Yesterday I threw caution to the wind and went hiking with my buddies Mac and Lloyd up on the local mesa. We did a little over nine miles and I’m a bit sore today. The hip did fine, though.
Here’s Lloyd:
Flowers were blooming up there, and there were a lot of large lizards and horned toads running about. We’ve never seen so many of them. Lots of freshly-dug desert tortoise holes, too. It’s rare to see one of those fellows out and about.
There were also numerous tracks of Sidewinder rattlesnakes in the sandy roadbeds. We’ve never seen an active Sidewinder in the daytime; evidently, they come out in the evenings and hunt lizards and rodents.
Here’s a photo of a Sidewinder track in the sand:
Here’s a close-up where you can see impressions of his scales:
Hiking, walking, riding a bike, and exploring the BLM lands with an Off-Road Vehicle are the only activities going on in Mesquite right now. Golf courses, casinos, and restaurants are still closed.
I did some trail biking the other day:
We’ve had a few backyard B.S. sessions with neighbors over drinks while keeping socially distant, of course.
According to the Mayor, there have only been seven confirmed cases of Covid-19 in our city of 21,000. No deaths that we know of.
It’s a good thing that the pandemic has not taken root here, because the local hospital sucks. If Charlie or I were to come down with any symptoms, we’d hop in the car and drive 40 miles up to St. George, Utah where there is a major league medical center.
“Re-opening the Economy” was the big topic of discussion during our 3-1/2 hour hike. Both Mac and Lloyd feel like it’s time to give it a shot and have those folks who are most at-risk continue to shelter in place for their own protection. That would, of course, include a majority of the old geezers (like Mac, Lloyd, and I) in Mesquite.
The three of us are in good shape, with no underlying medical conditions. We might survive a Covid-19 infection, although we’re not out looking for one. Charlie probably wouldn’t survive, so she doesn’t need me bringing any germs into the house. I’ll have to wear a mask and do the hand sanitizer routine for the foreseeable future, while Charlie hunkers down in our casa. I may try some of Doctor Trump’s recommendations, as well…just to be safe.
But, seriously, I’m probably like most Americans right now: I’m leery of crowded situations where virus droplets may be wafting in the air.
So, even if Governor Sisolak opens things up a bit, I’ll probably be reluctant to have a sit-down meal in a restaurant or go into the local casinos. This poll pretty much agrees with our feelings right now.
The big question with Charlie and I right now is whether or not we will hit the road in the RV in the Summer. We have a two-month trip planned (and reserved) for the Oregon and Northern California coasts beginning on June 25th and running through Sept 7th.
Charlie is fearful that she will contract the coronavirus “on the road”.
I’m thinking that she will be as safe in the RV as she is in our house. And, besides, after suffering from cabin fever for six months, we’ll be anxious to get the Hell out of Mesquite before the place turns into a frying pan in July and August.
At this point, I don’t know if the RV parks on our itinerary will be open for business by late June. So, l’m holding out on making a decision and trying to keep Charlie informed and flexible in attitude. I know for sure that our dogs would be very uncomfortable here in the boiling hot Summer and much prefer the cool coastal climate. So, right now, I’m sure it’s 3 votes to 1 for hitting the road.
With nothing much else to do here during the lockdown, I’ve been re-jiggering our landscaping a bit. We have a large property with pretty lush Desert landscape installed already. I’ve filled in some of the sparser areas with ice plant, cacti, small shrubs and such. I’m getting proficient at drip irrigation, as well.
I put in this accent area last week: two large urns with cacti, some ice plant, and an agave…all drip-irrigated.
Today we took delivery of a couple of large rocks for our front yard. They were delivered and placed with a skip loader.
Here’s one:
Here’s the other:
2020 has been a particularly bad year for weeds. I blew it and didn’t put down any pre-emergent herbicide, so I’ve spent the past month picking weeds. Yesterday I picked 384 of them and Charlie picked another 100 in the entryway garden. It’s a weed pandemic, I tell ya’.
Flowers have been blooming on our cacti. Here are some pics:
I hope that America’s urge to escape quarantine in a phased manner works out. No one wants our economy to wilt on the vine; we need to re-start and adjust to the new normal, as best we can. Hopefully, society doesn’t forget the pain we’ve just endured…and how easy we could return to the “stay at home” situation if people get reckless.
Who knows what’s “safe”? Sometimes your instincts tell you that everything’s OK…when it isn’t. Let’s hope that most of us stay safe.
