Belonging

Amy Klobuchar tweet.

Briefly a 2020 presidential candidate, Amy Klobuchar’s tweet refers to the White House as the house belonging to all Americans, and not as a Trump branding opportunity. 

The humorous tweet (meme?) also references the all-American lawn as contested territory, the eye of the storm between public and private spheres: 

The state of a homeowner’s lawn is important in relation to their status within the community and to the status of the community at large. Lawns connect neighbors and neighborhoods; they’re viewed as an indicator of socio-economic character, which translates into property- and resale values. Lawns are indicative of success; they are a physical manifestation of the American Dream of home ownership. To have a well maintained lawn is a sign to others that you have the time and/or the money to support this attraction. It signifies that you care about belonging and want others to see that you are like them. A properly maintained lawn tells others you are a good neighbor. 

News blues…

MSNBC interview with Steve Schmidt, The Lincoln Project co-founder. (3:35 mins)

Sixty-five days and counting before the US presidential election. From 14,000 miles away, I see large swathes of Americans anxious at the possibility of The Donald remaining in office for another four years. It is a terrifying thought. Surely it is not possible? Alas, documentary film-maker Michael Moore warns,

Donald Trump appears to have such momentum in some battleground states that liberals risk a repeat of 2016 when so many wrote off Trump only to see him grab the White House. Moore said, “Sorry to have to provide the reality check again.”
Moore, one of few political observers to predict Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, said that “enthusiasm for Trump is off the charts” in key areas compared with the Democratic party nominee, Joe Biden.
“Are you ready for a Trump victory? Are you mentally prepared to be outsmarted by Trump again? Do you find comfort in your certainty that there is no way Trump can win? Are you content with the trust you’ve placed in the DNC [Democratic National Committee] to pull this off?”

Polls show The Donald’s approval in the 40s – including “the bump” from the RNC. How is it possible that 40 percent of Americans approve of the man’s performance as president? It’s mind boggling. 

***

The role of political ads in this election…

Really American: Keep Tucker Dunks Trump on TV  (1:00 min)
Put Don and Eric on TV  (0.26 min)
Meidas Touch: Bye Eric: A Total Phony  (1:15 mins)
Trump Failed: The Results Speak For Themselves  (0:25 min)
VoteVets – The First  (1:24 mins)

***

Daily Maverick webinar, The Inside Track: Don Magashule: The Godfather of the Free State.  Hosted by Pauli van Wyk with Scorpio investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

While driving, I often listen to RSG Radio (Afrikaans, pronounced “Er”, “Es”, “Ge-uh” – guttural “g”). It’s soothing – probably because I don’t always understand what being said but grasp enough to get the big picture.
Radio hosts discuss gardening and present news items, and their musical offerings are delightfully behind the times. Today, I listened to elevator music version of Rolling Stones, “Satisfaction,” and a male vocalist doing The Shirelles, “Will you still love me tomorrow?”
It helps that, due to Lockdown Level 2, all my car trips are local. This means I’m tuned into RSG for stints not longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Just enough time to keep my brain translating the Afrikaans with non-demanding background music.

***

Successful visit with real estate agent.After dipping a toe into the arcane world of buying and selling residential property real estate in South Africa, I found commonalities with the agent. A brief off-topic conversation about which high school I attended – Girls High – and he asked about girls I might have known then. Indeed, I knew several of the names he mentioned.
A feature of life as an adult immigrant is knowing no one who shared one's primary or high school years. In California, I never meet anyone I knew as a child or teenager. In small town South Africa, I frequently run into childhood acquaintances.
An unfamiliar feeling – belonging – suffuses me when I recognize and talk to someone I knew decades ago. It feels good.

*** 

Monkeys from the neighborhood troop uprooted more of the snap pea seedlings I’d recently transplanted. They also uprooted another set of pole beans that I’d tried to disguise under a flight of outdoor steps. It’s maddening. News from a small town in rural Japan universalized my frustration:

…local farmers have been dealing with hordes of hungry monkeys eating up potatoes, onions, eggplants and cucumbers.…
Three older women who call themselves the “Monkey Busters” …use air guns to scare monkeys away from the crops.
The women are so dedicated to the cause they often show up to a monkey sighting still in their aprons so not a moment of monkey-scaring is wasted.
Monkey Busters don’t kill their targets, [but] fire warning shots followed up with firecrackers and other loud noises.
…Monkey Busters leader Masako Ishimura said, “We were really troubled by the monkeys’ damage to the crops, so the three of us cooperated to get rid of the monkeys. I will continue to do my best for the region with the feeling of not losing.” 

I’ll not use guns or fireworks on local monkeys, but I’m Sympatico with Japanese farmers.
Maybe I should try wearing an apron?

***

Weather report signals cold and wet next few days, but that can’t hide the signs of spring all over: plum, trees, Pride of India trees, many trees and plants are blossoming….
I’m so ready for spring.
Best news? It’s raining….

Settling in

After a week of anxious waiting for Internet re-connection, I’m settling back into my blogging routine.
Scanning the news presents a disconcerting view: Covid-19 has not, as Donald Trump promised,  “disappeared, like a miracle." Humans’ attention toward the pandemic, however, is disappearing. Odd, as infection rates continue to increase. Peru – 622,000 confirmed infections - has replaced South Africa – 620,250 confirmed cases - as the fifth most affected/infected country.
Unsure whether to celebrate South Africa’s status or mourn Peru’s.

News blues…

India’s rate of infection climbs precipitously, just trailing Brazil: 3,467,000 compared to Brazil’s 3,805,000.

India has set a new national record of daily coronavirus infections, reporting more than 77,000 cases in 24 hours, just shy of the global one-day record tally held by America. 
India’s health ministry reported 77, 266 new cases on Friday, taking its total cases to 3.39 million, data from the federal health ministry showed. India also recorded more than 1,000 new deaths taking total fatalities, to 61,529, the fourth highest total in the world, behind the US, Brazil and Mexico.
The country has recorded the highest single-day caseload in the world every day since 7 August. The largest ever one day rise is 78,427, reported by the US on 25 July.

*** 

The Lincoln Project: Chayna  (1:00 min)
Trump Hires the Best  (1:00 min)
Ready  (1:00 min)
VoteVets - Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Must Resign Or Be Fired  (0:55 min)

Healthy futures, anyone?

Here’s an idea for concerned world leaders to emulate. Costa Rica, forward thinking in conservation and sustainability, rewards farmers who carry out sustainable forestry and environmental protection through its PES - payments for ecosystem services program. .

Costa Ricans have powered a mass conservation movement across the tiny Central American country. While most of the world is only just waking up to the importance of trees in battling the climate emergency, Costa Rica is years ahead.
"It is remarkable… In the 1970s and 1980s Costa Rica had one of the highest deforestation rates in Latin America, but it managed to turn that around in a relatively short period of time." 
Costa Rica is the first tropical country to have stopped -  and subsequently reversed - deforestation. …
In the 1940s, 75% of Costa Rica was cloaked in lush rainforests. Then the loggers arrived … and cleared the land to grow crops and raise livestock. It is thought that between a half and a third of forest cover had been destroyed by 1987.
… In1996, [the government] made it illegal to chop down forest without approval from authorities and the following year it introduced PES. Today almost 60% of the land is once again forest. Cloud forests envelop the country's mountain peaks, thick rainforest lines the beaches of the south and dry forest sweeps the northeast. This rich landscape is home to around half a million plant and animal species.

***

The bad news? The MV Wakashio oil tanker that struck a coral reef last month in Mauritius was scuttled on Monday. Since then...

At least 40 dolphins have died mysteriously in an area of Mauritius affected by an oil spill from a Japanese boat… …
[A spokesperson] from the Mauritius fisheries ministry said 38 carcasses had washed up on the beaches so far. Autopsy results on 25 dolphins that washed ashore on Wednesday and Thursday were expected in the coming days.
Veterinarians have examined only two of the dolphins, which bore signs of injury but no trace of hydrocarbons in their bodies, according to preliminary autopsy results. The two autopsies were conducted by the government-run Albion Fisheries Research Centre.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Move views of this Hoopoe
scroll down the page.

Signs of spring: yesterday, an African Hoopoe searched the lawn for food. Assume the sparse feathers on her head and neck indicate fraternization with horny male African Hoopoes. (During mating, male birds in the throes of passion, and in an effort to stay aboard, pluck the female bird’s neck feathers.) 

Compare this sleek, unruffled male African Hoopoe. (Courtesy of Birds of Eden  ) 

*** 

The week in wildlife pictures as a reminder to celebrate what’s out there.

*** 

Another red letter day in my quest to settle my mother into a caring care center: visit with the real estate agent recommended by my mother’s lawyer. Since I’ve lived in California for decades and was never invited to participate in selling her former property, it will be, as we Americans say, “a learning experience.”

Altered realities

A cartoon message
 for Trump supporters. 
Click to enlarge.

The plus side of no Internet connection for a week?
Not tuning in to the Republican National Convention.

News blues…

California fire map and tracker 

California fires live updates 

 ***

Interview with Mary Trump: 'Repulsed And Heartbroken' After Uncle's RNC Speech | MSNBC (7:20 mins)

New York Times opinion writer at large, Charline Warzel writes about Trump’s convention,

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned covering the daily information wars of the Trump era is that a meaningful percentage of Americans live in an alternate reality powered by a completely separate universe of news and information.
Some are armed with their own completely fabricated facts about the world while others, as the journalist Joshua Green wrote in this section in 2017, rearrange our shared facts “to compose an entirely different narrative.” There is little consensus on the top story of the day or the major threats facing the country. You will have noticed this if you’ve ever watched a congressional hearing and flipped between CNN or MSNBC and Fox News. The video feed is the same but the interpretation of events is radically different.
Personally, I’ve never seen a clearer demonstration of the Two Universes phenomenon than this week’s Republican National Convention.
For three nights, in a shameless display of loyalty to President Trump, the party has conjured up what my colleague Frank Bruni described as an “upside-down vision” of the world. Theirs is a universe in which the coronavirus pandemic is largely in the rear view (on Aug. 25, 1,136 Americans died from the virus) and where, according to Representative Matt Gaetz, radical Democrats threaten to “disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home and invite MS-13 to live next door.” A universe where the existential dangers of climate change pale in comparison to those of cancel culture — even as the West is ravaged by blackouts and wildfires and the Gulf Coast is slammed by a devastating hurricane.

Hear, hear, Charlie!

***

Catching up on political ads
The Lincoln Project:
Decency  (0:55 mins)
Protect  (0:55 mins)
Concoctor  (3:15 mins)
Goodyear  (0:25 mins) 

Don Winslow Films: The Real Kellyanne Conway (All’s I can say is, WOW! Kellyanne Conway’s daughter speaks out.)   (1:25 mins)
Really American: Polluter in Chief  (1:37mins)
Longtime Republican and Trump Voter: Voting for a Democrat For The First Time  (5:55 mins) (Editorial comment: sharing this guy’s view despite not agreeing with his pick of all his presidential candidates. He, however, is showing common sense for this year’s election.)
Second Trump DHS Official Comes Out For Biden  (2:15 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

First full day re-connected to the Internet so, between forays into the garden to dissuade monkeys from further “exploration” of seedlings, and sharing time with my mother over cups of Rooibos tea, I plan to catch up on what’s happenin’ in the world….

Relief!

After a week without Internet, I’m back in business. What a relief!
What hasn’t changed is the trend for Covid-19 infections and deaths that continue to climb.
Worldwide (Map) 
August 27 – 24,206,820 confirmed infections; 826,59 deaths
August 20 – 22,174,000 confirmed infections; 782,000 deaths
August 13 – 20,621,000 confirmed infections; 749,400 deaths
US (Map)
August 27 – 5,824,200 confirmed infections; 179,756 deaths
August 20 - 5,500,000 confirmed infections; 171,850 deaths
August 13 - 5,198,000 confirmed infections; 166,050 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)

August 27 – 615,700 confirmed infections; 13,502 deaths
August 20 – 592,150 confirmed infections 12,265 deaths
August 13 – 569,000 confirmed infections 11,010 deaths

***

What else is new on the Covid-19 front?

South Africa’s chief Covid-19 scientist, Professor Salim Abdool Karim has confirmed that Covid-19 reinfections can occur within months.  “There is now clear evidence of two separate viral infections [in a single person],” he said as the news emerged from Hong Kong on 25 August. In July 2020, news reports suggested a case of reinfection in South Africa, but this was not confirmed by research.
After travelling to Spain, the Hong Kong resident contracted a second viral strain 4.5 months after first being diagnosed with Covid-19. “Antibody responses can decline and reinfections can occur,” said Abdool Karim in a briefing with doctors on Monday night.

Be careful out there….

News blues…

Hurricane Laura passed by Houston, Texas but it’s on track to wreak storm surge damage 30 miles inland of Texas and Louisiana. Up to 10,000 people evacuated in east Texas. They can now return home.
What's more, my family on the Gulf Coast near Houston is safe, too.

*** 

Friends in parts of California say smoke pollution has decreased from the records set earlier in the week. Fires, however, continue unabated.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, more than 1.1 million acres have been destroyed – with total acreage burned larger than the state of Rhode Island. California is also experiencing two of the three largest fires in its history. 

Cal Fires map 

*** 

The Lincoln Project: 
Adultery  (1.00 mins)
Daughters  (1:00 mins)
VoteVets - A Real Commander-in-Chief  (1:17 mins)
Country First  (0:55 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

In June I planted seeds with the goal of getting a head start on a veggie garden. All winter, I babied the seeds, nurtured them, talked to them as they sprouted.
They did so well that, over the weekend, I transplanted snap peas, pole beans, zucchini, and onions seedlings from the cold frame into what I’d hoped was a monkey-free section of the garden. That is, not in the area dedicated to veggies, but amid flowers, shrubs, and indigenous plants. This, to hide them from monkeys and prevent damage.
Alas, today, monkeys uncovered my attempts to disguise. They pulled out snap peas and pole beans seedlings. I’ve attempted to replant, but I fear the seedlings will not recover.

Additionally, a dog dug up succulents I’d nurtured in pots since autumn. Back then, they were mere leaves or stem cuttings that I hoped would germinate. They did. Until today.
Succulents are hardier than veggies; perhaps there’s hope. 

It’s also true that, as I’ve worked towards moving my mother – and one dog - into a retirement care center and taken steps to sell this house, my relationship with the garden has morphed.
I love gardening. Living on a houseboat presents limited opportunities to garden.
While in South Africa, I take full advantage of the garden.
This year, as I created a cold frame, used it to germinate seedlings, prepared the garden for winter, I’ve known I’d likely not benefit from my efforts. 

Since I’ve never sold property in South Africa, I’ve discussed how to do so with the lawyer. I seek a realtor referred by the lawyer to smooth the process.
Simultaneously, I’m in two minds about garden mishaps with monkeys and dogs. One part of me is frustrated at ongoing damage. Another part tries to shrug it off. After all, the new owners may not even appreciate vegetable gardens… goldfish in ponds, succulents…
Nevertheless, I’d like to hand over a healthy garden, one the new owners will enjoy for years to come.

Monkeys stymie that effort. 

G&T

Yet another day with no Internet connection at the house.
I visited a local café and, for the price of one decaf latte and one toasted cheese muffin, I caught up on online business, posted on this blog, dabbled in the news – until my laptop battery ran low and Eskom began a 2.5 hour session of load shedding.

News blues…

The Republican National Convention. What to say? My brief glimpse into goings-on suggests a marathon Revision-of-History. Three days to reversion events of the last three and a half years, pit reality against Trump fantasy, wrap lies up in the Stars and Stripes, and hope The Base doesn’t notice and votes for him anyway.

*** 

Fox News refuses to show a 30-second ad by the American Federation of Teachers union, “Enough is Enough” declaring it “inaccurate.”

AFT slams Trump and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell for what the union says is failure to provide adequate personal protective equipment to educators and plan for a safe return to public schools during the coronavirus outbreak. “Enough is Enough, this November say ‘no’ to Trump and McConnell’s chaos. 

*** 

The Lincoln Project:

The Wall  (0:55 mins) 

Evil  (0:55 mins) 

Comedienne Sarah Cooper riffs on Trump at DNC (1.20 mins) 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Unlike some US states, liberal California allows grocery stores to sell limited selections of wine and liquor. Liquor laws, however, differ from state to state. 

In Texas, for example, sales of beer are permitted between 7am and midnight on all days except Sunday; Sunday sales are permitted between midnight and 1am and between 12pm and midnight (excepting certain sales of beer with food). 

In the so called “dry” states - Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee — entirely dry by default - counties specifically must authorize the sale of alcohol in order for it to be legal and subject to state liquor control laws. Alabama specifically allows cities and counties to elect to go dry by public referendum. Other states permit sales by country, that is, some counties are “dry”, others not. 

Complicated. 

Apart from the ban on alcohol due to Covid, in KZN alcohol beverages are not sold in grocery stores but in specialized “bottle stores” or “off sales.”
I’m not interested enough in alcohol to visit a bottle store regularly to purchase alcohol, and it’s been six months or more since I’ve had wine, beer, cocktail, or a mixed drink.
Today, grocery shopping at a small mall, I noticed a bottle store and, out of nowhere, longed to taste a margarita, frozen. I entered the store – masked, of course – offered my hands for the doorperson to spritz, then scanned the shelves.
The tequila section comprised 3 unknown brands, all 2 liter size, priced around R200 per bottle. Cheap for booze in comparison to US prices, but more than I wanted to pay. No tequila offered in smaller bottles, and my dreams of a margarita dashed.
“What about a smaller size bottle of gin, say Tanqueray gin?” I asked. 

No Tanqueray in small bottles either.

Instead, the salesclerk displayed a packaged set of three small bottles (twice the size of airplane offerings) labeled, “Bloedlemoen” – blood orange; a “special” price of R49.99 (US$2.95).
Gin and tonic sounded delicious.
I paid, asked her to remove the packaging, and stuffed 3 small bottles of Bloedlemoen gin into my backpack. 

Limes, I knew, awaited me in the ‘fridge back at home. 

Alas, it had been so long since I’d enjoyed a gin and tonic, I’d forgotten to purchase tonic water.
After a quick drive to the local grocery store, I enjoyed my first alcoholic beverage in months.
Delicious.

Complain-athon

Still no Internet.
The problem, according to the ISP host, is “weird” – accompanied by an emoji to depict puzzlement. He gave me three different log-in combinations to try; none logged me in.
No Internet connection means, 1) no convenient online payment for airtime – and that means limited or no cell phone communication. (In South Africa, one pays separately for airtime - phone, etc., - and data - Internet access, etc. I find the overlap between the two mysterious.) I could drive to the grocery store to buy airtime, but … I’m supposed to be up and running “soon” 2) no reaching out to family in California frustrated with the slow pace of my current renter’s exit. (He had committed to moving out last Sunday, but delayed – and frustrated my daughter who’d taken three days off work ”for nothing”, 3) no easy email to/from the care center my mother was supposed to move into, 4) no easy online payment to the care center to secure her room, 5) one email from the care center matron explained that, because she hadn’t heard from me, she’d given the room to another incoming resident, 6) no blog posts for 5 days blows my commitment to myself to post each day during Lockdown. (Posting provides me focus and maintains my equilibrium during this stressful time.)

News blues…

No news is good news?
I have no television and – without Internet – limited ability to follow local and international goings-on. This “enquiring mind” wants to know:
Is Donald Trump still occupying the White House?
If so, has Donald Trump blown up the US and/or the world yet?
How go his escalating efforts to maintain ego-integrity by diminishing other human beings?
How many confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US? In South Africa? In the world? How many dead from Covid-19? How fares the race for an effective vaccine?
How fares the conspiracy-theorists’ world of whackjobbery?
How fare the fires and air quality in my adopted state, California?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

With my mother potentially losing her room at the care center due to my lack of Internet connection, today’s second item of business was to nail down that confirmation. First item of business: getting online.
The ISP host arrived at 9:30am, checked my laptop, confirmed it was disconnected. Soon, he uncovered a problem with the router…and carried that off to his office to troubleshoot. He’d call me, he said, with the diagnosis, “soon.”
Next pressing item of business: visit matron and the care center. The tone of the email I’d received from the matron was such that I’d worried all available rooms had been taken. Not so.
The matron showed me still available rooms: one looked over the inner, enclosed courtyard garden and got morning sunshine. Two looked over the parking lot and, at first glance, were, I thought, less desirable. But… the big advantage? Zebra, warthog, impala, and other animals frequented the area.
The matron pointed through the window to discrete piles of animal dung outside and said, “You see evidence of the wild animals visiting. It’s removed each day. Next day, the animals are back, grazing and pooping ….” “

Perfect. My mom will appreciate that. She’ll take this room.”
It’s not as if the room abuts the parking lot. An indigenous shade tree and a strip of indigenous plants interspersed with garden ornaments offer visual interest. Plus, the room is close to a bathroom and the kitchenette with a ‘fridge where she can store Jessica’s delicious giblet meals.
Before I departed the retirement community, I asked for – and received - permission to walk the extensive grounds. Prior to Lockdown, I’d regularly walked the g

Winter view - click to enlarge. 

rounds and swum in the community pool. 

The grounds are both safe for a solitary woman to walk and the Game Walk route winds into a lovely valley. 

Today, pressed for time, I did not take Game Walk but wandered up a hill upon which rested herd of Blesbok.

I also startled a pair of bushbuck, and enjoyed listening to and watching masked weaver birds as they built this year’s nests. 
Spring is on the way.

*** 

Blesbok - click to enlarge 

Later, the ISP host phoned to report oned to report Telkom, the national communications grid, was “experiencing an outage that no one can diagnose.” 

A parallel to Eskom’s load shedding? 
“Cry the beloved country.”

Frothing at the mouth!

No Internet connection since Thursday night! More than 96 hours!
The ISP host came by at 9:30am today, changed the password, and said I’d be up and running “soon.”
In my world, “soon” means within the hour.
In his world, it means … well, I’m not sure.
Around 3pm, I was briefly connected – then shut down again, due to – irony of ironies – a Telkom error message warning, ““your connection is not safe.” (Telkom is the national communications grid. I’d cancelled Telkom landline accounts in this household due to inefficiency and lack of customer support. Alas, my Internet account relies on Telkom. Telkom gets the last laugh.
Yet again, I contracted the ISP host. He responded, “There may be a delay. Please give it another half hour.”
Soon after, Eskom – the national electrical power grid – began load shedding; no electricity for the next 2.5 hours!
This is akin to enjoying a walk when a vehicle veers off the road, crashes into you and knocks you into a ditch, whereupon a giant bird poops on you, causes massive infection that requires amputation of one arm and two hands – and you can’t work on your laptop anymore…. At last, Internet disconnection is the least of your problems!
Is life in South Africa a prescient view of our collective future?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Yesterday, I transplanted germinated seedlings into the garden: peas and pole beans, zucchini, beets, onions, chard. Also planted another batch of seeds – along with parsley and cilantro.
I may not be in this house when the vegetables ripen, but I’ll have the joy of knowing the house’s new owners can harvest and enjoy.
That is, if the monkeys don’t get to the veggies first.

*** 

Harbingers of spring?
Thanks to Covid-19, this my first winter in KZN Africa in decades, and my first winter ever in the Midlands. I don’t know if daytime temperatures reaching into the upper 80s are usual, but I appreciate them.
Summer temperatures in the inner San Francisco Bay rarely reach the 80s. (Mark Twain said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco….”) 

Moreover, masked weaver birds gather in trees and chat vigorously, perhaps discussing pairing off and building nests.
The stream is alive with the sounds of singing insects, and the occasional chirp of frogs.
It’s dry, dry, dry with little sign of rain, yet… is that light, breeziness in the air the beginning of spring?