July 3, 2020
Dear Everyone:
Back in the 14th Century, as Europe was transitioning from
the “Medieval Warm Period” (MWP) into the “Little Ice Age” (LIA), people
were concerned that the weather was getting noticeably colder.
Little did they know that the climate was actually returning to
“normal”, as it had been before the MWP which had begun shortly before
the end of the First Millennium.
All they knew was that things were colder and seemed inclined to
get worse.
Somewhere in the Alps, a glacier had formed from years of accumulated
snow in the mountains and was beginning to endanger a small village.
After due consideration, it was decided that the best course of
action was for the village priest to confront the “evil being”
undoubtedly responsible for the glacier.
The priest dutifully assembled his bell, book and candle, and a quantity
of holy water. Summoning his
courage, and assorted altar boys, he led a procession out of the village
and up to the leading edge of the glacier.
There he threatened the “evil being” with prayers, spells and
incantations and sprinkled the glacier with holy water.
Needless to say, the holy water, far from causing the glacier to burst
into flames, or even to retreat, only added to the accumulation of ice.
I am reminded of this tale every time I hear the current President of
the United States (POTUS), when faced with a global pandemic, wistfully
bleating, “Any day now it’s going to just disappear.”
Fat chance.
In the meantime, we might as well get used to things the way they are.
Never leave the house without a face mask.
Never go shopping at the grocery store or pharmacy, without
wearing plastic gloves. As
for shopping in general, fuhgeddaboudit.
Many stores, while “open”, only offer “curbside delivery” of
items previously purchased online.
I ask you: Where’s
the fun in that?
The aforementioned POTUS, in his eagerness to “reopen” the country’s
economy, may have actually thrown a spanner in the works by endorsing a
“return to normalcy” too soon.
The result appears to be a sharp increase in the number of people
felled by the virus.
Many, many scientists are feverishly (no pun intended) searching for a
cure of any kind. Or a
vaccine to help prevent the transmission of the virus which, like the
“evil” glacier of the Middle Ages, goes blithely on obliterating
anything that gets into its path.
The trick, of course, is to stay out of its path.
Hence, staying home except for “essential” trips to the grocery
and pharmacy stores. This
would be a lot harder if not for the technology upon which we have all
come to depend.
While the Medieval peasants tried to defeat the glacier with prayers and
holy water, today we are armed with Amazon.com and credit cards.
I don’t get to have lunch nearly every weekend with “Jeanie”.
But she, along with “Alice” and “Frankie”, and various nieces,
has been able to join me almost weekly on Zoom.
We actually see more of each other now than we did before the
menace descended on us.
Since I “got retired” about nine years ago, I have long since become
accustomed to finding my own validation without the need for co-workers.
True, I can’t visit with fellow Crafters at the Senior Center or
the public library these days, but some of us still get together on a
virtual basis every couple of weeks to show off the latest creation, and
to request advice when the current project goes careening off track.
I was hoping that my favorite restaurant would be able to serve indoors
by now, but they still provide delicious To Go orders.
And today, for the first time in four long months, I got my hair
cut!
Oh, frabjous joy! In all
seriousness, what more could one want?
This week, anyway.
Love, as always,
Pete
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