It is now 4/6, and this post is extremely dated. The United States now leads the world in the sad virus war, which in reality means we are losing the battle.lloyd3 wrote:The thin veneer of civilization is easily torn by almost any form of human hardship. We are risking the destruction of the greatest economy in the world over a variation of a flu bug that has likely been here before. I'd almost rather take my chances than watch the convulsions we're going through now. I do hope that this is resolved quickly.
All of the American freedoms and liberties that make us unique in the world seem to be threatened now. "Never waste the opportunity of a crisis" seems to be the motto of many politicians these days. I pray that they pay dearly for their sins here.
I don't believe much news out of China, having friends who've covered that country, but this seems true: they attacked the problem with Draconian measures, so strict many Americans would have a hard time accepting. Friend of mine in Shanghai with her husband and two kids have been in their apartment for about three months. There they were at the point of arresting scofflaws. They did things we likely won't hear about. We may also never know a true death count.
I'd hope in a few weeks my reply will be dated and irrelevant, but it doesn't look that way at all. A lot more are going to die, and at various ages. Yeah, we're in that demographic they first thought would be hit hardest, but it's apparently taking down all ages, including some very in-shape people. I know of a marathoner who recently died; two healthy LA CO deputies have died, too.
I think the media coverage has been pretty good, pretty constant and the true breakdown is an uncaring and dumb public. Police tape ripped from trailheads, teens hiking in a group of eight, close together; surfer won't leave beach and mouths off at deputy saying, well what're you gonna do about it?, busted with a 1000. fine. (we all cheered for that one.) Paddleboarder refuses to come in off Malibu, two County lifeguard boats corral the idiot and arrest him.
We're being told to stay home, shelter, and I see people walking hanging around in clumps and clusters. If it explodes in the homeless population that may be near 40k here -- and it's already in there, plus the County Jail system -- it will be an apocalypse. That isn't hype, that's the reality here in LA, Calif. NYC is in a very tough fight, we all know. Thankfully our mayor Garcetti, lambasted for his lack of action on the homeless, traffic and overdevelopment, has shown some hair and is starting to lead. Our Gov. Newsome, derided as a philandering pretty boy by his critics, is also showing hair, like Cuomo in NY. Far from taking advantage, they are performing as they should, doing what we elected them to do, lead, take charge, disseminate vital information, and give us some damn hope. God Save the Queen for that magnificent statement yesterday. That was the kind of leadership and message of hope and courage we've seldom heard since England stood alone in 1940.
Now, back to fishing: I've been going out once to twice a week to our local streams, and it's been great. We've had a March miracle of rain and snow, so the local season is saved. Jan-Feb precip was under 1". It would have been a disaster, but we're back in the game. We're in the middle of a good cold storm right now, snow down to 3k', 2"-- 4" of rain here and there. Our fish are still in a recovery from the 5-6 drought years we had, but they appear healthy and strong. The bugs seem in good shape (March Browns moving right now, Baetis in shape; glad I spotted my favorite Epeorus nymphs last outing, my favorite bug of all; and for caddis Rhyacs, Glossos and Psyches are doing well, plus damselflies and Golden Stones are present. I've also had the opp to finally fish some rods I bought over the past months.
As far as pressure, we see a few more guys out, but many So Cal streams are rough and brushy and they don't make for easy-access fishing (which is a good thing, the fish are protected). The easy, open places attract most of the anglers. So, it's all positive: I fish new rods, I'm catching wild trout, 4"--11", on dries and nymphs, and I pick up trash as I move along. The backpack on my Patagonia pack-vest carries about 25 lbs. of cans, styro, plastic, bottles and junk every time I leave a stream.
Take good care in the crisis, my friends. Last word -- think about sanitizing your shoe soles: if the virus lives on surfaces for days, like wood, metal, boxes, what about concrete and floors? Think about it, we walk everywhere, return to cars and home and could be carrying it on the soles of our shoes and boots and sandals. Then we take off our shoes with our hands. Then our hands touch whatever. Or we walk around with bare feet, and don't bother to wash our feet.
I spray my soles at my front door, and remove the shoes. I wear slippers at home. This came up with Asian American friends who routinely never wear a street shoe inside their homes. (the old Japanese tradition). It's like the rubber glove thing, whatever the glove touches will transfer to something else. Again, think safety. And we'll fish forever.
