I visited the doctor’s office this week and was delighted to find no one inside was wearing a mask. When I mentioned this to the girl who was checking me in, she was obviously happy about it, too.
I consider this a positive sign because when I visited a year ago, when COVID was an afterthought for most of us, they handed me a mask when I came in. Because it is hard to say “ahh” and stick out your tongue with a mask on, I felt this was for show, not for anyone’s safety.
In any case, I consider the lack of mask requirements in a medical facility a positive sign that most of the country has not yet fallen under the sway of the latest “scary” COVID news that is making the rounds.
My opinion remains that if you want to wear a mask, go ahead. Just don’t expect me to do so. I choose to wear a gun for my protection, and I don’t expect you to do so (although IMHO preppers should).
A Busy Summer
We’ve had a busy summer. We have had five different visits from friends and families since the July 4th holiday.
In addition to visitors we’ve been busy locally. The longer we are here, the larger our friend circle and community ties grow, and the more obligations we have. For example, over Labor Day Weekend, we went to the house of someone my wife knows through her volunteer efforts on Saturday for appetizers and drinks and then to dinner on Sunday with friends we know from beekeeping. That’s about twice as many organized activities as I like. (In an optimal week, I leave the mountain once or not at all!)
School is back in session, so many families are curtailing their travel. In another 30 days, leaf season will be over. That will mark the end of the tourists. I know local business rely on them for income, but it’s quieter when they are gone. When the temperatures dip, the part-timers who want to live here in the summer will winterize their houses and disappear back to Florida or South Carolina once the temperature drops. I won’t miss them.
Looking forward to a Break
The garden is slowing down, the new chickens are laying tiny eggs, the firewood is dry and seasoned. I am looking forward to some time off to relax. I’d like to spend it in my easy chair with my feet up, a fire in the stove, a book on my lap and a dog at my feet.
There was a rainy week this summer where I stayed inside and read a book a day for several days. Ah, that was nice. It was also my last time of pure relaxation where I did the bare minimum chores and nothing else.
While the cooler weather scares off the transplants, I’m looking forward to it because the cold makes it easier to hike the mountains. Once the undergrowth dies off, you can see further and bushwhacking gets easier. It’s also just plain more fun to walk a couple miles when it is cooler than when you are sweating. As far as I am concerned, summer is effectively over, so winter should hurry up!
