Feeding the gophers

I had a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. I did all the right things, but sleep just wouldn't come. I was conflicted about the hiking event the next morning. I wanted to go, and chat with people, but the rules required masking and distancing, which takes the fun out of it. How do you chat with someone walking away from you 6 feet ahead? Even if they are not wearing a mask, you can't see their face, and you have to look down the whole time to avoid all the gopher holes and horse dung.
In the end, I decided not to go. Chris and I had a discussion about it. He thinks there is something wrong with me that I have trouble breathing through a mask. That just made me feel worse. It's not like we evolved to wear masks. I tried to explain to him the rise in anxiety, depression and suicide in society from the lockdown rules outweighs the deaths from Covid and comorbidities. The people committing suicide are giving up decades of life, whereas the covid deaths may be losing only months or a few years. If I were elderly and given a choice, I would rather take my chances with dying from an infection and having my family around, than to live the last of my time on earth locked in a room, isolated, until I died alone. And worse, to know that the next generations are being locked down just so that I can have more time in isolation before I die.
Chris offered to stay home with me, but I encouraged him to go. After he left, I screamed in the closet until I felt better. Then I went on with my day. I wrote some checks and prepared three envelops. I took a walk to the post office to mail them, then walked back the long way. Even though the thermometer read 50, I had to take my light jacket off. It was a warm 50. When I got back, I copied some papers, then put the pattern pages back together they way they came. I went into the closet again to emote one more time before Chris came back.
I was making breakfast when he arrived. He said he walked more than he ran, but he came in third for his age range. He brought me a t-shirt, and one for himself. I checked e-mail and saw Michele had commented on a post Faye made. I called Michele to see how she was doing. She said she is ready to send me some hair for the gophers.
I took the pattern back to Johnnie, and we talked a bit in her driveway. Then I went to the post office to pick up the latest package. It was 8 packages of bone broth. So I walked home the shortest way because it was heavy. Then William called to say he bought Dad a full-size keyboard and stand. He also said Karen was doing well.
I went outside to dig out gopher mounds and tunnels. I put in food scraps and put rocks on top so they can't kick it out. I planted some larger rocks as stepping stones where the grass isn't growing (but the goat's head thorns are).
It was after 5 when I came in for supper: Chris was cooking eggs. I finished off the fish, and had the usual handful of nuts, and a tomato. I ironed fabrics from the dryer, then ate some of the eggs. I put the latest food scraps in three open tunnels and topped them with rocks. We took a short walk to get more rocks. Then I read articles and e-mail.
It was after 8 when I made my magnesium drink (with a little glycine). We watched two episodes of Call the Midwife. Then we dressed our bed in clean sheets. I put on my special glasses to write my blog post. And then we went to bed.
* This pic is from the quilt lodge. *