Season's Bleatings - 2020

Greetings from somewhere in the herd! Whether we're swarmed at the front, middle, or back, it's impossible to say. All I know is we're hot on the hooves of fellow wildebeests ever pushing towards wherever herds tend to go. Some say that on November 3 we changed course and now gallop to the glorious grazing grounds of the Great Normality and Immunity. Before then, they say, we had been driven, like lemmings, towards a Great Leap from the Cliff of Doom. What a relief! And when we get there, to the Great Normality and Immunity, I shall settle on a grassy knoll, far upwind from the rest of the beasts. To graze in a place downwind would be most unappetizing.

Life between these walls hasn't been that bad. As a fellow introvert once remarked, "I was quarantined before the quarantine was cool." I stay alert and on the lookout with constant infusions of caffeine and nicotine lozenges. Sue and I do get some exercise: every evening while leftover spaghetti reheats in the microwave, we dance a simple two-step in the kitchen. To while away the time, I often check the mousetraps downstairs, scrape away the carcasses, and rebait with peanut butter. I blast my gums with a WaterPic and marvel at the gobs of grist and gristle that puddle in the bottom of the sink. And we're now on a first-name basis with all the MSNBC people who constantly fill our house with the political yakkity yak that keeps us attuned to the herd's wacky and heartbreaking news. 

Our grandson, Oliver, was voted Most Spectacular Toddler by members of his family. Oliver squeals with awe at the trucks in traffic he beholds from his car seat. As such, we bought him a Christmas book entitled, "Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site." As the sun sets, all the hardworking trucks - Crane Truck, Dump Truck, Bulldozer, Excavator - finish their work and lie down to rest. Good night, Moon. Good night, Cement Mixer. Oliver's dreams in 2021 will be filled with earth-moving heroics.

Brendan in the fall returned by Zoom to Grand Valley State University and is finishing up his bachelor's degree in music. He continues to play tuba for the Holland Symphony Orchestra among other ensembles and built a practice room in their house in Ada. Plus, he just started a job at Prudential. Jodi continues her important work at Spectrum Health and has been instrumental in setting up communication links between COVID patients and their families. Most of all, Oliver has terrific parents.

Elizabeth became a fiancee! Andrew a few months ago got down on a knee and proposed a question with a black diamond ring... to which she responded, "10-4, good buddy." Who knew there were black diamonds? Gatherings for weddings and receptions aren't exactly in vogue these days... they'll tie the knot after the herd is safely corralled. Elizabeth plans in the fall to pursue a master's degree in social work. It must run in our blood, that social work thing.

I achieved a great work honor in April, perhaps the greatest of my career. I was named... EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK! I had never been so elected in my 27 years at the agency. I became suspicious and, while there was no so-called "evidence", I knew the elections were rigged. I howled with outrage! I took my case to the pope! I called for protests! My boss claimed that no one had voted that week (fake news!), but after a heated exchange in the bathroom, my moment of triumph came when he turned back to me and muttered, "Whatever." I can text you a picture of my button if you'd like. 

In June, Sue finished her participation in a year-long clinical trial that tested a new Alzheimer's drug. We don't know if she received the real thing or placebo but, no matter, it's good to contribute a sliver of data to research. You can never be ready when a cloaked stranger such as this invades your lives. But you adapt each and every day. There are times out of the blue when I take her hand and we dance that simple two-step, though no microwave hums nor music plays. Our simple, silent song in these moments is one of devotion, a universe apart from fading memory and confusion.

Hark! Behold the Great Dust as it rises, the snorts and grunts of the herd as we stay on course. Normality! Immunity! I can feel your presences in this massive throng, some near and some far off. Happy New Year, my fellow wildebeests! We're getting there.