Covid in California June 2020

Covid Diary

June 30, 2020

Covid Cases: Worldwide 10,500,000 and 510,000 deaths; USA 2,700,000 and 130,000 deaths; California 224,000 and 6,000 deaths; Santa Barbara County 2,900 and 29 deaths; South Africa 144, 260 and 2,529 deaths. New daily Covid cases in the USA now over 40,000, the highest since the start of the pandemic. Disturbing trends since Memorial Day weekend when economies started opening up. Flattened curves switched to steep climbs especially in Texas, Florida, Arizona and our state, California. Arizona has returned to a lockdown today.

The high anxiety levels we experienced in March have returned. The news now headlines with the almost out of control Covid situation. 

Especially frustrating since we were making progress. The graph of daily deaths shows an April 21 peak of 2,700 deaths, then a downward slide since Memorial Day. If only the states heeded Dr. Fauci's advice to continue with lockdown for a little longer we might have attained a similar success to Europe. The consequences of impatience is upon us. 

 In California the 14 day rolling average of new cases is 4,513. But numbers exploded this past week to above 6,000 a day. Deaths - 14 day rolling average is 58. These spiking numbers are beginning to impact hospitals and by mid July the death toll I'm sure will be worse than April numbers. Damn!

Why has California failed despite an early lockdown? Los Angeles continues to see around 2,500 new cases a day. Santa Barbara County after initial success, now sees between 40 and 100 new infections. Some reasons have to do with pandemic fatigue. Graduation parties, friends meeting up at bars and family celebrations have likely led to increased case numbers. Bottom line: we opened up our economy too soon. Americans don't have the discipline to follow the example of successful countries. The lack of logic and insistence on reckless behavior is most disheartening.

Thankfully, face coverings are now a statewide requirement. Newsom has asked 8 counties to close their bars and slow down re-openings. Nationwide the message for mask wearing is finally gaining strength and becoming the norm. 

However, I fear a messy up and down battle until therapeutics become available. And that could be 6 months in the future.

Now for some positive updates.

Daryl about to give a speech to graduating Creative Studies students. A virtual ceremony done via Zoom

Rich birdlife in our area and everyday we see something cute. Here's a California quail and the other family members are nearby, hidden.

Watched this hawk from our living room window

We're drowning in fruit harvest. In addition to the impossible apple crop this year, our apricot tree has blessed us with a generous load of flavorful honey sweet fruit. Our Santa Rosa plum tree has faithfully obliged us again though not like last year when we hauled a huge amount to the food bank. This year I delivered two boxes of apples to the food bank and left a bag of apples at the doorstep of various friends.

We made 6 apple pies for the freezer and I froze baked, sliced apples in ziplock bags too. 

Our home grown fruit - so rewarding and so delicious

All our apricots were ready to eat at the same time. So I stewed some which we blended and used as a topping on our Sunday morning scones. And I made my favorite dessert - apricot tart - which we'll pig out on over a few days.

Apricot tart - short crust pastry, then a frangipane layer topped with juicy apricots 

We have a new stove - an updated version of our old GE Profile. I love it. It's more powerful, has cast iron grates over a stainless steel surface and is outfitted with 21st century features such as WIFI enabled controls.

Dinner of French Onion Soup and salad

We've been getting giant sized onions, sweet and crisp, in our weekly farm box. Of course I had to make one of our absolute favorite dishes - French Onion Soup. Caramelized onions simmered in broth, topped with toasted sourdough bread and Gruyere cheese. Heavenly! A mood booster during pandemic times! Of course the wine, Pinot Noir, is local.

Weekend beach walks - fresh, cool air, delightful sounds of crashing waves, and tranquil atmosphere is an unbeatable way to start the day. In the first half of June summer heat was upon us, but then the fog rolled in, and the second half of June was so much more pleasurable. 

We often walk over five miles from Campus Point to Bacara and back, on soft sand, compact enough to provide a comfortable cushion, visual delights abound. 

Aren't you a beauty?

We don't often see seals so this was a treat. He was with his mates and family, but he gave us the best pose!

We always see Snowy egrets, sand pipers, plovers and Great blue herons. From time to time a pod of dolphins get us excited.

Cormorants on Bacara Beach

Weekend dinner with friends have been blissful. In early June Premi, Sri, Bruce and Janette joined us on our patio where we set out 3 tables for each couple to allow for physical distancing.

Physically distanced dinner party

We gorged on Premi's mushroom empanadas, Janette's falafel, a hefty spring salad and sautéed zucchini strips. Daryl's still warm apple pie and ice cream rounded off the meal. We had plenty to talk about with the news cycle as intense as it has been all of 2020.

Premi and Sri have been coming over every Sunday evening for a shared meal and an opportunity to chat with someone other than our spouse.

Bookclub has also helped keep my spirits up. Zoom has enabled this activity. The new group that Robin invited me to join discussed Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman. I found the book boring, simplistic, with too much detail given about mundane activities. Surprisingly, everyone else was far more enthusiastic. Most had consumed the audio version, which would have been a better option and more productive use of my time. I'm beginning to think this group isn't going to work for me. Our tastes are so different. They hated Elizabeth Gilbert's City of Girls which I loved. They couldn't see its literary merit. But they loved this month's pick which I was lukewarm about. Luckily out next pick is Chimimanda's Americanuh which I've already read and which I deem an important contribution to literature.

On June 25 my regular book group met in person for the first time since pandemic restrictions. It's midsummer so we were able to spread out in Linda's back garden. What a delightful feeling it was to have face to face conversations, share a meal together, sip wine, and just indulge our gregarious needs. We discussed Bill Bryson's The Appalachian Trail. The book was written a while ago, and we all enjoyed his humorous accounts of backpacking tribulations. Inserting history, environmental problems and culture added muscle, though we cringed at pre Me-too era observations.

Morning Runs

We've been waking up to a dense marine layer every day for the second half of June. We welcome it since it lowers fire danger and protects me from the sun, keeping me cool on my morning run. A foggy week of low tide enabled me to go on beach runs from Goleta Beach to Campus Point and back. What an invigorating experience! Pure air, the sound of gulls and surf and the sight of water, shore birds, and tide pool creatures. 

A flock of pelicans seek breakfast

So glad for this alternative to gym exercise during this difficult time. After 30 minutes of running I do stretches on the beach facing the ocean. It's magical. My other place to run, Stow Park, is peaceful and shady and a good alternative on hot, sunny mornings.

Other June News

June 2 marked 8 consecutive days of protests since the George Floyd killing. It turned into an international movement. 

Trump deployed the military to control protests - the government against civilians. Such extreme measures  historically were only done a few times in the past when there was consensus from Congress. More scandalous was his callous photo op event. On June 1 while he praised himself for a few minutes in the Rose Garden, peaceful protestors in Lafayette Park across from the White House were violently cleared away by law enforcement using tear gas, flash bang grenades and pepper bullets. The goal was to clear the way for Trump to walk across the White House lawn, escorted by close associates, to a church. There, he held a bible and had photos taken for the press.

The Black Lives Matter marches and demonstrations crescendoed and peaked on the day of George Floyd's funeral service which took place on Monday, June 8 in Houston. Large crowds marched in protest of police brutality everywhere, including here in Santa Barbara. At the Dolphin fountain everyone knelt for 8 and a half minutes, the length of time a policeman pressed his knee on Floyd's neck.

Then, on Friday evening, June 12, another incident re-ignited the protests. Police shot and killed a black man who was found asleep, drunk in his car at a Wendy's parking lot in Atlanta, Georgia. The shooting occurred when the man was running away after grabbing a taser. Protestors showed anger but set fire to that Wendy. 

Disconcerting incidents. We find ourselves in a destabilized environment.  

June 19, Juneteenth, the holiday to celebrate the end of slavery, has gained attention this year. Used to be a regional celebration, bur after Trump had planned a rally in Tulsa for this date there was backlash. 

Trump's rally in Tulsa on June 20 flopped. Zoomers took to Tik tok, an online platform, to encourage ticket purchases for the event and not show up. They are claiming credit for the unpacked stadium. Attendees were required to sign a Covid waiver form to prevent lawsuits, but there are no requirements to adhere to safety precautions such as face coverings.

And one last item - this year for the first time Santa Barbara did not have a Solstice Parade. Usually the biggest downtown event where participants spend months planning their costumes and the whole town turns festive. Yet another Covid casualty.

When are we going to have normal again?