Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
Ten pandemic months down. How many to go? Marianne and I will have effective inoculations (two doses plus "soak time") by the end of February. Beyond that, we are confused with complex information. I have tried to create a story I can understand, one with numbers, because that's what I do. I believe that the pandemic will be over only when enough people have either been infected or inoculated. In this chart, I have made some assumptions to see when that might happen. (Amateur Assumptions: infections and inoculations - measurable every half-month.)
I will track these as we go. If these assumptions turn out reasonable, the implications include businesses opening up in March and travel to Family in April. Our other road travel could start in May, but domestic air travel would not be comfortable before September, once cases are almost zero and everywhere we visit will have had successful vaccination campaigns. International travel after that. (2022?) Stay tuned.
Saturday, January 16, Our Pandemic Day 309, Biden/Harris in 4 days.
After an insurrection and then frightening news day by day, I am finding comfort in routine. The first part of that routine is a drive to my before-times Starbucks for our morning drinks. In those old times, I would sit there, eating a low-calorie breakfast, drinking a medium roast coffee, writing these diaries. No more sitting and writing. Instead, I go inside the store, greet the staff, because it is more personal, and then order a medium-roast coffee for me and a decaf cappuccino for Marianne. $7.90. Including the drive, it takes about a half-hour, but it feels like a solid start.
On this Saturday, my exercise would be a long walk. Like we used to do in Pommersfelden, I visited a castle grounds, smaller here in the Tower District than in our old home village. Neighborhood notes reminded me to speak up, so I put back up our Biden/Harris signs.
Back home, it was putter time. This too is a comforting routine, but it may not be interesting enough to record. In fact, I don't think it was even interesting enough to remember!
Dinner was a seafood soup served in our fish bowls from Harmony. The soup was certainly calorie-aware, but I weakened and added a couple slices of good bread, with butter. I blame that splurge for the pound I gained by Sunday morning. My New Year's resolution to get my weight back down is proving significantly harder than I had hoped. I know, I know, hope is not enough.
After our mid-day meal, we watched more TV news, learning more and more about the details of American insurrectionists. The Washington Post and CNN now have decent summaries and time lines, but it's even scarier. On Wednesday, the US will have a new president, but insurrectionists will remain, including around us. I hope President Biden has a path to diffuse this country fracture. I know, I know, hope is not enough.
We ended the day with even more diffuse activities. Marianne did her German language review while I worked in the next room on my latest puzzle. It was fun to listen in and join in on old world chit chat. Her language skills were always better than mine, but for both of us, it's a reminder of past fun and the potential for future experience.
From there, it was off to a little art for Marianne and football playoff TV for me. Her distraction seems more productive, but it's a pandemic so I get to distract any way I want.
(This day in history: 2007, Paris)
Sunday, January 17, Covid Day 310, Biden/Harris in 3 Days
Another post-insurrection day. Going out to get in the car on the way to Starbucks, I noted that our garage door had been left open. Our city neighborhood has plenty of sketchy folks wandering through over night, so this lapse in security makes me worry. Maybe worried is just the way we are nowadays.
Back home, I read the Sunday Times and watched network news programs. The absence of Saturday protests and violence was the good news, the worry over reported insurrection and violence is the bad news. (Sunday too, would prove to be peaceful.)
After Peloton exercise, we cleaned out junk from our garage. Once a year, the Fresno sanitation folks pick up all the junk one can manage to drag out to the curb, and our garage had accumulated five or six wheelbarrows of discardable stuff. The interesting part was that, as I was wheeling out our junk, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow, scavengers were picking through and hauling away most of it. One man's junk is another's treasure and all that. (By Monday morning, even this little pile was almost gone, two days before the city pick up day.)
Marianne used her time for a little more painting and Sunday-dinner cooking. She's skilled in both arenas. After dinner, I went out to visit neighbors. The winter sun was warm enough for us to sit outside, still trying without success to solve the problems presented in the day's newspaper. A fat squirrel offered screechy advice.
After visiting, I returned to my office television to watch NFL playoff games, the penultimate games of this shortened season. Win or loose, I imagine the participants will be glad when it is all over.
While I vegetated before the tube, Marianne worked more on her most-recent painting. After a few evening hours, she came in satisfied. I have learned that this does not mean the work is done, just that it will probably not be covered over again in white paint.
(This day in our history: Cadaques, 2002)
Monday, January 18, MLK Day, Covid day 311, Biden/Harris in 2 days.
This year's Martin Luther King Holiday comes in the middle of a period filled with contrasts. The most glaring of the contrasts is the difference between the hopeful messages from Dr. King and the vile venom spouted by Trump and his minions from the Washington Monument and Capital Hill on January 6th. Our hope and belief is that the King words will endure and those of Trump and his sycophants will not. However, as 2020 taught us, nothing is guaranteed.
Our day was calm and unremarkable. My only excursions were morning coffee and an afternoon discussion with neighbor Vern. Cats and birds listened in on our conversation, wondering what all the babble was about. Little do they know that we ALMSOT solved some problems today. Almost.
Marianne stayed busy, as usual. Between art, chats with friends, and preparation of yet another quality meal, her day seems filled. I know the meals are filling for me!
After dinner, I went down the YouTube black hole again, this time on Tesla topics. So, what did I learn?
- Sandy Munro, a wise old car curmudgeon, started his tear-down of the new Tesla Model 3.
- Dr. Know-It-All gave an introduction to "convolution neural networks", the key technology for self-driving Teslas. I'll admit, I understand none of it.
- Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (a person) drove through South Bay neighborhoods using Revision 10 of the new self-driving ("beta") software. The capability of the software really is amazing, even if it is not yet close enough to perfect for general release and use (his opinion, and mine).
- Daerik explained the need for winter or all-weather tires, especially to replace the summer tires that come on Performance versions of Tesla Ys and 3s. For sure, we will make that investment before we travel in cold or wet weather - next Fall?
- Chasing Mods (a car guy, but an EV novice) described his first 1,000 mile trip in an EV (electric vehicle). His four tips: cover the front bumper with protective film; rent movies to watch while charging; get coffee etc before plugging in, since many places only serve drive-thrus nowadays; cold weather cuts range more than 20%; Superchargers can be busy or full in peak hours: 8-10, 11-1, 4-6.
OK, that felt worthwhile. Besides, it distracted me from scary news of the day and week.
(This day in our history:2004, Christmas Catch Up)
Tuesday, January 19, Pandemic Day 312, Biden/Harris in just ONE day
Breakfast out and then normal, quiet, pandemic life, uneventful, for the most part. In the afternoon, we watched the first of the inauguration activities as Mr. Biden flew from Delaware, landed at Andrews Joint Air Base, and drove to the Lincoln memorial. There, he and the next Vice-president, Mrs. Harris, memorialized the 400,000 Americans lost to the Corona virus. The ceremony, and echoes from elsewhere in America, were the start of a new sense of purpose in this country.
Late in the afternoon, we had our normal Tuesday Zoom cocktails with Bay Area friends. Despite the week's political events, much of the conversation was more personal. Rita reported on a fall she suffered where she cracked two spine vertebrae. Adrienne talked about the fall her mother had suffered days before, where she laid, injured with a broken hip, for 10 to 15 hours before a grand daughter found her. To me, both events were emblematic of local news overwhelming national. Hopefully, next week's Zoom discussion can revert to national politics.
(This day in our history: 2014, Moving In)
Wednesday, January 20, COVID Day 313, Inoculation and Inauguration Day
This was a big day, very big. How to memorialize it all? First, a personal milestone: inoculation. Late last week, Kaiser Medical opened up Covid inoculation to members 65 years old and older. Marianne and I signed up ASAP and the first available appointments were today, January 20th.
For the most part, the process was quick and painless. We started with paperwork, establishing that we did not already have symptoms of a Covid infection and that we met other health criteria. The four or five injection stations were not busy, so Marianne and I each sat down and the nurses did their work. Diary pictures were mandatory! After the sticks, we sat for 15 minutes, waiting for side effects that never came. Good to go.
We received the Moderna formula and our booster shots are scheduled for February 17th, giving us full immunity by the end of that month. Having a time-line is an amazing relief. We hope everyone else in California, America, and indeed the world, will join our relief in the next months. We are all more than ready to exit the tunnel.
Of course, January 20th was also inauguration day! How to remember it all?
On the way to get morning coffee, I listened with relief to National Public Radio coverage of the escape from power of the worst American president in history. Before our day on the West Coast had barely started, he was off to hide under some Florida rock. Reportedly, White House staff could be heard mumbling "good riddance", a sentiment found throughout the country, especially on Cambridge Avenue.
Once back home, we started binge-watching the televised pomp and ceremony of the inauguration of President Biden and Vice-President Harris. It was both ordinary and amazing. Throughout it all, we snapped a hundred pictures of the CNN scene, never quite saturating with the positive scenes coming from our nation's capitol. So much from there has been dismal and discouraging over the last four years. We are so grateful the Trump Tunnel is over, collapsed by his own hand in insurrection. The contrast on Inauguration Wednesday could not have been more stark.
In the evening, Tom Hanks led a star-filled extravaganza, the replacement for inauguration balls in our Covid times. A-list performers had returned to Washington DC. This too was a reminder to the good-old-days, even as pandemic and threats kept the Washington streets filled with soldiers instead of ordinary citizens.
From the swearing-in and poetry at the Constitution-prescribed mid-day hour, through dozens of traditional details of the transfer of American power, and the day-ending fireworks, we watched. The transfer had not been peaceful, but, in the end, democracy held and norms prevailed. The relief is palpable and widespread, especially with us and our neighbors on Cambridge Avenue, Fresno, California
Whew.
(This day in our history: 2013, Snow at Home)
Thursday, January 21, Covid Day 314
This was a return to our ordinary: diary, art class, puzzle, and chores. It was so ordinary and unremarkable that, 36 hours later, I can remember nothing to comment on. Maybe this is the way of life, now that there is a new president.
My one "accomplishment" was completion of a bird-themed puzzle. At one point, when all I had left were dozens of white and gray pieces with little distinction, I threatened to give up, but pandemic discipline came through. In the end, everything was in its place, save one piece that had disappeared. I searched high and low, finding only a piece lost from the LAST puzzle. Good enough.
(This day in our history: 2017 Women's March)
Friday, January 22, Covid 315
More quiet times continued, starting with Starbucks coffee, a pass by Tom's garage sayings, and a session of diaries. I managed to complete the Wednesday diary, but ran out of steam for Thursday's. If diaries are not done by the time my coffee has run out, they have to wait for the next day.
We went shopping at Costco because we had a $90 coupon to spend. As one often does, we spent that three times over. The biggest purchase was a pair of new porcelain-covered iron pots, a "want" not a need perhaps, but if it makes the chef happy, it's fine with me. She broke one pot in with reheated beef stew. The pot must have mattered, because the dish was great.
The new presidential administration wasted no time improving life for Californians. Of course, there were the executive orders on immigration, a specific hope for millions here in the state, but Uncle Joe also made it rain in the Central Valley and snow in the Sierras. I know some of you may think that's just a coincidence, but I think it's a reward from God for kicking out you-know-who.
We had two Zoom conferences in the afternoon, the first of which included a half-dozen friends from the old Kyiv days. We compared notes on health, kids, grandkids, and politics. Half of us had received corona virus inoculations and half were waiting for their next chance. Everyone was positive about the change in administration! It was all fun but also a reminder that such gatherings are better in person and we hope that might be possible in late 2021!
Just for fun, here is the Trotter.ws diary record of previous meetings with some or all of the Kyiv Krew:
All: 1999, Minnesota Movie -- 1999 KIS Christmas Party -- 2015 November Virginia
Nancy, with or without Steve:
2006, Pomersfelden visit -- 2008, Erlangen Xmas Market w Nancy -- 2011, Trier -- 2015, Nancy in Sierras
Chin and Peter have joined us, or us them, in Turkey, California, and Cuba
2000, Istanbul -- 2015, Birthday Visit -- 2017, Havana
Mary and John introduced us to transportation in Kyiv and their Christmas Eve dining tradition.
1998 Kyiv Intro -- 2001 (Chinese) Christmas Eve
Our second Zoom was the weekly Friday Game Night with Jen, Brian, Geoff, Marianne, and me. Our gaming skills remain marginal, but we learn about family matters. This included hearing Rich say he had been accepted at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. He has applications pending at other Colorado schools as well. We hope he can go where he wants and start the challenging process from home life to independence.
(This day in our history: 2020, Family Ceremonies)
Saturday, January 23, Pandemic Day 316
Juanita was coming to clean the house, so Marianne and I needed to leave. But, where to go or what to do? In the before times, we could go to the farmer's market, a gallery or two, breakfast out, or even visit friends. Now, we can drive, stop, turnaround, and drive back. North, south, east, or west.
We chose east and south, targeting the farm country in Eastern Fresno County and a little airport at Woodbridge. We zipped miles and miles down farm roads lined with orange, grapefruit, lemon, and olive groves. The citrus trees were heavy with this year's crop, explaining the prosperity of the farms. Here's a few of the drive's pictures.
Our goal was a little cafe right on the runway of the Woodbridge airport, imaginatively-named: The Runway Cafe. Before the pandemic, we had stopped there for a lunch before heading up into Sequoia National Park. We expected carry-out only, but diners were being served inside as well as on the porch. The "Recall Newsome" sign was a clue that this rural location was not into government-ordered masking and distancing. We stuck with the Tesla front seats and watched a little Piper Cub pop off the tarmac.
Overall this ride was more fun than we had expected or than it might appear in my little record. We may need to repeat it sometime when we allow ourselves to dine inside.
Back home, I needed to walk off the Runway French fries. Neighbor Tom was adding his latest garage sign, one that illustrated the difference between six feet and six feet.
(This day in our history: 2013, Cirque du Soleil in Hamburg)
Sunday, January24, Covid Day 317
The only time outside 904 E. Cambridge Avenue was the morning coffee run. After that, it was Sunday newspapers and TV shows, Peloton, two football games, art drills and Netflix for Marianne, and listening to the rain. All in all, probably not a bad day.
(This day in our history: 2002, Barcelona Art)
Monday, January 25, Pandemic Day 318 for us
I thought Monday would be at least as exciting as Sunday, but I'm not sure it was. No Peloton and no football. Morning coffee was from the new Starbucks, closer to us but somehow more institutional that my old morning hangout. Now, I know, Starbucks is almost the definition of "institutional" but, as long as I have the time, I will opt for a tiny bit more personal environment in the morning. We are big on small things nowadays.
Back home, I measured the results of the winter storm that had passed through: one inch of rain, close to 10% of a full water season's worth for Fresno. The forecast is for 3 or 4 or 5 more inches this week and 6 or 8 or 10 feet of snow up in the mountains. All this is basically the first real rain and snow since the pandemic began, close to one year ago. Two or three more weeks like this and we will be set for spring and summer, although there will also be problems with mud slides in the hillsides burned bare in last year's record fire season.
As usual, Marianne stayed busy ... busy enough. She has one painting underway and today's dinner treat was Shepard's Pie. The meat and potatoes main course was generous enough to serve for another meal or two, so she'll get to be less industrious later in the week.
The evening was screen-watching for both of us: Warriors basketball for me and a drippy TV show for Marianne. We each sat in comfy chairs, with a fire in the fireplace, enjoying our solitude. We talked about some day filling the living room with guests, old and young, and how willing we would be to give up that solitude. (Very willing!)
(This day in our history: 2017, Kings Canyon)
Tuesday, January 26, Pandemic Day 319
This was another quiet day. Starbucks was Starbucks. I took a picture of one of the store's wall hangings just to keep in practice for future art gallery shooting. I like the detail and precision in this piece. Some day, we will return to real art museums and galleries. I think.
Back home I delivered the grande decaf cappuccino, chatted for awhile, as we always do over coffee, and then moved on to breakfast and a bike ride. I was feeling energetic so I pedaled through the Peloton Alps for an hour. The scenery brought me back to our own drives through the mountains of Europe, especially memorable in the top-down Boxster.
We are beginning to worry again about going out in public, but I was going stir-crazy sitting at home under gray skies. Covid case loads are decreasing, but still high locally. Nonetheless, we needed groceries, so I put on my double masks and went to a not-too-full supermarket. Marianne and I have received our first inoculation, but all the guidance says protection is not effective until a couple weeks after the second shot so we will exert extra care for another five weeks.
Speaking of being careful, I called son Brian for a chat. With his work-at-home job, he said he leaves the house about once a week. Grandson Rich just started twice-a-week in-person school, but otherwise just leaves for a weekend swimming session with his mom. She does grocery weekly and non-contact akido one a week too. Otherwise, nada in person. I am glad they are being careful, but it just struck me again how unnatural the human world is right now.
Our own Tuesday socializing featured the regular Zoom cocktail hour, albeit one where Marianne and I generally avoid the alcohol calories and adverse health impacts. Only Adrienne joined us because Rita was stuck in traffic and could not make it home in time. The road through the Santa Cruz mountains was a bigger mess than normal because of rains and the threat of mudslides. I'm glad we are staying put.
After Zoom, Marianne returned to her paints. Meanwhile, I distracted myself watching news; three European channels that provided German, French, and British versions of news important for Americans and then the PBS News Hour with news important to liberals. These channels allowed me to be aware of the US political situation (impeachment, new administration, slow death of the Republican party) without getting too upset.
(This day in our history: 2003, Pots and Pans)
Wednesday, January 27, Covid Day 320
Quiet time, with rain. The day started and unfolded as unremarkable as they have been since the inauguration. That's a good sign, I suppose. I puttered, from a diary page to the start of a new 1,000-piece puzzle. I can now predict my phases with puzzle assembly:
- 1) This seems doable.
- 2) The edge was doable.
- 3) There's too many pieces.
- 4) I have to give up.
- 5) Done.
After several hours, I made it to #2.
Marianne's day was her normal too. Art organizing, art training, and a bit of art doing. For a break, she arranged a Facetime session with grandson Sam to discuss a recent 4th-grade school presentation. She had talked with him when he was researching and he was very hesitant to say much of anything, but in the after-presentation report, he sounded like a confident young professor. Congratulations all around.
Of course, dinner was excellent. The fishy bowls are unusual, but do not add seafood flavor to the chicken pieces. After dinner, it was back to TV basketball for me and Netflix for Marianne. Since we have hours and hours between our main meal and bedtime, I suppose we did other things as well, but 24-hours later, I have no recollection. I don't know if that is senior- or pandemic-memory.
(This day in our history: 2002, Barcelona to Grenada)
Thursday, January 28, Pandemic Day 321
Thursday was more of the same. After almost a year under semi-isolation, it seems we have settled into routine more than ever before. Maybe it's the gray of our short rainy season or is it the end of Trump chaos? The rain will end, but I am afraid Trump-followers will ALWAYS view him as their leader. Certainly the current Republican party does.
The storm has added over an inch of rain here in Fresno and many feet of snow up in the mountains. That snow isolated Central California highways to the north, east, and south. We need to figure out a way to spread out the precipitation, like masks and distancing help spread out hospitalization.
I braved the rain to visit Vern and Joan and deliver three days of the New York Times. They had noticed that I had not visited in a few days and asked what Marianne and I had been doing? I had no answer. That seems to be a theme for this diary: what is there to do?
For practice, I planned a pair of drives to the Coast. First will be a return to Cambria where we will make use of special deals coming from Cambria Pines Resort, somewhere we have stayed before. They now offer big suites with box breakfasts and room-service dinner. We may be as isolated there as here, but at least it will b a change in room walls.
I also looked into travel farther north, up to Mendocino. That trip will require Tesla charging up and back, so it will be more like real distance travel. We need to learn how to be comfortable about all this so that we will look forward to travel when the time comes. "Range anxiety" is still a thing for us.
Marianne talked with Dale in Bavaria and learned they are as isolated from some of their family as we are. In their case, isolation is complicated by new borders between them in Germany and the kids and grandkids in the UK. As for when we might visit them, it's hard to even imagine when the world will be inoculated enough to make hours-long flights anything but threatening. And will we need a new set of visas, and health certifications?
(This day in our history: 2008, Nancy, France)
Friday, January 29, Covid Day 322
In the before times, when I had a diary to write, I would often go to my favorite Starbucks and sit there for an hour or two. That would generally be enough time to look through the day's photos, outline a little story, and then build a web page. It's one of the routines I miss, so I tried to re-create it. Instead of sitting inside, I sat in the Tesla, close enough to Starbucks that the laptop had an internet connection. I would have preferred the social aspect of at least nodding to the other regulars, but that will have to wait.
Our big excursion for the day was a trip to the newly-opened ALDI grocery store. ALDI, a huge German company, (they also own Trader Joe's) had been a regular stop in the old country and we were hoping they had brought some of old country food to Fresno. Unfortunately, other than the stark building itself, and the general layout inside, there was nothing German-familiar. The grand-opening crowds were also a bit unsettling in our Covid era, although we were wearing our latest style: double masks. We'll do more investigation another time.
The only other Friday event I found on my cameras was a picture of a great potato and sausage soup Marianne made. Fortunately, she used her new pot, the big one, and a recipe for six people. We absolutely look forward to left-overs.
After dinner, it was time for Friday Game night with Brian, Jen, and Geoff. We caught up on family developments. Rich had been accepted to another Colorado university and Ryan was finalizing his plans for his freshman classes in his Maryland high school. We really don't know how the boys have gotten so old. We wish them all the luck in the world as they transition from from a very odd year to a new set of challenges.
(This day in our history: 2017, A Street Protest)
Saturday, January 30, Pandemic Day 323
A sunny day motivated us to get up and out early. Mostly, this was for a traditional Starbucks breakfast, but I tried for Sierra pictures first. Most of the time, the Fresno air does not reveal the mountains to our east, but this morning was different. These scenes are not terribly dramatic, but nice enough for positive memories. We need those.
After our in-car breakfast, we stopped off at the Vineyards Farmer's Market. Everything here comes from Valley farms and this time of year is good for greens and mushrooms. Healthy, I suppose. We need that too.
Back home, while Marianne went out to the Art Hut, I walked through the neighborhood for the 200th time (more or less).
Earlier rains had washed away the punchline from Tom's garage sign, but today's sun brought out new buds, bees, and families. Nice.
(Did you know our neighbor was the first Community College in all of California? And it is still the largest.)
The rest of Saturday is kind of a blur, probably because I am writing this on Monday and my memory fades quickly. That's why I depend so much on photos, digital ones, with date stamps. That proves that this nice lamb chop dinner was on Saturday.
Now I have to get busy doing the Sunday diary, or those memories will be gone too.
(This date in our history: 2017, Yosemite Winter)
Sunday, January 31, Covid Day 324
Sunday memories were indeed hard to call up, but I think that's because we really did very little. The Sunday morning reading of the New York Times and the Fresno Bee took an hour or two. Obviously, I don't read everything. What's to read? Start of an historic second impeachment? Mid-way through a world-wide virus pandemic? Economic collapse and stock market anarchy? Tom Brady in the Super Bowl? No new-s in any of all that.
Our Sunday drive out was to Toca Winery, not for tasting but for retrieving art work. Marianne has had a number of pieces hanging on the tasting room walls for almost a year and it was time for a few to move on. There had been no sales coming from the winery display, partially due to the open and close and open pattern of tasting in the pandemic and, more likely, because people do not go to wineries to buy art. Now she has an opportunity to put a few small pieces in a store-coffee-shop where the market for art will again be tested.
(This day in our history: 2002, The Alhambra)
And that finishes January, our eleventh month under the cloud of COVID-19. We gained hope this month with our first inoculations and with rain and snow for a parched and dry California. Perhaps most significantly, we can breath a sigh of relief that the country has new federal leadership with a president working to improve all American's lives, not just his own.
John and Marianne