All the signs are there. Last night one of them included the crowd at the Dodgers-Padres game in San Diego. Maskless, for the most part, eating hot dogs at 10 pm and trying to do the wave. Restaurants are opening, for the most part with a streetside table, events that were canceled last year are returning, albeit, re-invented in appearance, venue, and duration. This year in my town we will again have the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, and the annual Mt. Hood to Coast run. There are even a few indications that new businesses may be opening.
By September, schools will be open for classroom learning. The collective sigh of relief will be audible, no doubt. By June, the snow in the mountain passes will have melted, for the most part, and campgrounds and day-use areas from the mountains to the prairies, to the ocean, white with foam, will see their parking lots full. God Bless America, and especially those who had no trouble realizing that at least one mask is necessary even after two vaccinations.
People are planning trips. Even out-of-state trips. As the weather warms, perhaps our outlook will soften.
People are beginning to take stock. Who am I now 15 months after the lockdown began? What have I lost? Is it even possible that I gained anything? I can only speak for myself.
I feel older. I lost momentum at the gym, in getting outdoors up to my favorite fishing spots, in my progress on blues harp. My weekly music group disbanded temporarily, so I lost friendships and social interaction. Harmonicas and face masks do not go well together. Turning your head in another direction while playing unmasked is futile because it mutes your sound. So suffer the consequences.
Other signs are on the horizon too. Fire season here in the northwest has no real boundaries now. Even in Spring, we hear the D-word. Snow will disappear and a dusty residue will follow. Last year, among the worst of the fire seasons yet, the face masks did double duty when folks went outside into smokey air from dawn till dusk. Oregonians praying for rain is a bit unusual, but that seems to be the case these days.
Perhaps the biggest indicator of how we are now is the physical condition of our city. Portland, like many urban centers, is awash with homeless camps, trash, and all manner of mentally ill people roaming the streets. Against this backdrop is the continual street "protests" where Police encounter those that have more interest in destroying property than changing views. We are all in camps now, aren't we?
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