Why it's ok to turn the page on 2020

Planet earth gave us plenty of warning signs... then started it's hissy fit. It was time to teach us that we are are NOT in control, don't have all the answers and will only get through this if we help each other, are mindful about how we treat Earth and lose that ego! Oh yeah... and be careful who we put in charge of EVERYTHING!

January - The novel coronavirus COVID-19 makes first confirmed appearance in Seattle, WA.  Ironically, the World Health Organization had declared 2020 the year of the nurse. Meanwhile Australia was being ravaged by months of dangerous wildfires and high temps. 

February - the stock market crashed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunges by 1,190.95 points, or 4.4%, to close at 25,766.64, its largest one-day point decline at the time. COVID-19 is now a pandemic.

March - the beginning of a long shelter-in-place ordinance for us. People hoarded toilet paper, food and cleaning supplies. Supermarket shelves were empty and international borders were slowly closing.

April - Oil prices reach a record low, with West Texas Intermediate falling into negative values!  Homeschooling has began and parents start tearing their hair out.

May - Protests caused by the killing of George Floyd, break out across the US and the world. There are now 6 million cases of COVID-19, worldwide. More than 100,000 have died from it in the US. "Murder hornets" invade the US.

June - As the Indians and Chinese fight at the border, Mexico gets a giant earthquake, Russia spills 20,000 tons of oil into a river and there is another Ebola outbreak in Africa. America is #1 again... when it comes to COVID cases!

July - 4 million people in Nepal and India are homeless after flooding. 15 million people worldwide with COVID-19. Freakishly warm weather and lightning strikes contribute to intense wildfires in Siberia and the US.

August - In the US, there is the threat of a double hurricane in the south as wildfires burn new setting new records in  Colorado, California and Oregon  Beirut has a giant fertilizer explosion that kills many and leaves 300,000 people homeless.

September - Here at home during record breaking hot days, ash fell on us and breathing was difficult. The next day, with below freezing temperatures, it snowed and fully leafed trees were devastated by broken branches! By the end of the week it was 90 degrees again. Oh yeah... The United Nations had also declared 2020 as the year of International Plant Health!

October - We broke records for high temps again as those wildfires consumed the west. California and Colorado broke their records for worst fires too. For the second time in 2020! We had another impressive early winter storm, but it didnt dampen the fires. Election campaigning was in full, nasty swing.

November - We kicked off the month with the US Election that wouldn't quit. Biden eventually was declared President Elect, but Trump continues to this day, to fight it! More than a million people globally have died as a direct result of COVID-19 and yet 1.2 million Americans chose to travel for Thanksgiving, in direct opposition to advice by CDC and infectious disease experts.

December - 77,000 people in the USA died of COVID-19 this month. Our most deadly month to date but the human cost is just a part of the loss we are sustaining. Trump granted mining and energy firms access to public lands this month too.

I know what you are thinking. OMG... just get to the finish line for 2020 and start again in 2021, already! Sadly, we will not simply be wiping the slate clean and starting anew when the clock chimes midnight on January 31, 2020. But here is the important part; 2020 WASN'T all bad. In between the death and division, destruction and devastation, 2020 delivered opportunities and good news too.

Working from home. Not everyone was allowed this opportunity until COVID-19 forced the hand of their employers. Its warm, safe and familiar. The chance to work remotely meant the chance to prove that you are a responsible, valuable and productive team member. It also saved some businesses thousands per month on leased office space.

Relationships. Have you ever, or will you ever again have the chance to spend this amount of quality time with your loved ones - human or furry? You may not like it all the time... but it's a gift that will likely not be appreciated until we look back on this period in our lives. 

The environment.  Working from home = less commuting. Traffic issues and pollution levels fell. Stars seem brighter, views crisper, breathing easier. Animals began to come out of the woods and wander the streets again!

To-do lists: We all have them! How many of you, like me, worked your way through projects at home that had been waiting 'til you had time? Anyone take up a new hobby? Learn a new skill? 

Attention to other peoples challenges: We learned to look around and take note of hardships that our family members, communities and friends were faced with. Homeschooling, food insecurity, income loss, health issues and isolation from other humans. We reached out. We gave. We became more grateful for what we had... or didn't have.

IMHO, 2020 gave us two huge gifts.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

TIME

Pandemic Bingo!

Two thirds the way through 2020 and using the apocalyptical themed Bingo card, featuring squares such as Global pandemic,  Murder Hornets, Record-setting Wildfires, Economic meltdown,  Riots, Double hurricane, Canceled vacations, Record breaking hot summer,  Martial law, Toilet paper hoarding, Hazardous air quality, Widespread homeschooling, Election Hijacking and Winter Storm in summer... people are already calling BINGO!

And if you don't know someone who has lost a business, relationship or loved one, or had a significant health challenge in 2020,  you're in the minority. 

So today's goal is to issue you Dallice's Positive 2020 Bingo card. Let us not forget the good things that 2020 delivered.  It would be easy to do!

Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts - or votes!

 We timed this "relaxation" trip to Cozumel, Mexico specifically to coincide with a decrease in work commitments, a friend's urgent need to temporarily escape unpleasant circumstances and the US Presidential election. 

The goal was simple. To decrease stress and increase sanity. The plan, also simple, involved food, drink, great company, warm weather and diving for those so inclined. Their happy place being under the sea, while mine is under a palapa.

The resort has been uber COVID-19 careful and clean. The flights were the same. If it hasn't been for 2 things, I'd call it perfect. 

1. Hurricane Eta wreaking a boatload of destruction in Central America, sent bands of warm rain our way. To be honest, after the hottest, driest, smokiest season in Colorado history, feeling "damp" was pretty welcome. Chance of fire in Cozumel - 0%!!!

2. The election. Well it was never going to be an amicable time for the incredibly polarized American people. Almost half of the country STILL seemed to approve of the lyin' bully who occupies the White House. Yep, even the people of color, immigrants, women, nature-lovers, those with impending Trump-related health insurance woes and COVID-mismanagement related unemployment! 

I fall into the other category. As do most people who are educated, value truth and fact, science, the planet and the humans who occupy it. (I don't think we have many of the conspiracy theorists in our camp!)

So... It's November 5th. The election was 2 days ago and "counting" has been underway ever since. Every state has a way of doing it and good reasons for that way. But owing to COVID-19, the number total ballots and mail-in ballots has been literally, overwhelming this year. The side effect being slowness related to collection, verification, tallying and reporting. But doing it right the first time and accurately reporting numbers, has been more critical than ever and that holds true no matter who you voted for.

IMHO Trump is currently dying a death of 1000 paper cuts.

To be fair, about the only thing that Trump and I found common ground on was we both didn't want him to die quickly at the polls. 

He preferred to call the election for himself before the polls closed. (Trump calls them Poles... but us educated folks know, the Polish people have nothing to do with this.)

Me, I just wanted to watch him die slowly, painfully, with every swing state killing his chances a tiny bit every hour, for the next week.  

Educated folks also know what role stress plays on an immune system and there is still hope that the guy who believes COVID-19 will just "go away" and doesn't believe in science, could have some sort of resurgence of virus that renders him unable to open his ignorant, rude, distasteful, pouty mouth.  If not... then we may be in for another of his rambling, selfish and whiny speeches when he finally concedes.

Karma is a bitch and I know no matter what happens today, Trump is squirming. He is already doing what Trump does when he can't get his own way... Tweeting in ALL CAPS. Acting like a victim, becoming increasingly unhinged, calling his plethora of permanently retained lawyers and convincing them to act towards stopping ballot counting, reversing those counted and suing people in charge of votes counted against him etc etc etc. Nothing new or unexpected here. 

Meanwhile, Biden is preparing to address Americans and talk about what Trump cannot - because he apparently hasn't attended COVID briefings for months! Yesterday we had our worst COVID new cases numbers yet. 

This is why I'm closeting myself in Cozumel this week.  I love that right now a parrot is screeching "hola" at me and my temporary emotional support cat is excelling at his job. 

And when my emotional roller coaster is too much for one cat to calm, I drink.

Vino blanco, por favor!

Mojito, por favor!

...Una mas

... gracias!

And by the time I get back to the USA, this shit-show will be over and President Pussy-grabber will be one step closer to the grave he has dug for himself.

Sending him  thoughts and prayers, seems appropriate.  Each to their own in deciding what to pray for and the exact language of those thoughts! Our constitutional rights, after all.

A Walk In The Woods with Friends -Ahhhh

 Long overdue and very cathartic.

Julia, Gail and I set off to stretch our legs, breathe in the woods and enjoy a cool and clear day - which has been somewhat hard to pin down recently. 

I can't tell you how much I enjoy the easy company, conversation and wee break from my usual environment. 

Changing aspens... a tad early, but this year is weird.

The surprise view at the top of a ridge.

Julia with Jack and Gail.

A quiet trail, soft underfoot.

Reflections... 

I learned that these pines in the sunshine, smell like butterscotch!

Baby trees are among my favorite things in the woods!

Winter storm in summer: How very 2020!

We knew it was coming, although I'm not sure how many of us truly believed it 

After two and a half months of hot summer days, the forecast called for Monday to be 97 degrees and Tuesday to have a high of like 32 degrees and low somewhere well south of 30.

Putting it in perspective: The leaves are still GREEN on the trees. Its not even autumn yet.  With a forecast of 3-6" of snow,  all over Boulder, we started prepping for tree damage, downed branches and associated power cuts. Sudden temperature swings also spell death for smaller trees who are not yet equipped to deal with crazy changes like this, so we try to cushion the blow a bit.

I spent a hot afternoon wrapping young fruit trees at my rental property,  in foam wrap with packaging tape.  Its not that I didn't understand they make actual tree wrap for this, it's that everyone sold out of it days prior. 

Ash was raining from the sky as I drove back to Boulder. Somewhere, not to distant, wildfires were still raging and the smoke-filled air had been making outdoorsy things unpleasant and unhealthy for about 3 weeks now. We were praying that the winter storm would dampen the flames and let our exhausted firefighters win the battle of containment.

Then I scooted over to Kathy and Mikes.  They had "emergency harvested" 120 lb of mostly ripe plums and I was the lucky recipient of a generous bag. 

Later that day,  Mark and I pulled container plants into the garage and wrapped several young trees at our house, then covered the less hardy blueberry bush and tomato plants. It was a case of doing your best, crossing fingers and just waiting it out.

6pm Monday night... a gusty breeze brought the temperature crashing down.  

By 9am Tuesday, it was snowing.  And snowing, and snowing!

That night as it started to accumulate, Mark and I did our best to shake off trees twice before bedtime.  The leaves caught every flake and brands were arching under the weight of heavy snow. 

Wednesday morning was about the time things broke. Literally.  Branches could be heard cracking and falling, creating plumes of snow as they came down through the trees and hit homes, gardens,  sidewalks. 

Destruction. Danger. Sadness. 

We lost a major branch from the beloved front yard peach tree. Otherwise, got off lightly, with just a couple of the neighbors' smaller branches on or near our house. 

The rest of our neighborhood was not so fortunate.  A quick walk around the block revealed days of clean up work and decades of growth scattered on the ground. 

I turned and walked home.

2020 strikes again.