Obsessions, cont’d

Obsessions have their place during a pandemic. I've addressed a smattering of mine in earlier posts. Some obsessions have lessened (battery charge level graphs), some are lessening (making compost), and one is in the first stages of development.
I admit a growing obession with my personal safety.
This, because someone else’s growing obsession is to “shoot” me, “kill” me, and perpetrate great bodily harm.
More on this below, but first – a developing, harmless, obsession:

• June 25: sunrise 6:52am; sunset 5:08pm
• June 30: sunrise: 6:53am; sunset: 5:10pm
• July 1: sunrise: 6:53am; sunset: 5:11pm
• July 5: sunrise: 6:53am; sunset: 5:12 pm
• July 6: sunrise: 6:53am; sunset: 5:12 pm

Every few days we add a minute more of daylight yet sunrise time remains constant.
Why?
Broad explanation: Instead of a perfectly-circular orbit, Earth's orbit around the Sun is slightly elliptical… The combination of Earth's elliptical orbit and the tilt of its axis results in the Sun taking different paths across the sky at slightly different speeds each day. This gives us different sunrise and sunset times each day.
In the southern hemisphere,

“We may have reached our shortest day, but unfortunately it will be a few more weeks before our mornings get any brighter. In fact, sunrise will shift slightly later (by a couple of minutes) and it won’t be until well into July that the trend will shift. (See a deeper explanation with illustration.) 

News blues…

Nothing much new happening in the news. Infection rates go up. Income and employment rates go down.
Trump and other leaders appear as confused as ever – to the chagrin of health workers and scientists agog but seemingly powerless.

The Lincoln Project continues to churn out ads: Historic 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Context: My mother owned/ran a country hotel for 60 years. She was forced to sell when industry moved in. She purchased a large house 50 miles away (much higher elevation) and brought along two long-term domestic workers.
One domestic worker has a 40-year-old ne’er-do-well son who, in the past, was convicted of and served prison time for rape.
Two years ago, while I was in California, that domestic worker persuaded my mother to allow the son to move onto the property.
My mother agreed.
He’d been here six months – lounging around, drinking, not working - when I arrived from California.
One morning, he was so drunk by 11am that he had to sidle along the walls of the house to stay upright.
Next day, I told him to leave.
It took a lawyer’s letter and several days to evict him (while the domestic worker repeatedly asked my mother to reconsider).

Fast forward: Last week, as I mixed compost outside, a drunk passed along the road, shouting obscenities directed at me by name.
I figured it was the son, still smarting over his ouster. Still jobless. Still supported by his mother (he’s fathered children he does not support).

Yesterday morning, the drunk showed up outside the upper gate. For more than an hour he stood there and harangued: “you Susan, you’re in danger: I’m going to shoot you; I’m going to [perform lewd sex acts upon] you” … on and on. I recorded much of it on my cell phone.
Even my usually passive mother paid attention, albeit wishy-washy.
I called our security services provider and the police.
Both arrived (a miracle the police actually arrived).
Neither did anything beyond suggest he stop yelling.
Police said they couldn’t do anything about the incident because of “Covid”.
Security services took my name.
Both drove away, leaving the perp still shouting.

On advice of a friend, I called a different security services provider that also runs a citizens’ task force in the neighborhood. We discussed how to get a restraining order. It’s tough: Lockdown affects courts’ open hours.

Last night, dark, 5:45pm, the drunk showed up again, this time at the lower gate that’s opposite my bedroom.
Yet more, and more explicit, threatens against my life and limb. All recorded.

A woman came from the local shebeen and chased him back there (his antics call attention to, therefore endanger, her business).
(A shebeen is an illegal “bush” pub that sells cheap, potent alcoholic bevs.)
The new security service put two watchmen in the neighborhood. Apparently, my incident is one of several, most of which involve invasion of property and crop and animal theft.
The next few days will be… interesting….

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