About Winter

Longtime readers of this blog will undoubtedly know how I feel about winter.

I hate it. I detest it. I find nothing to like about it.

Here are the things I hate about winter:

• Cold daytime temperatures, and even colder mornings.
• Snow (Luckily, we don't get a lot of snow where I live, but even a small amount is too much.)
• Darkness.
• I am always cold, except when I'm in bed between flannel sheets and under a warm blanket and a weighted blanket.
• Drab, colorless environment.
• Exorbitant heating bills. (I heat with propane, which is an expensive way to heat a house).
• Slick roads
• The sound of the furnace running incessantly 
• Static electricity everywhere in the house
• Heavy, constricting clothes: coats, hats, scarves, mittens, gloves
• Glasses that steam up when I enter a warm/er building.
• The length of winter
• Frozen pipes
• Runny nose

So there you have it. I never liked winter, even as a child. I grew up in the Chicago area, and back then, winters were worse than they are now. I did go sledding sometimes, but I have never enjoyed outdoor winter activities. I tried ice skating and never got the hang of it. I went on a 3-day ski trip to Lake Tahoe. I spent more time falling onto the snow than on my skis. The only outdoor winter activity I enjoyed was snowshoeing at Yellowstone National Park. It was a fairly warm (for February in Yellowstone) day, and I had a good time. But other than that single experience, I prefer to stay inside on a cold day.

There at least a couple months of cold weather where I live, but at least we are slowly getting more daylight each day. Soon enough winter will be in the rear view mirror and I can start to look forward to warmer temperatures, longer days and lighter clothing.

 

The Blog in Retrospect

I did a lot of blogging in 2020.   One reason is that I was home most of the time and had more time to devote to writing. I didn't get to travel aside from one hiking trip to Georgia in February, before the pandemic took control of our lives. The other reason, sadly, is that the incompetent, corrupt and impeached president* and his gang of corrupt cohorts provided so much about which to write. Writing is my favorite way to express my thoughts and feelings, and there was a lot about which to write in 2020. I wrote a lot about political shenanigans and the threats to our nation from our own government. I wrote about the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and about the government's bumbling, some would say criminal, response to the pandemic. I wrote about the death of my dog and about the need to donate whatever we can to help feed those struggling to get enough food. And I wrote about the hope for a better four years ahead under a new administration. People from 34 countries visited the blog and read my thoughts and hopes and fears at least once during 2020. There were a few new countries added to the list, including Cambodia, Serbia and Turkmenistan.   To everyone who visited, from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the UAE, thank you for stopping by.   Your thoughts and comments are always welcome. And regardless of where we are from, let us work together to make 2021 a much better year.

America's Epidemics

This country is suffering through a pandemic.

Yes, we all know about the coronavirus pandemic. But I believe we are in the midst of another, more insidious, pandemic: the pandemic of hatred. I guess it isn't fair to call this a pandemic, as its focus is the United States. So let's just call it an epidemic. 

Here are just a few examples.

• There is an epidemic of anti-Semitism in the US, with headstones in Jewish cemeteries being defaced and synagogues attacked.
• There is an anti-science, anti-vaccination, anti-mask epidemic.
• There is an epidemic of bullying and threatening by people who disagree with others, including government and public health officials.
• There is an epidemic of selfishness and a pervasive 'it's all about me' attitude.
• There is an epidemic of false patriotism among conservatives and evangelicals. Walking around wrapped in a flag with an assault weapon strapped to your chest does make you a patriot.
• There is a continuing epidemic of public distrust of the democratic process and institutions. 
• There is an epidemic of belief in conspiracy theories, no matter how ludicrous and far-fetched.
• There is an epidemic of desperate legal challenges to the outcome of the 2020 election, based on non-existent and unproven charges of massive voter fraud.
• There is a real potential for an epidemic of right-wing domestic terrorism.
• There is an epidemic of lies, exaggerations and incitement to violence by the far right.
• There is an epidemic of misogyny and racism.
• There is an epidemic of ignorance or stupidity among millions of Americans.

Sadly, there is no vaccine against this epidemic. There is no vaccine to increase intelligence, common sense, rational thinking and tolerance. The coronavirus vaccine should bring control of the pandemic fairly quickly. Resolving the issues of hatred, racism and the other aspects of the social epidemic we are facing won't be so easy.

2020, Be Gone!

As this terrible year finally approaches its end, all I can say is 'Be Gone!'

Has a year -- any year -- ever been this horrible for so many people? Not in recent history. I would guess that the closest any year has come to bringing so much death and suffering was 1918, when the flu pandemic ran rampant. Estimates are that some 50 million people around the world died of the flu, with some 675,000 American lives lost. Coronavirus, by contrast, has so far killed more than 1.78 million people, 338,000 in the US. And these horrible figures are despite great improvements in health care since 1918. The holiday surge in travel is expected to dramatically increase the number of infections and deaths in the US. And a new, more contagious variant of the virus has appeared in several countries, including the US.

Millions have lost their jobs or had their hours cut dramatically. More than 100,000 businesses have closed for good. Children and teachers had to learn about remote learning via computer. Incidents of domestic violence and suicide increased, as did sales of alcohol. Millions are facing loss of homes and apartments.

On a personal front, this year saw the death of my dog from cancer, following the loss of her sister a year ago. That's two deaths in just more than a year. My cousin, her husband and their two high school age children came down with coronavirus. My close friend lost her 15-year-old dog to cancer. An online friend lost her 5-year-old dog to cancer. Another friend just lost her 14-1/2-year-old dog. A neighbor lost her nearly 13-year-old dog to cancer. I have been unable to travel due to the pandemic. 

People are waiting in line for eight or nine hours for a box of food. Non-profit organizations are struggling to survive as donations and volunteer help dwindle. I developed kidney stones and went through three treatments to get rid of them. And now I have new ones.

The Republican party continues its ridiculous attempts to overturn the will of the people and install an autocrat as King Donald I. That won't work, of course, but it shows how desperate and depraved the party has become as it struggles feverishly to turn American into an oligarchy, where power and money are held only by a small group of old, white men. 

The cult followers of the would-be autocrat must be dealt with as they try to destroy the country and attempt to return America to a nation where only white men have power. Minorities and women must, in their view, be put in their places. As the new administration will be inaugurated -- an administration with a -- gasp!! -- woman of color as vice president, and a cabinet that represents the diversity of America -- these throwbacks to the 18th century are beside themselves. They are desperate to hold onto their 'white men only' version of America. They are losing power, and they are terrified, which makes them desperate as their 'dear leader' encourages their violent, hate-filled resistance to the rule of law.

So yes, let us put this horrible  year behind us. Let us start the process of healing our country, a country that has come close to being destroyed by a psychotic autocrat who has no interest in governing, but who wants only the power and attention he so desperately craves. Let us say goodbye not only to the year 2020, but also to the the horror of the past 4 years.

 

A Time to Look Forward

What single word do you use as you look forward to 2021?

I can think of several words that describe my feelings about the coming year.:

• hope 
• renewal
  
• relief 
• recovery 
• recuperation
  
• progress
• restoration
• reclamation
• healing
  
• rehabilitation
• normality
• reclamation
• mending
• revival
• repair
• rebuilding  
  

There will be disappointments, setbacks and failures, to be sure. The radical right will continue to throw obstacles in the way of the Biden administration, and it will continue to do everything it can to set the administration up for failure. 

But this is the first time in 4 years I feel hopeful about the year ahead. We have a new administration with a more compassionate, inclusive, sane and reasoned approach. New vaccines should help bring the pandemic to a close.

So I think a reasonable amount of hope is definitely called for.

 

The Worst Year

This year sucks.

Sorry about the crude expression, but it does. There is no other way to describe the year 2020. It has brought death on a massive scale. It has brought increased rates of suicide and domestic violence. It has brought massive business failures and job losses. It has brought stress, fear and anxiety. It has brought hours-long lines of people waiting for food from food banks. It has brought hoarding of groceries and toilet paper. It has brought out the best and the worst in people.

Has a year -- any year -- ever been this horrible for so many people? Not in recent history. I would guess that the closest any year has come to bringing so much death and suffering was 1918, when the flu pandemic ran rampant. Estimates are that some 50 million people around the world died of the flu, with some 675,000 American lives lost. Coronavirus, by contrast, has so far killed more than 1.78 million people, 333,000 in the US. And this pandemic continues to spread and the virus mutates into an even more contagious variety.

Millions have lost their jobs or had their hours cut dramatically. More than 100,000 businesses have closed for good. Children and teachers had to learn about remote learning via computer. Incidents of domestic violence and suicide increased, as did sales of alcohol. Millions are facing loss of homes and apartments.

I know four people whose dogs have died of cancer, two that died of other causes, and one person whose cat died, all in 2020. My dog died of cancer. My sister's dog is battling cancer. 

We lost the incredible jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg to cancer. An online friend's mother recently died and her father is very ill. A former coworker lost both parents to the virus in a couple of weeks. He and his wife both had the virus. My cousin, her husband and their two teenage sons had the virus, with my cousin still struggling to recover.

On a personal level, this year saw the death of my old dog, following the loss of her sister a year ago. That's two deaths in just more than a year. I have been unable to travel due to the pandemic. I developed kidney stones and went through three treatments to get rid of them. And now I have new ones.

People are waiting in line for eight or nine hours for a box of food. Non-profit organizations are struggling to survive as donations and volunteer help dwindle.

I have been unable to pursue my passions -- travel and photography -- that keep me sa, ne, motivated and challenged. 

I watch as the outgoing president* does everything he can think of to overturn the election and sow mistrust about the democratic process. He continues to ignore the death toll of the pandemic, offering not one word of sympathy to those who have suffered from this horrible virus or who have lost loved ones to it. He continues to hold massive rallies and large holiday parties that spread the virus. He surrounds himself with lunatics from the fringe who encourage him to declare martial law to enable him to stay in office despite his overwhelming loss at the polls in November. He finally signed a bill that offers some small measure of relief to struggling Americans, after waiting until hours before the deadline as his sick mind works to do everything possible to keep himself in the spotlight.

I, along with millions of others, are counting the days until this nightmare ends. But even after he leaves office, the damage he has done to this country, and the damage he undoubtedly will continue to do, remains a real threat. 

As this terrible year finally approaches its end, all I can say is 'Be Gone!'

 

 

 

Always Believe, Always Hope

I started writing early on Christmas morning.

I listened to Christmas music as I ate breakfast. And that was the only thing I did to 'celebrate' this day. The Christmas spirit skipped my house this year. 

I haven't been into Christmas for several years, but this year has been especially difficult. Isolation and the inability to travel have taken a toll on me. And losing my dog to cancer earlier this month has left a residual sadness that surfaces at random times.

But I have to believe that things will improve in the new year. After all, what is a life without hope? What kind of life would it be if I had no hope? I do believe that life under a new administration will improve, although it will be a slow and difficult process. I hope that people who have been kinder to themselves and others during the pandemic will continue to do so, and that those who have been overcome by selfishness, greed, nastiness and hate will start to change their attitudes. 

We must believe that we -- the ordinary, everyday people -- working with public health officials and vaccine producers, can and will conquer this pandemic. We must believe that we can return our nation to what it was 4 years ago and make it even better. We must believe that we can -- indeed, we must -- tackle the problems of social and racial injustice. We must address economic inequality in this country, insuring that everyone -- including billionaires, multimillionaires and huge corporations -- pay their fair share of taxes. I'm not suggesting that we punish the super rich and hand out money to the less fortunate, but the current system of taxation cannot be sustained. We must believe, and make it so, that we can transform our corrupt, elitist, out-of-touch political system to better represent everyday people.

We must believe, and insist, that everyone should have access to affordable health care. If other developed countries can provide health care and a college education at little to no cost, we must believe that America -- the one of the wealthiest countries on the planet -- can do so as well.

We must hope that America will at last take action to address the climate crisis. It won't be easy, and it won't be cheap. But it must be done if we are to continue to inhabit this earth. And as the saying goes, 'there is no planet B.'

It isn't easy in the face of a pandemic, high unemployment and business failures, and after suffering through 4 years of blatant corruption, ineptitude, nepotism, greed and graft. But as difficult and overwhelming and hopeless as things may seem, we must not stop believing in the possibility of a better America.