The Year of Pandemic

2020 has been a year like no other. At the end of 2019, there were news from China about an outbreak of a new deadly virus.  Most of us didn't think too much of it. It was all the way on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. As the months went by, it had reached Europe.  Italy was hit particularly hard with the highest death toll then it came to the States.  At the end of March, while I was working in the office, the Shelter in Place order came from the County Official and the State Governor. We were told that we needed to "flatten the curve" of the virus infection rate. Within a few hours, we were all making arrangements to work from home. 

The following week, all the retail stores and restaurants were closed.  Only essential businesses were open such as grocery stories and hospitals. Suddenly, it felt like we were in a war as the city streets, mass transit and freeways were empty.  Everyone's weekend outing plans were cancelled. Schools were closed. All non-essential air travel was cancelled.  My home became the safest and only place I could be. 

With all the time staying at home, I started working on the garden and other home projects every weekend and sometimes after work. My old garage door was in need of a fresh coat of paint. I thought instead of just painting it with one color, why not paint something interesting on it.  Although I have done much drawing in recent years, I made a pencil sketch on paper.  Within a week, I repainted my garage door with lilac color hibiscus flowers on a bright golden yellow background. Many people in the neighborhood stopped to compliment the painting.  Most of my neighbors were surprised that I can draw and paint a mural.  I often see people stopping on the sidewalk taking photos of the painting.

There were tentative plans to lift the shelter in place order on June 1st.  Unfortunately, people couldn't stay home during Memorial weekend.  The infection rate shoot up again after the holiday weekend. 

During July 4th weekend, I picked as many plums as I could to give away to people in the neighborhood.  For some reason, every plum tree in El Cerrito were covered with super juicy sweet plums.  Many people were giving away plums on NextDoor.

After all the plums were gone, I decided it was time to get rid of the grass and plant some bee flowers. I started with the small patch on the sidewalk.  It took me about a week, one hour a day, to dig up all that tough grass.

By now, some businesses were allowed to open as long as certain guidelines are followed. I made a trip to Annie's Annuals and Perennials and got a bunch of bee and butterfly friendly and drought tolerant plants. I am particularly excited about the hollyhock.  After all the plants were planted, someone in the neighborhood was giving away extra mulch since they ordered too much for their yard.  I was able to get enough to cover the area. 

It's been exciting to see many people taking advantage of this time to redo their gardens.  Last weekend, I have finally removed all the grass in the front yard.  Now I am just waiting for the HomeDepot gift card to arrive in the mail so I can go get the soil and compost for the new front garden.

Bike to Work Day

Today was the annual Bike to Work Day.  Many cities around San Francisco Bay Area participate in this annual event including City of El Cerrito. The City hosted an energizer station from 7 am to 9 am next to El Cerrito Plaza BART station to promote the event and the healthy lifestyle of bicycling as a way of transportation and exercise.  At the energizer station, city employees handed out goodie bags, snacks, drinks and provided bicycle maintenance tips. For the very first time in my life, I participated in this event. Many years ago I rescued a vintage bicycle from the apartment complex dumpster where I lived at the time.  It was covered in tape. I think it was done on purpose to discourage thieves. I removed most of the tape, replaced some parts, and a friend gave it a tune up. It turned out to be a beautiful bike.  I can't even tell which manufacturer made the bike. It has just one label that says "Lifetime Warranty call 1-800-USA-Bike for any question".  The bike is heavy compare to newer bikes. It also has coaster brakes instead of hand brakes.  While I like my unique bike a lot, I don't ride it often.  One of the reasons is that I don't want it to get stolen.

My bicycle complete with a wire basket

A few days ago, I decided that I would participate in the Bike to Work Day this year.  I got the bike out of the garage and hosed it down in the backyard.  I had not been on the bike for many years. I even did a trial ride of 4 blocks to work; however, I had to ride further this morning to get to the energizing station. I didn't see too many bicyclists on my way there at 7:15 a.m.  As I got closer, I saw many people and children with their bikes. It was like a party!   I had some drink samples of chicha morada and passion fruit from El Mono, the local Peruvian restaurant that I love.  I grabbed some snack and a Bike to Work canvas bag filled with goodies.  There was a lot of excitement, and I wished that I could stay longer.  I didn't want to be late to work so I started pedaling again along Ohlone Greenway.  When I got to work, I was 10 minutes early!

Cracus Loves Playgrounds

Earlier this year Cracus completed an intro circus class at Canine Circus School in Oakland. It was obvious to everyone in the class that Cracus has two speeds - running fast and stop. He did all the training as fast as he could. He was impatient when he had to wait for his classmates to take their turns. He is a natural for doing circus tricks, so I continue to do the routines and make new ones with him at home.

Recently my "sidekick" Katie from next door has been going on walks with me and the pups. As we pass by different playgrounds, Katie always wants to go on the slides. Cracus is always eager to join Katie. He'd run up the stairs as fast as he can and also run down the slides!

We have played on the slide and the swing behind El Cerrito Library. Katie wanted to go to Cerrito Vista Park . I didn't know which park until we arrived. I used to pass by this park everyday on my way to junior high school. It didn't have these fancy play structures back then.  Cracus ran up and down the slides with Katie.  I wish I could get a slide for our backyard!

Bruce King Memorial Dog Park

I have been meaning to write something about this little dog park in El Cerrito just a couple blocks from our new house. It was one of the pluses when I was considering purchasing our new home. This is the park that's always open and within a very short walking distance. However, we don't usually see people there.  A dog park is pretty lonely when there is only one or two dogs.

We are hosting a young hound for a few days who needs a bit more exercise than our normal routine. We walked over to Bruce King Memorial Dog Park in the morning,  and to my surprise, there was a group of dogs their with their people chatting like a group of old friends. They had all sorts of toys and were all large breeds. Cracus fit right in then. He thinks he's a big dog. It turned out, they are the morning regulars who stop by every week morning before they go to work. Wow, that's dedication.

El Cerrito Hillside Natural Area

Recently someone at Point Isabel handed me a flyer about El Cerrito Hillside Natural Area. I guess it's somewhat new, and it became available through donations to preserve the land. I have been wanting to check it out. This afternoon, I took some outdated electronics to the recycling center on Schmidt Lane and passed by the sign of El Cerrito Hillside Natural Area.  It was my perfect opportunity to check it out. I even had Kelsey with me!

It's definitely a change of scenery from the water front view of Point Isabel. I hiked up the hill where there were benches for people to enjoy the view. I was supposed to keep Kelsey on the leash, but she refused to walk up the hills with me holding the leash. Since there were hardly anyone else around, I let her go leash free. She then followed behind me and climbed up the hill.  Once we were on the top, we could see the bay and even Bay Bridge. It was smoggy on the other side of the bay, but if you look closely, you can see the bridge.  I really enjoyed the short hike.

Veggie Patch on Central and Lexington

I enjoy walking around my neighborhood with Kelsey. This morning as I walked pass Central and Lexington, I noticed this little vegetable patch right on the side walk. Despite of its small size, it has a combination of vegetables growing in it, and everything is as big as it can possibly get. I recognized my favorite eggplants in the middle immediately. There are also green onions, chili peppers, shungiku (garland chrysanthemum), Swiss chard, etc. 

I was just amazed at how many different edible plants could fit in that little patch of soil. You can make a good meal out of these vegetables. This patch is located just a block from El Cerrito Plaza BART station, so I think the local deer don't travel to this area; otherwise, I am sure these vegetables would be consumed by deer already.
 

Rediscover El Cerrito - Stockton Avenue

I spend most of my free time hanging out in Berkeley for its large selection of bakeries, coffee shops, and restaurants. A few years ago, I noticed a few shops popping up on Stockton Avenue in El Cerrito. I didn't think they would last.  I thought there simply wouldn't be enough foot traffic to support the business. A few days ago I got a coupon for a small cup of coffee at Well Grounded Tea & Coffee Bar on Stockton Avenue, one of the shops that I saw a few years ago. I normally walk Kelsey just a block short from Stockton, so I thought I'd walk over and check out the shop while getting a free small cup of coffee.

This morning I went in the small coffee shop for the first time at 8:30 a.m.  To my surprise, it was full of patrons, and there were 3 friendly staff behind the counter taking people's orders. The coffee was surprisingly good and strong.  The customers were all friendly and asked me about the very well behaved dog, Kelsey, who was tied to a tree outside of the shop.

While I enjoyed my coffee, I walked across the street to check out other shops. They are Hibiscus Boutique Spa and The Glenn Custom Framing among a few others. Outside of the framing shop, there is a little cute free library full of books.  I couldn't resist not to take The Dog Park Club by Cynthia Robinson. I read its introduction, and the story takes place in Berkeley. I can't wait to read a mystery novel that's about a dog park and takes place right in my neighborhood!