Not a Fan of Winter -- or a Pandemic

Nor am I a fan of traveling during a pandemic.
So I guess I'll endure another Midwest winter as we wait for some relief from the coronavirus.

I know there are many that are traveling and our favorite spots in Mexico are among the few places that still allow US tourists, but I think we'll stay put for now. Morning coffee by the fireplace wouldn't be my first choice, but it's not a bad thing either. 

Here in Southwest Missouri, life goes on as usual for most people. While many still refuse to take the simple steps of wearing a mask or not gathering in groups, our local hospitals are filling up with covid19 patients and having to deny treatment or care for other health issues. 

Last week I noticed a number on my blog stats -- the number of views my blog has had since its beginning. Today that number is 275,164. 
I've been writing since July of 2006 and this is my 2,096th post. To be sure, my simple blog is not widely read, but it only took 10 months for the number of US deaths to surpass the number of views on a blog that I've been writing for more than 14 years! By March of 2021, the US deaths will probably be twice that amount. The death rate in the US is now about 1 death due to covid19 EVERY 30 DAMNED SECONDS!

I get it. You're tired of staying home. You're healthy and the virus isn't going to kill you. Let the people that are immuno-compromised take precautions. 
By now, we all know people that have tested positive and it was no big deal. Most of us also know someone that was very sick from the virus and may still be dealing with the after effects months later. I would think that there are very few of us that haven't personally known someone that has died from covid19 -- and yet, here we are.

Today and tomorrow will be around 50f (10c) in the Ozarks. I'll spend some time in the sun and maybe enjoy a cigar or two. I'll probably even take the motorcycle out for a little ride. I'll avoid people (I usually do, anyway) and wear a mask when I can't. If you know someone that shouldn't be out, perhaps you can offer to run errands for them. Or maybe you can just give them a call to let them know they're not alone. Winter has enough suck without the added isolation of a pandemic.

Be kind. 
Think of others.
Love your neighbor. (I read that "love your neighbor" thing in a book. It was a Good Book.)

John