What a difference a year makes!

"Winter is about over, the country is slowly warming up, and people are walking around with a spring in their step. What was the biggest lesson learned from 2020? Not to take our relationships with friends and family for granted."

Yow! Think of last year at this time. Covid was just starting to show its ugly nature in Seattle. Donald Trump was our President, and we were down in Florida on vacation. The stock market was doing great, and gas prices were cheap. Some places down south, under $2/gal. Little did any of us know that 2020 was going to be a clunker of a year. Covid would rob us of our freedom, our fun, and at the end of the year, our President.

But now it is 2021 and we are looking at a much different landscape. Between natural immunity and vaccinations, we seem to have Covid on the run. Biden is our President, but the cracks are all ready showing in how inept he and his young kid administration is. What is the biggest difference from last year (in my opinion)? Last year at this time, many of us were starting to bunker up, as we did not know what to expect from this new, somewhat scary disease. This year, we are planning. Planning to return to normal and fun.

Everything which was scarce last year is now back in stock. Some of the prices are higher, but you can still get stuff. Restaurants, movie theaters and gyms are not yet fully open, but that is coming. My guess? April. Vacations are back on. If not for Canada doing a flinch, we could have our Alaska and Canada vacations back in 2021. As it stands, they might have to wait until 2022.

Winter is about over, the country is slowly warming up, and people are walking around with a spring in their step. What was the biggest lesson learned from 2020? Not to take our relationships with friends and family for granted. Becoming hermits last year really sucked. I know some of us still socialized as normal, but large chunks of the country did not. Having that go back to normal as a norm - will be great! Never again, will I take our social encounters for granted.

This morning, the local weather guy was about coming out of his socks. He was giddy. Temperatures up, Covid stats down. That is 2021 so far. Let's hope this year is one to remember - in a good way!