Life in a Pandemic Part 3

 

Life in a Pandemic

Addendum

                    So we thought the pandemic was winding down. Things eased up, encouraging us to spread our wings a bit with some interstate travel: following on our lovely Nantucket weekend, another getaway to Burlington VT and a golf vacation for me in Pinehurst NC. Nice opportunities to write up some trip journals in my ramblingwithruss blog. But concluding my pandemic journal proved to be premature. A “Delta” COVID variant arises, first apparently from India but spreading around the world. It has proved to be more infectious & transmissible, and cause more serious illness.

            Delta has led to increasing cases & deaths: by the beginning of September 40.5 million cases & 663,000 deaths in the US. Vaccinations have progressed to 75% of adults, but the CDC calls this a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” – they account for 99% of deaths. Ironically, 5 anti-vax right-wing radio personalities have died from COVID. As before, cases & deaths vary across states, with high levels where there is less vaccination like Texas & Florida. Many hospitals are overwhelmed; e.g., 95% of ICU beds taken by COVID patients in Florida.

            

            Battles continue in the midst of this, reflecting anti-vax & anti-mask fervor fueled by politics & misinformation. Beliefs that existing vaccines don’t really work, are inadequately tested, include dangerous ingredients or government tracking devices, alter DNA, stunt fertility, whatever; crazy cures like a drug used to treat cattle for worms. Other beliefs that masks are ineffective, harm breathing, and the like. Such views are coupled with arguments that any mandates infringe on individual freedom by “big government.” This focuses on both work and schools. 

Vaccination & mask mandates have been issued for health care and school workers. Mask mandates for schoolchildren have led to very angry school board meetings. Some states have issued such mandates, others like TX & FL (with, ironically, among the highest COVID cases & deaths) have issued bans on school mandates, tho some school districts and court decisions have challenged this. Meanwhile, as school has begun children account for ¼ of new cases and pediatric hospitalizations are soaring; many schools close shortly after opening.

            An interesting twist in the corporate arena: Delta Air Lines has instituted a policy to charge unvaccinated employees an extra $200/month for health insurance. Other employers, mostly places like hospitals & nursing homes, require employees to be vaccinated. NYC requires masks for everyone almost everywhere; most other places & businesses require them only if unvaccinated, but that’s beginning to change. 

            In early-to-mid September new COVID daily averages reach 150,000 cases & 1600 deaths; highest in FL & TX.  Idaho (not coincidentally one of the lowest vaccination states) declares unprecedented “crisis standards of care” to ration care during a “catastrophic” public health emergency; Alaska follows later, overstretched hospitals in other states, including Montana & Kentucky, are forced to make similar decisions. Data show unvaccinated are 11 times more likely to die from COVID. Biden issues a new “action plan”: vaccine mandates extended to large employers, federal workers, most health care workers, and others. There is praise from the American Medical Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Business Roundtable. Republican governors’ responses range from “see you in court” to “we’ll fight to the gates of hell.” Biden: “if these governors won’t help us beat the pandemic, I’ll use my power as President to get them out of the way.” Texas’ Governor even issues a ban on any mandates. Idaho’s Lt. Gov. tries the same when the Gov. is away, but overturned when he returns. Lawsuits challenge mandates partly based on union contractual issues, and there are concerns about staffing shortages, especially in hospitals, if unvaccinated workers are forced out. By late September booster vaccine shots are approved for seniors, workers in high-risk jobs, and those with underlying issues.

            Americans apparently not the only people going nuts over the pandemic. Even peaceful Norway: the Prime Minister gives just one day's notice in late September that most coronavirus restrictions dropped, followed by dozens of disturbances and violent clashes, including mass brawls, after streets, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs filled with people celebrating.

          Beyond staffing issues related to vaccine mandates, a more general labor shortage is evident from “Hiring Now” signs popping up everywhere: school bus drivers, restaurant staff, retail sales. One analyst says shutdowns and remote work have led to “The Great Resignation,” as people rethink their work situation and no longer “accept the unacceptable” in pay, work conditions, etc. Also the NY Times: not a labor shortage as much as “a shortage of workers willing to accept the working conditions that today’s economy often demands.” Employers need to increase worker engagement via work environments where they “feel safe, valued, and more empowered to do their jobs.” A related issue is what the NY Times calls “The Great Supply Chain Disruption;” due to factory shutdowns, clogged shipping routes, and labor shortages; a shortage of semiconductors creating an auto shortage, and OMG labor shortages may cause a turkey shortage for Thanksgiving! Container ships are stacked up at the port of LA & elsewhere.

            Of course, COVID is not the only problem in the news. Republican state legislatures, led by Texas, continue to enact infringements on voting. Many, led again by Texas, are also seeking to drastically restrict access to abortion, and the Supreme Court appears ready to overturn Roe v Wade now that conservative judges have a clear majority. Arguments continue about what “really” happened at the Capitol on 1/6 and who bears responsibility, while a House committee investigates and issues widespread subpoenas. Also partisan battles over Biden’s large “infrastructure” package and about raising the federal debt ceiling, which Republicans didn’t seem to mind when Trump was President.

Closer to home, Gov. Cuomo has resigned after an Attorney General report that he “sexually harassed multiple women” and fostered a “toxic workplace” with a “culture of fear and intimidation and intimacy and abuse.”

              Horrific weather fueled by climate change continues. July is the world’s hottest month in 142 years of modern records. Wildfires ravage Western states. Thousands have evacuated South Lake Tahoe as a fire approaches, only 3 weeks after Matt performed with the Classical Tahoe orchestra at the north end of the lake. The General Sherman sequoia, the world’s oldest tree believed to be 2500 years old, has foil placed around its base to hopefully save it.

              Hurricane Ida devastates New Orleans, whose residents may face weeks without power. Then Ida’s “remnants” cut a destructive path up thru the Northeast. More than 9” of rain in NJ, PA, MA, RI, and 9 tornados spawned by the storm. NYC’s Central Park records a record 3+” in 1 hour. People drown in flooded cars & basement apartments. Passengers stranded in flooded subway cars.

           

American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is completed in late August (here’s an iconic image of the last soldier departing), ending America’s longest war – triggered by the 9-11 World Trade Center bombings 20 years ago. It is a messy & chaotic ending. In just the few weeks leading up to the withdrawal the Taliban overruns and takes control of the country. Suicide bombers attack the airport, crowded inside and out with people trying to leave. Biden’s approval ratings decline following a tragically mistaken drone bombing kills an Afghan family & children and other concerns about the Afghanistan withdrawal. Evacuation flights resume early September for Westerners, but at-risk Afghan allies still stranded. An incredible airlift manages to evacuate some 125,000 on nearly 800 flights. But a reported 100-200 Americans & many more Afghans are left still hoping to leave.

Back in the US, there are remembrances of the 9-11 terrorist attacks at “Ground Zero” in Manhattan, the Pentagon, and the field in PA where a plane crashed when passengers fought back to prevent another tragedy. An evocative teardrop sculpture overlooks NYC harbor from NJ

    

Normal life goes on as well. In partial payback for my Pinehurst golf trip, A rare event: I join Marjorie for furniture shopping - imagine that! This includes a fancy remote-controlled recliner to better suit my back. The “2 Kevins” (Matt’s HS friend & his son) help by moving the old furniture into the garage.

I get in more golf, including picturesque Airway Meadows with scenes from covered bridge to small plane landing strip (“out of bounds, do not retrieve balls from runway”!). Also a few rounds with “Second Timer” (or some such name) league to extend the season. 

Plus the annual CSSC golf fundraiser at Schuyler Meadows CC with my team Mike, Glenn, and Tom.  

       

The Queens family comes up for Labor Day. Matt displays his diverse skill set, from gardening to making s’mores. A belated BD cake for Miles. A good time is had by all; Arlo looks sad to leave Grandma’s. 

Derek Jeter’s Hall of Fame induction draws a crowd to Cooperstown.

Next weekend Marjorie’s pumped to join with neighbors for her 1^st garage sale in quite a while, following Marie Kondo’s guide to get rid of stuff that no longer “sparks joy.” The same weekend is her 11^th year in the big outdoor Stockade Art Show. She is one of the artists highlighted on the event’s Facebook page. I handle the garage sale on Stockade day, making a grand total of $8.50!

              Marjorie’s “Birthday Festival” arrives the next weekend. She has long expressed a fantasy desire to take a trip on the Orient Express, but is nonetheless surprised when she gets my “voucher” to actually do that next Fall; that gives us time to explore options, and COVID will hopefully be under control by then. Mary sent something that also hits the spot: 2 witches, one with a pronounced cackle, for Marjorie’s coven. Jeff sends his usual digital greeting, this time by ground squirrels. 

Howe Caverns is having “Naked in a Cave,” but Marjorie nixes that. Instead, St. Pius thoughtfully scheduled a “Welcome Home” weekend: “Food Truck Friday,” including beer tasting; Saturday “La Festa di Farano,” an “evening of all things Italian” in memory of our Pastor Emeritus who passed away early this year; Sunday the Parish Picnic. I keep busy taking photos as part of the photography ministry. 

More BD greetings from Ellen & Nancy via Zoom. And the “Festival” continues Monday with CSSC’s “Chefs in Motion,” a “culinary tasting competition;” aka “another meal I don’t have to cook” says Marjorie.

           Meanwhile (as Stephen Colbert would say), the January 6^th attack on the Capitol continues to make news. The Republican narrative increasingly downplays the violence, casting people arrested as “political prisoners” and “peaceful patriots” who are being harassed. A poll finds that 78% of Republicans believe the election was “stolen” from Trump. “Valorization” of 1/6 protesters, as the NY Times calls it, comes to the Capitol on 9/18 when supporters of Trump hold a “Justice for J6” rally. Police resources mobilized and fencing reinstalled around the Capitol. The protest is something of a dud, drawing only about 300-350, outnumbered by

police, journalists, counter-protesters. And here’s the latest on that “stolen” election: the “audit” contracted by Arizona Republicans and conducted by QAnon/Trump supporters spent some $6 million to find that Biden received more votes and Trump fewer than the official tally. The report itself is full of errors and faulty conclusions. Undeterred by facts, Trump supporters continue to call for more audits. A later AP review in 6 battleground states disputed by Trump finds fewer than 475 cases of voter fraud.

But what else is going on? Speaking of spending money, billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson have financed (and taken) recent civilian flights into space (or at least the edge). Even 90-year-old William Shatner (aka “Captain Kirk) goes to the “final frontier” on Bezos’ “Blue Orchid” craft. 

Fall is bursting out. Marjorie joins friend Lydia at a Saratoga Baptist church’s “Fall Festival and Craft Fair.” Disappointing ˗ many vendors & yellowjackets, but few customers ˗ tho a nice day. Her weekend improves next day when actor friend Yvonne gives her a ticket to an excellent 1-woman show on Ethel Waters in Capital Rep’s new theater. 

My weekend: I come across beautiful Fall decorations at Trader Joe’s and bright mums in a neighbor’s yard. 

Next day I join some Mendelssohn brothers for a gig at the Upper Madison Street Fair; another lovely day, lots of people, and it’s good to be singing!. I’m also doing an at-home “sleep study,” connected to 3 monitors to assess my snoring. Fall photo ops continue later with Washington Park, impressive even without tulips.

             Marjorie’s acting career continues to grow. She has a scene in Albany for “The White House Plumbers” (HBO) with Woody Harrelson (she gets to pet his dog!) and late September a couple of filming sessions into the wee hours of the AM in Albany for “Billions” (Showtime).

While she’s becoming a star I represent us at a lovely jazz concert at Pruyn House, then off to my 1^st full Mendelssohn Club rehearsal in some 18 months. 

           

In early October to “Hollowed Harvest” at Altamont Fairgrounds on the outskirts of Albany: described as 7,000 jack-o’-lanterns creating “stunning landscapes and larger-than-life displays as tall as 3 stories and more than 60’ long.”  This proves quite exaggerated and we’re not that impressed, tho it’s a nice evening stroll past displays organized around Halloween themes: Wizard of Oz, dinosaurs, flowers, spiders, gravestones, and more.

 
More Fall beauty: Montauk Daisies brighten Marjorie’s garden.

We also enjoy a “Game Night” with Joe & Gay Doolittle at Bruce & Dee Maston’s home, plus Mastons’ friendly cat Mr. Binky. Their house is lovely, Dee’s garden work outside and interior full of Bruce’s beautiful woodwork. His “handiwork” is also evident in our game of Monopoly ˗ lots of homemade rules and even dialogue directions. A good time is had by all.

A week into October we may be turning a corner on COVID: tho total deaths from COVID now top 700,000, new daily cases have fallen almost 40% from a peak of 166,000 on Sept. 1, hospitalizations are down 30%, and deaths, which typically change a few weeks after cases, are down 13% since Sept. 20. Vaccination rates up, and research indicates schools with mask mandates are nearly 4 times less likely to have a COVID outbreak. Other positive signs: the Boston Marathon and NYC Columbus Day parade are held as scheduled, the CDC Oks trick-or-treating, the Canadian border will open up next month. And a gerontological bonus: Social Security COLA 5.9% next year, largest in 39 years, due to inflation as the economy struggles in the pandemic.  

         Despite my impending back surgery, the golf season has a good finish, scores pretty consistently in the 80s and several 9s in the 40-42 range. Plus nice Fall scenery, especially PM golf at Schenectady Muni, one of the prettiest local courses,and later views of Lake George from Top of the World Golf Course (followed by lunch at a Howard Johnson’s!) 

         

Also a fun CSSC croquet tournament at The Crossings. Cindy & I win our court for the 2^nd time! 

          
        

We do a Sunday drive (after Fr. Walsh blesses my back after Mass) to Chesterwood in Stockbridge MA, the former summer home & studio of sculptor and landscape designer Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), known for 2 powerful symbols: Minute Man at Old North Bridge in Concord MA and Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial. We go for an exhibit of large outdoor sculptures around the beautiful grounds & garden: Tipping the Balance: Contemporary Sculpture by John Van Alstine. His abstract sculptures of steel and stone are “a complex synergy between natural forces and man-made materials.”

 

After lunch in pretty Stockbridge we head north to Schuylerville. Past a noisy flag-waving band of antivaxxers. Revolts against vaccine mandates range from Chicago police (ironically, more Chicago police die from COVID than gunfire) to parents of schoolchildren; and NBA Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving can’t play due to NYC mandate. We’d missed the Laffer Gallery opening reception last night, but wanted to see the new “Upstate Invitational” exhibit of beautiful and quite unusual works. 

Later that week back to Stockbridge for the “The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show” at a Gilded Age “cottage” (48 acres, 44 rooms) designed in 1884 as a summer retreat. Wow! This really is an incredible Halloween treat! Some 1500 pumpkins (plus gourds, mums, etc.), both real & artificial but all hand-carved with faces, monsters, dinos, etc.

 Along woodland trails with colored lights around trees, thru gardens, up hills. Spooky interior setups in the house and a tea house. Perfect timing: lowering sun, beautiful sunset, dark enough to appreciate the lighting.

As Halloween approaches, a Facebook post shares some COVID Halloween decorations: headstones with epitaphs like “I DID MY OWN RESEARCH,” “MY Body MY Choice MY Coffin,” “Not smarter than SCIENCE.” Even scarier news: 78% of Republicans support Trump running again in 2024; it’s not just the radical right fringe. And the more that comes out about January 6^th the clearer it is that Trump tried to orchestrate a coup (see Jonathan Karl, Betrayal). Too many things fan hate, encourage violent rhetoric & behavior, and threaten democratic values & institutions. Republicans won’t criticize a Congressman who publishes a “cartoon” about killing Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Trump and his apologists, from Fox News’ Rucker Carlson to the Republican Party, still spread Big Lies about a “stolen election,” undermining public confidence, and unjustly persecuted “patriots” from the January 6^th Capitol insurrection. A NY Times article later speaks of an “anti-democratic movement,” as Republicans seek to limit voting opportunities and create the possibility for local officials to overturn election results.

         Another creepy thing: a huge tour bus parks overnight on the road along the side of our yard. No idea who the “Mystery Bus” belongs to (neighbors across the street are away), a police car swings by but nothing comes of it. In the AM it swings around to park across from our driveway. And even creepier: Hallmark starts its 24/7 “Countdown to Christmas” the week before Halloween and before the World Series begins. Let Hallmark Bingo begin! Marjorie is inspired to start Halloween decorating, tho more subdued than usual. 

A couple of other tasks: Marjorie does Zoom gardening with Matt, advising on putting his garden to bed for the winter. After a snafu prevents getting an absentee ballot, we both vote early for friend Kelly Mateja, who we knew as a CSSC staffer, for Town Supervisor.

          Late Oct. back surgery interrupts my journal writing, Red Cross driving, Mendelssohn singing, etc. Son Matt comes home to help Marjorie during surgery & 2-night hospital stay. Things go well when I get home, with help from friends & neighbors. As a sociologist I know about informal support networks, now I can appreciate it in action. I start watching the World Series from my hospital room, plus a nice view overlooking Maria College. 

Stepsis Mar sends a perfect get-well card – looks like Grandpuppy Arlo as my virtual therapy dog. At home I enjoy the Today show’s “Halloween on the Plaza”: castmembers as football players and cheerleaders (Samantha Guthrie really gets into being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader), selections of best costumes worn by fans outside on Rockefeller Plaza. TV viewing options also include a “50^th Anniversary” Vincent Price campy classic we saw in a theater in 1971, “The Abominable Dr. Phibes.” I’ll leave further details on this for another venue.

The beat goes on in the world. News on my hospital room TV dominated by Alec Baldwin tragically killing a cinematographer with a prop gun supposed to be “cold.” Growing criticism of Facebook, including a role fomenting the January 6 insurrection, issues uncovered by whistleblowers and leaked documents (“The Facebook Papers”). Bad weather: a “bomb cyclone” creates the strongest storm ever on the West coast, then heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada Mtns; heavy rain in the Northeast, 5-6” some areas, localized flooding. Biden continues to look for moderate/progressive compromise on his “Build Back Better” agenda of social spending & fighting climate change. He puts out a new framework reduced to $1.75 trillion before heading to a G20 meeting of world leaders in Rome. Then to a climate summit full of dire warnings – “digging our own graves” - where he apologizes for Trump’s withdrawal from previous accords. Nearly 200 countries reach an agreement to cut carbon dioxide emissions nearly in half this decade, but we’ve fallen behind previous goals and even bigger gap with what is needed.

        

COVID news positive tho mixed. Cases & hospitalizations in the US plunged the last 2 months, tho still hotspots where vaccination low. Great Britain offers a cautionary pattern: cases continue upward, likely due to slow adolescent vaccinations, waning immunity, inadequate behavior restrictions (e.g., crowded indoor gatherings). But US COVID deaths remain higher, reflecting lower overall vaccination. COVID now 3^rd-leading cause of death worldwide after heart disease & strokes, topping 5 million, likely an undercount; US still highest, topping 740,000. There’s a partisan tint to COVID stats: almost 40% of Republicans are unvaccinated vs. about 10% of Democrats; in turn, deaths from COVID in heavily Trump-voting counties more than 3 times higher than in heavily Biden counties. NYC vaccine mandates for employees have “moved the needle”: vaccination rates jump by the 11/1 deadline to 91% overall, 85% for police, 81% for fire. Less than 6% put on unpaid leave, some suspected “sickouts,” but no immediate service disruptions. Vaccines approved for age 5-11, but survey indicates only 27% of parents want it “right away,” vs. 33% “wait & see” and 30% “definitely not”. Big Bird touts the vaccine, takes flack from Ted Cruz, Fox News, and other anti-vaxxers for “government propaganda.”          

          Election Day may be scarier than Halloween. Rachel M focuses on Virginia, a possible bellweather for Dem prospects in 2022 midterm elections. Liberal policy changes since Dem control beginning 2019 include abolishing capital punishment, protecting voting & abortion rights, gun control, expanding health insurance. But the Governor race tightens as Biden’s approval declines while his agenda stalls; Trump & his supporters still tout the Big Lie, tho the Republican candidate tries to keep some distance from Trump. The Dems lose, and barely

win the NJ Governor race. Doesn’t bode well for keeping control of Congress next year. Politics seem headed the wrong way again. One analyst terms it a “calamity” for Dems. But Rachel says don’t overreact, it’s a common historical pattern. Locally, Kelly loses for Colonie Supervisor despite Times-Union endorsement; next AM posts a sweet note left by her children. Oh well, new Supervisor Peter Crummey is also a friend of ours.

And then there’s good news. A “major victory” for Dems: a late-night vote passes the bipartisan (13 House Republicans vote “yes”!) $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, the single largest investment in public works in US history addressing what the NY Times calls “investment-deficit disorder”; still working on Biden’s “Build Back Better” package of social & climate change programs. This combines with a very positive jobs report. Columnist David Brooks argues that despite falling ratings Biden is succeeding: the COVID stimulus, infrastructure, and “human infrastructure” bills are “bold endeavors” to create a more equal and just society.

Another positive sign: Land border crossings for Canada & Mexico open for travel (and traffic piles up!), and travel bans are lifted for 33 countries, travelers greeted in airports by jugglers, Elvis impersonators, and other colorful festivities. In contrast, due to a broken toilet astronauts returning from the international space station will have to wear diapers.

         

After a foggy frosty AM, I have my “coming out” after 10 days as Marjorie’s “plus one” to a reception for her and other “Extraordinary” women (aka “Pillars of Strength”) profiled in CSSC’s “Conversations” series. Certainly an impressive group of women, from fields including art, politics, journalism, medicine, even construction! And we’re both pleased to be recognized by some Beltrone residents in the audience for our “reassurance” phone calls in the early part of the pandemic. 

Marjorie is then busy most of the weekend at the annual artisan sale at “The Barn at the Bridge” in Burnt Hills. I’m doing OK, but it’s good to have Aussie colleague Peter as my Home Health Mate on Saturday.

The next week is my 2-week surgical followup visit with PA Kristin. I’m feeling pretty good, staples taken out, she says keep doing BLT guidelines but and still be careful for the next 6 weeks – no PT or ABC Fitness yet. We extend my 2^nd post-surgery outing with a visit to the new Clifton Park Trader Joe’s; seems well-stocked and colorful as always, Marjorie finds an “Advent Calendar for Dogs” we’re sure Arlo will appreciate. Then lunch at Snyder’s. 

Next outing: a stroll along the Mohawk River on a beautiful Fall afternoon. And feeling good enough to return to Mendelssohn rehearsals. We now have singer’s masks with more space around the mouth; but they need some adjusting to be comfortable. 

Marjorie enjoys her own outing, putting together a table with 5 friends for the CSSC Fashion Show. Highlights include Colonie police escorting and even spirited dancing with the models. Brings back memories when as Board President I and my VP Cindy were emcees, and laughing too hard to complete our script when Marjorie did her star turn as “what women really wear.”

Our 50^th anniversary rolls around. Seems our family has a good record reaching this milestone: Doug & Ann, Mary & Jeff (also this year), Jim & Susan (next year). And we share this anniversary with Disney World, “The Price is Right,” Amtrak, Starbucks, e-mail, NPR (and local PBS station WMHT), rock group Queen, and McDonald’s quarter-pounder. What a year! And the NYC Marathon resumes, for its 50^th running, after 1-year COVID hiatus; 40% smaller, “only” 33,000 runners.

A Facebook post garners lots of likes & comments. Plus the by now tradition of digitally-enhanced greetings from Jeff and Wayne. We planned a Vermont inn anniversary celebration right before my back surgery but were advised to cancel, since VT was having high levels of COVID cases. In light of the pandemic & surgery we also trim grander party plans to host an informal “open house” celebration with local friends. My back is ready for a party, too ˗ I’m driving, climbing stairs, using a treadmill at ABC Fitness. I’m very touched to get applause when I arrive at the CSSC Board meeting. Even feeling Presidential ˗ Biden’s checkup notes his gait is “stiffer and less fluid” due to spinal arthritis; sounds familiar. 

At Mass before the party Fr. Walsh acknowledges our 50^th, applause from the congregation. We understand we appeared on the "kiss cam." 

Marjorie, as always, has things looking beautiful outside and in, lots of tasty treats. We enjoy bringing such good friends together from various parts of our lives: neighbors, artists, work & volunteer colleagues, singers, golfers.

The family comes up for Thanksgiving. Traditions of the day lend a sense of normalcy. The Troy Turkey Trot (begun in 1916) returns after one virtual year, reduced a bit to 5500 10K & 5K runners. 

As usual, Mass at St. Pius is nicely decorated, plus a view of a colorful blow-up turkey on the way home. 

The Macy’s Parade in NYC also resumes, followed on TV by the National Dog Show. Of course, Marjorie again creates a fabulous array of food! But first a toast of thanks from Miles. 

Next day, Miles gives a brief tap-dancing demo before some go trampoline jumping at Sky Zone in Clifton Park. 

Marjorie & William (& Arlo) stay home while I drive to Glens Falls to start the Christmas photo season with the North Country Festival of Trees in the Queensbury Hotel. First snow on the ground at night, the 2^nd latest ever in Albany (11/27/1889 the latest). 

Then next day Anthea & I partake of the inaugural Cohoes Soup Stroll (also Small Business Saturday). Remsen St. closed for pedestrians to enjoy holiday decorations, sample & vote on soups; 14 restaurants offer 2-3 yummy options: spicy Mexican, Filipino dessert, baked potato, gumbo, chowder, chili, and more. Plus Santa & elf playing sax. 

Back home Arlo watches/supervises Matt trimming shrubs.

Seasonal festivities continue apace. Up to Ballston Spa for dinner at Nomad Coffee and Crepes, a quirk little place run by friendly young people. Then a reception at the National Bottle Museum where Marjorie is in an art show; one of her pieces displayed in the front window. 

Musicians performing carols on the sidewalk street corners before the 17^th Annual Holiday Parade, “a hometown-style holiday tradition:” many lighted fire trucks, police & emergency vehicles (hope there’s no emergencies!), floats, lots of kids parading down the main street. An hour enough in the cold, we head home before Santa arrives. 

Next day Marjorie participates again in the Irish American Heritage Museum’s Annual Christmas Market at Celtic Hall. Lots of vendors, food (Diane’s shepherd’s pie + Irish soda bread – yum!), music.

St.Pius has a Cookie Mix-Up, which I mistakenly take to mean we bring cookies to swap for an assortment of what others bring; actually, all cookies go to homeless shelters. I have to make do with popcorn & hot chocolate, plus Santa and a very short someone in the most adorable Christmas tree costume.

 From there up to Lake George Festival of Light, listening to seasonal music on the radio, ranging from many versions of “Oh Holy Night” and :Winter Wonderland” to The Chipmunks. The Festival is a pretty albeit small decorated park near the Lake, quite a bit less involved than last year. 

Route 9 to go home. Dinner at Barnsider BBQ. Thru Saratoga: a stop at the Riggi house, known for holiday decorations, thru town with pretty lights & store windows (no stop now, we’ll come back some day to stroll). Past Quick Response drive-thru Christmas lights; we did this last year. A lovely evening. Nonetheless, the “supply chain nightmare” lingers over the season: shortages from toys to cream cheese for NYC bagel shops!

Mendelssohn Club is back in seasonal action, first singing for CSSC’s tree lighting. One of our favorite gigs, about 125 enthusiastic attendees plus Santa & Mrs. Claus and Elves. 

This is a good warmup for the Winter Concert, our 1^st full concert in 2 years, appropriately titled “We Rise Again” after one of our songs. This is Marjorie’s inaugural as the Club’s Ticket Coordinator; we’re a team: she handles public inquiries, I handle Club member orders and sponsor tickets. Effects of the pandemic evident in a few ways. Our usual venue, The Egg, was uncertain so we’re be at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a wonderful venue visually & acoustically. 

This is also be a farewell to Jeff Vredenburg (and wife Brenda, also loved by the Club, not least for her cookies), conductor for 22 years in 2 stints. The 2019 concert was to be his farewell, as they moved to Florida. Instead he has traveled back to rehearse and lead this concert combining music from 2019 with added pieces. Heartfelt closing remarks by Club VP Claiborne and Jeff. Some tears are shed. Our search for Jeff’s replacement was pandemically interrupted, but Jason Dashew, like Jeff an experienced school choral director, will take the baton in January. To the Hibernian Club for post-concert “Afterglow,” food & drink, more singing, more conviviality & farewells.

A bit of a Christmas road trip: 75 miles to “A Frosty Fest” in Ulster Park, south of Kingston. This seems to have every Christmas experience & symbol captured; very well organized, a lot packed into a compact space. Starts with a drive-thru Frosty’s Enchanted Forest: many lights, thru covered bridges and past interesting old buildings & cars, even an old motel; this is also the home for Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted Houses, maybe we’ll come back in the Fall. 

Then a walk-thru, more lights & characters: Bubbles the Christmas Bear, Dasher the talking Reindeer, Blizzard the Polar Bear, many Rudolphs, Santa on a huge sleigh. 

3-D glasses to go thru the fun & colorful Frosty’s Magical Adventure.. A musical light show at Santa’s Magical Mansion, with nicely decorated rooms and friendly characters inside. We finish with a corny & entertaining stage show by Jingle the Elf, everything from a “YMCA” group sing to magic to dancing with a life-sized teddy bear. Whew! Lots of fun! Dinner at nearby Port Ewen Diner.

Plenty more local seasonal imagery. Santa does his annual drive thru our neighborhood with fire truck, lights in the neighborhood & around our house, Santa & Mrs. Claus plus elf at the Pruyn House. 

Lights in the Park (viewed from the edges). Marjorie does her annual volunteer gift wrapping at Colonie Center to benefit the American Cancer Society. She also does wish-list shopping for an Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless family. 

A surprise late night visit from Santa’s elves, leaving a lighted indoor tree to bring us into full “compliance” in our holiday preparations. 

I head to Mike C’s annual party, after first swinging thru a nearby neighborhood to view Christmas lights – especially the spectacular house of the Lia Auto Group founder (we’ve bought a few Lia Hondas). Mike’s house is also nicely decorated; a RR village has part of his larger collection of structures. An enjoyable time with Mike’s neighbors and fellow singers. 

Another short road trip to Glens Falls. As we head out it’s clear our rain & sleet yesterday was snow a bit north, pretty along the Northway now, snow on the ground & trees. A stop into the Adirondacks Welcome Center for photos, then on to Lake George Outlets. Into Lindt Chocolates: memories of Marjorie’s work (tho both Stuyvesant & Crossgates stores now closed!) and tasty sample truffles. 

Past Great Escape, rollercoaster & other rides lined with snow. Into Glens Falls, snowy scenes around ponds in Crandall Park. To The Hyde, art museum & historic homes. Not as seasonally decorated as expected, but a pretty tree in one area and beautiful art. We learn Werner Feibes, a major donor to the collections who died this year, was the architect of our St. Pius X church. 

Other beautiful homes along the street. Steve’s Place for a good diner lunch & ambience, plus memories of grandsons William & Miles enjoying their first taste of bread pudding here. We complete a nice day with a visit to Tom Myott’s studio in The Shirt Factory, in some disarray as he works to expand his space.

Our Christmas is a quiet one. Matt & family want to avoid health risks before heading to Florida after Christmas for a stay at cousin Jim & Susan’s condo, so stay in Queens. Matt stops in a couple days before, we all enjoy getting together with neighbor son Colin and recent bride Shannon. After an overnight dusting of snow, Marjorie spends 8-4 Christmas Eve doing more “Wrapping Up Cancer.” Diner closed, Price Chopper sandwiches for dinner (seems like SNL’s “Christmas for the Jews”) before 7pm Mass at St. Pius. Still no choir, maybe next year? We drive around looking at lights, but I can’t find the Lia house again!

Merry Christmas! . . . just the 2 of us. A drippy day, some snow left for a Semi-White Christmas. “Holly Dolly Christmas” on TV while doing stockings (hung by the dining room table with care) & presents under the Elf Tree. Lovely & tasty brunch. We didn’t try to get to the Youth Orchestra’s “Sleigh Ride Holiday Spectacular,” Helen Cha-Pyo returning to conduct, but you-tube it in the PM, plus highlights of past “Melodies of Christmas” concerts on TV. 

Some family phone & Zoom calls. It’s not the same, we miss the hubbub of family the excitement as everyone unwraps presents. Another seasonal note: it’s the 200^th birthday of American Red Cross founder, Clara Barton. 

More holiday activities ensue. ♫It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . After Christmas♫ Long lines to return items at stores. Mountainous discards at the Town landfill. As noted below, travel during and after Christmas is badly snarled by flight cancellations everywhere due to COVID, and heavy winter storms out West – 4’ of snow in Tahoe! We hope Matt and family will get to Florida OK on the 28^th (which they do!).

A few days after Christmas we have a do-over on the Vermont inn cancelled for my back surgery. That outing to Marble Mansion Inn in Fair Haven VT is recounted in more detail in another post on my blog (http://ramblingwithruss.blogspot.com). It’s a fine postholiday R&R in a 19^thC Victorian mansion with excursions that include marble sculptures and other art, an interesting New England Maple Museum, pretty holiday decorations, mountain, lake & river views, covered bridges, good food, and more. 

We return home on New Year’s Eve, and start the New Year watching some of the Rose Parade (a traditional treat from childhood thru when we attended in 1987) and working on a puzzle while listening to a Lady Gaga/Tony Bennett CD. I bring in 2022 binge-watching the Yellowstone series.

            Where do we stand now with the pandemic? Cases rose as Thanksgiving came, US deaths averaged 1100 per day. US totals: 48 million cases, 775,000 deaths, 74% aged 5+ have 1+ shots (76% in Albany County). Levels of Albany new cases not seen since January, schools 2^nd-highest since school began. Hospitalizations mostly for unvaccinated. A new COVID variant (“Omicron”) emerged from South Africa has “the world on alert.” It appears to be more contagious and quickly becomes the major cause of cases (from 0% to 3% to 73% of weekly cases!).  The stock market initially reacts with a 905-point plunge, countries begin to limit entry and plan for other measures if needed. Mid-December we appear headed into a record surge, hospitals strained and deaths passing 800,000. Long lines to get a COVID test. Some schools back to remote. Regents exams cancelled again. NY acts to limit elective surgeries (it’s good to have my back done), NYC sets a record for cases (as does NYS), tho hospitalization not so much. Broadway shows start cancelling performances, Rockettes Christmas show cancelled,  NY & CA set new mask mandates for all public gatherings, NFL and other sports postpone games & 2 college bowl games cancelled when too many players & staff test positive. Airlines cancel nearly 10,000 flights globally over the Christmas holiday due to COVID-related staff shortages. Novak Djokovic, #1 tennis player and apparent anti-vaxer, travels to defend his Australian Open title with “medical exemption” from earlier case of COVID, denied entry and sent to immigration detention hotel, wins appeal but visa revoked and deported the day before his opening match.

           Omicron illustrates how the pandemic reflects history, whose effects ripple thruout the interconnected world. It seems no accident that the new variant arose in Africa. Worldwide 56% have received at least one vaccine dose, every continent above 50% except Africa 10%, South Africa 29%. This reflects partly lack of public health infrastructure and little investment in vaccine education or promotion. But also underlying mistrust rooted in colonial and more recent patterns. Drug companies conducted research trials without consent, high prices limited access to HIV treatments. A survey of 15 African countries found 49% believed COVID planned by a foreign actor and 45% that Africans being used as guinea pigs in vaccine research.

COVID isn’t the only shadow as Christmas approaches. Rain and flooding out West. Devastating tornadoes sweep thru the Midwest. The Congressional investigation of the 1/6 Capitol insurrection finds e-mails of ongoing efforts by Trump staffers and even lawmakers to disrupt election certification; other e-mails show pleas by many, even FOX News people and Donald Jr., for Trump to act to stop the attacks. On the anniversary Biden forcefully blames Trump for his “web of lies” and holding “a dagger at the throat of democracy,” noting his “supporters are trying to rewrite history.” Among the few Republicans participating in commemorative ceremonies and prayer vigils are Liz Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, who is “deeply disappointed” by many members of the party.

By the end of 2021 the US is seeing COVID averages of 265,000 new cases & 1500 deaths per day. Pandemic totals: 54 million cases, more than 820,000 deaths; globally 282 million cases & 5.5 million deaths. As 2022 begins the fast-spreading Omicron variant creates a “tsunami" of cases, including more “breakthrough” cases among vaccinated (tho relatively mild compared with unvaccinated). Comparisons among nursing home residents, the most vulnerable, show quite dramatically the value of vaccination & especially boosters: cases rise significantly among unvaccinated, less so among vaccinated, and stay quite low and flat if also boostered.

A new milestone: January 3^rd sees 1.08 million new cases in the US, a record 1-day rise for any country; almost twice as much as the previous record set just 4 days earlier! The “good news”?: Omicron appears to be milder: fewer & less severe hospitalizations, so far fewer deaths than last winter’s peak. Patterns in South Africa suggest the Omicron surge may be relatively short-lived. Covid now appears to be less of a threat to most vaccinated elderly people than the annual flu

So the pandemic still “plagues” us and there’s a lot of uncertainty as we head into 2022. Nonetheless, maybe this is as good as any place to (again) conclude this journal. A NY Times article suggests ignoring most COVID predictions. There is still much scientists don’t know about how this virus spreads. Surges can sneak up, but COVID can also surprise in pleasant ways. Here’s positive news: progress on anti-viral pills that one expert says puts “the end of the pandemic in sight”! But what would this mean? The NY Times suggests the virus is unlikely to ever go away; like most viruses, it will probably keep circulating, rising and falling. But we have the tools, vaccines and emerging treatments, to turn it into a manageable virus, similar to seasonal flu. In highly vaccinated communities COVID hospitalizations already resemble “just another virus.” Risks are low for most vaccinated people and unvaccinated children, for whom Covid looks like normal flu. “Long Covid” is real but rare; flu and other viruses also cause mysterious, lasting problems for a small share of people.  Age remains a main dividing line, as Covid presents a real risk even after vaccination for older people, especially in their 80s and 90s.

          So maybe the future of the virus has arrived, with Covid the sort of risk to most vaccinated people that we unthinkingly accept in other parts of life, and we should start returning to normal, whatever that is.