Social Distancing 47

 Saturday October 24

I keep thinking I will write more. I keep letting the time slip past, although I have been gathering topics... and pictures.

I'm still walking through my neighborhood most evenings, and I still want it to be summer, but the evidence keeps amassing to the contrary. Oh, the warmth is here, although not the heat of summer. Most of the leaves on the trees are still green (the yellow ones get blown off the trees) but there are signs. Shorter days, for one. It gets dark by 7PM now. I love the long days of summer, and I miss them already.

Of course it is October, and even officially fall at this point, so I guess I must expect that. Here is some of the other evidence from around my neighborhood...

pecans weighing the branch down

cactus fruit - it makes good jelly...

even the lantana in the fall is pretty

The COVID numbers are up this month. We have been setting records for positive cases across the state, and here in Dona Ana county. Even so, El Paso has been having a higher daily number than all of New Mexico. It is worrisome because so many people from El Paso work here, and so many people from Cruces work, shop and visit in El Paso. 

Several schools have had staff and faculty become ill. Sometimes those people are working from home, but sometimes not, and the school has to close for cleaning. Now, if a business or school closes due to COVID, they will be closed for 14 days. Picacho Middle School opened for some Special Needs students on Monday, and on Wednesday had to close. We did do SAT testing across the district with seniors on the 14th, and although I was waiting with rather bated breath, I haven't heard of anyone turning up sick afterwards. LCPS is hoping to go hybrid in January, but I just don't see that being possible, or even wise.

I'm thinking more and more of retiring this year. The time and effort and weirdness have started taking their toll. It helps to go outside, and notice that the seasons are changing, and that there is simple beauty around, and neighbors walking as well, but it may be time for that step. It may be.