Sunny weather... and sleep

Finally the sun comes out.

Yet for all it's been a cool and cloudy spring and early summer, it has not rained all that much. Almost the entire state is still in drought, except for the Blue Mountains and a thin strip along the Idaho border. I have to hope that the cooler temperatures and drizzle that we've had mean that soil and vegetation aren't as dry as usual, and that will help keep fire season down.

I cannot picture an evacuation-- from fire, or hurricane, or anything else-- under these conditions.

Oh yeah, conditions. Infection rates spiking across the nation, and still nothing but stupidity and denial from the federal government. I'm increasingly convinced that we will not have in-person school-- even the "hybrid" model-- by fall. Maybe not any part of next year.

It's awful, but it's better than having children dying. Or surviving, but suffering some of the weird sequelae that are now being uncovered.

The economic havoc that is being wreaked worldwide has barely begun to be felt.

Lots of people are reporting having trouble sleeping. Some of it may have been due to less exercise associated with not commuting: even for people who drive, there's an irreducible amount of physical effort involved in getting to one's car. My normal commute by bus involves several blocks of walking. And of course, lots of people (used to) bike to work.

Most of it seems to be stress.

I have an atypical stress response: I sleep more. When we first went on work from home, I was sleeping an extra couple of hours per night. It's now down to only a little more than usual per night most nights, but I am prone to take long naps on days I'm not working. I'm definitely one of the lucky ones.

Todd got a blanket that has massively reduced his insomnia. It's weighted. I was skeptical, but my God the thing works-- it's like magic. It's like a quilt filled with tiny glass beads: I imagine each one painted with a closed eye.

Books Available
Country Well-Known as an Old Nightmare's Stable
High-Voltage Lines
Knocking from Inside