Day 32: The Sky's the Limit

San Francisco, California

This is the day we move into a second month of isolation, this is the day that the spectacular climbing yellow rose begins to bloom. Called "The Sky's the Limit," it's beginning to live up to its name, sturdy stalks now a foot higher than the hummingbird feeder, and still climbing toward the deck from which this photo was taken. So many buds. Their weight threatens to bend the plant to breaking. Back in the Midwest, my more paltry roses tended to bloom for only a few days (about the length of a Minnesota spring), bolting as soon as the weather moved from cold through warm to stifling. This is the first time I've lived among roses that wanted to hang around. It's glorious. There will undoubtedly be more rose photos in the weeks ahead.

There's not much to say about the passing of time - day 32 - the first day of the quarantine that can't be a number on the calendar. The politicians argue over when things will get back to "normal" though we all know in our hearts that life will never be the same. Can we even remember what it was like four weeks, six weeks ago, back when we took our lives for granted, back before the roses bloomed?