I have a post written, and was going to put it up today, but then, life happened. Next week we’ll discuss the hazards of dog walking.

The West Coast is burning. Literally. And, no, it isn’t because we didn’t go out and sweep or rake the forest floor, it’s because of climate change and our collective inability to face it and act to correct it. Or at least slow it down. As Governor Inslee said, these fires are not an act of god, they are an act of climate change. If anyone knows about forest and fire management, it’s West Coasters.

I’m amazed at the people I talk to who either never took basic science classes in school (my first science class was in fifth grade) or forgot all they learned. I am not a particularly well-educated person. I’ve had some college, but I am fairly well-read. And I suffer from terminal curiosity. I’ve known about climate change for at least two decades. These people with little to no science knowledge, also seem to have little to no curiosity. It’s almost as if they’re afraid to be curious, to ask a question. What if the answer isn’t in alignment with what they already believe? Gosh, can’t they change their mind? I can’t imagine people with no curiosity as to how the world about them works. All children are curious. They are born that way. Getting answers to their questions is how they grow, survive. How did these people lose their curiosity? Parent? Teacher? Preacher? Are you one of those who has lost your curiosity? Do you know why? If comfortable doing so, leave your answer in the Comment section. I’m truly curious. and it may help me understand where you’re coming from.

The data are in. The data are known. It’s gonna get worse before it gets better, and if we don’t start acting soon, like today, it won’t get better until humans are extinct. Which might not be all that bad. It seems obvious to me that many people think that way, vote that way, act that way, and we’re headed that way. So, they must want it that way, yes?

I have low-grade asthma, I have a good mask and filter, I have a dog, and the air around my domicile has been in the dangerous to hazardous zone for over a week now. I try not to go forth more than four times a day, and even the dog seems to recognize that he needs to do his business quickly and come back inside. My eyes burn. I don’t know if my low-grade asthma will blossom to full-bore asthma or not, and I don’t want to find out the hard way.

A friend lost her home. All that’s left is part of the chimney — and her memories. She lost her belongings, she lost her local community, but she’s alive. She gives meaning to one of my favorite affirmations: Things are to use; people are to love. Roshi Suzuki said that all is an illusion, some illusions are sadder than others. The loss of one’s home, the treasured belongings, the physical reminders of cherished memories, is one of those sadder illusions.

Check out Bill Nye the Science Guy on climate change. He has a marvelous way of putting technical stuff into words even I can understand. Besides, he’s fun to watch and has several YouTube presentations. There is a wealth of information online, good information, about the climate crisis we are now in. If you search, you will find. And if you find someone who agrees with you that it’s a hoax, fake news, doesn’t exist, they are flat out in denial and or lying. Follow their money.

Entertainment:

Netflix: I became so engrossed in A Thousand Goodnights, I gave up parsing it to one episode/night, and binged the last few episodes. For some reason, I had the idea it was only 10 episodes long—it wasn’t. It was 20, and I’m chuffed it was. There was plenty of time to develop all the subplots and get to an appropriate ending. It was, in a word, delightful. If you are looking for something without car chases, gunfights, swordfights, nasty people, &c, I strongly recommend this. It’s slow, beautiful, and lovely.

I started Life, a Korean drama about an arrogant businessman who has taken over a hospital. I probably won’t finish it. It’s 16 episodes long, and not even humor to defuse the tension. The bad guys wear black (suits) the good guys wear white (lab coats). Gosh, I wonder who will win? And there’s not a single character in the first five episodes I give a rat’s hind end about.

Amazon Prime:  I’m not watching anything at the time on Prime, but one series I absolutely loved is Hamish Macbeth. It’s out of Scotland and Hamish lives in a small town, is the local cop, and deals with some of the most fun crimes around. Be sure to turn on captions as the brogue is thick and fast and I guarantee you won’t catch it all, no matter how attune you are to the dialect.

Books: 

See Rainy Day Reads for reviews. and mayhaps a bit of snark. Who? Me? Snark? Bwahahahaha!

Wearing a mask is a proven method to help slow down the spread of Covid19. Please, wear your mask. And wear it properly—keep it over your nose! Your Auntie and your Granny appreciate your thoughtfulness. However, I promise when you come next week for a fresh cuppa and homemade biscotti, we’ll be properly socially distanced so you may remove your mask at that time. Honest. Trust me.

Speaking of masks, check out this site, Puramasks. Their masks are good to keep smoke out (filters are at 2.5 whatevers), as well as give you a chance to protect your neighbor. https://store.purakamasks.com I can tell immediately if I have the mask on correctly, so the filter is over my nose. If on correctly, I don’t smell the smoke. If not, I adjust toot sweet! 😉

Auntie Lenora