Shelter in Place, San Francisco, December 7, 2020

A neighbor’s vine has climbed over and is slowly making its way along our eastern fence. I’m not sure what it is. The plant is not unwelcome and (so far) seems relatively benign. Still, when my legs have better balance, I may climb back there to pull it down as I do periodically to the more vigorous and destructive ivy growing further down the way. We’d really prefer the fence stay where it is.

Our city begins, today, another round of shutdown much like the one that first confined us to the house and garden back in March. The criteria for the order is a 15% capacity of hospital ICU’s and though San Francisco is just a little shy of the benchmark, the city has decided it cannot afford to wait. As a result, the streets are even quieter today than they have been (I didn’t know that was even possible), though just now I hear a quiet conversation coming from across the fence.

Truth be told, John and I have been so conservative - staying isolated through all of these months with and without the city’s blessing - that our behavior will not change much at all with these new rules. Still, somehow just knowing the rules are out there, we will feel ourselves more confined. At least the guesswork will be gone - we don’t have to debate anymore the circumstances under which it’s OK to leave the house. We are here for the duration. Waiting. Wondering. Surrounded and protected by the fence.