Oh no, not again!

I had a great time with Sue, listening to her stories of Yellowstone. She is acutely aware of class privilege, white privilege, entitlement. She showed me pamphlets that whitewash the genocide of Native American people who lived there before it was taken over as a playground for privileged white settlers. 

But she was awed, as she always is, by the magnificence of the land. Geysers shooting silica into the sky, mats of brilliant orange next to turquoise waters, boiling mud pools and hiking trails through dramatic country. She and her sister and brother-in-law hiked ten miles one day, five or so most other days. Unimaginable to me, but I”m glad she has people she can do that with.

It’s sweet to have her home. She made one of my favorite dinners: green beans and cornbread, and a marvelous chicken soup spiced with cumin and ancho chilis. 

But our meditation group had decided a month ago to meet in person for the first time since 2020 on Sunday, and it rained. One of the group who is fanatical in her fear of Covid exposure insisted we meet outdoors (in the rain) under umbrellas with masks on. I got chilled to the bone. Woke up this morning with a runny nose, sore throat, cough…. Here we go again. Tested. Not Covid. I hope it will be a milder virus this time. Comments off because I have no energy. Hope to catch up when I feel better. 

I made this picture of the Burnside Bridge as she drove me home.