Friday, October 16, 2020

Dreaming compost

News blues…

'On the brink of disaster': Europe's Covid fight takes a turn for the worse. 
Europe’s second coronavirus wave took a dramatic turn for the worse this week, forcing governments across the continent to make tough choices as more than a dozen countries reported their highest ever number of new infections.
In France, 18 million people in nine big cities risk a fine from Saturday if they are not at home by 9pm. In the Czech Republic, schools have closed and medical students are being enlisted to help doctors. All Dutch bars and restaurants are shut.
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland are among countries to have broken daily case records, prompting the World Health Organization to call for an “uncompromising” effort to stem the spread.
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US passes 8m coronavirus cases as death toll approaches 220,000 
The US passed 8m recorded coronavirus cases on Friday, another unwelcome mark for the country with the most cases and the worst death toll from the global pandemic, approaching 220,000.
Despite there being no sign that the pandemic is under control in the US, on Thursday Donald Trump said that the virus would “peter out”.
Cases are increasing in 32 states, holding steady in 15 and decreasing in just three: Louisiana, Kentucky and Vermont.
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My trusty coronavirus daily reporting app reports South Africa’s toll of new confirmed infections yesterday: more than 2,000.
The third wave?
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Rats abandon the sinking ship that is the Donald Trump presidency. Watch for a new CNN special scheduled to air [US time] Sunday night, "The Insiders: A Warning from Former Trump Officials," in which former senior administration officials - including former national security adviser John Bolton, former Health and Human Services scientist Rick Bright and former Department of Homeland Security general counsel John Mitnick - explain why they think the President is unfit for office. 
The big question: why did they wait so long? Fear? Self-interest? Readying to exploit any power that came their way?
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The Lincoln Project:

Meidas Touch:

Healthy planet, anyone?

Qanon. What the…? As conspiracies grow… protect your body from coronavirus best you can – masks, sanitize, distance - and protect your brain from the conspiracy virus. You, and our planet, cannot afford the time sink these conspiracies require. Jitarth Jadeja’s story 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

First snake this season: Rhombic night adder. 
The area I live in now is 1050 meters/3445 feet above sea level. The area where I grew up – Valley of a Thousand Hills - is 799 meters/2621 feet. Those 250 meters/820 feet make a difference in snake populations: fewer snakes here than there. This young Rhombic night adder  toured the perimeter of the ground floor verandah, I used a stout stick to encourage it toward the garden and pond (frogs are a favorite food). It hissed and  squeaked - like air escaping a too-tight suit. I kept my distance, took photos, and enjoyed its lovely markings. 
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Fruit cake is back! Also known as Christmas cake, South Africa’s dark, rich fruit cake is not found in California. Subsequently, it’s a big attraction. It disappeared from shelves the beginning of Lockdown and re-appeared yesterday. Let the feasting begin!
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After mixing another large bag of compost, I checked in with the realtor regarding an approximate date I might move into my new small living unit. She reports, “perhaps by the end of November.” I’m looking forward to spilling this gorgeous, fecund compost into my new garden. The plants I intend to grow will love it!
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Talking about compost… A life goal is, one day in the future, to lie on my bed, review my life, and marvel at the wild ride it has been.
I’ve discovered I was gifted with remarkable resilience and determination and I put these to work each day.
Moreover, I’ve been meeting semi-regularly with a local psychotherapist to guide me through the thickets, roots, and manure that made me who I am. To this end, I began another Dream Journal – recording dreams to examine and make conscious presentations from my unconscious.
Last night’s dream is memorable, not so much for the actual dream, but for its manifestation on paper (photo, left).
How to decipher this mess?



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