Ho, ho, the backhoe

News blues…

Post-Ramaphosa’s easing pandemic restrictions to lockdown alert level 1:

Co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says, “All district municipalities must, after consultation with its local municipalities in its area, alert communities within that district of the increasing number of infections that could lead to that district being declared a hotspot,”
“Industries, businesses and entities, both private and in the public sector, must operate within the alert level 1 regulations as gazetted. All people attending gatherings should endeavour to limit exposure to Covid-19 by adhering to all protocols and regulations.”
Dlamini-Zuma called on citizens to observe all the necessary Covid-19 health protocols and remaining restrictions to avert a possible resurgence. 

SA's Western Cape premier Alan Winde also urged residents on Monday not to be complacent under level 1 lockdown as this could lead to a third wave of Covid-19 infections, adding that the provincial government would still be on high alert and will continue to monitor the pandemic and track areas of concern.
“All of these changes require us to act with even greater responsibility. Covid-19 is still with us and we cannot rule out the possibility of a third wave. The responsibility rests with all of us — the Western Cape government, residents and businesses — to ensure we save lives and engage in safe economic activity which saves livelihoods."

***

Vaccine Refusal: It’s not just one problem — and we’re going to need a portfolio of approaches to solve it.

One-third of American adults said this month that they don’t want the vaccine or are undecided about whether they’ll get one. That figure has declined in some polls. But it remains disconcertingly high among Republicans, young people, and certain minority populations. In pockets of vaccine hesitancy, the coronavirus could continue to spread, kill, mutate, and escape. That puts all of us at risk. Last week, I called several doctors and researchers to ask how we could reverse vaccine hesitancy among the groups in which it was highest. They all told me that my initial question was too simplistic. “Vaccine hesitancy” isn’t one thing, they said. It is a constellation of motivations, insecurities, reasonable fears, and less reasonable conspiracy theories.
Read more >> 

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Our amazing world:

Bioluminescence – the production of visible light through a chemical reaction by living organisms – is a widespread phenomenon among marine life but this is the first time it has been documented and analysed in the kitefin shark, the blackbelly lanternshark, and the southern lanternshark. 

Read >> “Deep-sea sharks glow in the dark” 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

The culvert curse cont’d: “Two ladies” came to the house yesterday, to understand the scope of what I’ve dubbed the culvert curse. Since I would be gone part of the day, I’d asked the Zulu gardener to explain the problem, in Zulu, to whomever showed up.
The gardener’s explanation included the reality that two culverts are blocked, one so utterly blocked that it’s disguised by healthy trees, vegetation and weeds. He also pointed out where, last year, their helpful grader and driver had deposited further debris into both sides of the culvert.
The “two ladies” told the gardener they’d “be back on the morning.”
Skeptic that I’ve learned to be, I asked, “do the “two ladies” plan to be back to look further or do they plan to bring a work crew with him?”
The gardener, experienced in the ways of South Africa, shrugged his shoulders.
The good news? A backhoe, driver, and two workers arrived. They’re been clearing the streambed for more than an hour now (so far, no tea breaks). 

Say no more? A thousand words in a few pictures.

One backhoe arrives...

A second backhoe arrives - very promising....

One backhoe departs, one backhoe remains - and ...
begins clearing the stream bed.

Tomorrow, photos of the results....

More of the same

News blues…

US CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warns the latest COVID-19 data could spell trouble: “At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained….” 

***

There are around two million traditional healers in Sub-Saharan Africa of which more than 200,000 live and work in SA.
Traditional healers are frequently exposed to bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B and HIV. In particular, they are exposed through the widespread practice of traditional “injections” by incision. This is when the healer makes small cuts in a patient’s skin using a razor blade to rub herbs directly into the bloodied tissue with their bare hands. They are also exposed to airborne pathogens such as Covid-19 and tuberculosis (TB) when treating patients.
… research in a rural South African town found that traditional healers are open to using gloves and masks, and many regularly do so. But they do not have access to formal training in putting on, taking off, and disposing of personal protective equipment. They also don’t have regular access to government-funded gloves or masks. Leaving aside any question about the efficacy of traditional methods for diagnosis and treatment, traditional healers should be made as safe as possible. 

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

Healthy planet, anyone?

There is a marked divide in the state of the world’s forests. In most rich countries, across Europe, North America and East Asia, forest cover is increasing, whilst many low-to-middle income countries it’s decreasing.
But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. They also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries.
Today, most deforestation occurs in the tropics. 71% of this is driven by demand in domestic markets, and the remaining 29% for the production of products that are traded. 40% of traded deforestation ends up in high-income countries, meaning they are responsible for 12% of deforestation.
How much do people in rich countries contribute to deforestation overseas? 

***

In appreciation of our world and its amazing creatures: Cyclotron physicist outdone by persistent squirrel. (11:31 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Another example of the vast gulf between my understanding of good business practices and South African business practices:
I received the March invoice for my mother’s board and lodging at the Care Center. With no heads up, no indication at all, her monthly rate increased by more than R3,500 plus R1,777 VAT (tax). This does not include her miscellaneous expenses – hair salon (I wasn’t aware she was going to the hair salon, but okay…) and medical supplies, etc.)
I emailed the Matron asking if it was normal practice to increase the rate without any warning, especially in light of “us” having to give 30 days notice in event of departing the residence. Does it not work both ways? I fear not. We shall see. Naturally, I’ll pay the increase. After all, my mother is a captive audience.

***

The jokes on me: yesterday’s post  highlighted my emotional and psychological dependence on my cell phone and by association, on my battery charger. The irony? When I drove to my other home to pick up the battery charger I’d inadvertently left there, I left behind my laptop. This meant making a second trip back.
Am I just getting old? Or is lockdown getting to me and making me lose my marbles?

***

While picking up my phone charger, Winnie - a supervisor with the landscaping company that services the community – knocked on my door.
Last week, I’d introduced myself to Winnie and asked if her company might be interested in hiring our gardener (after we sell the house). She was interested enough to remember my address and, today, turned up to talk further about hiring him.
Since my Zulu is as elementary as Winnie’s English, I’ve asked a friend who is fluent in Zulu to ensure communication is clear.

***

The curse of the culverts, cont’d: Intense irritation about the continuing delay – after years! - in clearing two blocked culverts had me writing both another letter with photographs to Public Works and and an article for the local print newspaper. (Background – updated this week  and last month)
I’d recently acquired the name and phone number of the man in charge of the project and I called him. Mr. Biyela was pleasant on the phone and agreed to send “someone” to clear the culverts “today.”
Oh, joy!
I put aside the writing – I can come back to it, if needed.
An hour later, someone from Mr. Biyela office left a “missed call” on my phone. I called back. That person, a woman, no name given, said she was “too busy” to talk to me. I called back later. She was “in a meeting” and would call later.
I’m still waiting for her call.
Several back hoes and grader passed the house during the day. None stopped at the culverts.
Today, I texted Mr. Biyela to let me know when to expect the culverts cleared.
So far, no response.
Back to the writing desk?

***

Obsession: Tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule:
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple! LOL!) 

March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.

New days dawn

A new week, a new month, and a new lockdown level…

News blues…

South Africans skip lockdown level 2 and, from level 3, go directly to level 1.
President Ramaphosa announced last night that South Africa had seen new Covid infections reduced enough that the country will move from lockdown alert level 3 to lockdown alert level 1 regulations.  (3:45 mins)

Lockdown alert level 1 restrictions:

• Curfew from midnight to 4am
• Restrictions on social political and religious gatherings are lifted subject to the size of gathering – 100 people maximum indoors and 250 outdoors or 50percent of capacity of small venues
• night gatherings after funerals still not permitted;
• ongoing social distancing, health protocols (ventilation, hand sanitizing)….
• night clubs remain closed;
• sale of alcohol permitted according to normal license provision but no alcohol sold during curfew hours;
• Mandatory wearing of masks in public places; failure to do so “remains a criminal offense.”
• Border posts that have been closed (30 of them) remain closed; border posts that have been open (20 of them) remain open.
• Five airports open for international travel with “standard infection control measures remain in place.”

***

Extreme Covid measures – how the other half lives  (2:38 mins)

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

***

Their former law professor calls out (US Senators) Cruz and Hawley behavior  (5:53 mins)

***

Republican angst:

"There are a lot of people in the party ready to move beyond Donald Trump. In fact, most of us realize he is much better at golfing than governing which is really saying a lot if you know anything about Donald Trump's golf game," before adding, "Donald Trump lost, not because more Democrats came out. Donald Trump lost because his own voters defected from him." Watch a Republican point of view of how to “move beyond Donald Trump” – from “crazy to rational”….  (5:58 mins)

Hmmm. We’ll see….

Healthy planet, anyone?

Photo essay: the week in wildlife 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Months ago, about the time my mother’s house went on the market, I talked to an electrician about surveying the electrical system to ensure it passes the mandatory inspection.
Background: The former owner had been an unscrupulous DIY guy who owed a lot of money around town. He’d kludged together a DIY electrical system based on guesswork and, maybe, dabs of super glue… in the same way he’d DIY’d other “fixes” around the house. This, to make the house appear sales worthy enough to a naïve, too trusting 80-year-old woman, (also too stubborn to heed advice). 

My mother paid his asking price for a house that required many fixes after she’d moved in.
Fast forward to 2020-2021. We’re selling the house “as is” – “voetstoots” in SA realtor lingo – but that does not mean illegal. Unlike my mother’s seller, we will sell the house with a functional electrical system, as per law. (My mother’s seller simply paid off the friend /inspector responsible for signing off on the electrical system.)
The electrician I hired showed up yesterday (after a 5 month wait) and began inspecting, then fixing, the malfunction system in the garage/workshop and upper apartment.
This included locating the second “DB” – sub distribution board - in the ceiling of the garage (a surprise: I had not known there was a second sub board).
Apparently, the wires in the ceiling were a rat’s nest resulting in the power failure - something to do with improper connection of live and neutral wires….
He also began replacing the remaining power-hungry incandescent and florescent bulbs with LEDs. (I replaced a handful last year as the incandescent bulbs burned out.)
My discoveries about South African building law continue: electrical outlets/wall sockets are not permitted in bathrooms. This explains why the bathroom in my new home has zero electrical outlets – other than two overhead halogen bulbs. It also explains why the bathroom light switch is located in a different room. This law makes it highly impractical for a residents to plug a hair dryer, electric shaver, electric toothbrush, etc., in another room but….
I’d thought the lack of outlet was a building error specific to my new home. Apparently, no such outlets are permitted in South Africa. (This explains, too, why there are not outlets for hair dryers in the public dressing room at the swimming pool – or the bathrooms at my mother’s house.)
Inevitably, electricians have a (legal) workaround… I’ll hire the electrician to install the workaround in my new bathroom.

***

Living semi-moved into two living spaces has drawbacks, the biggest of which is forgetting one's cell phone battery charger.
With the battery failing fast in my iPhone 6SE (and Apple’s ongoing refusal to address their “slowdown” of this device series) I carry my slowed-down phone and battery and charger cable everywhere. (Yes, I’m addicted to my phone … therefore it’s accessories.) Unfortunately, yesterday, I didn’t notice until after nightfall that I’d left my battery charger at my new home. My first reaction was panic: how would I handle my routine hours of wakefulness at midnight and 2pm and 4pm? Usually, I read my latest library e-book on my iPhone’s Kindle app. 

Could I survive hours of no iPhone?
How would/could I handle withdrawal?
It helped that the battery charger was not missing, that I knew where I’d left it. I wasn’t able to fetch it until morning, but the crisis was survivable.
True, I’ll also miss my daily routine early morning phone call with my friend in (his late night) California. My laptop, however, functions so I can email him and let him know. Then I plan to race over to my new home and retrieve the lifesaving devices.

***

Big social occasion: I had lunch with two friends in a café yesterday - first time in more than a year. What a treat! 

***

Our neighbor races pigeons and, yesterday, while training, one of his pigeons landed near our garage and limped under cover of a plant box.
I called to alert the neighbor and he arrived promptly to fetch it – one of his “youngsters,” he said, newly introduced to training.
He reported he’d lost several pigeons that day to hawks attacking mid-flight.
Training racing pigeons to return home happens by 10 kilometer increments: first trip away from home is 10kms distant, then 20kms, then 30kms… until the birds can find their way home from as far away as 800kms.
Now there’s an inbuilt homing device.

***

Obsession: Tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule:
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.
March 1: data missing due to failed battery on iPhone 6SE. (Curse you, Apple!)

Apropos of nothing

“Oh, Misty always hates me showing this slide. ...
It’s halftime at the ’88 Detroit-Chicago game when we first met.”
© Gary Larsen, The Far Side 

News blues…

South African efforts to vaccinate are ”going spectacularly “:

By Friday, 63,648 health-care workers had received vaccinations against Covid-19 and the sleep-deprived teams providing them had exceeded targets, said professor Glenda Gray, a co-principal investigator of the Johnson & Johnson implementation study.“
We are ahead of the schedule of 80,000 in 14 days. It is going spectacularly and the demand has been overwhelming,” she said. “We will be ready for the next batch after the weekend.” 

***

Meanwhile… a news report out of Florida (USA) has two women – one in her 30s, the other in her 40s – disguising themselves as “grannies” in order to qualify for their second vaccination. This means their granny disguises succeeded for their first dose…
And, in California

Access codes meant to give Californians of color priority access to Covid-19 vaccine slots have been getting passed around among other residents in the state, allowing some to cut the line and get appointments meant for underserved Black and Latino residents. 

***

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

Healthy planet, anyone?

First, the bad news

Brazil’s Cerrado encompass some of the country’s most beautiful national parks. The region’s rich habitat features 11,000 species of plants and more than 200 varieties of mammals, including jaguars, anteaters, armadillos and tapirs.
“It … covers more than 20% of the country, is also an important motor in Brazil’s economy, producing over half of Brazil’s beef, 49% of its soybeans, 47% of its sugar cane and almost all its cotton, according to the government agricultural research institute Embrapa.
To raise those crops, the region’s native forests and vegetation are being systematically replaced by farms and ranches. Under Brazilian law, the Cerrado enjoys much less protection than the iconic Amazon rainforest to its north. Half of its land has already been cleared, including some 2,800 square miles last year alone. (That compares to about 20% of the Brazilian Amazon gone.) 

Then, (marginally) better news as scientists discover wild animals thriving in Chernobyl exclusion zone  (9:57 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

On this day of rest and the last day of February, I will walk from my apartment to the Care Center to visit my mother, swim at least 12 laps, then walk back to my apartment. After that, I will check in with the electrician who is investigating, then fixing, the electrical fault that has shut down power to the upper part of my mother’s house – including an apartment and the double garage.
I’ll also don my waders and begin – again – to remove overgrown exotic lilies in the pond.
I hope you enjoy your day of rest as much as I expect to enjoy mine.

***

Obsession continues: Tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule:
Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.
Feb 28: sunrise 5:49am; sunset 6:31pm.

Fishy

Courtesy of street artist Jeremy Novy 
whose stencils his signature koi fish across the city of San Francisco.
Since the pandemic, he’s doing commissions, too. 

News blues…

The medical team from People's Hospital [India] … “running the [Covid vaccination] trial, may have failed to adequately explain that they were part of a trial and that only some of the participants would receive a vaccine. … [and] appear to violate India's clinical trial rules that require informed consent from all participants.” 

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

***

The Lincoln Project: an interesting point of view on what went wrong  (5:26 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

How fare the fish?
The Global Ocean Science Report is updated and published every five years. Another report due next year. Meanwhile, catch up on the current status of ocean science around the world 

Explore ocean-focused organizations:

• Mission Blue 
• Pacific Marine Mammal Center  I’ve observed seals healed by PMMC released back into the Pacific. It’s an unforgettably wonderful experience.
• Oceanic Society 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

A day for reality checks:
SARS – SA Revenue Service. For the first time ever, my mother is due a hefty tax refund. Around about October 2020, I began receiving emails from SARS to expect those funds to be deposited into her account “in ten days.” Four months - and 8 emails - later and still no deposit. 

Now, SARS says I need this form and that form and this signature and that signature before the service will release her funds. Her attorney suggests a signed General Power of Attorney will do it. (That’s not going to happen.) Her accountant suggests we take my mother to the SARS office.(She’s physically incapable of drinking out of a cup never mind endure an hours long wait at SARS so that’s not going to happen either.) The accountant refuses to go to SARS himself due to Covid-19 – and I don’t blame him. So. Her interest free refund remains at SARS (or, knowing South Africans’ reputation for corruption, it’s already paying for some fleeing SA official’s poolside sundowner cocktails in Dubai!)

Culverts. With more rain and culverts still blocked, the stream, therefore the lower lawn – is flooded. I called the local councilperson – again – and heard – again – his sigh of disbelief? Frustration? – and his promise – again - to call his contact – again.

Outcome so far? Culverts are still blocked.
I did, however, notice a bulldozer with a backhoe heading up the road yesterday. Unfortunately, the driver did not stop anywhere near the culverts but continued heading away from them. 

Is this an omen? Is the public works department at least getting closer to the culvers? 

If its taken 2.5 years to get them this close, how much longer before they actually find the culverts? Then how much longer before they unblock them?
Enquiring minds wanna know.

House sale. I met with the “business man” interested in purchasing my mother’s house. It was my first direct encounter with a genuine South African “bait and switch” artist.
Prior to our meeting, his proposal included a deposit of a bit less than one third of the asking price – plus my mother carrying the rest of the loan that he’d pay off at interest (not stipulated) each month for four years. None of this in writing.
During yesterday's face-to-face, he proposed ZERO deposit - plus my mother carrying the loan that he’d pay off with 7% interest each month for five years.
I cancelled that offer – and let him know my thoughts on his tactics.
The other offer came from a young guy and his soon-to-be wife – both of whom run their own businesses (a dog trainer and a baker) – and “do their own accounts.” On paper they look quasi “realistic” but in reality?  They will never get a bond/mortgage with their skimpy finances.
Am I still California dreaming? Nah. I’m back to the drawing board regarding how to sell this house. I’m going nowhere, not to California, nor Texas, nor my houseboat. 

Sigh. 

I’m stuck here for many more months.

***

At least my obsessions distract. 

Tracking the sun’s rising and setting schedule continues apace: 

• Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
• Feb 27: sunrise 5:48am; sunset 6:32pm.

Shot in the arm

Pandemic street art in Copenhagen 

Courtesy of street artists everywhere, enjoy the view of street art around the world.

News blues…

Covid-19 vaccination programs:

• South Africa As of this week, the start of South Africa’s program, SA is using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, administered as a single dose.
  The country has received 80,000 doses of this vaccine, which has been shown to be effective against the variant first identified in South Africa.
  President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country has secured nine million doses in total, and more doses are expected. Read more about SA’s vaccination program >> 
• USA CDC’s key things to know about COVID-19 vaccines  and the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Recommendations 
• Europe Vaccination schedules for individual European countries and specific age groups 
• Africa Vaccination programs in Africa 

Vaccine question: Once I get the vaccine, what precautions do I still need to take?
Sarah Zhang, Atlantic Monthly staff writer responds:

If you and a small group of friends are all fully vaccinated, congrats. You can relax precautions among one another. If you’re with unvaccinated people, though, remember that your risks are smaller, but not zero. Your chance of getting sick is significantly reduced (by about 95 percent), and your risk of infecting others is likely also much lower. (That exact statistic is still unknown, but is probably less than 95 percent.) Your tolerance for these risks might depend on whether the unvaccinated people you’re with are at risk for COVID-19 because of other reasons.
I think there’s another reason to keep wearing masks in public, at least for now. The strangers around you in a grocery store have no way of knowing whether you’re vaccinated. Wearing a mask is also a signal that you take the virus seriously and believe that we’re in this together—because we are. We can all get back to our normal lives when enough people have been vaccinated that the coronavirus no longer poses much of a threat in schools, workplaces, or even a big, crowded party.

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

***

Good news for the US: Merrik Garland at his confirmation hearing US Attorney General. Take a a moment and watch a really decent human being – intelligent, humble, public minded, and cognizant of history – explain what motivates him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mICmR9luUeE
Soon-to-be US Attorney General elect Merrick Garland is the guy Senator Mitch McConnel refused to allow a hearing to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. 

Healthy planet, anyone?

I didn’t realize until day’s end yesterday, that I’d not completed posting to this blog. I’d posted one third of the usual then – likely distracted by the intense wind and thunderstorm – I’d forgotten to complete the posting.
Was that yet another sign that 49 weeks of lockdown causes brain burps?

What can you do to maintain healthy brain and heart during lockdown? Some folks keep chickens or organize chutney tastings, or draw one another. These 56 small, affordable suggestions won’t end lockdown misery, but they might help. 

Below, Atlantic Monthly writers and editors offer their best suggestions for maintaining sanity during lockdown
Alexis C. Madrigal, staff writer, takes a neighborhood plant walk.
I have taken up night walks, wandering the empty streets of Oakland and Berkeley after my kids go to bed. Every once in a while, I find a succulent from a neighbor and snip just a tiny piece. Then, I take it home, stick it in water, and wait for its roots to sprout and grow down. Eventually I plant it in the tiny garden that I've built.
Shan Wang, senior editor, suggests building on your indoor garden.
Grow it; don’t throw it: Plant some kitchen scraps (lemon seeds, lentils, celery stalks, avocado pits) and watch new life happen in days, no extra soil or pots required.

Call someone, says Rebecca J. Rosen, senior editor.
Pick up your phone and call—actually call; don’t text—a friend just to catch up. Any time I have talked to a friend during this pandemic, I have found the conversation restorative, grounding, and gratifying. Plus, you never know when the person on the other end of the line really needs a friend, too.

Emma Green, staff writer, makes pierogies.
One weekend, perhaps seized by the spirit of some ancient Polish ancestor, I found myself irresistibly drawn to the idea of making pierogies. The little dumplings require an astonishing amount of time and patience, at least by my standards, but the process is meditative, and at the end, you have something delicious for the freezer.
Do like Marina Koren, staff writer , and take a fake commute.
If you're working remotely, create a daily commute and take a walk around the block in the morning. Quarantine has blurred so many work-life boundaries that even a pretend journey can feel refreshing.

 
Learn about cicadas, says A.C. Valdez, senior podcast producer.
Maybe you or your kids are fascinated by bugs. If so (and if an overabundance of insects isn’t too biblical-plague-esque for you), now’s a perfect time to study up on them before your spring hikes: The Brood X cicadas are emerging for the first time in 17 years. (Did you know that there are also 13-year broods?)

Kate Cray, assistant editor, and friends host a standing Zoom get-together.
A group of my friends organized a standing nightly Zoom meeting for the month of February as part of a plan to revive a college tradition. This structure has (perhaps ironically) recreated both the consistency and the spontaneity that I’ve been missing socially. The meetings are planned, but it’s always a surprise who will show up. They help to fight against the instinct toward self-isolation by removing any barriers to seeing friends: Someone will be on the call each night.

 
“Change up your hair (but don't give yourself bangs)” – from Karen Ostergren, deputy copy chief
Every day is the same. Every day is overwhelming. You scroll through Instagram, bored, procrastinating, and see the same ad as always, for brightly colored hair dye, until one time you hit Purchase. Why not? It turns the floor of your shower purple; now you’ve got Saturday-night plans. And the next time you see yourself in a mirror, you smile—for once, not everything is the same.
Take on a home-improvement project, as did Amanda Mull, staff writer.
The most satisfying things that I’ve done for myself in the past year have been a series of small home-improvement projects, such as swapping out my kitchen faucet for a model with a higher neck and spray nozzle. DIY projects work on several levels—they give you something new to learn, they require you to put down your phone and focus on the task in front of you, and they provide the satisfaction of solving a problem whose solution you can see and appreciate every day.

And… buy new socks.
This is sad, says Paul Bisceglio, Health, Science, and Technology editor, but even the smallest novelties help. I ordered two pairs the other week just to have something to feel excited about.

Caroline Mimbs Nyce, senior associate editor: Set micro-goals, and track your habits.
I know, I know. This seems like the kind of toothless advice that the worst person you know would offer on LinkedIn. But it works: My habit calendar guided me through a turbulent January, forcing me to take five-minute stretch breaks and get outside once aper day. Crossing my daily tasks off also helped me visualize the passing of time. 

Nora Kelly Lee, senior editor, Politics: Do a clothing-and-other-items-that-can-be-donated purge.
The pandemic is nothing if not clarifying, and one thing it’s helped me realize is that I have too much stuff. Twice this past year, I’ve gone through my belongings—clothing, books, kitchenware, decor—and separated out items for donation. Hopefully, my neighbors will find them as useful or educational or beautiful as I once did.

Volunteer, suggests Katie Martin, associate art director.
Many organizations offer creative ways to serve the community while staying safe. You can organize a contactless food drive, tutor a student over Zoom, or answer a domestic abuse hotline. I consistently find a deep sense of purpose and connection in meeting and helping my neighbors.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Raining again - still. And heavy rainfall, too. If I was a narcissist I’d see it as a direct challenge on my ability not to have my 2.5 year old request to local public works department acknowledged. The blocked culverts I’ve tried to address for almost 1,000 days are still blocked. (Prior to my getting on board, my brother tried for at least a year, too. They ignored him. Now they’re ignoring me.) 

Nor is the local city councilor is responding to my calls anymore. 

Think about it. We pay high “rates” (property tax) each month and the street pot holes only get bigger, deeper and more numerous. Add to that, neighborhood roads and street Stop signs generally not maintained. Culverts are not as common as street signs but blocked culverts create stagnant water that breed mosquitos and other pathogens as well as endanger properties along the flooding stream. Meanwhile, residents’ rates and utilities bills only increase.
Americans get a lot of flack around the world for their litigious instincts. There really is something to be said for residents’ ability to sue…
Whaddya say South Africans? Shall we get onto the litigious band wagon?

***

Resuming an obsession. It’s been months since I’ve felt the need to track the sun’s rising and setting schedule. Alas, dawn is later and later each day down here on the semi-tip of Africa. Time to begin tracking again: 

Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33 pm.

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Worldwide (Map) 

February 25 -  112,534,400 confirmed infections; 2,497,100 deaths

January 21 – 96,830,000 confirmed infections; 2,074,000 deaths
December 17 – 73,557,500 confirmed infections; 1,637,100 deaths

US (Map)
February 25 - 28,335,000 confirmed infections; 505,850 deaths 

January 21 – 24,450,000 confirmed infections; 406,100 deaths
December 17 – 16,724,775 confirmed infections; 303,900 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal)
February 25 -  1,507,450 confirmed infections; 49,525 deaths

January 21 – 1,370,000 confirmed infections’ 38,900 deaths
December 17 – 873,680 confirmed infections; 23,665 deaths

Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide 

News blues…

Covid-19 can mess with your sleep 

India’s rate of infection and death dropping? Or… 

***

The Lincoln Project (down but not out?) presents The “new” Republican Party  (1:20 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Quirky and cool – creatures of our planet
Magpies 
Amazing animals 
Amazing sea creatures, snakes, and insects 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Yesterday, the gardener and I loaded the “bakkie” with as much scrap metal as we could then I drove it to a local scrap metal yard. The yard I frequented last year went out of business this year and the “new” yard - more established, less “intimate.” The old yard weighed just the merchandise, the team weighed the entire vehicle – twice. I gathered the first load was iron and steel while the second was metal and “other” materials – plastic, wood, etc.
I was paid off – a measly rate but what can a gal do? - I returned home.
Scrap yards do good work (recycling metals) but one wonders how contaminated is the yard itself. And if the business pays health care costs for its workers. Hmmm.

***

February in KZN is “usually” hotter and drier than the early part of summer. Not this year. Rainfall is more copious. This is not good news since, and after 2.5 years of trying to get “someone” to clear the culverts, they are still blocked. 
Before dawn, gale force gusts and heavy rainfall hammered the house. I’m almost frightened to scan the lower garden for fear of flooding. The public / municipal department (that ought to be) responsible for public works continues their abysmal record of public no-works.
I’ll phone the local councilperson – third time - for an update. Alas, I predict he’ll say, “Haven’t they done it yet? I’ll call the person I know….”

***

My mother has two offers to purchase her house. Neither is the desired cash only offer although each offers advantages. Next Tuesday I will review both offers with my mother’s lawyer and decide which is the more advantageous.
I’m “California dreaming”: both buyers are open to negotiating an early move in. An early move in means I/we can move out – and I can return to the US.
Meanwhile, I explore potential liabilities associated with early move-in that could burden my mother.
Is that light I see at the end of the tunnel? Or is it the ominous glow of radioactivity ?