Pluck the day. Not seize it, but simply pluck it. I must force myself to open my eyes to the beauty around me.

I arrived Down Under last week. They didn’t require any tests, or even proof of vaccination, The trip was grueling but uneventful. No delays, no bad weather no missed planes. I flew with the masked horde in cattle class. Everyone was polite and friendly. Much better than my previous flight to Australia – see posts- March 5 & 6 2022. I finished a novel on the flight, and even slept a little. I didn’t loose my partner after security, and they didn’t demand extra scrutiny even though I admitted having been in the wilderness during the previous 30 days.

Door County, Wisconsin, is a wilderness compared to the big cities of the world, and the Clearing FolK School prides itself on being pristine Wilderness. See blog from The Clearing Folk School, June 29, 2019. I didn’t blog about the 2022 retreat, it was a week of playing the recorder in the Wilderness that is The Clearing. Pure Joy.

I was just getting back into my daily routine here in Melbourne with daily trips to fight invasive plants. See post Trad, Feb 4, 2021. Only now the invasives are winter weeds coming where the trad was removed. Expecially angled onion and tansy. It makes one long for a winter of snow cover white expanse without weeds. I’d had a slight cough since I landed, but my at home Covid test was negative. My partner was exposed in a class where I stayed home because of my cough. He started coughing. We both took tests. Both positive, now we are isolating for seven days. We seem to have a mild case, but everything is cancelled for us. Our invitations to dinner, or classes at the library. We had food delivered, and friends have offered to pick stuff up for us. It is a beautiful sunny day today. The Silver Princess (Eucalyptus cassia) is blooming in the yard. The Wattle birds are sucking its sweet nectar.

We aren’t through this pandemic yet. Everyone stay well.