Corona lockdown in the country
Thank you, those who asked about a missing blog post last Sunday! After my weekend in Italy I went into voluntary quarantine for 2 weeks. Turns out that is not an inspirational state to be in for me. Confined to 4 walls I did not write anything. It wasn’t until some of you asked about content that I remembered the purpose of this blog.
Staying home in the countryside
In times of the Corona epidemic I however cannot encourage anybody to travel. Trust me that hurts me more than it hurts you. For travel is my life and my bread and butter. But for now, let’s see if we can find joy in staying at home. Let’s try virtual travel. In Germany, we are still allowed to go outside, as long as we do not mingle with other people. So I spend my days in the countryside at the moment.
Stars so bright
My bedroom window faces East. Which means in the mornings I get the first rays of sunshine and in the evenings there is little residual light to block the view of the stars. And boy are there stars out here! Far away from big cities or any other light pollution I have only seen stars like this in dark sky reserves like Jasper, AB. Even as a kid I remember appreciating them. With hardly any planes in the sky these days the eye is drawn to the bright milky way.
Candle light each night
The neighbor from across the road had a greenhouse in their garden. He lights a candle inside it to encourage plant growth. Must be something about photosynthesis and carbondioxide, maybe some biologist can elaborate. Either way, at night the glow of that candle in the little greenhouse makes for a rather serene view. Especially as a point of focus below the star dotted skies.
Nature sounds
With the quiet out here I hear so many animals. Often I see deer grazing in the field behind the house. There are also some buffalos on the other side of the creek that I can see from my window sometimes. When I go for walks, I hear dozends of birds I have no idea what all their names are. And completely new sounds in the woods. Just yesterday I heard a high pitch cracking sound seemingly coming from the needles or cones on tree tops when passing under pine trees in the warm afternoon sun.

Spring is on the way
It’s that time of the year when it’s frosty at night and warm and sunny during the day. When spring is making its move and new green emerges every single day. And I know that with people being encouraged to restrict face to face interaction with others, many takes to nature walks. What a pleasure to see that there is some good coming out of this: deceleration.
How are you spending lockdown and quarantine days? Comment below!
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