Is it over yet?

Pause for breath as we near the end of a manic year.

 

As I looked out at grey drizzle this afternoon, the neighborhood feels like it’s been damp and chilly for ages. It’s hard to believe it was only a couple of weeks ago that Ali and I took the dogs out for a drive and a walk to a beach where this photo was taken. Thankfully we have a good stock of firewood ready for the winter.

If anyone thought that November would finally bring an end to four years of relentless US election campaigning they were in for a sad awakening. The election has come and gone with a clear winner but no resolution. And don’t expect the shenanigans to end next month with the Electoral College, or even in January. Trump has been laying the groundwork all year to undermine the foundations of American democracy and will continue to do so long after he’s left the White House. Anything to avoid conceding a loss. It’s been saddening to see how deep the misinformation has taken root.

Closer to home, up to now BC has been touched only lightly by COVID. Most of the outbreaks have been in care homes with relatively little in the community, and we’ve got away with fewer restrictions than many parts of the world. The picture has evolved through the course of the year, but for the most part life has continued. That picture has changed this month, with cases spiking alarmingly and new measures in place in the last few days. Limits on social gatherings, and for the first time a mask mandate in indoor spaces. At work, a directive last month to start bringing people back into the office instead of working from home has been reversed, for now. Whether it will be enough to bring things back under control remains to be seen.

Progress on the writing front, The Long Dark text and cover art is in the hands of the book designer, and I’ve been busy proof-reading the interior layout. Getting very close to publication before Christmas.

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