As I write this, the coronavirus is still raging in our part of the world. Hospitals are at—and beyond—capacity, and the distribution of the vaccine has been slower than we’ve all been hoping for. Meanwhile, there are folks out there who blithely traveled and partied during the holidays and who continue to thumb their noses at the commonsense precautions (like mask wearing and physical distancing) that would have saved lives and put a damper on the rampant disease spread even without the vaccine. At this point, I have nothing left but contempt for these people; I do not wish them well.
Meanwhile, until we get ourselves out of this mess, all the rest of us can do is soldier on, following the public health guidelines, doing the best we can to protect ourselves and others, and maintaining our sanity in the face of ongoing madness. Looking at this from a personal perspective, since Ed and I are hikers we go hiking. We try to get out 2-3 times a week, generally avoiding weekends and places where we might encounter a lot of other people, but we always carry masks in our pockets, just in case. Sometimes we hike with one other couple, in which case the 4 of us always wear masks and make sure there’s space between us when we stop for water or a snack break. At first it seemed weird, but it’s no inconvenience and actually works out quite well because it’s nice to have someone to talk to who isn’t half of us!
As you know, the Sierra Club has wisely put a hold on all in-person outdoor activities and indoor meetings until the COVID threat has been reduced to levels that allow them to safely resume. That said, we remain active on environmental, political and social issues—only we do these things virtually. That works out pretty well too—and sure beats sitting around muttering to oneself about things that concern us. Sierra Sage is now holding its bi-monthly meetings virtually; its next one will be on February 12 and will feature a virtual chili cookoff. You are welcome to participate in any of our activities. By looking around our website you will see what we’re up to, and I’ll also be mentioning upcoming events in this blog. You may also contribute notices of events, situations, etc. that could appear on the website, or ideas for the blog. Like with COVID—and so many other things—outcomes improve when we’re all in this together!
Stay safe, keep well.
Helen Maurer