Friday, October 23, 2020

Confusion, with Nice Leaves


As I write, Dave is sitting in the next room with the presidential debate on. He got out of bed this morning and promptly went for his computer, saying, "I hope Joe Biden didn't screw up." (He actually used a more colorful phrase.) I told him Joe would have to screw up pretty dramatically to make a difference at this point. I have no intention of watching it myself. I'll read about the highlights, which is enough for me.

We have enough drama here in the UK with our Covid restrictions. In case you haven't been keeping up on it, our cases have spiked and the government has introduced a truly bewildering three-tiered lockdown scheme. I can't begin to explain what the tiers mean in practical terms, especially because the rules keep changing. Households can't mix, but pubs can stay open if they serve food. Gyms couldn't open, then they could.

So far, southern England is not too badly affected -- relatively speaking, anyway -- but northern England is under some pretty tight rules. (As Mr. Pudding has mentioned.) Unfortunately, because of the confusion surrounding the regulations, and a natural, understandable tendency for northern England to resist and resent London's rulemaking, adherence to and enforcement of these restrictions is variable. I think schools are staying open no matter what.

None of this changes our lives much. We never go out these days. I haven't been to a restaurant or a pub in months. Aside from work, we don't do much of anything except buy groceries, walk the dog and watch television at home.

We've had several more Covid cases at school, so we have several groups of kids -- contacts of those who have tested positive -- who are all staying home in isolation. So far, this hasn't affected me. One good thing about my job is that I'm never in touch with any one individual (aside from three fellow librarians) for very long -- just a few minutes here and there -- and I'm behind a mask and (if I'm at my desk) a clear plastic shield. So I'm not included in these groups of potentially exposed people.

I came home from work yesterday and did some trimming in the garden, clearing away dead thistles and the inulas, dumping a few old annuals and neatening things up. Those are our hostas in the top photo. I love the way the leaves turn, and it doesn't take long -- I took that shot just a few days ago and now those leaves are entirely yellow. I didn't trim them -- they provide some nice color.

16 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I guess that it is Dave's Crohn's that has stopped you from visiting pubs or restaurants. We had a lovely meal in a pub last night and felt very safe though it was odd to have our daughter and son-in-law sitting two metres away on the adjacent table. It would be nice if the two of you could find a quiet eating place for a special treat. You deserve it.

Ursula said...

Those colours (not least the yellow) are stunning. I love hostas; their foliage so lush. Alas, such is the gardener's miserable lot, before they had a chance to turn to anything of their own volition snails and slugs had turned them into pieces of Venetian lace. Pretty in its own way . . . not quite what I was after.

As to Dave's hope, from what I read this morning the only one who screwed up up to his usual form was Trump. What the poor guy doesn't get, and it seems even his wife (or his beloved daughter) has failed to point out to him, that he doesn't do himself any favours. No favours with his lingo, and least of all, his TWEETS. Those tweets are toe curling, cringeworthy, embarrassing. If he were MY father I'd wrest that bloody Smartphone off his hand, flush it down the loo and condemn him to write something coherent longer than 148 key strokes. Preferably without repeating himself and without using superlatives. Biggly.

Talking of Twitter and other social media, not least Facebook. If you really want to be torn between whether to cry or to laugh or just surrender to the horror of the human condition, do watch "The Social Dilemma" (Netflix). Did so last night, on recommendation of the Angel. It starts innocently enough, even meandering at times . . . then it revs up. A neurologist's and sci fi writer's feast day. Ages ago, well before the internet, my father explained to me how we (or rather our brains) are influenced/exploited by "signals" (advertising) we don't even consciously notice - say when going to the cinema watching a film. Freaky. My horror vision some AI coming towards us brandishing a screwdriver, tightening, loosening (?) our synapses.

On this happy note, and looking forward to more colour,
U

Ms. Moon said...

The colors of that hosta would make a lovely vintagy wall paper design, I think. A jungle room with green tropical philodendrons and yellow birds perched on their stout stems. At least that's what I see.
Biden absolutely did not screw it up last night. When he gets stressed you can see him struggling with the stuttering and my heart goes out to him but then he pulls it together and speaks eloquently as he did in the final comment last night. I would be so happy to have him as president.
DT of course lied and lied and lied and lied and lied and lied, his hands and arms playing his air accordion all evening.
I hope that your government's confusing restrictions at least make some difference. Some of the rules do sound incredibly contradictory.

Red said...

We still don't know much about covid and are still confused as ever.

Anonymous said...

Roger watched a bit of the debate and then turned it off because it is just too horrible to hear that insane person say words out loud.
It knocks me out how this pandemic has changed our lives. I wonder how different things would be if the Prez here had actually taken it seriously from the start. Such a bummer it all is.
Beautiful leaf.

ellen abbott said...

covid is not done with us yet. rural states here are surging, our third wave. I just checked the state stats and Texas as of today has the most confirmed cases of any state. yay us!

I'd like to grow hostas on the shady side of the house but they don't like our climate.

as for Trump, he is who he is and anyone expecting him to be any different is kidding themselves. he is incapable of telling the truth. his ego won't allow it as he always has to be the biggest and best at everything, so dood no one's ever seen it before. and I love Ms Moon's comment on his 'air' accordian.

Moving with Mitchell said...

The leaf photo is Op Art. Beautiful. I've been reading debate highlights in dribs and drabs today. Can't mentally tolerate much more than that.

Linda Sue said...

Dennis has a book for everything- he is especially fond of the one about body language, The way Trump uses his arms or does not use his arms signifies not being truthful and feeling insecure, Big surprise! He also used a lot of Brietbart code words, for his base - sounds like gibberish to any normal person.

Edna B said...

There's been a lot of Covid spiking everywhere. I think it's mostly because of the folks who do not bother to wear masks and do the distancing thing. If we all could follow the rules together at the same time, we just might be able to get rid of this virus. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

Catalyst said...

Your hostas, unlike your lives, are spectacular. At least you two are young enough to some day celebrate the passing of this plague. Some of us may not live long enough to see it. (Aw, jeeze, that's a pretty dark view, isn't it? Sorry.)

Sharon said...

I did watch the debate all the way through. I'm such a glutton for punishment. I was kind of hoping DJT would have a meltdown. I loved one comment made on CNN by one of the fact checkers....he said it was like that scene from I Love Lucy when she works in the chocolate factory. The lies were coming so fast from Trump he couldn't keep up.

Allison said...

I followed a little live tweeting of the debate, and that was enough for me. Really, does anyone make up their minds on who to vote for based on these debates?

Angelicastar said...

I watched this debate all the way but I voted for Biden 3 weeks ago by mail. I think they just wanted to show more people what an idiot this orange thing is. He was beginning to go off this time but he can't say anything unless it's a lie. Joe Biden can't get rid of medicare alone. It has to go through congress and the senate. This man think everyone is crazy except him. He think he will be hurting Obama for getting rid of the aca but he will hurt all those people who are insured. I was an agent for 29 years of my 40 year working life. Most people couldn't afford health insurance. And if they didn't get the coverage on their jobs, most companies offered hospitalization only for lots of money. No doctor visit unless you were admitted in the hospital. That orange thing doesn't know how to create an Insurance plan. Let's pray that he will be eliminated on Nov. 3.

Ellen D. said...

I don't miss eating out because I never did much of that anyway. You describe a nice cozy family scene of just being home together watching tv and walking your dog. Sounds lovely really!

Anonymous said...

Wow. So close to you. Do be so careful. I am kind of used to my COVID life now and I am not sure I can go back to my old life once this is over.

Steve Reed said...

YP: Yes, because Dave takes meds that tamp down his immune response, we feel that going out is just too dangerous.

Ursula: As you can see from my next post, we did indeed watch "The Social Dilemma." I found it fascinating and, yes, scary! We had it on our watchlist already, but thanks for the recommendation. If you want success with hostas, try growing them in pots. We keep ours in pots and it seems to discourage the slugs and snails just enough to give them a chance.

Ms Moon: They DO look like wallpaper! I love the "air accordion" description -- that's so accurate.

Red: Everyone is confused!

Robin: I can only tolerate "talking heads" on television for a very short time -- even (or especially) when they're the president.

Ellen: It's so strange that rural areas are experiencing such a surge. I've seen on the news that the Dakotas have been heavily affected. Talk about places where social distancing should be a breeze!

Mitchell: I think highlights are all you need, really.

Linda Sue: Maybe THAT's why he sounds so out there -- he's using right-wing speak!

Edna: You're absolutely right. I think young people in particular are vulnerable to getting infected and spreading it, partly because they're highly social and partly because they're less careful about precautions. It's not really their fault. It's just part of being young and feeling invulnerable.

Catalyst: Yeah, don't go there! Geez! I think it will end one way or another within a year or two at most.

Sharon: Ha! That IS funny. The man is a fountain of lies and disinformation.

Allison: I doubt it. That's why I told Dave that Biden would have to REALLY mess up to make a difference now.

Angelicastar: You watched the whole thing?! Wow! That's dedication! I don't think Biden wants to get rid of Medicare or private insurance -- he just wants to ensure that uncovered people are covered one way or another.

Ellen D: Yeah, we honestly don't mind it! It IS cozy and it certainly saves us money!

Andrew: I think when all this ends it will feel AMAZING to be able to go places and not worry or have to think about precautions.