. I was there with Larry Dougherty, Kathy Logiovino, and Dot Huber. We endured rain and lightning to get to that moment at the end of the concert when CSN&Y broke out an incredible version of Ohio.  50,000 people were singing at the top of their lungs, “Four Dead in Ohio,” again and again. It was a hymn; it was an exclamation mark marking the end of years of darkness.  Now if only the Florida raid is the dot drawn first at the bottom of a soon to be finished exclamation mark marking the end of another era of darkness.

As I go out walking.

Haven't posted in a bit.  Guess it is time.

 

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but here in my little enclave of humanity, traffic has never returned to pre-pandemic levels. The flow of cars and trucks is up to about 2/3 of what it used to be on a business day. I’m OK with that. Seeing the lessened number of cars whiz by on Saginaw Avenue, a five-lane wide affair (two each way with a turn lane), I wonder if this diminishment is a true shift in the paradigm of work? Have those 1/3 of the cars stopped traveling to and fro because their drivers are now working from home? Cutting the gas expended and the wear and tear on the infrastructure would be a good thing, good for the drivers, good for the environment.

 

I mention the lessened traffic because I have noticed the decrease as I head out for my morning walk. Sort of like the reduced number of cars I have returned to a reduced morning walk.  I am taking in about 2/3 of my pre-pandemic walk. My walking pace is constant, about 3 mph. Before the pandemic I would walk for 45 to 50 minutes. These days I’m walking 30 to 35 minutes. It just feels more comfortable.  Yes, I put on some pandemic weight.  Yes, I had some of the pandemic blues.  But on the plus side, this morning I am walking a little faster than usual. Checking the radar on my weather app before I stepped out of the house, I noticed a huge orange blob just slightly north and west of where I live. Kind of implies a strong storm is coming. God knows we can use the rain. Still, I’d like to be back in the house before it gets here.

 

Personally, I have not really done a deep dive on yesterday’s primaries. However, it seems clear that some election deniers did win their primary races. About the best news was the Kansas vote on abortion, roughly 60% to 40% in favor of leaving abortion a constitutional right in Kansas. I find that a pretty amazing number. Given Kansas’s conservative nature, the result probably should give the Republicans nationwide pause on their efforts to outlaw abortion and to put women back in the 1950s. I frequently shake my head wondering what has brought us to this point.

 

Some of the bright blossoms of summer are fading into the dusty dusky colors of fall. Still much of the vibrancy of the season is on display. One of the best things about walking in the morning is to see these plants and their flowers awash with bright yellows, reds and pinks. The explosion of color gives me an emotional up for the beginning of my day. I so love the flowers rebound everywhere in my neighborhood.

 

One way or another I’ll be leaving this neighborhood in about two weeks. I’ll either be going to Portugal with a visa or without. My hope is that the mail brings the documents I need for a longer stay overseas. No guarantees in life. No easy fixes for anything. Take a moment.  Enjoy the flowers.