Can there be any symbol of resiliency more endearing that a single strand of climbing cactus with a full bloom up where the air and light are free? This one on Calle 28 de Abril Norte in Colonia San Antonio makes me smile whenever I pass by.

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What do we need? HOPE!
When do we need it? NOW!
Who are we going to get it from? NOT FACEBOOK!
Then from who? (Or “whom” or “what”?) WINE!

OK! But are there any other vehicles of hope,
ones that we can remember in the morning?

Jesus, you people …
OK, let’s try song and poetry
Don’t run away!
Song and poetry from the Irish and Welsh
They’ve know suffering and pain
Long enough to find the humor and humanity within.

Here are two that made my morning bright
And I wish the same for you.

First, a hilarious Irish ditty by — I think — one Philip Keane. At least, he’s the lad who uploaded it to YouTube a week ago and has made 4,100 people very happy …

And leave it to the BBC to provide the wit and empathy of Welsh comic and singer Max Boyce, reading his heartwarming poem “When Just the Tides Went Out.”

Boyce has the distinction of recording the only comedy album ever to reach No.1 on the UK music charts — and he’s a mad fan of rugby. And eminently qualified to capture the ethos and pathos and logos of our common fate …

Getting up out of bed is job No. 1 during isolation.
If you don’t do it, the rest of your day is shite
Or just lost.

Seeing these two videos might have been
Just enough to make my day
But here it is 10:30 a.m. and I already have a pile of things
That fill me with gratitude.
The following are some photos of things that
Made me glad that I got out of bed today …

Rose Alcantara ran back after walking Moppit and stood in line for our favorite pastries and coffee and Buonforno’s, just reopened in San Miguel de Allende.

I awoke, rolled over, and through slitted eyes,
This plate came into a woozy focus.
I instantly recognized everything on it,
Every memory this plate conjured,
Every taste that formed in my mouth.

A cup of coffee, an almond croissant, a pistachio bun.
The three-legged stool of my Buonforno’s happiness.
How many times after Pilates and yoga
Did we undo it all in Buonforno’s with these?
How can it be? They are closed. Such a cruel dream.

But this is real. They are open again in a limited careful way.
The next special day wll be when we can sit in the back
With good friends once again and laugh and drink
too much coffee and eat too many sweet rolls.
For now, this is heaven.

More reasons to be cheerful …

The threadbare plaza in front of Parroquia de San Antonio Padua has fresh new landscaping. Each of the garden “islands” has been groomed and given groundcover. The landscaping complements the newly paved roads that border the plaza. They reopen this weekend with flatter paving stones and wider sidewalks.

The online order from Comer supermarket arrived this morning, and only a couple of items could not be fulfilled. But things like shampoo, vitamins, arrachera steak, paper towels, Lysol spray,  fruit, and popcorn — hell yes!

A memory that lingers from last night — Rose Alcantara’s poached pears. “I had to use the rest of your bottle of red wine,” she said, as I moaned with the delight of the pear in my mouth. “The good news,” I replied, “is that I have many more bottles and this is delicious.”