VIRUS SCHMIRUS or MEDICARE FOR ALL, ANYONE? or DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE!

On Thursday, March 5, it was announced that there were two "community-based" cases of Covid-19 in San Francisco, so I now officially reside in CoronaVirusLand. 

I'm assuming that "community-based" means the authorities have absolutely no idea how the virus was transmitted.

Even though I am totally healthy at this moment, I am a member of the so-called Vulnerable Population.  In fact, I am thrice vulnerable:
(1)  I am over 60 aka OLD. 
(2) I have asthma -- my respiratory system is my weakest point.
(3) The cortisone inhaler I take for my asthma weakens my immune system.

For some reason, it really bothers me that I'm not just OLD, I'm 13 years past the border between middle-aged and old.  I'M SEVENTY-THREE!  I mean, I'm REALLY old.  Couldn't 70 be the new 60?  Then I wouldn't be REALLY old. 

Still, better to be 73 than not to be.

I have decided to isolate myself, to practice "social distancing."  I hope you will never hear this phrase.  But if you do, it means you now live in CoronaVirusLand too.  I have cancelled all my social engagements and cultural outings.  When I am in the presence of Carolyn, who lives upstairs, I stay at least three feet away.  I am considering NOT being in the presence of Carolyn.  I am washing my hands frequently and TRYING NOT TO TOUCH MY FACE.  I have an astonishingly itchy face, not to mention watery eyes.  Perhaps that comes with the REALLY old territory.

I am isolating myself because:
(1) I really don't want to die.
(2) It's the best thing I can do for the community.
(3) It's easy for me to do:
      A.  I don't have a job to go to -- I work from home anyhow.
      B.  Nobody needs me to take care of them.
      C.  I have a very nice home to be stuck in.
      D.  I even have a garden!

Actually, I have a spectacular garden.

On Saturday, my new friend dropped by.  At that point, I was just formulating my intention to isolate.  My new friend is also my dog-walker, and a very fine dog-walker she is.  Loulou, my extremely opinionated Standard Poodle, believes my new friend deserves the Nobel Prize for Dog-Walking.  My new friend's home is her car.  She takes a shower once a week chez moi.  She had a cold, so she didn't want to take a shower because it was cold out and she had a cold and her hair would be wet.  She had a cold.  It was cold.  She doesn't have a proper home. 

She had a cold it was cold she had a cold it was cold she had a cold it was cold. 

I had such a desire to ask her to spend the night at my place.  I struggled.  But I was scared for myself, and I didn't.  What would I have done if she had asked me?  I don't know.  Probably said "No."  I felt like all of those people who, faced with risking their lives to hide a Jew, said "No." 

Later, I re-read the instructions for Vulnerables, and it very clearly said I should avoid sick people.  So I comfort myself that I did the "right" thing. 

I'm so sorry, my new friend, that I didn't ask you to stay.  I'm so sorry that your car is your home.  I'm so sorry I chose not to share my home with you.  I'm so sorry the world is such a mess

I'm so sorry I'm so sorry

REMOVING TRUMP IS NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT! VOTE FOR RADICAL CHANGE!

I've been reading Greta Thunberg's NO ONE IS TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.  It contains transcripts of her speeches, none of which are long, all of which repeat the same fact:  That the scientific consensus is that we have a Climate Crisis, and we have at most eight years to turn things around.  And after reading many of her speeches, it suddenly hit me:

WE HAVE A CLIMATE CRISIS AND WE HAVE AT MOST EIGHT YEARS TO TURN THINGS AROUND!

We know this to be true, because all the sane scientists are telling us it is true.  We must change radically how we live if our children -- let alone our grandchildren -- are to have a decent planet to live on, a civilization to be a part of.

This is why it makes sense to take the risk of voting/working for/donating to one of the two Democratic candidates who believe in radical change.  That is Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.  I personally am voting for Bernie because I see he has an ability to electrify (the NY Times's word) voters.  He electrified me in the last chaotic debate when he spoke honestly of the United States' disastrous record of invading unthreatening countries and undermining fragile democracies for many decades.  Amazing to hear a Presidential candidate challenge the reverential attitude that almost all elected politicians (pretend to) have for our country.

So, yes, Biden  would be better than Trump.  Klobuchar would be better than Trump.  But neither they nor the other candidates would work for the radical changes that we need.  And if they don't, our beautiful little blue marble will descend into flood and fire.  IT WILL.

So the only rational and compassionate choices are Sanders or Warren.  I am horrified by the way the supposed liberals are going after Sanders.  I fear that the Democratic National Committee would prefer more Trump to the  Party actually moving to the left.  I fear that if Sanders actually became President, the Democratic Party would move to undermine him.  I fear that Sanders will make mistakes if elected and be attached viciously for them.

But I fear far more four years of same old, same old.  We don't have the time for four years of that. Because:

WE HAVE A CLIMATE CRISIS AND WE HAVE AT MOST EIGHT YEARS TO TURN THINGS AROUND! 

And now for a little artistic jollity.  I went to a wonderful exhibit at the Berkeley Art Museum of quilts made by  Rosie Lee Tompkins.  She was an African-American woman who lived in Richmond, in the East Bay.  She had a patron in Berkeley who discovered her at a flea market and bought all her quilts.  At least I think that's correct.  unfortunately I'm leaving in a few minutes on a 2-day train journey, and I've procrastinated too long to write this.  So I'll just show you a few of her quilts and call it quits.  It was a heart and spirit-lifting break to see her work.

BAUMBLOG: REFLECTED GLORY

Loulou My two roommates, Loulou and Nikki, are over the moon about a (very very) distant relative of theirs, Siba, winning BEST IN SHOW at Westminster Dog Show -- the biggest one in the country! Loulou insisted on a tiara and Nikki, being a dignified man, got a crown. Siba Below with her honors -- but no tiara!!

Nikki

BAUMBLOG: ACTIVISM IS AN ANTIDOTE TO DESPAIR

Dear BlogFriends: My friend Mary invited me to go along with her and her partner Cathy to a protest against the terrible impeachment coverup last night. You'll see some people smiling in the photos. It felt so good to be with like-minded souls. No, we didn't change the country, but we lifted each other up for a little while. So much work to do.

AND ACROSS THE STREET FROM ALL OF US HOLDING UP SIGNS AND CHANTING, AN OLD WOMAN SAT IN A LAWN CHAIR, BANGING TWO POT LIDS TOGETHER. POTS AND PANS. THAT'S WHAT WOMEN HAVE USED FOR A LONG TIME WHEN THEY HAD NOTHING ELSE TO PROTEST WITH.

A Toast, despite all, To Democracy and... Download My Best Photo!

Dear BlogFriends:  What a sad day this is.  I'm glad I have my Impeachment coffee mug to give me strong caffeine and a dose of humor to make it through. 

The mug is courtesy of Roy Zimmerman, an incredibly hilarious and brilliant singer, along the lines of Tom Lehrer, but always oh so political.  He tours the country, playing in community centers, churches, theaters.  I've seen him many times, but not lately.  Wasn't able to go to his recent local shows.  I urge you to click on his name to join his mailing list and attend a concert.  I can't understand why he isn't way famous.  But there's a lot of things I don't understand lately....

You can also buy your very own Covfefe mug, if you feel so inclined.

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Many of you liked -- even LOVED The Best Photo I've Ever Taken. That made me feel very happy, and I would like you to have the photo, if you wish.

Just click here, to go to a hi-rez version. Then click on "download," which is on the middle right of the page.

I feel there's something mysterious about it, like it's a portal to another world -- although I'm just looking through a hole in the driftwood. But what a magnificent piece of driftwood! And the sky.... Sometimes you just get lucky.

Terry

BAUMBLOG: I've had it with this "Partisan" Crap!

Why does the supposedly objective or even supposedly biased-toward-liberals mainstream press -- the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press for starters -- insist on labeling the whole impeachment process "partisan"? "Partisan" implies that BOTH Democrats and Republicans are solely motivated by their party identities, that they are only struggling for power for their team. But the Democrats, who are, let's face it, not extreme in any way, shape or form, did not go through what they went through just to make the Republicans look bad. They did it because the Republican President is doing everything he can to destroy our democracy! They did it because Trump had committed impeachable offenses and it was their Constitutional duty to bring charges against him. They did it because it was the right thing to do! Yes, they wanted their party to become more powerful. But they would NEVER have done it simply for PARTISAN reasons. The Democrats don't do those kind of things. Their thing is being wimpy. But they finally had the courage to stand up and risk so much and they're labeled "Partisan" for doing it. It makes me sick. Sadly, in this case, the two sides are not equal. One side is fighting for our democracy  and the other side is is trying to destroy it.  With our mainstream press, every conflict is a horse race, a horse race, a horse race. How can people understand the truth of what's going on when they are constantly being told that both the Democrats and Republicans are only out to win the horse race? Yes, the Republican-driven impeachment of Clinton WAS partisan because his adultery was neither an impeachable offense or a crime, and had absolutely nothing to do with him executing the duties of his office. it was a complete partisan farce. BUT THIS IS DIFFERENT. Well, now that I've vented, I feel a little better. I don't know if I've ever just VENTED in a blog. I haven't blogged in a long time. I have such a hard time getting myself to do it, even though I always love writing it and selecting the photos. Often, when I assert myself in the world, I feel I'm pushing against chains that are dragging me backwards. There is a deep disconnect between who I was supposed to be -- wife, mother, straight, nice, conventional, maybe a nice teacher or secretary -- and who I am. I have to leap over that Terry who would have given my mother naches (Yiddish for things to brag about), in order to be the Terry I happen to be. So I've made the leap once again. We have a lot of work ahead of us. First, we have to defeat Trump. Then we have to figure out what we need to do to build an actual solid democracy. I'd like to end with something beautiful. I took this on a beach in southern Oregon. I think it's the best photo I've ever taken. I won't wait so long to write again. Terry

My San Francisco Stroll

ONE OF MY STROLLING COMPANIONS, RELAXING AT HOME