Delayed autumnal colors – Hiking with Wanderbirds members on the AT – New lockdown in Israel – Strange development in our election – Evening statistics
It is now mid-September and yet the foliage has not begun to change color; the nights have not been cool enough. Flaubert, in his Dictionary of Clichés, includes the following definitions of “Summer” and “Winter”:
“Summer – always ‘unusual.’ (see Winter)
“Winter – always ‘unusual.’ (see Summer)”
However, I don’t think it is an exaggeration to claim that this summer of 2020 has been hotter and has lasted longer than average, at any rate in our area. Normally by this time of year the foliage begins its annual transformation. It is a slow process, not reaching peak until mid-October or beyond. The autumn colors this year may be duller on account of the shortened amount of time for their development.
Nonetheless, it was quite cool this morning when I joined AD and half-a-dozen others to hike from Manassas Gap northward towards the Trico Tower Trail, where we completed a brief loop with the latter trail and a fire road before returning: 10 miles in all and 2100 feet of elevation gain. I am rather sorry I have not visited this area more often in recent months. It is best-known for the profusion of trillium that grows in the Linden area in May but it contains a great variety of vegetation throughout the year and even now, in late summer, there were wildflowers everywhere: jewelweed, mountain sunflowers, knotweed, asters. It was cloudy for the better part of the day, which probably helped to keep the temperature down. It was only during the last mile or so of our return that the clouds parted and the temperature began to get very warm; but even so, it was never warm to the point of being uncomfortable. Afterwards we snacked together, as in the Wanderbird days, with soft drinks and tea and fruit and cheese. It was a near-perfect day, centered around a lovely hike done among congenial company.
Israel will be entering a three-week lockdown, which had been lifted in May. It is the first developed country to take this measure. It has had a surge in new cases – nearly 3,400 per day for the last seven days, an amount which, given the country’s small population size, is proportionately more than four times higher than our own. The earlier lockdown during the spring apparently helped to reduce the rate of infection but it had unfortunate effects on the country’s economy, greatly increasing the unemployment rate. The new lockdown is scheduled to begin on Rosh Hashonah, the beginning of the Jewish High Holiday season. It remains to be seen how successfully the lockdown can be enforced. The Jews have already been deprived of the greater part of the Passover celebrations earlier on account of the virus. Both on Rosh Hashonah (the new year holiday) and the evening at the end of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement, which involves a fast lasting 24 hours minimum and which generally concludes by breaking the fast with a celebratory meal), large family gatherings are traditional. It is going to take a vigorous effort to persuade them to forego such celebrations this year.
Our election is taking a rather peculiar turn – given the circumstances, I suppose it could hardly do otherwise. Republicans are spending a good deal of time having volunteers knocking on doors and attempting to use personal interaction as a means of persuasion. What is peculiar is that they are basing this strategy on a book called “Groundbreakers: How Obama’s 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America” – whose subject, as the name indicates, is about Barack Obama’s field operation during his presidential campaigns. It has become required reading for all Republican staffers – greatly to the surprise of the book’s authors, who did not expect to acquire such an unusual set of devotees. Hahrie Han, one of the co-authors, says that she is not certain whether these new readers have fully comprehended the guidelines she recommends: while the element of personal contact is important, she says, Obama’s campaign succeeded because of the relationships that he slowly build up well in advance before any door-knocking began. However that may be, the Republicans have taken the book that describes the campaigns of a President whom their own candidate has repeatedly maligned as their standard, while the Democrats appear to be ignoring it and to be relying on contact by telephone only.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 29,172,614; # of deaths worldwide: 927,923; # of cases U.S.: 6,707,025; # of deaths U.S.: 198,476. Just over 30,000 new cases today, and less than 350 deaths.