Felicitations From Fairhope #11
02 August 2021
Hello there… Rodger French here.
OK, I know it’s been eight months since the last posting, but as Stephen King observed, “Time takes it all whether you want it to or not, time takes it all.” If that seems a bit on the fatalistic side, then perhaps a little Kurt Vonnegut is in order: "I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different." In any case, ciao.
A.J. and I are hunkered down in our home here in Fairhope, AL, laying low during the typically heinous summer heat while keeping a wary eye on predictive hurricane weather patterns. We’ve been very lucky so far. Heat and humidity can be worrisome, but are not normally in the same ballpark as hurricanes… or drought and wildfires.
And we are planning a trip to New England (Yay!), which Anne has never visited. The idea of enduring several U.S. airports is less than appealing, but driving 1239 miles to Boston just to begin the trip is simply not an option. An other time, perhaps...
Our biggest travel concern is The Covid Delta variant, of course, although we are fully vaccinated and down with getting booster shots as soon as they become available. Since the airlines are all up in it when it comes to safety protocols, we feel pretty confident about our chances, and while we have no love for masking, it’s still a reasonable precaution and not really a BFD. However…
The state of Alabama vaccination rate is 34%, the lowest in the nation. (It’s so bad that Mississippi has a new official motto: “Thank God for Alabama.”) So far we haven’t personally experienced any grief from anti-vaccine folks, but that sentiment is definitely to be reckoned with. And it really pisses me off.
Those of us who are vaccinated have made it possible for this country to begin returning to a semblance of normalcy. Reasonable medical exemptions are one thing, but it is frustrating beyond measure that so many people seem intent on fucking it all up, whether in the name of “personal freedom,” “owning the Libs,” or “precious bodily fluids.” For my part, I am out of patience and running regrettably low on sympathy.
But we are fortunate and healthy, so we carry on, avoid large crowds, and try to keep in touch. So should we all, I think. It’s been a really tough 18 months and the end is still not in sight. And while some may disagree, I believe that the simple truth of our struggle against this pandemic is: “Nobody wins unless everybody wins.”
Stay strong, stay kind, stay alive.
Onward.
Rodger
