Red letter day

Barry and I were married forty-seven years ago today. When you think about all the reasons that couples do not make it to this milestone, it seems nothing less than a minor miracle that we are still, to quote an old song, “happy together.” These difficult times of lockdown must be especially challenging for unhappy couples. Although we would love to be going out and celebrating, we are just grateful to be here in our wonderful home enjoying a quiet day and “seeing” our grandchildren over Zoom. We hope that we will make it to that major milestone three years from now and be able to celebrate with our whole family together!

We have had a little too much excitement over the past week. Simmie and Ronen live in a house with a flat roof that decided to start leaking during the torrential downpours in the Boston area over the weekend. And Julia, who the pediatrician initially thought had a minor eye infection, turned out to have somehow gotten a small piece of glass lodged in her eye. Fortunately, that has now been removed and she seems as good as new.

I am sending along links to two videos about face masks. The first is a news report about the benefits of wearing them, which hopefully people will continue to do at least until a vaccine is available. Of course, if you think about this too much, you wonder a bit how we humans have survived this long without those masks! It is not going to be easy to return to “normal,” whatever that may be.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=265706771159373

The second is a very clever parody on this topic based on some of the famous songs from “Hamilton.” Humor truly is the best medicine.

https://youtu.be/m_HZectGDlo

Stay safe and well.

Love,

Rebecca

Fascinating piece on the spread of the coronavirus.

 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-spread.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

This speaks for itself.

Love,

Rebecca

All time most popular post

I have been blogging for over eight years now, through two cancers and two new grandchildren. But it took me all of these years to discover that the overwhelmingly most popular topic about which I could have ever written is dogs! I am pretty sure my post from Sunday garnered the largest number of single day page views I have ever received – well over 100! That tally was reinforced by a large number of personal e-mail messages, many from people whom I did not even know were still following the blog. Quite a few included wonderful pictures of their own furry four-legged friends.

Maybe it is just a sign of the times – we are all in particular need of a reason to smile these days. I am glad I was able to share one. In our weekly video chat with Eliana and Maya last evening, we had a chance to “meet” Rory. She did not seem too impressed, but she does look like a very sweet animal, high praise from someone who is not especially fond of dogs.

Stay healthy and have a good week.

Love,

Rebecca

 

A new addition to the family

Eliana and Maya had long been begging their parents for this. It is nice to think that something really wonderful for their family and this lovely animal happened as the result of a pandemic.

These pictures pretty much tell the whole story. Welcome to your new home, Rory!

Love,

Rebecca

 

A misnomer?

According to Merriam Webster, the word “defund” is a transitive verb defined as “to withdraw funding from.”  The web site dictionary.com provides two definitions, namely

1.     to withdraw financial support from, especially as an instrument of legislative control: Many university programs were defunded by the recent government cutbacks.

2.     to deplete the financial resources of: The cost of the lawsuit defunded the company's operating budget.

There have been many calls in recent days in communities across America to defund the police. But that action seems to me to be a misnomer. Fully defunding the police – essentially abolishing police departments - would appear to be a poor decision. Unfortunately, crime does not disappear simply because we will it to do so.

Having said that, there is little question that police departments are being called on to do many things that could be more effectively, even optimally, handled by different sorts of public agencies, those that are more specifically designed and staffed to handle various social problems. But this does not make for a convenient catchphrase or sound bite.

The New York Times has an interesting article, embedded in which is a good discussion of the issue.

 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/what-does-defund-police-mean.html

I found this in an article in Fortune magazine:

So, what do people mean when they say ‘defund the police’?

Defunding the police is shorthand for a divest and invest model: divesting money from local and state police budgets and reinvesting it into communities, mental health services, and social service programs.

https://fortune.com/2020/06/08/defund-the-police-what-does-it-mean-protests-george-floyd

I guess “divest and invest” just does not make for a catchy slogan. But at the same time, clear and precise language may be exactly what we need to begin to tackle the problem. No matter how you express it, there is no time like the present to reflect and act on the things we can do to improve the lives of every American.

Stay safe and well.

Love,

Rebecca

 

So much and yet so little to say

This has been a very difficult week for our country. We remain in the midst of an ongoing pandemic that, despite some tentative resumption of life in some parts of the country, feels endless. Over 100,000 Americans have lost their lives in less than three months, and unemployment is nearly as high as during The Great Depression of the 1930s.

And then last week we were shocked to watch video of a white police officer in Minneapolis whose arrest of George Floyd, a black man, went horribly awry. The officer kept his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while the suspect was handcuffed and lying face down, saying “I can’t breathe.” All this occurred while three other officers involved in the arrest either assisted the arresting officer or prevented onlookers from intervening. By the time an ambulance arrived, Mr. Floyd was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. What had Mr. Floyd allegedly done? He had attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a market. While police said that he resisted arrest (and it is not clear to me why it took four police officers to handle this), he was clearly unarmed and no immediate threat to the arresting officers.

This incident has resulted in massive demonstrations all over the country as well as in some major European cities, some of whom who have had similar reports of overzealous policing of their own in recent years. The fact that these enormous crowds of people have been so moved to come out during a pandemic is a clear indication of just how heartbreaking this incident, clearly not the first in recent years, truly is.

I have stayed away from discussions of politics on this blog, but it would be reassuring if we had a President who could at least pretend to be compassionate about all the suffering in our country right now. The coming pandemic was clearly recognized late last year and early this year by many health experts, and it is clear that many of the deaths could have been avoided had our senior government officials taken appropriate action. This has been done quite effectively in other countries, resulting in far lower rates of death from the disease, and because it started in Asia, and then spread to Europe before crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, we had a chance to act in time to have kept better control here. But we did not.

Rather than doing everything that could have been done to lessen the spread of COVID-19, our government is now trying to use brute force to prevent even peaceful protests in support of the black community during this painful and difficult time. Something seems to be terribly awry here.

I have gotten through two fairly serious bouts with cancer during the past eight years, but now I am truly worried for the future. We can only pray that our leaders will have the wisdom to solve these problems.

Take care and stay safe,

Love,

Rebecca

More on coyotes

Thanks to all of you who wrote about coyotes, which are apparently more commonly seen in New York and other cities than I had imagined. I found this on nycgovparks.org:

Living With Coyotes in New York City

Be Coyote Smart

Courtesy of Nathan Payne/NYC Parks

Coyotes are common throughout New York State, including urban areas. Recent sightings confirm that coyotes live in New York City and are active in the Bronx.

Seeing a coyote for the first time can be an exhilarating or an alarming experience. If you see a coyote, do not panic.  Most coyotes are not dangerous to people. Nationwide, only a handful of coyote bites are reported each year.

Recognizing a Coyote

Coyotes are canines, which means that they are members of the same genus as wolves and domesticated dogs. In general, coyotes appear "sleeker" than domesticated dogs, with a flatter forehead and a more pointed snout. Coyotes appear to have longer legs than domesticated dogs, while dogs appear to have deeper chests. Also, they have very different tracks. Coyote tracks are more elongated, and they place their front and back paws in alignment when they walk.

Five Easy Tips for Coexisting with Coyotes

1.       Do Not Feed Coyotes. Keeping coyotes wild is the key to coexistence. Their life and your safety depend upon coyotes remaining naturally wary of people.

2.       Remove Attractants. Store food, pet food, and garbage in animal proof containers. Do not leave food or garbage behind in a park.

3.       Supervise Pets. Walk dogs on a leash and keep cats inside for safety.

4.       Keep Coyotes Wary. If you are approached, act big and make loud noises until the coyote retreats.

5.       Appreciate Coyotes. From a distance. Stay at least 150 feet (45 meters) or more from the animal.

When to Report a Coyote Sighting

Most coyotes are not dangerous to people. If you spot an aggressive or fearless coyote, report it immediately to on-site golf course or Parks personnel. In case of a medical emergency, such as a bite from or physical contact with a coyote, please call 911.

Coyote Facts

·        Coyotes are not strictly nocturnal.  They may be observed during the day, but are generally more active after sunset and at night.

·        You may see and hear coyotes more during mating season (January - March) and when the young are dispersing from family groups (October - January). 

·        Coyotes eat what is prevalent and easy to find, shifting their diet to what is seasonally or locally available, including rodents, birds, vegetation, insects and carrion. 

·        Coyotes are naturally wary of people but can habituate to the food sources we provide and our presence.

As long as we are “living with” coyotes in New York City, I suppose we should welcome them to stay here.

Stay safe and well.

Love,

Rebecca