just enough humidity to break a sweat, and just enough of a breeze to cool down, two days… two days of nearly 80 degrees, I feel like my hand got slammed inside the cookie jar, waiting for each cloud above to explode and rain on my socially distant non parade, but no silver linings tarnished, I can report, at least not yet anyway, there are many folks walking around the neighborhood, some with masks, some not, a lone gentleman, well – I am giving him the benefit of the doubt, he was wearing a full outfit including surgical gloves, honestly, walking alone outside there is not really a need for that, well, to each his own, and update, in actuality he wasn’t a gentleman either, not a nod, nor a look, not even the ole hand throw, not any gesture whatsoever to acknowledge your fellow traveler in this life, nope, nothing that could even be remotely misconstrued as a ‘hello’, be PPE’d to the max man but at least be cordial, ya’ know? most passer bys at least offer a cautious verbal or mouthed a  greeting, the real adventurous throw a hook in the water with a “how ya’ doin?”, daring a conversation, oh the bravery, oh the humanity, two houses down they have their own setup, they block the apron to their driveway with their two SUVs, and let their kids play all day in the space between the garage and the auto blockade, their own little sandbox carved out like a country in all this covid driven madness, all the while mom does ‘laps’ of the perimeter, for exercise or guard duty, I’ll throw my hat in with a little of both, honestly that would bore me to tears, but probably beats doing laps of TV networks or websites trying to find something new, familiar, or vaguely OK to pass the time, they are Korean, not that it matters any day, just happens to be true in this case, maybe there is some cultural thing I do not understand, I’d ask but, I just remember the parents always seemed appalled that their two little girls always joyfully broadcast out monumental smiles and genuine loving hellos to absolutely  everyone (my dog included) as they went up and down the street on their big wheels, I catch them watching me as I tend to my bamboo, I catch a hand wave now and again (and their folks disapprove with looks)…

I get it, we all cope differently, I think some have welcomed the isolation super gladly, I thought I might be the same, but a couple of weeks in, my ship yearned for shore, maybe not a popular resort port but definitely some semblance of the dry land of old…

and yeah… this is part of my Porch series… an ongoing thing…