Chilly night, sunny morning. As I expected yesterday, the fog was gone by the afternoon, burned off by the sun, blown off by the strong wind. By late afternoon when I went up to the roof, the sky was still clear but gusts were bending branches and turning leaves over and and roaring over the rooftops. The wind carried the scent of barbecue sauce, and I looked over the parapet to see a couple bent over a grill on the backyard deck of a nearby house.

It might have been in defiance of recent news about a possible shortage of meat. Tysons is closing meat processing centers. “The food supply chain is in danger” they warn. There are concerns about meat and other products going to waste even as hunger grows. How far will the Trump administration carry their “Die for Capitalism” agenda? Governor Newsome, at least, doesn’t seem to be on board. He has announced a program in which the state will pay restaurants to deliver free meals to “at risk” seniors.

Pandemics can change economies. The plague destroyed the feudal system by killing off so much of the population that labor became scarce. Perhaps the Coronavirus here will wake the United States up enough that we join the rest of the civilized world when it comes to health care and other necessities.

Or perhaps, it will solidify the social darwinism already driving American right wing policy. Shrugging off deaths can become normal if you see those who die as lesser beings, and despising the poor is a venerable American tradition.

In four days, as of Friday, I will have health insurance coverage again. I will be busy that day getting ready for our first cinema discussion on Zoom, but on Saturday I intend to take a walk. We’ll switch to me being the one who goes out, since Michael is older than I am and therefore (it’s presumed) more at risk. I’m a bit curious and anxious about what I will see.