The Year of Living Covidly

Nothing like starting the day with champagne.   The six of us in our birthday club are all turning 60 this year. Christy was the first to go (sounds like I'm describing someone walking the plank). She is such a generous friend and has made sure that we have all celebrated our birthdays this year, in some form, despite the social distancing we are all having to do because of the pandemic.  So we wanted to do something fun to celebrate her birthday. When we were in high school, way back in the late 70's, we used to have Come As You Are parties. These were surprise parties that happened early in the morning. How they worked is that the two or three girls in charge would call the parents of all the girls going to the party and make arrangements for the parents to leave their doors unlocked so that they could come by early the next morning and pick up their daughters, who did not know about the party. Everyone would be wearing their pajamas. The organizers would make the rounds, co...

Way back during the Democratic primary, I asked my dad who he liked for president. He told me Biden. I didn't say anything, but thought to myself, "No way." In the debates, Biden seemed to me unenergetic, like he was just going through the motions. At the time, other candidates, like Buttigieg and Warren, my favorites, had the momentum. Huh. Little did I know. Dad was right.  "You were right, dad." Some people think my dad even looks a little like Joe Biden. And he wasn't only right about his choice of Biden as the winner; he was right that Biden was the right choice for the times. That became clear from the time Joe clinched the nomination, largely because of the support of African-American voters, through the presidential campaign, through the election and its aftermath, through his swearing in this week.  Joe Biden remained cool, addressing the issues, calling on the best in people. He was presidential. He didn't let himself get roped into all of Trum...

We set out this winter's day down the road that looks like it's cutting through the hollows of West Virginia. For a few days in early January, the atmospheric conditions--the light, temperature, snow--made the world look magical. Like we were all stuck in a snow globe. Has Newman Golf Course ever looked prettier? The trees look like they are holding hands. All the different shades of white and blue and grey. No one yelling, "Fore!" today. Little branches encased in ice. Everything looks crystalline.  Making one's own path. Moving on to WMBD: World's Most Beautiful Drive. It's true even if we aren't sure Teddy Roosevelt said it, it is a grand view on Grand View Drive. Icicles against the sky.  The warmth of the sun began dropping the icicles on our head.  Covid can't keep us from the great outdoors. Standing proudly on its own. The frozen river blends into the sky and shore. Reflecting the rays back to their source. Thanks for suggesting this walk, ...