We know we are in the middle of a virus-inspired sheltering-in when a highlight of our Sunday is taking the trash to the curb. Where can we go? Sadly, three of our destinations burned down, and Wunderbar was killed by the pandemic. Remaining bars and restaurants are restricted to outdoor groups and takeout orders. Churches are zooming or streaming. We could always go wandering on Highway 61 and its connectors, so long as we do not stop anywhere.
Earlier in the year, the Timberwolves season ended suddenly, and the Twins had no live crowd noise for a short season. Our good Silver Bay friends, Jim and Cristina Manahan, decamped to Florida. Near year’s end, Joan Drury’s death was a loss to us all.
Suffice it to say, I am beginning to climb walls. Our best entertainment is a live cat video: Pixie skittering wherever she pleases as fast as a speeding bullet, when she is not supine and relaxed as we only hope to be. Firestick has many entries on our watchlist.
Monday’s highlight was unloading the food shelf truck. Sunday’s other highlight was the Vikings’ loss while in the recliner. Saturday’s highlight was five loads of laundry while hoping the Gopher’s football team stayed healthy, also in the recliner. Friday’s highlight was Gophers’ basketball victory over another small-time program, still in the recliner. Most days’ highlight is the post office trip, not in the recliner. We don’t go far, so we rarely need gas for the cars. Myrna’s main excursions are to grocery stores.
We have become intimately familiar with Acorn and Britbox on our Firestick and Roku. For variety and excitement, we subscribe to other services like Hulu ‘s seven-day free trial and then cancel on the sixth day.
Just this week a new highlight, plowing the minimal snow that finally fell on our putative winter wonderland. Other exercise requires determination that is sometimes lacking. Having quit smoking again, there is less need to go outdoors and walk. The YMCA gym is closed again, and pickleball threatened more possible virus exposure when it was open. Watching the plowing of the multi-inches of snow that fell headlined Christmas Eve entertainment. Maybe we should get a dog that will need walking.
Everywhere we look on television and smartphone, there are negative reviews of 2020. While I am glad it is over soon, it seems a necessary correction to our politics and our misguided beliefs about how problem proof we have become. We still have climate warming and virus threats. We will watch to see which of the recent executive orders are repealed for the health of all of us. Hunger, unemployment, too-full prisons, and spotty healthcare access need much more constant attention than we have given to them. That we relearned these things during 2020 makes it a year worth valuing even as we bid it not to repeat.
There have been compensations. We read many more books while sheltering in. We write more. Many of us have things for sale or giveaway on the Grand Marais Area Sell and Swap Facebook site. And we have all the time needed to talk to each other and strengthen our relationship.
I look forward to the return next spring of my Saari golfing partner from his winter snow-birding. That will coincide perhaps with (1) the availability of the vaccine for those of us who are age vulnerable and (2) a return to our improving golf course and resultant gentile exercise.
In the meantime, perhaps there will be some socially distanced weddings to officiate to break the viral monotony. Three such last year were much better than worrying about the election. And we have vaccines and recovery in our looking forward. Le Chaim! Happy New Year!
Steve Aldrich is a retired Hennepin County lawyer and mediator, serving as judge from 1997-2010. He and Myrna moved here in 2016. He likes to remember that he was a Minnesota Super Lawyer before being elected to the bench. Now he is among the most vulnerable to viruses. Steve really enjoys doing weddings, the one thing a retired judge can do without appointment by the Chief Justice. He has not yet officiated a Skype, Zoom or Google Team wedding. Flowers and brickbats may be addressed to the editor or stevealdrich41@gmail.com.
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