June 1, 2020 Covid 19 Continues

The latest manifestation of Covid 19 is the riots in the US and Canada. Ostensibly they were triggered by a cop killing a black man so ‘race’ became the rallying cry. In fact the China war against the West has just moved forward. The rioters that were arrested were out of state, not locals and mostly paid. A combination of savy criminals and Open Society operatives, ANTIFA and other domestic terror groups. The UN is now lead by the Communist Chinese and a bizarre Sharia Communism has taken hold with Iran and Communism in league.  The other non aligned nations are a mixed bag.

Vietnamese shipping has been shot down in the China sea.  Taiwan is threatened and now Communist Chinese have invaded India in the dispute border region.  Hong Kong has been annexed by Bei Jing which continues to break laws and treaties always claiming itself the victim.  Mr. Trump and America have condemned the Hong Kong attack and declared ANTIFA a terrorist organization. Meanwhile Trudeau and Canada allign against the Commonwealth and America and the allied western nations with Bei Jing.  

So much for social distancing.  Riots, and war and demonstrations all make a mockery of that.  Still the actually adjusted death count is .004  A million dead in the world all because of Chinese Imperialism and economic expansionism and greed.  It continues to foreclose on nations now in debt secondary to their inability to pay due to the ravish of the plague unleashed in Wuhan.  

I roasted Ethiopian coffee beans on the weekend. It’s delicious today. Laura came to visit on Friday which was an ultimate treat because we didn’t expect her till Saturday. Gilbert expressed both of our unbounded joy.  He barked crazily and jumped around until collapsing into a fit of coughing. His enlarged heart and heart murmur and congestive heart failure are only partially being contained by the medications.  Laura does make his heart fonder. We are a family unit then, a bigger pack, and the weekend was fine.  

It rained.  We wore masks to London Drugs. I had to pick up my cheque and the mail. I’ve ordered gadgets and clothing accessories from Amazon.  They come like little presents. A hub for the computer.  MacBook Pro no longer has a slot for SD Cards.  Laura’s sun dress arrived. She was pleased with my choice.  We hugged frequently.  And kissed. It’s always like a reunion. We each go off to work for 4 days then come together for extended weekends. We’re looking forward to a week of camping.  I’ve fishing on my mind.

Now I’ve little birds.  Space X and NASA rocketed a couple of Astraunuts into the sky.  My nephew Graeme captured the flight from the Hay Bay home. I enjoyed watching his uTube video capturing the new light in the sky.  I remember NASA and childhood, the man on the moon.
Little birds are landing outside my window and showing up on my walks with Gilbert. This has occasioned much discussion with Graeme, the ultimate camera authority.  Nikon Coolpix P1000 has come out with a wonderful telescopic lens.. I broke down and bought it.  I’d received three years of back pay from the Government so had the money.  I always think that if I’d died they would have been richer for their witholding. Millions die I’m sure with the government owing them.  I was just thankful and now had a camera that I could hopefully reach out and capture the picture of the little bird.
I saw a female cedar wax wing yesterday but no one would believe me.  I have two wax wings that visitted last week. I’d like the proof. These beautiful exotic little creatures. I have flower pictures and Gilbert pictures and big bird pictures like this years classic heron and wood duck shots but I was miffed to miss the American goldfinch, the yellow oriole and the exotic warblers.

My uncle was the Audubon seagull photographer. My brother was a noted wildlife photographer. My nephew now is an astronomer and film maker. He has the patience to make movies. I did the dark room as a kid but now I only crop in edit. I admire my other friend who loves photoshop.
It was raining the whole weekend. In the little patch of sunshine I took pictures of Laura and Gilbert walking. I like that the tool inspires my interest. For years I’ve been the iPhone photographer. I’d not even used my D5000 for years except that trip into the interior one spring to shoot snow geese lifting in flight.  The iPhone was sufficient. I only took it and the gopro to India.  I had a little Coolpix 360 I passed on after that trip to Graeme. Too complicated. The iPhone shots were sufficient.
I love the gopro on my motorcycle.  I’ve a mount on my helmet. The new one I got last year interfaces so well with the iPhone transferring media easily.  Now I’m looking forward to taking little bird pictures.  Photography has given me pleasure since I was a kid with different interests over the year but always a camera with me.  Now it’s little birds.  

Covid 19 has really increased the interest in amateur photography and ornithology. I love Joanne’s flower pictures.  I love Kevin’s pictures on outings with Anna and the meerkats. I loved talking birds with Rob.  My father had the old super 8 and then he and my brother and I were always carrying about nature identification books.  I have such fond memories of the three of us lying on our backs on the lawn at night in summer looking at the sky and identifying the constellations. Ron and I were always identifying birds.  It’s best when two agree on a rare bird.  I certainly had the memorable Churchill Ross’s Gull experience. I loved being with him when he was shooting the sand hill crane pictures. Now his son is filming rockets.
There’s a nostalgic warm and cozy feeling of continuity with growing older.The aches and pains aren’t appealing but the heart felt stuff sure is.

I’m back at work. Suicides are up. Relapses are up.  Depression is coming with the loss of jobs.  Anxiety still is high. Some psychosis. I seem to know my medications and what to say. I take my knowing for granted and feel like I’m over the peak and on the downhill. I once knew neurotransmitters and anatomy and read MRI”s and EEG but today I just muddle along. So much is intuitive and pattern recognition. I’ve seen so many thousands. Even the rare conditions I’ve treated a dozen times now and remember the first encounter. I was once so new and knew so little but I’ve always had the process, always double checked, always done the rational, approached the patient bio, psycho, social. I’ve always been thorough.I’ve always been curious. I am a consummate psychotherapist with nth level training is a variety of psycho therapies and motivational techniques. Patients change. I have a history of 90% success in areas where 30% success is the norm.  I had great teachers and ‘change’ was always my aim. Helping people move forward.
Yet today with virtual reality I’m mostly doing psychopharmacology which seems to please the folk who see success in the pill. I saw success in the loving and working. But today love and work aren’t held as important as ‘face validity’.  The authorities want people pleased. “If you have to give them a pack of cigarettes so they’ll be happy, give them a pack of cigarettes,’ a doctor said last month. It may just be Covid.
He was right. The riots are the keg exploding. The lockdown has been a smouldering.  We are a thin line of civilization and there’s a massive attack from without and this Trojan Horse from within.  I feel sometimes like the whole idea is to keep people from screaming and going mad. Ive actually been amazed that the mentally ill overall are doing better than the greater society. I think they have adjusted expectations and aren’t surprised by the insanity of Communist attack.  Freud said, ‘maybe the paranoids were right’ when confronted with Fascism.  Here we have the new totalitarianism, strange mix of Fascism and Communism and Imperialism and rough democracy and freedom standing in the way of the informer societies. 

I slept well.  The sun is out. I can see blue sky out my window. The migrations of little birds are happening. Warblers last month. Hummingbirds soon.  I’m going to get dressed and take Gilbert for a walk with my camera. I’ve a day in the virtual office. I ordered another lighter weight smaller but specifically ergonomic chair from Staples. I think sitting on the couch has not helped my back.  It’s a phenomena. Everyone working from home using kitchen chairs needing chiropractors and physiotherapistS. I may have to go back and see Stan. I’m doing the exercises but having pain and weakness walking. It’s better. Like Gilbert and his heart. We’re both better but we’ll a couple of invalids in older age.  

It was Pentecost yesterday. I loved Willy’s “Happy Birthday Holy Spirit!”   That’s it really. This morning in prayer I remembered Bernie as I said “Holy Spirit Come. Holy Spirit Come.”  I woke to the Creed.  Our Father.  Thank you. Thank you Jesus.