A huge gator crossed my path this morning on day #4800 of my consecutive running streak. He was big, fat, and prehistoric looking as he slowly ambled by, headed for the pond across the street while stopping traffic. it was one of the largest that I’ve seen since moving here and I took a wide berth around him through the parking lot. At least it provided a distraction from the misery of putting one foot in front of the other. The weather was warm without much wind. It always seems like I’m running into a stiff breeze – never at my back. 

In 1953, Jonas Salk announced his polio vaccine and fortunately it did not become as controversial as Covid is in current times. Mass immunization of  children began in 1954 and the results have been miraculous: “Polio was eliminated from the United States in 1979 and from the Western Hemisphere in 1991.” If only skeptical Americans would get behind these shots, Covid could see a similar fate. Unfortunately, states like Alabama, Wyoming, Mississippi, Louisiana, Idaho, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Indiana are under 54% fully vaccinated. Florida is at 65.7%, according to this CDC data tracker. Oregon recorded 68.4%, while the top state is Rhode Island at 80.2%.  

I’m hanging a few pictures and still organizing shelves today in my home office. In these times of retirement, the home office is the only office. There are no corporate alligators or clients with sharp teeth, so I can just wave them by when they cross my path. The cameras were out to record this spectacle on four feet that was nearly 14-feet long with a fat belly. He almost looked too obese to be up for a chase – but beware of any gator crossing.