Not Stopping

What's not stopping? All of it, it seems. 

The bed bugs aren't completely gone. Among other things, I discovered I have shorts with thick fabric in multiple layers over thick elastic, all of which never quite dry in the dryer, and thus don't heat up enough to kill the buggers. Better, yes. Gone, no. I did remove all the clean clothes from my drawers and take them to the local laundromat for a long hot dry cycle, then seal them in bags so I don't have to keep repeating this. Major house spraying will need repeating, of course.

 There's a pandemic out there, and the stupidity and stubbornness and determination to spread it as far as possible  - yes, I'm saying it's purposeful - haven't stopped. I still don't care if you don't care if you die. I still do care how much you spread the damn thing, so WEAR YOUR BLOODY MASKS!!!

The economy is fubar, partly from tRump's "policies" and partly from the pandemic. Unless, of course, you're one of those folks with lots invested in the stock market who are making millions off other's misery. Ever notice how often the one follows the other? When the poor get desperate enough they'll work for nearly  nothing so the corporations can rake in huge profits and divert them to their shareholders... another book for another time.

Intimidation of voters isn't stopping, but rather ramping up. Virginia just opened their early voting locations and already the Magats are out with signs attempting to block entry, as well as driving crazily through the parking lots to scare anybody away from leaving their cars to go inside. More will surely come - both intimidation and voters. We need to stand strong in this everybody, make your plans  for how to be sure you vote and it gets counted.

Last I heard, around 70% of Americans support the right to abortion. Whether you want one or not, you believe others have the right to chose for themselves and their circumstances, frequently life threatening. You don't believe in forced birtherism - the real name for pro-life, since those proponents seldom care for those lives the second they start breathing. The Senate will quickly take up the appointment of tRump's latest nomination to the Supreme Court - you know that guy who knows "all the best people" - a complete about face on what they professed to believe when stopping Merrick Garland's appointment because ... lies, lies, lies, and naked power grab. How many women will now die? That's the bottom line here, along with racism and the fear that white folks are being outnumbered by breeding less that the brown ones do and that's somehow terrible. Go ahead and rape them, force them to give birth, and make sure the rapists have rights to the kids.

What? Haven't you been paying attention to all those little incremental legal changes?

Obviously, the stress is not stopping. I just spoke yesterday with someone who does follow news and politics, and is now taking - and increasing her dose - of Prozac because of how extreme things are getting. This person is highly rational, well informed activist, has a great circle of supportive friends and family, and is doing her best to find a way to cope with what is going on in the world she lives in. 

There just aren't many breaks, chances to stop and relax, feel you can contribute to changes, return to your center. I've been lucky enough to have found a few. 

I finally returned to the pool. They are actually keeping the people to a small enough number that social distancing is possible. Some people will walk together, but the one's I've seen walk in are already together, so likely in the same household. Masks are required. As long as I feel safe there, I will continue, as this is my one guaranteed respite from the bugs. Sooooooooooo nice!

I manage to keep blogging for part of my stress reduction plan. But it doesn't work for everyone. Rich, for example, doesn't blog. So I found another break for him, though I practically had to stuff him in the car to do so. It was after his second day of spraying the house in depth, this time the living room. There was nearly no place in the house to get away from the chemicals, certainly none comfortable when you're not sleeping. Since the furniture was super saturated, and we needed to avoid it while it was still wet, it was time for a drive.

I took a large triangle route, around 72 miles. First we went northwest along Hwy. 60 nearly to Wickenburg.. Hwy. 74 joins it there and takes you back east to the 17, should you care to go that far. I didn't.  About two miles shy of there we cut south a bit to the 303, heading back into civilization and home. It wasn't just driving bug and chemical free and in good AC. Along 74 that whole way it was the scenery: low mountains, desert vegetation, critters. Most of it is a reserve around Lake Pleasant. We didn't see the lake, as any spot close enough to do so costs money. I did, however, inform Rich of the time Steve and I drove through and spied the herd of protected burros, right after foaling season when we saw two white babies. Despite other traffic, we found a spot to pull over to watch them, as did a few other vehicles.

Eyes peeled, we mostly saw plants and hills, plus a few vehicles whose drivers firmly believed in their right to pass on a curved hilly road in order to fulfill their mandate to surpass the speed limit by about 15 mph. There was one roadrunner who appreciated our legal speed enough to show off his own speed in crossing right in front of us. We could tell when we were in burro country because suddenly the dead grasses and small bushes were uniformly cropped to about 12" in height. 

We kept our eyes peel sharper.

After passing Pleasant Lake and turning off 74 to head south, I finally gave up hunting for any burros. Just then, hind feet on the pavement, front on a small dirt rise, and teeth busy in a bush, an actual burro! Not the herd, just one, but still, after all that wait, Rich got to see one.

He named him Eeyore on the spot. I couldn't disagree, as even with a mouthful, he did look kinda depressed. I guess I would be too if I had to wear a hairy coat out in full sun at 109 degrees and all I got to eat was mostly dead bushes and dead grass, with none of my buddies around and having to depend on the good steering of strangers.

Lucky for me there was mint chip ice cream at home! And People! And 81 degrees! Shade! Shorts! And temporarily, no biting crawling bugs!

(They were hiding in my pajamas, and in my ....)