Blackbird on Cattails and Update!

(Please view large for the best experience) :D

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well in the midst of this unprecedented outbreak. Steve and I are doing great and have all of our provisions in line. Our state of Oregon has not been hit hard by the coronavirus--though the numbers are increasing every day, only 70 have been reported as opposed to 1,000 in the state of Washington north of us and 700 in California, south of us. Steve went out for groceries a couple of days ago and was very happy to find that people weren't acting as crazy as they were a few days earlier. We both wanted to get everything in order in case the numbers start to go up and we're all asked to stay home as so many others have been.

I am still keeping my head down…this pandemic seems like a ridiculous Lifetime Channel 2-hr movie with all of the idiotic details that could never actually happen in real life--only, it's not a movie at all. We've got the crazy president spouting endless streams of jaw-dropping lies and denying everything going on (only to then do an about-face a day later), the people fighting over toilet paper and hand-sanitizer (captured on millions of YouTubes for incredulous viewing), and the reality of a virus which has infected people in 170 of the world's 195 countries, with total cases now over 200,000. Even prominent officials and movie stars have been infected, it seems so unreal. It's comforting to know that for the overwhelming majority who get this virus, it's like a mild cold. The flu, in comparison, is so much more dangerous! Still, this virus is still a rather unknown thing and that's what's worrisome. In any event, it's now a new cold virus we will have to deal with from now on. Let's hope that it becomes less dangerous to those with respiratory illness as time goes on.

The picture today was taken last April on our first RV trip to Upper Klamath Lake (about two hours from our home). Steve and I went on a "canoe trail" around the lake one day and had a lovely time taking pictures and taking in the peaceful beauty of this wonderful place. It was neat to hear all of the birds in the reeds and those flying by overhead. This lake is an important breeding ground for a plethora of species and a great destination for any bird watcher!

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I hope all is going well for you these days, Pam. I was happy to know that you're looking at all of this with an educated eye and thinking about past sicknesses as a barometer for staying calm and not worrying about this virus. I appreciated your care-filled letter to give me understanding and knowledge too. Yes, this will all blow over, but I sure don't like seeing the numbers skyrocket! *MANY HUGS from southern Oregon*

Explored on 3/18/20; highest placement #9.