Another overcast day, somewhat windy, somewhat cold. I just want the sun to come out and for it to be warm. Another seven months of this, a rather bleak prospect.

I am feeling bad right now for Pete, who this morning decided because of Covid concerns not to travel to see his family in California. The number of cases is way up, Alaska now leads the fray nationwide. It’s a dubious distinction.

Pete’s decision was a tough one, given that he really wanted to spend time with his brother and to see his mother whose days may be numbered. He did agonize some about this. His not having gotten a booster shot, and the fact that he has weak lungs (from growing up in Los Angeles smog) influenced his decision.

I felt like my hands were tied. Of course, I wanted Pete to go. But on the other hand, I did not want him or anyone else in his family to get sick. The way I see it, the airport and airplanes are high contagion zones because travelers are in close proximity to one another. Airplanes, particularly. Getting on the planes, people pack themselves in like sardines. There isn’t any way that those getting on can maintain a six-foot distance from one another. And the air on planes is re-circulated. Inhale, exhale, and kiss your lungs good-bye.

Pete's brother Pat and their mother Kathy

The good news is that Pete and his brother Pat agreed that he’ll head south in May, right after graduation. So trip plans are not a total loss.

It was starting to look like I’d be going to Fairbanks and points beyond with Dorothy Adler, my wilderness first responder instructor. I’d both promote the book project and assist her in teaching a class. It is now looking like I will not be going with her or doing either. This is because I have been alerted to the fact that there’s a chance that I might get sick and then infect others. And so, laying low is really the best thing to do.

Yesterday, when we were at agility class, I hung out in the front area and watched the dogs and their handlers. While there, I talked at length with a woman who had not been vaccinated. Pete later told me that she told him that she hadn’t been vaccinated. Now I just assumed that she had because she seemed like an intelligent human being who’d be cognizant of such things.

This was a wake-up call for me. From now on, when I’m around people, I will wear a mask.

It was a good idea, closing the Palmer Senior Center dining hall. They just do not know enough yet about vaccine efficacy. How could they? The virus has only been around for three years, and the various tyles of vaccines for one and a half years.

The questions that all this raises, is, is this virus always going to be with us, and furthermore, will it continue to mutate? We don’t know. We just have to deal with uncertainty, and act accordingly.

Next: 288. 10/18/21: Abundance and Scarcity