Epsom Salts

Epsom Salts, May 19th, 2020

Today was Day #65 of the California Covid Confinement Panic (CCCP) here in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California. The day was beautiful. It was sunny and 75F after a few day of rain so the air was clean and all was green.

My wife and I ordered take out food and drinks from Duke’s Bar on the town plaza. It’s only 5 blocks away from our house. We’ve done this a few times during the crisis. Just did it last week.

And last week it was quiet on the town square. No cars parked there. No one waiting for the takeout food and drinks at Duke’s open front windows facing the square. I didn’t even wear a mask. Just handed over some shamrock necklaces (I’d already paid by credit card over the phone), & picked up our order. I Did a U-turn on Plaza Street and headed home.

Not today! Cars parked everywhere around the square. I was lucky to get a parking place in front of Duke’s. Seven people were in front of Duke’s on the sidewalk wearing masks, all six feet apart, waiting for their orders.

I put on my mask and was third in line, well, no line, but you get the idea. I picked up our food and drinks. No way I could do my usual U-turn on Plaza. Too many parked cars in the way. And stopping at the stop sign on Healdsburg Avenue, I had to wait for 8 cars to speed on by. Just like old times.

When I got home my wife had lost her voice. Suddenly she was talking like Alvin and his Chipmunks. No idea why. Maybe the stress of 65 days of this Covid nightmare.

We had a nice dinner and then I went out to soak my feet on the patio in hot water and Epsom salts. These Epsom salts really work. My feet feel like new after 15 minutes in the hot salty mineral water. Of course Buddy immediately lays down on the towel I’ve placed on the ground to dry my feet. It’s a relaxing ten minutes.

Flying into San Francisco International Airport (SFO) the plane would always land on the 28L runway. I think in fifty flights or more over the decades, I’ve landed on 1R or 1L once. Also taking off was always on 28R. (28L and 28R are to the bottom left in the photo. 1L and 1R are the shorter crossing runways. All runways built on fill into SF Bay.)

The planes coming in for a landing on 28L would always turn right onto final over the brightly colored salt ponds at the southern end of SF Bay. That’s where the Epsom salts I use come from.

It was kinda nice having Healdsburg so quiet for two months. Now it’s getting noisy and busy again, but still masked and standing apart. It seems unfair.

Give me peace or give me busy liberty, but the busy ness with the oppression just gives us the worst of both worlds.

At least my feet feel good. And here I could make a joke about my wife losing her voice, but, best not.

TJM