Butterfly

We were sitting in the garden last evening watching the goldfinches take their baths in the fountain and two butterflies fluttering around the purple scabiosas. I am heartened to see more butterflies this year, but must confess that I'm not sure what kind this one is. I think it's a Painted Lady, but It is almost completely black on the other side of its wings*. I'm sure there's a butterfly expert out there in Blipland who can identify these beautiful creatures....

As people are growing restless and the weeks pass, a lot of people, some without a thought in their heads than their own self aggrandizement, not to mention enrichment, are starting to make noises about 'opening the country' and 'going back to work'. Some are citing the 14th Amendment to the Constitution as if it gave them the right to do whatever they want, or is even relevant. Others concerned with overwhelmed hospitals and lack of testing materials, counsel patience, while still others scramble to help the legions of people who have lost their jobs and their businesses. What we are all wondering now is, 'How are we going to get out of this?' It is extraordinarily difficult to balance preventing the spread of the virus without tanking the economy. The Federal government can , and does, print money, but the states can't do that.

While I was trying to find out what kind of butterfly this is, I ran across a series of articles from the San Francisco Chronicle describing an almost identical scenario from almost 100 years ago. The so-called Spanish flu was raging across the city, 5,000 people had died of this uncontrollable flu, people had been ordered to wear face coverings outside but stay indoors as much as possible.

Practically nothing has changed in 100 years. That in itself is quite astonishing to me in these days of so called 'modern medicine' and 'miracle cures'. There is still no vaccine, no  effecive treatment, and limited testing ability. The only way to cut down on the number of new cases is social distancing and isolation, and the wearing of face masks, exactly the same as 100 years ago.

By October of 1918, the number of new cases across San Francisco was dropping (what would now be called 'flattening the curve') and the face mask order was rescinded. People rushed into the streets, threw their masks into the air, and crowded the bars and restaurants.

By January 1919 there had been a resurgence of the virus and there were even more cases than before. I know our public health officials today are all too familiar with this history. I too am familiar, because my mother's sister, a nurse, died of the Spanish Influenza during that resurgence.
I don't envy Dr. Sundari Mase, the Sonoma County Public Health Director, and governments all over the world, who must make the final call about when and where we can take off our masks and go back to the bars and restaurants. If there are any left....

*see extras