Thanksgiving looked a little different for me this year, like it did for so many people.  With the COVID numbers in Ohio completely losing their shit the last couple of weeks, we didn’t think we had a choice.  We went over to my folks’ house for dinner, which is normal, though we took our meal outside in the fresh air so as to stave off The Virus.  The temperature was in the 50s and sky was clear and there was only a slight wind, and it was actually quite pleasant.  Afterwards, we visited in the garage for a while, distanced, wearing our N95s. It wasn’t ideal, but it was fun, and I’m grateful that we were able to see everyone while still minimizing risk.  Hopefully the holidays next year will be something approaching normal.

Last night we watched the Taylor Swift FOLKLORE concert thing on Disney+ and hung out with some dogs, who were not at all demanding of our attention.

I hope you all also had a lovely-if-unusual-but-safe Thanksgiving.  Now it’s time to have pie for breakfast and watch new episode of THE MANDALORIAN.

We were in a small bookstore in Chagrin Falls, Ohio yesterday when we learned the AP had called Pennsylvania for Biden, and he had effectively won the election.  I got a little misty eyed, and — not to get too hyperbolic — it felt like a weight had been lifted after four very long years.

Today, we opened two tiny bottles of champagne that we happened to have in the car, and toasted before hiking in Cuyahoga National Park.

Now also seems a fine time to retire Chrome’s wonderful Word Replacer app, which has served me faithfully these last four years. May it never be needed again.

One of the dachshunds developed an upset stomach overnight, and we woke up this morning to several poo patties in different parts of the house. This, like penicillin, I discovered by accident, but with my foot. So today I worked downstairs to keep an eye on the dogs.

Ordinarily, we keep a dog bed in the living room for Fozzie, because, while we’re pretty sure he loves us, he definitely loves to be by himself 80% of the time.

Things started off fine. Molly was asleep on the couch, Kirby was in the dog bed, and Fozzie was in some other room. (He really does enjoy being in a different room!)

Fozzie eventually joined us, but stood there looking rather perplexed at Kirby in the bed, like “where I go sleep?” So, because I am benevolent, I brought out a second bed out for Fozzie, and all was well.

Until some time later when I look up, and see Molly has moved from the couch to a dog bed. This was fine, except it happened to be the same bed that Fozzie was currently in. Faces not pictured, but neither looked very comfortable.

So I brought out a third dog bed, which Molly promptly moved into, and, at last, the kingdom finally knew peace. (Kirby is one of the lumps that is the Colts blanket.)

Stayed up later last night, drinking red wine and catching up with my old comrade Kat. This morning was a little rough, but it was well worth it. Besides, that’s what coffee and water are for.

The last month or so, there have been more days than not that, when the workday is over, I am just exhausted feeling. Today was one of those days. I crawled onto the couch and slept for about 30 minutes. Felt a little better afterwards, and forced myself outside to go for a run. The run helped clear my head and I felt much more humanlike when I was done.

While I was out, I saw a house where the Halloween decorations are next level.

Now I need to go make turkeyburgers before the sun completely sets and I can’t see the grill.

Last night we ventured out of the house to have an outdoor movie night with friends.  THE THIN MAN, pizza, and a bottle of wine.  Rain made a brief but gentle appearance at one point, but we soldiered on underneath umbrellas.

Jess reached a big and hard-fought milestone on Friday, so we also celebrated her achievement unlocking with a cake of victory.

This year has been rough, but days like yesterday are a reminder of just how good life can be.

Taking advantage of one of the last warm days of the year, we made a leisurely drive out to Serpent Mound on Saturday. It was wonderful.

Jess and I had one conversation about going last year, and she somehow managed to remember that conversation, and make this a surprise trip for me. She jokes that she has the memory of an elephant, and I believe her. My memory is, sadly, goldfish-like.

Serpent Mound, an effigy mound located in southwestern Ohio, about 70 miles east of Cincinnati, has been on my list of places to visit for several years, because it’s relatively local, its origin is a bit of a mystery, and because the head of the serpent aligns to the summer solstice sunset. One day I’ll return for that.

Today has been a perfectly lovely day of, in no particular order: writing, sunbathing, reading, margarita-ing, napping, and, in general, relaxing.  I’ve stayed off my phone for most of the day, except to watch a few minutes of the DeWine presser.  Last night we watched JURASSIC PARK and got Blizzards from Dairy Queen.

It’s been a pretty fantastic start to the holiday weekend.

We went to the camp Jess works at yesterday to do a volunteer thing for a few hours.  This was my first time at camp.  The grounds are beautiful and the facilities I saw top-notch, and the volunteer thing was fun and for a worthy cause.  I took a few photos, including this one:

At this point, you might be asking yourself, “What’s up with the T-Rex?”

Well, near the end of the day, we had to transport a lot of boxes from one building to another, and were using golf carts to do so.  I was riding on the back of one, in a rear-facing seat.  The combination of being outdoors, in a remote, park-like setting, and riding in a golf cart made me think of JURASSIC PARK.  Specifically, the scene where they’ve just rescued Ian Malcolm and are speeding away in a jeep, with the T-Rex in close pursuit…

Anyhow, the comparison amused me greatly, and I was compelled to make this subtle and totally believable piece of realist art.

This has been another episode of “A Glimpse Into Josh’s Mind.”

We went to the Greene yesterday to pick up dinner from Pasha.  While we were waiting, we hung out in the car, in the shade cast by an American Eagle, and watched at least two-thirds of the people strolling about not wearing masks.

From someone who is still mostly quarantining and physical distancing, it’s kind of surreal to watch the world pretend like we’re back to some kind of pre-COVID normal.  Especially when, from a risk perspective, nothing is significantly different than it was a month ago.  Instead, it feels like we’ve said “the hell with it,” and are just barreling full steam ahead, hoping for the best.

No wonder there’s been a sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases in the greater-Dayton and greater-Cincinnati areas.  So much so that DeWine is calling for everyone in certain zip codes to get tested.

It’s not to say that some elements of the quarantine can’t and shouldn’t be relaxed (and I recognize my privilege as someone who has been able to work from home the past several months).  I’ve enjoyed being able to support local restaurants by getting carryout during quarantine, and to begin to see see family and friends, outdoors, in a physically distanced way.

But it all has to be done responsibly.  And a key component of responsible is wearing a mask in public.  It’s literally the least one can do to prevent the spread.  It’s like wearing a seat belt in the car, except instead of protecting yourself from injury, you’re potentially not killing the people around you.

Pasha was delicious; they have the best hummus.  Now, please — wear a damn mask when you go out in public.

We took the dachshunds on a brief excursion to Caesar Creek today, so they could have a chance to stretch their stubby little legs and frolic on the beach.  The sky was overcast, and if we were there to hang out on the beach, it could almost have been chilly.  But for walking the dogs along the edge of the water, the slightly cool breeze was perfect.

The dogs had themselves a fine time,  and then had equally fine naps on the way home.