November 1 [Sunday]
I enjoyed an IHOP Sunday with Emmett, blueberry pancakes for everyone. The reason for today’s visit is harvest day for his persimmon tree! We socially distanced our outdoor dining and masked up when not eating or climbing trees. I climbed into that thing and rendered is darn near fruitless. The effort was not fruitless, but bountiful. The haul was grandiose and my take was generous.
[Wife Klem] is concerned about Tuesday night’s Election violence and initiated conversation about improvised weapons. Holy Toledo, I love this woman. My weapon of choice is the drywall nail remover. A wonderful bar of metal with handy rubber grip and a dangerous curved claw on one end.
November 2 [Monday]
I took an elongated lunch to meet with a friend, Tim. We dined outdoors at the El Torito in Westminster, socially distanced and masking up. We’re chums from college and have maintained contact over the decades through marriage, buying of homes, births of kids and balancing work with family. He’s a good man with three piglets, they’re [my kids’] ages. It is refreshing to get together and talk with a chum so freely compared to guarded interaction with extraneous humans.
November 3 [Tuesday]
Election Day! The results coming in late this evening Pacific Time are surprising. Trump’s victory odds were said to be less than 20% with one high poll giving him a 30% chance. Yet, as the results come in it’s very close to 50/50 with a slight lead to Biden. Thankfully the projected protests and violence have been silent. Going to bed without a declaration of victory.
November 4 [Wednesday]
Awaiting election results is a bummer for this Conservative. Based on the polling leading up to Election Day I expected Trump to get steamrolled by Biden. By this evening it’s still undecided with Arizona lining up to be Trump’s Waterloo. Meanwhile, word of the long-anticipated rioting and protests start to rise as the final ballot counting winds downs.
To be clear, President Trump is not my guy. But given the choice between a Trump Administration or a Biden Administration, based on the policies the two administrations would push, I agree vastly more with the Trump Administration. I’d resolved myself to his defeat two weeks ago, but this glimmer of hope to be now on the cusp of snuffing out is a disappointment. Oh well, four years until, hopefully, a Presidential Run by Nikki Haley, former South Carolina Governor and current UN ambassador.
November 5 [Thursday]
We have vacation plans for Arizona in the coming weeks to visit [my in-laws]. In our dinner conversation we spoke about traveling for vacation, and also engaging the world to see friends. [My daughter] asked if we’d have to wear masks the whole time or if we can hug [them]. Pertinent question since we’d be staying in their home, and the question remains unanswered. I am prepared to hug and go without masks, but will defer to the preferences of our hosts.
[The boy] spoke freely about his biggest concern about catching Covid, the possibility of permanent brain damage as is rumored to occur in some cases. It’s important the kids interact with the world and their friends, doing it safely, but deciding to entirely refrain due to fears such as this necessitate a careful counsel. Meanwhile, he has a pal from high school who will be visiting from college for Thanksgiving. Some of his friends will be getting together and he is reluctant to join them. He’s 19 years old and has decisions to make for himself.
November 6 [Friday]
President-Elect Joe Biden has emerged victorious. I will admittedly miss the Trump years. Not his Tweets or sounds bites, but what his administration accomplished. He did not behave or speak like other politicians because decades of elected office and political-speak was not his background. I liked that he didn’t treat politics as if he were walking on sacred hallowed ground. He didn’t know the bureaucratic secret handshakes or kabuki dances. Yes, he spoke in an uncouth manner as if he never outgrew his adolescent temperament. But I prefer judging people based on what they do rather than what they say. Politicians speak in grandiose terms, then often falling on flaccid promises. I’ll miss the following:
- Deregulation easing small business owners’ burden in conducting business. Small business is an integral source of jobs in America and an important part of the U.S. economy.
- He stands with Hong Kong’s freedom from China. There are many large businesses siding with China by virtue of their conspicuous silence. [The NBA is one blatant example from earlier this summer]. They are standing by their money source, the vast market of China rather than nobly standing for Hong Kong’s autonomy.
- Being a world leader in decreased CO2 emissions on the strength of fracking during the Trump years. A cleaner fuel source than oil and more reliable than renewables.
- Energy independence, again with the natural gas from fracking.
- Peace agreements between Israel and three former adversaries, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. The normalizing of trade and interactions of countries in the Middle East is a major move toward stabilizing that region. Yes, long ways to go yet before peace breaks out in the Middle East, but positive developments.
- Bringing into the open and challenging China’s pervasive and nefarious business practice of stealing technology.
Peace to you, President Trump. Welcome aboard, President-Elect Joe Biden. I’m hoping you make an effort at a magnanimous entry and I’ll do my darndest to refrain from denigrating remarks.
November 7 [Saturday]
I put much of my work garb into plastic today. I hadn’t worn any of those trousers or shirts in almost eight months and they’re hanging in the closet getting dusty. With no end on the horizon for Shelter In Place it finally occurred to me to address this sartorial issue. Oh yes, and also, Joe Biden was officially declared President-Elect with Kamala Harris VP-Elect.
November 8 [Sunday]
We’ll be vacationing in Arizona at the end of the month to visit [my in-laws]. In preparation for the trip our two-week self-imposed semi-seclusion has commenced. We will venture out for supplies or to the pharmacy post-office to mail EBay sales, but we’ve implemented a tightening of our outings to come clean with reduced virus exposure. Would be a stinker to depart afterwards having dropped the virus on them. So, to avoid that guilt trip, plus we like them, we strive to keep clean.
November 11 [Wednesday]
I will say this for Covid, and it may be counter intuitive, but I’ve enjoyed an enhanced quality of life since Shelter In Place. This may sound selfish, since this has certainly not been to the benefit of my kids, but I’ll explain. Shelter In Place has relegated us to a slower pace of life. Frustratingly so at the beginning, but this slow down has allowed me to rethink priorities and the future. This train of thought finally leads me this week to think of my knees. These crummy things have been subpar for two decades or more. Healthy and reliable knees would improve the quality of life. So, if they can be improved by a medical procedure I’m better off getting it done while I’m employed with health insurance rather than waiting until retirement, plus the added years would certainly not benefit the healing process. The doctor appointment has been scheduled with my primary care physician for that first touch. We’ll see what happens next.
November 14 [Saturday]
I’ll level with you, I send an email to my mom every evening and have been doing this since the first days of Shelter In Place. The purpose at the onset was to encourage my mom to reduce the number of her retail outings and to wear a mask, back in the days when masking was optional. I wanted her to exercise precautions because my parents are in an at-risk category due to age. The message was issued by regaling her with the precautions that we were taking. I figured the message would be more readily received if posed as ‘This is what we’re doing’ rather than telling her what to do. You know, try to avoid a method that may induce entrenching. So I checked in daily even though, mostly, I’m sure she just wanted to hear about the grandkids.
In the beginning I figured this confinement living would be going on for a few weeks, a month maybe. Inconceivable this would be going on eight months later. Anyway, I’d been reluctant earlier in the Covid Chronicle to admit to my daily email so as not to be thought a Momma’s Boy. Well, I admit it hear for documentation purposes. Think of me what you will, I’m still gonna send mom my quotidian email.
November 15 [Sunday]
I spoke with my dad today and acknowledged the distinct realization that this Covid year has elevated the importance of family. Pre-Covid we had Sunday dinners every two weeks at the Safehouse also joined by [my brother’s family]. Over the years I had allowed it had become routine and I misplaced the connection of why we got together. I will never again take our Sunday dinners for granted. Oh sure, I’ll get my ice cream desserts and a good gorging, but there’ll be no doubt that family is the draw.
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