Coronavirus in China, fire in Australia, volcano in the Philippines, forest vanishing in Brazil, protest in Iraq, severe inflation in Venezuela and oh, yes, climate change where the world will end in….  

“End time” says Cindy, pointing to the portend of ravages in the book of Revelation where world events will reach a final climax.  So much for planning your retirement, just enjoy yourselves now because you, too, will “climax!”

I don’t have coronavirus and probably won’t get it-the US is prepared according to officials of the Super Bowl in Florida. The volcano danger alert has been lifted but maybe people should move out of its path anyway?  Brazil is always losing forest according to President Jair Bolsonaro.  Iraqis feigned protesting the US but ultimately are protesting for regime change.  Funny that Venezuela isn’t in recent news even as it decays, succumbing to President Nicolás Maduro’s form of socialism. 

It rained in Queensland the last day of our visit…in fact we saw a rainbow stretching over the Tanton farm our last day. Rainbows are good luck and maybe rain will quench fire’s thirst.  The Tantons, Elizabeth and Barry, took us to their farm two hours south of Brisbane.  The charming house sits on top of a hill with a 360-degree view of their 300 plus acres and a most impressive view west to the Mt. Barney peaks.   Land parched by drought was brought to life by recent rains with frogs croaking as we inspected the “dams” (reservoirs) that had been bone-dry only a week before.  The trickle of a river now flowed 10 meters wide and may have been 30 meters wide when the rains began the day before we arrived.  Barry is considering grazing 100 head of cattle in a few months, once the grass has restored.  What a peaceful and marvelous setting.

We return home exhausted from our travels to New Zealand, Tasmania (actually part of Australia) and Australia.  Cindy jumped from the Auckland Sky Tower and took 3000 photos and caught a cold while standing in an open car on the Dunedin train to the high country.  The vaunted snowy peaks of New Zealand were obscured by clouds, high winds and waves to our disappointment.  I got Cindy’s cold on the way home.  

I will leave climate change as too complex.