Also trying to get things done around the house - almost have our taxes ready to go to the accountant. Trying to get out early - or on rainy days - so I don't pass too many people on the bike trail, and balancing that with a knee that acts up has been tricky. Late Netflix watching makes getting up early harder. We have managed to limit that too evening.
Zooming with my granddaughter - never know when I'm going to get a text "May I please zoom with you and Bubbie? Now?" followed shortly after by "I'm waiting" - takes precedence over everything else. And my son and I are working out how to play games with my SF grandson. He really likes things like DinoTrains on PBS Kids. Our garden brings joy. It's green and sitting on the deck is like being out in the woods almost.
The COVID-19 updates on the tab are like a mini-post every day already. Plus there are so many things to post about, things important enough that I need to think carefully and do some research.
Like what does "Defund The Police" mean in practical terms? I love the idea of focusing on the reducing the long term causes of crime rather than on militarizing the police. And it seems like when the police presence faded away in the last few days, the protests were much more positive. And what happens to the police let go, particularly the bad apples? In Iraq, when Saddam Hussein's army and police were disbanded, those highly trained officers became an anti-government force - the insurgency. I don't think we need to add more folks to white supremacist groups here, so there needs to be a plan for what to do with the old police.
And how are the 2020 elections going to work? While Republicans cry voter fraud, the real problem seems to me to be Republican election fraud and voter suppression. Ideally, the folks out in the streets and those supporting them in isolation will all vote and crush Trump so badly that no amount of election fraud will matter. But I don't know that we can count on that.
Then, there's redistricting coming up next year after the census numbers are in. I spent three years of my life reporting on Alaska's Redistricting Board ten years ago. I didn't intend to, but no one else was covering it. And the tab on top of this blog on Redistricting has been getting a constant flow of visitors. It's basically the only real serious source of material on what happened. And since the state's redistricting website has been dismantled, many of my links to maps don't work any more. Are we going to have mapping software this year that everyday people will have free access to so that they can make their own maps? Will there be legislation that will make the new Board's website something that won't disappear so only those who had sway with the Board can use the information on it now? Lots to think about.
And I've got a birthday book I'm trying to create for my grandson. I got one done for his cousin when she was two years old and hoped he would get one too for his second birthday. Life and an errant muse got in the way. He's going to turn six now, so I'm way behind schedule, but I do have a number of pages in draft form. Just getting the story to match the pictures now and then get it printed.
And I picked up Philip Caputo's Hunter's Moon this weekend - Barnes and Noble brought it out to the car - and I have to read that before my next book club meeting.
Isolation really hasn't been that great a change in my life. Just don't see our friends at all, or go out to eat, or hike or camp. We missed our annual May trip to Denali National Park and our grandkids won't come visit this summer. But there's plenty to keep us busy. Another crimp in our lives is our upstairs carpet. It was supposed to be replaced last fall. (It's about 25 or 30 years old now and it shows.) But we also had the kitchen linoleum replaced with a bamboo floor. They wanted the floor in first because it makes it easier to connect the wood to the carpet that way. But the bamboo was delayed until November and by the time they got it in we headed out for Thanksgiving, then December again with family and then again January and February Outside with family. By the time we got back and were arranging the carpet, COVID came. I was sick (but couldn't get tested for COVID) and since then we've been wary of someone in the house for two days.)
The crimp comes from us having started last fall to move things downstairs so they could do the carpets. So lots of stuff is in temporary storage downstairs, things we would like to use, but are having trouble finding.
Hope everyone else is surviving reasonably well. I hope all the demonstrators are getting COVID tests and taking appropriate actions to minimize bad health impacts of the demonstrations.
[UPDATE June 8, 2020 12:20pm: I totally forgot to mention blog subscriber problems. That was one of the reasons I was doing this post. I've had two folks contact me to let me know that they are no longer getting their email notifications of new posts. I then realized I'm not either. I've been trying to figure out the problem. I'm not sure if this affects all subscribers or just those using the subscription option in the upper right hand column. I'm working on it, but it's just one more of the many leaks I'm trying to plug in my life right now. None serious, but just irritating and time consuming.]
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