The COVID Winter is Upon Us

Well, Well.  As our sinister 2020 continues galloping along, with election day less than two weeks away, our third national wave of COVID is in full swing. And this time, Montana is not immune.  Nearly 1,000 new cases yesterday, and a handful of newly recorded deaths.  As some folks continue to nonchalantly traipse around sans mask, it's no wonder infections continue to waft around the population.   

The ever evolving stages of isolation, although each unique in its own way, seem to have plateaued with a sameness that is by now familiar.  I'm even beginning to make peace with the reality of another long, cold winter.  A foot of fresh snow is expected in the next 24 hours, including overnight lows dipping near zero.

I hemmed and hawed all day whether to run today in moderate conditions, then skip tomorrow in the snow storm.  Determined instead to enjoy my off day to its fullest, as I look out into the whiteout, my second thoughts are moot.  I have run so many winter days, in crappy conditions, my final verdict was that tomorrow I will do so again.   Besides, I would have missed the throw back showing of Back to the Future at Cinemark, for $3, which I hadn't seen in years.  Great, fun flick.  And that's what I'll keep telling myself for three miles tomorrow, tromping through snow banks trying to see my way with blurry, wet sunglasses.

All is not forlorn however.  I had a garden for the first time in nearly a decade, complete with heirloom tomatoes, and while not abundant, each tastes like a rare delicacy.  The small bag of tender carrots amounted to more than I expected judging from the sparse green tops visible at the end of the season. With a new dry pea/rice/barley mix I picked up this week, I'll add my tomato sauce base, some red potatoes and carrots for a hearty soup.  Additionally, I have a new online library account and have made fast progress, just today beginning my third book.

As we all hold our breath for election night, vigilantly praying for a different outcome than four years ago, 2020 threatens to dash our hopes.  It all depends solely on who votes and who stays home.  I have no doubt the monumental turnout will break all prior voting records by millions.  It feels like this is the last ditch effort to rescue the heart and soul of America.  Although once the masses have forsaken their goodness, ethics and honesty, the climb back to humanity may be insurmountable.  Nothing less than a miracle will save us.

 

Okay Billings, What's Your Story?

For many years now I have seen the same Billings IP address crop up in my "blog stats" although for the life of me, I post here so rarely, I'm surprised you still bother to even check back. The last post was on January 1, 2020 the dawn of a new year that I, hilariously, thought was going to come in like a wonderful, whirlwind flash of a new day.  New opportunities for lovely  adventures, excitement simply in the number itself, 2020, and most importantly, the year we'd boot Trump out of the White House with a resounding "OKAY ASSHOLE, WE'VE HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH" vote.  Instead it seems 2020 almost immediately started to ooze shit all over us, right off the bat, and now we're really in the thick of it.

 

Kobe was a dark, jolting blow, but we had no idea of the gathering storm on the horizon.  Now we are all watching stunned as the slow motion train wreck of COVID-19 envelopes the world. 

 

So back to my Billings Stalker, which is just a fun label.  I've experienced a real stalker, which I've written about in these pages, so someone checking in on a public page like this, ever so occasionally, does not rise to the "stalker" level.  I image you a white, conservative male in your mid 60's. Don't ask me why, although this is Montana, a republican red state.  I really have no idea though and I suppose you could be some young 30-something woman.  Nah, I doubt it.

 

It should go without saying that almost no one, and I mean a handful in a year, come across this blog and bother to even take a look.  And all of those happen upon it by hitting "next" on the blog button.

But I am curious and at least I have quite a few old posts to peruse through to make up for never posting.  However, judging from your visitor history, it's just "meh" for the old pages.  

 

I wish I could claim all my writing time these days is spent working at editing my memoir, now several years in the writing, but alas, my writing is mostly work related and not very creative.  Although, I do believe the practice has made me a better writer. 

A few parting thoughts on the Coronavirus.  One, I think half of us in the U.S. will have it, whether asymptomatic, mildly ill (that's my category) or on our death beds with it.  Two, the eerie silence in town is actually not eerie at all but a nice reminder that when everyone just stops, the quiet can be comforting.  Albeit a reminder that all the unpleasant noise in the world comes from us humans.  Three, who knew teleworking from your own home would feel more productive, relaxing, and communal with those we work with, sending notes by email, going above and beyond the norm to serve the greater good of the organization.  Four, having a daughter launch her new career in health care, in California, as the virus was launching itself on its worldwide quest is not my ideal scenario.  We will, eventually, come out the other side of this a changed world.   Some aspects will be for the better; at least an equal amount worse. For all its good and evil, human nature prevails. 

p.s. Billings, thanks for reading.

 

Holy Shit it's 2020!

Happy New Year to you.  Thought I'd start out the new year with a bit of writing, something I aim to do more of in 2020.  I have high hopes for this next year, impeaching Trump (done, and thank you very much!) and removing him from office, are at the top of my wish list. Nancy Pelosi is my hero.  She's smarter and more strategic, than Trump.  Although nothing in his chaotic world indicates he's ever had a coherent strategy about anything.  If the lemming senate republicans refuse to abandon a sinking ship of rats, voting him out is Plan B.  If we voted in Obama, and Hillary had three million more votes, I feel we as a nation with a large contingent of still sane individuals should be up for the task.

Went for my first run of 2020 this morning.  Continuing my three miles four days a week for the foreseeable future feels great.  While out this morning I thought there may be a driver or two who passed me and thought, how ambitious, she's made a new year's resolution. But the Helena locals, many who've seen me out there more than once, know I've been at this for a while now.

Decided to post some of my favored photos.  This year brought new adventures which took the place of the usual ones. The LA baby who I've trekked to see three times, which turned into only two since he was 10 days late! And the Atlanta graduation with the accompanying weekend celebration and cabin in the woods of Cloud Canyon near the Tennessee border.  A border we ventured across when confronted with the blue laws of Georgia, the nerve of us trying to buy beer on a Sunday!  So we buzzed 20 minutes up the road and scored us some tasty Chattanooga IPA's to go along with our evening game time.

So onward and upward.  Remember to be present, aware of those around you, and strive for truth, honesty, kindness and compassion. Not just for others, but for yourself as well. We're all in this together.