It’s not like nothing’s happened to write about. The weather’s had its crazy gyrations, from mid-70s to a low of 28.6 a week ago Tuesday. Finally an ice spotting last week (not something we’d ever look forward to, but seemed strange, as cold as it had been, that there’d been no evidence). Three years since my crash on the black ice on Jefferson, with no lingering effects at all, aside from perhaps just a bit more caution when it’s 36F or below.

Weight has been creeping up a bit, as several of the Tuesday/Thursday morning rides ended up skipping the WOLH section, due to either running behind time or it just being a bit too icky out there. Hopefully that sort of thinking doesn’t prevail; one of the things you wonder, as I approach 66 in a week or so, is whether you recognize the point at which you’re just not doing the same things you used to do, or if it just happens gradually.

And there’s the transition from full-pandemic COVID mode to whatever it is we’re in now. On March 2nd we finally lifted the masks-for-everyone requirement, but staff will wear masks whenever a customer who chooses to wear a mask comes into the store. It’s a tough line, supporting those still very concerned about Covid, while accepting that it’s relatively-safe now, and we no longer have to get into mask debates with people. Most of our customers have been wonderful, but there have been a few… exceptions. I’m watching the R-eff number, which tells you how many are infected by someone with COVID. That number was .54 when we lifted the mask requirement (meaning, .54 people would get COVID from each new case); today, it’s down to .42. A good thing, that.

That’s it for now; about time to get the shop open on a kind-of-drizzly Friday morning. Besides, it’s getting really hard to type until it warms up a bit, as my Raynauds (circulation issue) causes trouble as higher and higher temps. Used to be it didn’t bother me until it got below 50. The good old days! Now, 65F and I’ve got issues.