A Lovely April Eve, Etc.

My photos today were supposed to focus on Mirror Lake. 

Bill and Willie went out there yesterday afternoon with their pontoons and fishing equipment. 

So, I thought it would be fun to head out there, wave at them from shore and take some photos. 

Partway into my trip, however, I discovered that my camera battery pack needed a boost. 

It was running on empty. 

So, I pulled off the highway, went down one road only to notice someone on my rear, so I started down another road to find a place to turn around. 

That "someone" in a van continued to follow me down that road.  

So, I chose a driveway at random, turned in and then saw that the car behind me had stopped and was waiting to turn into that very driveway. 

 I waved and backed out.

As I passed the car, the driver waved back.  

Suddenly, we each realized that the "waver" in the other car looked mighty familiar. 

Turns out the person following me was none other than my friend and former student, Jeralyn Lewis Mire. 

Thank you, empty battery pack.  It's always nice to see Jeralyn. 

I haven't seen her in several months.  

So, we enjoyed a nice chat until another car prompted us to go on our way. 

During our quick visit, Jeralyn aka an Idaho high school "Counselor of the Year," told me that virtual counseling is just not her thing.  

We both agreed that it pretty much involves going through the motions without the emotional satisfaction gained with person-to-person on-site encounters. 

I think a lot of us would agree that virtual is nice but real life is a whole lot better AND we miss it. 

Still, many of us who look forward to a time when we can all enjoy each other again prefer to do our best to stay alive so that we can once again experience that kind of personal interaction. 

Seems, however, that the mixed-message overload which has been raining down on our country the past few days could downright confuse folks who would really like to do the right thing in the name of safety.  

Seems also like it's turning into "cafeteria coronavirus" in the various levels of advice circles. 

Pick your poison and if you're in that certain percentage who are gonna die when we begin the American free-for-all, so be it. 

After all, there are a lot of pool-drowning deaths too, says Dr. Phil. 

And, if school starts up again, it will "only cost us" 2 % or 3 % of American lives to do so, according to Dr. Oz, who later apologized for his grossly insensitive comment. 

 I'm sure a certain percentage of the American people may not even check back in to hear about his apology.

And, if the virus lights up again in key spots after America open up for business again, hodgepodge-style, the President says they'll go "whack" it there. 

So far, I haven't seen any real examples of the virus being "whacked," anywhere in the world, but I sure have seen the ever-growing death counts.  

I also continue to remember the basic equation about contagiousness that maintains that you can give it and you can also get it.  

Equally important, you don't necessary have to get it to give it. 

That's what makes me nervous. And, it really makes me nervous that a lot of people haven't tuned in to that part of equation.

If they don't care about dying, that's their choice, but respecting the rights of others who want to live seems rather appropriate.

Or, has that, like so many other things in this country, become "so yesterday"? 

After listening to and seeing all these messages from the glut of self-appointed gurus out there,  I'll bypass the "cafeteria offerings" and stick with the main menu of advice from educated and experienced scientific and medical experts.

Social distancing, wearing a mask in grocery stores, etc., using my Mill Town Distillery hand sanitizer every time I exit and enter my car, applying chlorox spray or wipes on home surfaces/items.  

Seems wise.

It also seems like a pretty cheap and easy way to stay safe when you really don't know where the "enemy" lurks. 

Granted, the natives are restless, but I think it's a lot better to remain restless for a while longer than to "rest in peace" forever.

By applying these principles, all we really lose is a little extra time spent applying them (both literally and figuratively) which will probably buy us a whole lot more quality time in the future. 

Okay, back to the camera battery pack.  

After leaving Jeralyn, I headed back toward town and drove to City Beach. 

I had remembered that on other times when the battery pack was empty, taking it out of the camera and re-inserting it had bought me a few shots. 

It worked. 

City Beach was pretty empty last night but beautiful. 

At one time I walked down toward the shoreline, sharing the area with a lone seagull.  Even they must be social distancing. 

A few people walked the sidewalk, and a couple sat on one of the benches on the north side of the beach. 

Hard to describe the odd feeling of standing in the sand by myself on a beautiful spring evening when the place would usually be bustling. 

There have been a few times when the enormity of this pandemic hit me square in the eyes.  One was seeing Adre Borcelli singing in an empty Milan cathedral on Easter Sunday.   

Last night's moment along the beach was another. 

I did miss the planned moments out at Mirror Lake, where both Bill and Willie had a great night of fishing, each catching more than half a dozen. 

I'll catch that show some other time AND will make sure my battery pack is fully loaded. 

Another beautiful day ahead, and guaranteed more craziness from what I read in the media. 

Never a dull moment. 

Happy Friday.