A change in the weather

Family in Texas reports its still cold near Houston but things are looking up. They're cold, but not frozen.
In this part of KZN, we're facing a 31C day. Just the thought of it exhausts.

News blues…

SA has recorded 1,500,677 cumulative cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Health minister Zweli Mkhize said in an update on Friday evening that the death toll in the country had climbed to 48,859. 
There were 151 more Covid-19 related deaths reported in the past 24-hour cycle. The deaths according to province were: Eastern Cape (12), Free State (21), Gauteng (43), KwaZulu-Natal (40), Limpopo (one), Mpumalanga (eight), North West (zero), Northern Cape (zero) and Western Cape (26).
The US, meanwhile, approaches half a million dead. The US confirmed infection rate – more than 27 million in a population of 328 million , is almost more than two thirds greater than the next highest toll, India, population 1.3 billion.

The US, meanwhile, approaches half a million dead. The US confirmed infection rate of more than 27 million in a population of 328+ million is almost more than two thirds greater than the next highest toll, India, population 1.36 billion.

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Comedian Jimmy Kimmel nails Texas Senator Ted Cruz who fled the weather disaster in his state…  (9:00 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

“… in the US, recent research has revealed, that global heating harms Black and Latino children before they are even born, as well as in the first years of their lives.

The analysis of dozens of medical studies found women of color, particularly Black women, and their babies are most likely to suffer low birth weights, pre-term births and stillbirths from climate-driven threats. Hot temperatures can cause strain upon women and their unborn children, while heat can also react with pollutants from cars and power plants to create ozone, a ground-level pollutant that can cause an array of health problems.
“This pollution cause placental inflammation and affects the baby,” said Pacheco. “This can cause impacts in childhood but also bad outcomes when they are adults, such as heart and kidney disease. Even what we would consider limited exposures can affect the development of the baby.”
The climate crisis is shaping the lives of Black children and children of color before they take their first breath, but it doesn’t stop there. Once a Black or Latino child is born, there is a good chance they will live in a neighborhood that gets even hotter than nearby, whiter suburbs. Researchers have found that in US cities including New York, Dallas and Miami, poorer areas with more residents of color can be get up to 20F hotter in summer than wealthier, whiter districts in the same city. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

More and more people I know in the US have been or are in the process of being vaccinated. Hooray!
I’d like to be vaccinated but that’s not the reason I’m beginning to plan my return to California. 

I must return – soon – to take care of many outstanding business and tax-related issues. 

I’m considering travelling early April even as I grapple with how to ensure my mother’s continued well-being and how to manage the house and domestic workers if the house has not sold. And how to manage the sale from a distance when the house finally sells.
My mother was tracking well when I saw her yesterday. Both her eyes open and she continues to try to communicate.
The Care Center has ended the regime of spraying the facility against coronavirus. That’s good news for residents – and visitors – who had to escape the building for the duration.