The Holidays Are Over!

 The holidays felt like a month of Sundays! It’s nice to get back to some routine that will help me remember what day of the week it is. The New Year has started with wonderfully mild weather, which I hope is a positive omen for the whole year. I could do with less drama! It has now turned cold though sunny and bright.

I have to give a shout out to my neighborhood again. Rosie and I just got back from our afternoon walk (01/04). We stopped and chatted with 4 neighbors along the way and two others stopped their cars for a brief chat – mostly to say hello to Rosie and wish me a Happy New Year. When we got home, someone else had left a bag of turnips and daikon radishes. Several weeks ago, another neighbor left a little bag of oranges from their tree. All of these are little things but, as I’ve said before, it is always nice to be remembered and all of those little interactions have kept me from feeling isolated.

The Insurrection (1/6/2021): Well, what can I say? Very early on, I said that before it (the trump admin) was over, we would be in the streets. Not even then did I think it would be people trying to overthrow the government! I thought it would be us defending it! You can imagine how disappointing, frightening, and downright sad it was to see the hoodlum hoard (with horns even!) barging into government buildings…and easily. It really was not a large crowd and when I first saw it, I felt no concern that anything like that would happen. I’m sure much more will be revealed over the coming weeks and months.

The morning after the attack on our Capitol, my wrist gadget told me that I got only 42 minutes of deep sleep that night. I don’t doubt that for a second. That is what the last 4 years have been like – almost daily, except on not as large a scale! Most of us who care about what is happening to our country are shelled shocked.

I awakened today (1/8) to a video of trump denouncing the insurrection and throwing his minions under the bus. Naturally, the network folks had also spliced it with his incitement video the day before! The man-child has no shame. So, like many mornings of the past 4 years, I spent some time contacting GOP officials encouraging them to impose the 25^th Amendment, even though I have no faith that they would do the right thing. Then I made stuffed peppers!!

Our Pandemic Pals had full attendance once again at Chris’s house. It was the first time we were all together in several weeks – and, boy, did we have a lot to discuss! It was great to see Chris again after her negative Covid test. As we were leaving, Chris gave us a gift sent to us by her sister, who is a trump supporter. It was an RBG mask!! It has one of her famous collars along the top and her initials on one side (which you can’t really see clearly). That was such a nice surprise and a very sweet gesture.

The past weekend (01/09) was chilly and good for staying inside and putting away Christmas decorations. It takes about two days to do it all and there was no reason to rush. We’ve been having late mornings, waiting for things to warm up enough for Rosie to tell me she’s ready for her walk.

Recently, I’ve had a burst of productivity and have gotten a few things done around the house. Listening to audiobooks via ear pods really helps as they keep me occupied and I can move around. Today I discovered that I can access C-Span on my phone and tablet (I don’t get it with streaming. It’s the only thing I missed about cable.). So, as we go from one crisis to another, I can stay on top of things. I’m pathetic, I know!!

Well, I thought I was close to getting the Covid vaccine; but, alas, South Carolina performed to its usual standard. We were told that those 70 and older could begin signing up for the vaccine on the 13^th. That sounds easy but it was difficult to find out where to sign up online and once I did, websites began to crash. Two days later, I was able to sign up. I should have received a follow-up email that would allow me to select my date and location to receive the shot. But, before that email arrived, I received an automated phone message that my application had been canceled due to a shortage of supply of vaccine! So, from the 13th – 15^th, the entire allotment had been allocated. I would love to know how much the state received, how much they thought they were getting, etc. And of course, the reserve the trump admin touted was non-existent!!  I guess it is just part of the trump/GOP smoke and mirrors to the very end. Only three more days of this nightmare!