Author: Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Patient reader, I have to extend the holiday by one day to complete an article. Tomorrow I will go all out. ——Lambert

Today’s Bird Song

Two swans, not swimming… They are not joking about the “trumpeter” part. This pair of partners sounds like a parade of fans after victory!

Here are a few Covid charts. Number of cases in the U.S.:

To me, this looks like a three-day weekend to report a problem. (It is worth noting that the number of cases may be underestimated. All home tests are not counted, and not everyone can be tested.)

Not updated here is CDC fast-rising counties As of December 29, 2021:

Oops. California and Texas suddenly looked ugly at all. (I did not add blue dots so as not to cover up the spread of red, but those blue cities did not look any better.)

Not updated the previous one (12/28/2021):

Here, thanks for the keen eye of the astute reader Chris from Georgia, I have effectively dotted the major cities of the same fast-growing counties-blue (plus Denver and Nashville). It seems that some kind of internal enemy is happening in those blue cities… (Chicago is not red, but pink, so there is no point.)

Not a flexible one in Bezos’s course, but still:

Plant contact information: Readers, please feel free to contact me via lambert [UNDERSCORE] Bondage [DOT] current [AT] Yahoo [DOT] com to (a) learn how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (b) learn how to send me plant images. Vegetables are no problem! Fungi and corals are regarded as honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, put it in parentheses at the beginning of the message: (so). Otherwise, I will use your initials for anonymization. See the previous water cooler (with plants) here. Today’s factory (JD):

JD wrote: “Living here for a long time. A few years ago, I took this picture while walking my dog ??in a lovely place called Mt. Misery in western Boston. This picture is actually a small pond, reflecting October All the brilliance.” Mt. Misery is the newest English name I have ever heard. Nevertheless, what a gorgeous photo!

reader: Water Cooler is an independent entity no Covers the recently concluded sums-thank you! — Successful annual NC fundraising event. Therefore, if you see a link that you particularly like, or an item that you can’t see anywhere else, please don’t hesitate to express your gratitude in a tangible form. Remember, the tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback not only makes me feel good, but also lets me know that I am on the right track of reporting. When I have not received donations for five or ten days, I will be very worried. More obviously, continuous donations help me pay for my expenses. I took this into consideration when setting fundraising goals: