Polar Vortex came visiting

Even snow was mentioned with the polar vortex but we escaped unscathed except for it being somewhat colder than a few days ago. Looks cold out there. The daffodils are still flowering but the tulips are keeping their petals closed up today. Maybe later we will see the large red tulip open when the warm sun hits the petals. It is minus 2 degrees celsius with a high of plus 5 degrees celsius. But by Wednesday we are looking at the possibility of plus 13 degrees celsius.

Snow does come in May sometimes and there were a few flakes just to tease us I guess. The tree buds are struggling to open on our large maple tree at the back of the yard. Ed and our daughters planted that tree 37 years ago from a small sapling that we found in the yard. It is now quite huge and we have had it trimmed so that it is a beautiful maple shape. It is right at the back of the yard and aids in cushioning the traffic from the road along with the thick hedge and the length of the yard. We can sit out on the patio and not really notice the cars going by. At the moment there are few going by anyway. It is still strange to look out at 7:00 am and not see any cars on the road. It used to be bumper to bumper.

I have been cleaning and the basement is done with a good sized pile of items that will go to Diabetes when they do their pickups again. Emptying the basement is a necessity eventually as condos do not have basements! But we are still here and perhaps for a while yet. Although I am not a gardener I do not mind doing the work as it is refreshing to get away from the computer and work with the soil. I even like cutting grass. The steady walk around the yard in a logical fashion suits my brain. It gives me time to contemplate the ancestors and whether I am pursuing in a rational way the peoples of my past.

COVID-19 is still with us and for quite a while yet. We learned yesterday that the White House in America carefully tests everyone and does contact tracing within their select group. I always thought of the White House as this special place where an individual much beloved by the people would rationally and painstakingly take care of America for all Americans. Of course, it is necessary to protect the President and his Cabinet just as we do here in Canada.

Globally there are 3,935,828 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (increase of 90,221 over yesterday), 274,655 deaths (increase of 5,091 over yesterday) and 1,319,306 recovered (increase of 36,376 over yesterday). In Canada there are 66,434 confirmed cases (increase of 1,512 over yesterday), 4,569 deaths (increase of 161 over yesterday) and 30,226 recovered (increase of 979 over yesterday). The United States is unbelievable at 1,317,376 cases, 78,200 deaths and thankfully 182,902 recovered.