I escaped the forecast of drizzle on this morning’s run and look forward to clear skies the rest of this week. At least we’ll have good weather to offset the loss of Hawaiian breezes. The islands have taken a big hit this week with the loss of the Maui Invitational and the recently announced mandatory 14-day quarantine for tourists. The Dow Index continues its roller-coaster ride, wavering between vaccine reports and poor earnings updates. Portland businesses in our neighborhood appear to be either closed or struggling. 

As I look out our apartment window, it’s now pouring rain, and I’m glad to be warm and dry. It’s “Meatless Monday,” so at least one weekly tradition has remained consistent despite the bite of the virus. My night to cook has varied between Tuesday and Wednesday, while “Date Nights” and “Leadership Meetings” have been few and far between. Pizza and Pumpkin Bars have sustained me through the week. All plans for travel have been canceled for the remainder of the year, hoping that in 2021 we’ll see some sense of normality. This view is getting stale!

I have been working on my novel and need to compose a few poems to add some variety to these tedious daily reports. There’s only so much I can write about when my daily experiences are pretty much limited to TV watching. At least, December will be here tomorrow, so four short months until we’re settled in our new Florida home. The first pictures of the construction arrived this morning, adding a little reality to the process. It’s difficult being 3,000 miles away from the site, but there’s not much to see but concrete block at this stage. We’ll be down there in about 50 days to check it out first hand. The excitement builds!