Allan G. Hunter's Blog, page 28

Diary 69

Diary 69

Tuesday, May26th

Spain announced a ten day mourning period for the 350,000 global covid-19 deaths. Trump went golfing.

By contrast the residents of Massachusetts seem to be doing rather well with social distancing and mask wearing. I’m impressed by the consideration and restraint I witness. Other states, where the infection rates and death rates are different, do things differently. Mass was third in the nation for many weeks, and now is fourth or fifth. Which just goes to show that when the leaders can’t or won’t lead that people are perfectly well able to take charge themselves.

I still use my motorcycle for shopping.

Diary 68

Diary 68

Monday, May 25th

Today the news related multiple examples of crowds of people in the US who decided to gather, party and celebrate the holiday weekend, disregarding any covid-19 issues.

I’m not averse to bravery. This is Memorial Day Weekend, and it’s all about bravery, sacrifice, and working for the common good.

It’s not about being an idiot. 100,000 deaths so far.

Since it is Memorial Day I’ll include a picture of my father in 1940 as he completed his training. His instructional class was 16 people. I think I’m right in saying he was one of just two who survived the war.

Diary 67

Sunday, May 24th

67 days – and to think that when all this started I thought it might all be over in two weeks. How things change.

My hope in these days is that we’ll all try to re-think how we treat the Earth. Some of us are too disadvantaged to be able to do that – I’m thinking of those caught in the storms currently hitting India, for example – but the rest of us can at least start to consider changes. Especially here, in these United States.

On a related topic, my grandchildren (all under the age of 8), freed from school, have been having the best time. The eldest has had Zoom sessions with her teacher, at the rate of an hour every other day, and loves it. She’s reading at an astonishing rate. Her sister (5) has basically taught herself the basics of reading and writing just because she likes to know what all the activity is about. They sing, they make up songs and jokes, they dance, they make prodigious amounts of art.

Perhaps the model they have in Finland really is effective here, too – just letting the kids explore at their own pace.

Diary 66

Diary 66

Saturday, May 23rd

Today must have had some component of luck to it, as I found seven four-leaf clovers and two five-leafers on the ‘lawn’. The bees will enjoy the flowers when they bloom. They’re now in their newly expanded three storey hive, being dilligent.

My own efforts have been directed to expanding the patio, so we can have more than four people perched on it at one time. It’s an on-going project. For one day we will be free of this pandemic, and we’ll need to gather again.

Diary 65

Diary 65

Friday, May 22nd

Today our “president” distinguished himself by demanding that places of worship should open immediately. Pastors in California apparently agreed, and some shop owners in Kentucky have refused to serve shoppers who wear masks. We’ll see how that works out.

The picture here is of a small snake that was basking in today’s sun as I took a walk. He’s just slithering away (I’m a bit slow with the camera) but I wanted to include this less than satisfactory picture because it does show how elusive nature can be. Blink and you’ll probably miss it.

Life’s like that, too. 

The same applies to the magnificent small bird that came to splash in the garden bird bath a little later. I missed the picture. But I shan’t ever forget that alert and beautiful little creature, and the way it moved.

Diary 64

Diary 64

Thursday, May 21st

Often Nature is the best answer. These geese are going ahead and raising their goslings, independent of anything we may or may not do.

In our present restricted state I’m reminded of many things I used to do and thought were essential, but many of them were just busy work. At work, as a teacher, I can see now that when I began my career the emphasis was on doing the job of communicating literature as well as I could. My job was to reach people and to open minds. Gradually the task was complicated by the need to document everything, by committees that would then assess those documents, normalize grades, tutor me in inclusivity and mandate diversity, and so on. Eventually I was spending more time on the bureaucracy than on the teaching. That was when I knew it was time to leave.

Perhaps, after this is all over, we may get back to doing what is important – saving the planet comes to mind – rather than justifying all the busy work.

[93,800 deaths from covid-19 so far in the US.]

Diary 63

Wednesday, May 20th

On a Zoom call with friends in England I found myself the recipient of a sizable amount of pity and dismay, as I was asked about our “president” and his activities.  I know the sentiments came from a place of caring, and that their own “leader” is hardly a poster-child for reason and sanity, but it struck me again just how much energy I have had to use in not letting the state of politics get me down.

Outside the sun shines and Nature does its thing. Perhaps it tells me what I need to know, that this time will pass as any season passes and that fretting myself about it will not help.

Diary 62

Tuesday, May 19th

Many years ago, as a doctoral student, I studied the writings of Joseph Conrad. One tale sticks in my mind. It’s called “Typhoon”. It seems more relevant than ever today.

In the tale a small ship sails, unknowingly, into a typhoon.

When the storm is at its highest, Jukes (the First Mate) goes looking for the crew. He finds them cowering in a safe place between the decks, convinced the ship will sink, where they are indulging in what Conrad calls, “Do nothing heroics”. 

That seems to me to be a good description of some of the more pessimistic folks on facebook, who are convinced that everything is shot to hell and want only to tell us how bad it all is.

In the story Jukes kicks those sailors out of their sheltered spot, and gets them working to save the ship. The ship weathers the storm, though not without damage.

We are, today, surrounded with many sad and frightened and negative voices.  It’s OK to feel that way. But I cannot believe it’s OK to let that get in the way of managing this ship until the storm is over. I like to try to encourage those who are despairing; I try to do what I can; and not give in to fear. Nothing was ever made any better by despair.

Diary 61

Diary 61

Monday, May 18th

So we have a “president” who is taking a drug not approved by the FDA for Covid-19… or says he is. I really cannot be bothered to deal with that.  At this point it would be a naïve person who accepted the “president” at his word.

Today, as I was looking at the bees, I recalled an old school-mate of mine called Beesley. Beesley was an ink-stained and spotty fellow, mild and much given to the collecting of stamps. A gentle soul. It occurs to me now that his name probably derived from Bees’ Leigh, or possibly Beo’s leigh, meaning one who lived in the valley where the bee hives were. Clearly he had in his blood the sort of ancestral knowledge that I for one, find singularly lacking in myself when survey the hive in my garden. With a name like Hunter I’m only too well aware that the clan from which I emerged was a Scots hunting sub-clan, well known for their keen eyesight and ability to shoot. Which is what I have, or used to have, when I was younger.

That’s why I posted this picture of the gopher that came to our front yard. No one else was quick enough to see it. I still have the hunter’s eyes – to some extent.

Beesley went on to become an ambassador to some odd country and is now probably a Lord of the Realm, a reward bestowed upon him by a Grateful Country.

We have, all of us, in our deep roots all kinds of unacknowledged awareness and wisdom. We tend not to know this. Mine tends to remind me that I am just one creature of many species on this bit of earth. I have no ultimate ‘rights’ to anything. I have only the responsibility to look after it.

Diary 60

Sunday, May 17th

Spring has taken hold. Walking around my neighborhood I occasionally see young women, teenagers mostly, clad in short shorts, very short tops, and huge masks. Something seems a little off, there, somehow.

The masks are a very smart idea, though. Tomorrow Governor Baker is scheduled to announce the ‘easing’ – or not – of the current restrictions, and I do hope he’ll not be too cavalier.  Mass is a small state, and we have suffered a disproportionately high number of infections and deaths. You probably know the numbers, but in case you don’t, we’ve had 85,000 cases and nearly 6000 deaths, for our 6.9 million residents. 

Maryland has about the same population, but only 38,000 cases and 2000 deaths. In comparison Texas has 29 million residents, 47,000 cases and 1300 deaths. Texas is more than 4 times our population, and has had only a quarter of our deaths.

Some places got hit harder than others.