Sunday, March 22, 2020

Spring in the time of coronavirus II

In many ways this is a stranger time than the year after the hurricane. After the hurricane, we had no electricity, no Internet, sometimes no water, and only limited contact with the outside world. We had no real news. Within our own small contexts, we had contact, companionship, community, family. We could come together to help each other do what needed to be done, to care for each other, to help each other get through the grief and the fear and the darkness.

In this strange time we have all those things we were missing - electric, water, Internet, TV, news. (Although how "real" any of the news is is debatable.) But - by design and intent - we have very little human contact.

It's surreal. In a place where cheek kisses and invasions of personal space are the norm, people now stand apart from each other, trying to ignore the person closest to them because that person might be infected or might be a carrier. We cannot, we are forbidden to come together for comfort.

The fear - and the danger - are real. But they are exacerbated by a national government more focused on the "leader's" self-image than the national welfare. The media - the "news" - is either down-playing the threat or over-hyping the sensational. Either way, it is not helpful.

The "social-distancing," whether imposed from within or by decree as it is here in Puerto Rico, is already taking a toll. And there is no end in sight.

We are actually quite fortunate. Our finances are not dependent on a pay-check-to-pay-check job. And we don't live in an apartment. Our house is open and airy; we have a yard for our dogs to play in. We have 22 acres of ranch that we can be in without "leaving home." In fact, to tend to the well-being of our horses, we have to be out in the farm. So we have it much better than many others. And we have each other.

But I miss going out with friends to Ola Lola's. Or dinner with Carole. I miss our Horses of Hope volunteers and riders. I wish we could bring them to the ranch. But you know what I mean. I'm sure you're in the same state of isolation (unless you're doing spring break in Florida). We're all in it together, even if we're separated. And we're in it for the long haul.

Stay safe.

 Spring in the time of coronavirus

Monday, March 16, 2020

"May you live in interesting times." --ancient Chinese curse

These times are nothing if not interesting! Where do I start?

Two weeks ago I did my first DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) scuba dive. I was really excited! I waited over a year for this dive.

DPVs are basically underwater scooters. Divers use them to zip around underwater, kinda like flying, or as one diver put it, "It's like riding a motorcycle underwater." With a DPV a diver can reach dive sites that are too far away for normal swimming. Because the DPV is doing the work, divers don't use as much air - they're nervous like I was. (For all that, I only used a little more air than the instructor.)

We went out into Aguadilla Bay where there are a surprising number of boat wrecks. Hurricane Maria and the "big wave event" the following March moved a lot of sand and uncovered stuff that's been covered for years. Some of the sand has started to fill back in and cover stuff again but it was still very cool!

When I got out of the water, I sent Elaine a text telling her I was out and safe and headed home, just like I do after every dive. She sent me back a message, "Call as soon as you can."

Two of our horses escaped in the night and were no where to be found. She spent the several hours I was gone looking for them. I started looking for them even before I got home. Nothing. No sightings. We made flyers and posted them all up and down the road. By nightfall they still weren't back. About 8:00 PM, just about 24 hours since they were last seen, Elaine heard what wounded like a car crash up on the main road. She went to see what happened and if anyone needed help. She called me. "It's Cas (one of our missing horses). He's dead." He was walking in the road, on his way home we think, and was hit by a car. The only two good things were the driver was not injured and Cas was killed instantly. He was not lying in the road in pain waiting for a vet to come put him down. Meanwhile, through a crazy. nearly miraculous chain of events, Elaine found Yunque, the other missing horse. We were able to get him safely through the chaos of police cars, flashing lights, tow trucks and rain and back home.

The next week was spent in shock and grief, building and rebuilding fences. Yunque escaped once to look for his missing buddy but fortunately didn't go far and we got him back in quickly.

Cas was our adventurer. For him the grass was always better just on the other side of the fence. He could and would go through, around, or over most fences. We found out after the fact that one of the neighbors on the main road actually saw him jump the perimeter fence! Run free, Casanova. I hope there are no fences and nothing but lush green grass where you are. We miss you.

As I write this, Puerto Rico is under lockdown because of the coronavirus. There is a mandatory 9:00 PM - 5:00 AM curfew. Only essential and emergency traffic is allowed. All non-essential business are closed until March 30. Restaurants can open but only for carry-out, no table seating. Even essential businesses - gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores - have to close at 6:00 PM. Schools of course are closed. Swimming beaches are closed. Everyone is supposed to stay in their homes unless they have to go our.

It is so eerily quiet. No traffic sounds, no music blaring from cars roaring down the road. The silence is even more profound than after the hurricane when we had no electricity. The post-hurricane sound track was the constant drone of generators. We have electricity so there is not even the generator noise. Anything that disturbs the silence - our neighbor cutting his grass for example - is jarring and feels out of place.

I hope our island gets a chance to recover soon. First the hurricane then earthquakes now this pandemic. It's tough going.

Y'all be safe and stay healthy!