Last Ride

Today, official numbers are:
   USA:  1,242,267 sick; 
               72,767 dead
   World: 3,765,648 sick,
                260,384 dead

Now the numbers are projections of illnesses and deaths. For its  total population and demographics heavy with us elderly, Florida has been a charmed state, ranking 45th, with 657.9 deaths per 100,000 residents. The US is 726 deaths per 100,000.

One factor is that many of us began our self isolation early, even though our governor dragged his heels on declaring stay-at-home orders and our Spring Breakers partied on. Old people are cautious. Now many Floridians are anxious to have the open-up orders given as quickly as possible. It’s the economy, stupid, to use that Clintonesque phrase. And I have sympathy. Thank goodness all of our children have jobs deemed “essential”. Most families weren’t that lucky. For Grant and me, stay-at-home will be our way of life until we know more.

No, We Can’t Ride Without Our Mirrors  

In the meantime, our year of living on Key Biscayne is over. This morning, we took our last ride on the Key up to Biscayne Bay. I love Miami. It is such a beautiful city, perhaps because it’s so new. The architecture is playful. Lots of color, cutouts, odd shapes. One of the buildings downtown has huge ribbons and bows tied on it.

We are almost all packed up, ready for the movers to come tomorrow morning. Grant is cleaning the refrigerator, and I’m sanitizing the bathrooms. Two more boxes to tape shut. Then it’s either drink the dredges of the booze or dump them down the drain. I’m working on the former. Coconut rum on ice. Next up is the anisette.