Thoughts of a Common Man

The 23rd edition. And this has been a trying year. We’ve suffered through medical difficulties, death, illness. All the things that one doesn’t think about much on the wedding day. “Would they ever be so happy again; the handsome groom and his bride as they step into the long black limousine for their mystery ride?” I have to admit, I thought of that Bruce line on our wedding day. It’s from ‘Walk Like A Man’, a beautiful song about fear in marriage. And the happy part is easy. Marriage is a lot harder when life gets in the way... ...but thankfully Bruce wrote another song about it, and it’s actually our wedding song. ‘If I Should Fall Behind.’ The verse that I think about a lot begins with: “So let’s make our steps clear so the other may see. Should I fall behind, wait for me.” It’s hard to step through things together. Grief is a really tricky one. Yet... ...knowing that you have the right person beside you is exactly what you need right then. I’ve fal

When I woke up following the 2016 election I was filled with dread. My son, Jake, asked me: “How bad will it be?” I said, “We’re white. It’ll be a disaster but it’s going to be a hell of a lot worse for gays, women and blacks.” I was really worried about the minorities... ...and on Friday morning I woke up and read the block that Twitter had over the Trump tweet that was most definitely glorifying violence. Looting would bring shooting. I was rightfully horrified. The president was seemingly calling for the shooting of American citizens. To make it worse, hours later the same tweet was posted on the official White House page. 103,000 dead Americans because the pandemic was handled poorly and the administration lost interest. Minneapolis is burning. The Flynn transcript was released and it appears that he was trying to tell Russia that they had a common enemy in the Democrats. “This is going to be a helluva’ day,” I thought. The fight with twitter is ridiculous,

Was watching a show on Netflix and the main character went to his boss to grab his paycheck. The boss made a wise crack and I was immediately blessed with a memory of my boss from 1987 when I was a union laborer at the Fairmont Hotel project in San Jose, California. My boss was named Bob McClure. Bob was 60 years old. He stood about 5’7” and weighed about 140 pounds. He was tough as nails. He was missing a couple of tips of his fingers from his days as a carpenter. He would deliver our checks on Friday afternoon. Would always shake my hand. His hands were worn and weathered from years and years of hard work. “You should have a gun,” he’d say. “Why’s that?” I’d ask. “‘Cause you’re stealing.” Then Bob would look at his shoes and smile, as if he’d said the funniest thing ever. We repeated that little routine each week. Back in those days my constant buddy was Zane Conway. He was the man who traveled to every country in the world - last time I heard from him he was in China

In the last two weeks I have watched video of two men murdered. They had one thing in common: They were black men. The videos were horrific to watch. They’ve been played over and over again. What makes it even worse is that there were bystanders right there. “He can’t breathe!” A young black man is heard screaming. The police officer has a bit of a smirk. And yet he kept kneeling on the man’s neck. There was another officer there standing guard. “You’re killing him!” And the officer continued to take a knee. It was hard not to consider Colin Kaperniek and the knee he took to protest black men being killed by police officers. “What did he do?” Someone asked on one of the job sites. “What does it matter?” I asked. “They can bring in a white kid that guns down a church filled with people. Why can’t they arrest a black man?” “I’m sure the guy was no angel,” the guy responded. I walked away. That’s not what should come to mind. George Floyd was just 46 years

Hot enough for you? It was rough yesterday, but I live in Buffalo and I decided a long time ago that I would never cry about it being too warm cause I hate the cold. I also got irritated again yesterday. More virus aggravation as the split between mask wearers and non-mask wearers is a true partisan issue now and it shouldn’t be. But it’s a clear split. Ah well, can’t fix it. I’ll try my best to keep myself and my family healthy. The disgusting story of the day??? Guess who? Trump started sending out tweets about the death of a woman who worked for television host Joe Scarborough. Just an awful story. The young woman had an unknown medical condition. She was working alone, fell and smacked her head. Trump’s tweets spoke about how it’s all so suspicious. Except it’s not. The death was thoroughly investigated. Ruled an accidental death. Trump is all over a conspiracy because Scarborough has been critical of him. Big deal, right? Trump being Trump. Who cares, r

The weekend was everything an American weekend can be. I saw people engaged in cook-outs and pool parties and walking boardwalks and sitting in bars and having fun in groups of ten, twenty, fifty and two hundred. And it made me a little woozy because it will exact a price. A virus spreads. That’s just a fact. The virus we are dealing with appears to be highly contagious and the price so far is more than 100,000 dead citizens. We will exceed the 250,000 dead in the model that was a high end guess because why? Why? I can’t help but think it’s because we didn’t have the stomach to sacrifice for the greater good. And I’m not looking for a debate. I don’t need to hear about people who die in car crashes or abortions or suicides from sitting in your apartment. I understand that the world couldn’t stop forever, and as a matter of fact, I was out there all through this, and I didn’t enjoy much of it. But I understood the facts, and I took all the precautions, hoping that it w

I think it’s because the weather always seems to be great for the first time all year. The cleanup is always cathartic as well and I seem to do a lot of that on Memorial Day weekend. When we were young that was the weekend when the garden went in. So it’s always a working weekend. And it’s my favorite weekend of the year. I thought about it in the context of what it’s all about as I mowed the lawn. Men and women killed in action. They deserve a Memorial Day that’s full of fun and family and good food. This year there are also 100,000 dead Americans who deserve our grace, respect and more than a passing thought. That’s a sad thing to think about, and what’s making it much worse is that some are disrespecting the memory of those people by fighting about how insignificant it appears to be when put up against the flu numbers. Or surrounding someone wearing a mask and chanting “Take it off.” (I saw that video). Or getting into a pool with 500 people you don’t know.

My yard is starting to take shape. Wasn’t easy and my body had to pay an awful price. But I feel better about it... ...I just hate weeds and clutter. And the crazy part is that there are only about 4 to 5 months where it actually matters because once we get to about the middle of October there’s a chance it can be covered in snow... ...but this year I was around the house more and the more I looked the more anxious I got about it. “I noticed some changes, Jake said as he pulled up. “Who did the landscaping?” “Who do you think?” I asked. “Well, you did a fine job.” And man, it’s impossible to not think of my Dad because he was sure that we were all working around the yard. Practically every weekend. And I’m glad he did because it made me more disciplined. Thing was, he made us start way too early! “Let’s go!” It was usually 7:00 in the morning. “Why can’t we do it at noon?” We’d ask. “Let’s go!” So, the four of us would all get our assignment. Dad would

The big orange king (he thinks) got up and decreed churches open in the middle of a pandemic. He called them ‘essential.’ You’d think that an essential business would at least pay taxes, but none of the other Fortune 500 companies do either so I guess that fits. He also decreed that if the governors of the individual states didn’t open up the churches for a Coronavirus party that he would override them. Then he stormed off without answering the question of whether or not he’d be attending a weekend service. (Spoiler alert - he isn’t). But it was odd nonetheless because I don’t think there’s a man or woman alive who can say, with a straight face, that they think of God or Jesus when they see Donny T. So, why the rush? I’ll give you one hint: It’s green and it’s the only thing that matters to a lot of morally bankrupt people. When I think of Trump and his family in terms of God, I often think of Jesus overturning the tables on the men who were trying to make a dime of

I had a surprise trip into the Adirondacks on Thursday. I woke up in Utica and plug in the address to a road job. The address took me to Route 8 into a little town that was on the water. The sun was shining and the water beside the winding road was giving me beautiful glances at every turn. The homes along the water were worn down and there were all sorts of broken down vehicles littering what should have been lawn. There were a lot of signs protesting the NY Safe Act and plenty of Keep America Great signs. I sent a text to my client to let him know that the crew wasn’t at the address he sent to me. Moments later, my phone vibrated. “Text not sent.” There were no bars. “No service.” I drove back a little ways and found that I had service again. I resent the text. “Yeah, I was trying to get ahold of you. They aren’t there. That’s just where their phone service stopped. They’re 25 miles further in.” So, I moved along down Route 8. Man, it was pretty. Trees, shimmer

On the road again. I’m trying to think of the last time I was away from the house for work - I’m thinking it was the New England trip the second week of March. I came home on the day all hell broke loose because there were less than 20 of us on a huge plane. (They still wouldn’t let me sit in the exit row unless I have coughed up $40). So, 60 days around the house. I felt off... ...like I shouldn’t be going. Like I should be around the house, still protecting my family. Which is, of course, not rational, but I couldn’t scratch the nagging itch in the back of my head. Should we be back to normal? Is there any risk in staying at a hotel, or seeing people I don’t know as I drive around? No clue. Shouldn’t make a difference, right? I’m still in a mask with hand sanitizer and cleaning agents playing a role. “Take the mask off!” One of my client’s employees yelled as he saw me. “I’m a safety guy,” I said. “You should be wearing one.” “I’m outside. A long ways away from

Julie Wysocki and Tammy Kasnikowski got ahold of me for the annual Gow School tradition of honoring one of their own in memory of my brother Jeff. In years past, of course, we would head to the campus for the presentation of the awards and we’d have a great lunch at the dining hall where Jeff’s plaque is there. This year, however, it was done in a phone call and Gow’s headmaster, Brad Rogers offered a tremendous recap of Jeff’s life, speaking of his energy, his humor, his love of the Yankees and his dedication to the school. Jeff absolutely loved working at the Gow School and part of the reason why was because he did great work there, but he also loved the students And he loved his coworkers. I received a few texts just last week from Paul Rose and it was all because he was having a great meal and he thought of Jeff. There was also Matt Row, who was one of Jeff’s buddies. Matt tragically lost his life just months before Jeff did. Paul has since retired... ...leaving on

Does hydroxychloroquine help with sore muscles? Damn, I feel horrible! The landscaping that is half done is going to have to wait until the weekend because I couldn’t move without doing this: “Uh, oh, ow, shit, sucks, bitch, damn, ugh, I’m sore, did I tell you how bad I feel?” Yeah. I was a lot of fun to be around on Monday and was able to limp through the first ten hour day since the virus hit. Speaking of the virus, what was the dumbest thing you heard yesterday? I’ll go first: The overweight, elderly guy told the world that he is taking an anti-malaria drug that hasn’t proven to be successful in treating the Coronavirus, and may cause heart problems because... ...because... ...because... ...he’s dumb??? ...because either he or someone he knows bought a large quantity of the drug and he needs to cover his losses? And it’s one disgusting thing after another. He fired an IG because he wants to be sure that Pompeo is available to take phone calls with world le

I took a long look around the place on Saturday. We needed to get some work done. Now, I have a rather unhealthy obsession with weeds. I hate them! No one else in my family feels the same way. For years the weed problem was in control because I’d laid plastic down and added mulch. I haven’t touched the plastic in a few years and last year, I paid for it. I was always picking weeds. “I need to redo the plastic,” I thought. Sam returned from mowing the lawn and I floated a balloon by him. “How you feel about the weeds?” “Love ‘em!” He said. It was beautiful on Sunday morning. I grabbed a few rolls of plastic. Grabbed 20 bags of mulch. “Easy enough.” I’ve always been a good worker. I’ve always actually enjoyed it. I put on some tunes and got to work. About halfway through I thought: “This isn’t going to be good.” Too much bending. Too many moves. I sat, stood, bent, grunted, sweated, bled a little. Couldn’t do any more. I looked around: “Much, much better.”

I’m torn. Baseball is maybe, possibly going to come back in July. Of course I want to see the Yankees play. I want to wake up and think about the pitching matchup. I want to see Cole on the mound, Gleyber in the box with the bases loaded. But will the players be safe? They’re going to need some rules. No high-fives, no hugging, no spitting. Wait? What??? No spitting in baseball? Can the game even be played without spitting? Of course, there are big problems. The owners want to make sure they don’t lose money so even after the players took a pro-rated salary, the owners want more money back. One piece of advice: Don’t bicker over it!! No one is in the mood to hear millionaires and billionaires bitch about money. Blake Snell of Tampa went off, saying that playing at all is a waste. Not worth the effort. Yet, they need to figure it out... ...maybe they can set aside an area to spit. Truthfully, I’m skeptical. Texas opened a couple of weeks ago. There are

Nils and Amy Lofgren seem to be really good people. Nils, of course, is an unbelievable guitar player and an underrated singer and songwriter. He’s a guitarist in the E-Street Band and in Crazy Horse, Neil Young’s band. On social media they have a presence with Amy leading the way. I say they seem to be good people because they interact and when we were visiting Arizona, Amy actually recommended some good restaurants. Lately, Amy’s Twitter feed has been a little sad because her Mom, who was in a nursing home in New Jersey, actually escaped and then was diagnosed positive for the coronavirus. That’s their business and it’s very sad. They decided to make it heard because raising awareness about the dismal treatment of the elderly is important. Because it’s a horrible problem. Nils was quoted in the story that hit the news on Friday as saying: “They looked us in the eyes and assured us that they would take care of our loved one.” Placing a parent in a nursing home is a traum

I must confess that my drive and ambition have been kinda’ missing in action. I’ve never been a halfway kinda’ guy... ...I have a tendency to go to extremes and I know there’s a balance, I see it when I swing past. Therefore this little pandemic has left me a tad perplexed and a little lost. All the things that seemed so important didn’t seem to matter much. I was well aware that I was not alone. A whole bunch of people have been feeling the same way. All conversations have been a little off. I’ve said it before, it has felt a little like being caught between Christmas and New Year’s. But I’ve noticed an uptick lately and it feels like the old engine is being primed. I had a moment on Thursday afternoon when a half dozen calls came in as I was writing reports and I thought: “Oh crap! They’re back.” And I only missed the days when I was sick. My job has gone on right through all of this, but it was a tad lighter. I even spent some time thinking: “I can work without bei

Saw some sad news yesterday. The singer, Melissa Ethridge, lost her 21-year-old son. She announced that he died, and I’ve always enjoyed her music, so I was a tad curious. I clicked on the TMZ story and there wasn’t much information, so still curious, I checked the comments. “That’s why two gays shouldn’t have kids,” the first guy said. The second guy piled on by saying God was punishing her for an evil lifestyle and the third guy went even further by saying that she should lose all of her kids because she’s so sinful. What is wrong with people? The woman lost her child. Is the fact that she’s a gay American a reason to attack? That’s not even the worst... ... I’ve taken to simply hiding posts of friends these days. It’s easy to do. See something nasty... ...block it. At the beginning of the stay at home order I used Facebook to interact by telling my friends that I would answer any and all questions. It was a lot of fun for awhile... ...and then the gover

Sirius has a Rolling Stones station up for a limited time. They were my first musical love. They were just so mysterious to a young lad. They were British, they smoked pot, and unlike the Beatles who seemed to be accepted in America, the Stones were kind of blackballed by society. They just released a new song, “Living in a Ghost Town” and it made the charts. No big deal... ...they’ve put a jukebox worth of songs on the charts, but they’re the first group to do it in 7 straight decades! 7 straight!! The Beatles broke up 50 years ago! Mick & Keith are still writing together and most likely aggravating the piss out of each other. But what a legacy. I listened to Shattered, Memory Motel, Sympathy for the Devil, When the Whip Comes Down, Bitch, Angie, Emotional Rescue... ...and I felt emotionally rescued to a point. Trump is working on trying to find a foe for the coming election. Seems he and Putin chose Obama. How much you want to bet they’ll be ‘Lock Him Up Cha

Dylan wrote the song “Everything is Broken” a long time ago, and I remember loving it when it first came out. I used to marvel at the fact that you’re going along great and then, bam, something breaks. Then two, three, four things break... ...one after another. I hadn’t heard the song in years, but I thought about it in terms of the virus, and then lo and behold, Springsteen was playing DJ last week and he played it. Listen to it! It fits.

I’m not sure who came up with the idea to let you know how much time you spend on your phone. I instantly delete it without looking at it because I’m a little embarrassed. Lately, I’ve used my phone for the following items: 1). Twitter - I get most of my news from there. A lot of news stories, idiotic garbage tweets arguing about the pandemic and politics. 2). Books - I read the new Sandford book - Masked Prey. As soon as I finished it up I ordered the new Stephen King book. So, a lot of my screen time is spent reading, which is good. 3). Games - I play a stupid Gardenscapes game. It’s fun and passes time as I watch television. But most recently there is a trivia game that’s all the rage. I play a few people pretty regularly, including my beautiful wife who calls me names when I beat her. “Hey, I got 15 out of 15,” I mentioned after beating her 15-12. “Good for you, a**hole.” 4). Facebook - I spend most of my time on that app hiding posts from people who aggravate me.

Every once in awhile I’ll get a text: “Where’s Mom? I need her to text me back.” Normally I’ll just turn to Kathy and say, “Pick up your phone. One of your little Cubs needs to speak to you.” Sometimes I’ll take a run at it. “What do you need?” I’ll ask. “Mom.” These kids are all at or near their twenties. They need Mom as much as they did when they first arrived! And I’m not a substitute. “Get Mom!” And it’s a love that I have been privy to all of my life... ...since I arrived. I used to sit right next to my Mom in the large configuration of our dinner table. I felt protected right there at her right hand. I miss seeing her right now. It’s awful! We talk a few times a week and she’s confused by the virus and she’s afraid. For the first time ever, I’m trying to calm her fears a little. Like Kathy, my Mom is tough, and she’s still so worried about her kids. “Stay home,” she said to me on Friday when we talked. “I’m working,”I said, “but I’m careful.”

It appears that we are collectively A.D.D. Attention-Deficit-Disorder. I kept singing the Paul Simon lyric: “I got a short little span of attention and whoa the nights are so long.” Maybe we could’ve handled it as South Korea did with testing, tracing and isolation. Push everything out a couple of months, and let it pass. Couldn’t do it! Didn’t have the stomach for it. They tossed the re-open guidelines out for all to consider.... ...a 14-day decline in cases. Nah, that would take two weeks!! And it is a different world. One where everything is at our fingertips. I want what I want and I want it now! We weren’t ever going to wait. We are free! You can’t take our freedoms away!! The sadness is taking control for me. We didn’t unite in the face of the virus. Instead, the sides are drawn. In this corner, wearing masks... ...the liberal wimps. And in this corner, guns drawn, we want our freedom. I have a pretty good seat to watch the battle, and I

Was getting a coffee at a 7/11 when a couple of middle-aged men walked in. “You need a mask!” The clerk behind the counter shouted. One guy removed a bandana from his back pocket and covered his mouth and nose. The other guy walked towards the clerk. “Explain it to me,” he said. “Why would I wear a mask?” “Because you have to or your have to leave,” she said. “There’s a sign on the door.” “You aren’t getting me,” he said. “What’s the purpose of it?” The clerk was seething. “I don’t have time for your shit,” she yelled. “Put it on or get out!” She may have added a couple of other words. “You’re a scared, stupid bitch!” The guy yelled as he left. I was shaking my head in disgust as I stepped up. “Sorry about that,” I said. “Ah, it’s happening all day long.” I’ve been out each day... ...I saw more masks on Monday than I saw on Friday... ...by a lot. Finally, yesterday, someone said it to me. “Take the mask off,” a business owner said. “Don’t tell me you’re

I started a whole blog about Michael Flynn and the unbelievable news that the DOJ is dropping the charges because they don’t think they can prove the case where the defendant PLEADED GUILTY! But I just didn’t have the stomach for it. The government is not functioning as our forefathers intended. At all. America is no longer a working democracy. The Russian take over was successful. Ballgame. I guess Barr deserves some praise though because the news of the charges being dropped made me long for Coronavirus news. Which wasn’t good either. More than 75,000 deaths. Plenty more to come. So. I didn’t have the stomach to go into a rant. I don’t feel like being funny. I am not of the belief that Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci are working together to implant chips into people during the vaccination process. But this is what I’m thinking: Welcome to the banana republic. The checks and balances don’t work when everyone is in on it. Michael Flynn belongs in jail.

Ahmaud Aurbery was out jogging. He was hunted down and shot to death by an ex-cop and another guy playing Army. Murdered. On video, besides. And I didn’t know what I was looking at when I brought up the video on Twitter. Was so sorry that I did because it was the most disturbing thing I ever watched, knowing that it wasn’t television. Ahmaud had the tragic misfortune of deciding to run through a neighborhood where this crew decided that he fit their description of someone who may have robbed something. There was no conversation. The first man attacked Ahmaud, who looked confused to be in such a situation. He never got a chance to explain himself. The first shot rang out. Ahmaud tried to get away. A second shot hit him and he still made a few steps, away, completely defenseless... ...the third shot dropped him where he died in the street, like a dog that had been struck by a car. So far there aren’t any charges. There’s a discussion of a possible grand jury, bu

So, the rhetoric is clear. Trump is done with the virus. “I’ve shifted my focus to opening up the economy.” The Coronavirus task force will be disbanded. He landed in Arizona yesterday and shook hands. No mask. “We can’t keep the country closed for 5 years.” That’s how a conman works. No one is asking them to keep the country closed for 5 years. In fact, the CDC guidelines talked about 14 days of declining. 2 weeks! Not 260 weeks. But anyway, what really frosted my ass. “The American people are warriors.” No we aren’t. You want warriors? Go one day without administering 8,000 tests to anyone who might come into contact with you when you make your way down from your bedroom at noon. I’ve felt fearful every day. I’m going to work, but I’m wearing a mask, staying away from people and rubbing hand sanitizer all over me because I don’t want to drown on my own snot so you can brag about the stock market. “Some people are going to have tough results.” Geez, thank

The death projections are being bandied about. Trump talks numbers as if they’re poker chips he’s discussing. “I used to say 50,000 or 60,000. Now I’m thinking it’ll be 90,000 or 100,000.” Later in the day, there were grim predictions floating about. 3,000 a day in June. Every day of June. I keep thinking about my buddy who lost his Mom to the virus. “Yeah, she was 80, but I wasn’t ready to lose her,” he said. That’s going on all over the country. One death takes a little piece from about a hundred people. That’s why I don’t understand how leaders are being so fast and loose with life. “Americans are going to have to make a sacrifice so we can maintain our economy,” one genius said. Sacrifice? By dying??? So we are good with losing the most vulnerable? The poor? Minorities? I just don’t know what I’m seeing and hearing here. We all good with this? We’re bored with the virus, so we aren’t going to try anymore? Just suck it up? Years ago I heard a cr

There was a clip going around Facebook that showed a few brothers pulling pranks on one another. I immediately smiled. There was a lot of pranking going on in the Fazzolari family. I instantly thought of a few. There was the year when John and I worked together at a Niagara Falls power plant. We had to wear Tyvek suits, goggles and long sleeve shirts - no exposed skin. We both chewed Copenhagen then so the natural thing was to just spit on one another when we saw each other. John hit me constantly and I was losing the battle. Badly. Well, one day, I look down and lo and behold, John was working in a room below. I saved up all the tobacco juice, all day, and about ten minutes before the end of the day...I dumped the can. John didn’t respond. He shed his filthy clothes and we made the long ride home. Halfway there, John pulled to the side of the road - “Get out.” I had plenty of time to think about winning that prank because I walked about 7 miles. Jeff was the king, of cou

I stopped at a job on Friday. The superintendent said, “Come to my office. I gotta’ talk to you.” I was concerned. Perhaps someone on the site had contracted the virus. Maybe the health department had shown up. I was worried. “Here,” he said. He handed me a big yellow envelope. There was nothing written on it and it was sealed. “Don’t tell anyone I gave that to you.” “What is it?” “Open it.” I did, and removed a cloth Yankees mask. “We got some masks donated and I put that one aside for you.” I was pretty excited. Would have shaken his hand, but...ah...you know. And I haven’t actually found the mask to be all that inconvenient. Of course, I wear a high-visibility coat or vest, a hard hat, work boots and eye protection every single day. The mask is just part of the uniform now, and it’s important, I believe to protect myself and others. But suddenly it’s a hot button item. “I’ll never, ever wear a mask,” one lady posted on social media. “I get it, I get it! I’m not

Jake made a huge announcement. “I’ve had enough of this.” Sam tried his hand at getting one of his girl friends to pay a visit. “She doesn’t have it.” Meanwhile, the number of cases has spiked in Western New York, and remember when they said we’d top out at 60,000 lost lives? We’re over 65,000, I believe. Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un might be alive, and suddenly the GOP is all for standing up in the face of potential sexual harassment, even though the guy in his chair has about 20 claims on his resume. “You think things will start going back to normal by June 1?” Jake asked. I didn’t even want to answer him. I don’t know, of course, but in 30 days time I don’t believe that much will change. In fact, if there are hundreds on the beaches or storming capital buildings... ...we may all be ordered back to our homes again. As the Spanish Flu should have taught us... ...not reacting properly might result in a second wave that is much worse than the first. “I don’t think so

Con: I miss baseball... ...a lot. Pro: I’ve had a lot of quality time with my dogs. Con: I am forlorn about not setting a tee time every week and I know I can’t walk 18. Pro: But we’ve had good dinners each night. Pro: work has been way more manageable as I am actually working just a little over 40 hours rather than 60. Con: I hate going back to the car to get my mask. Pro: There are less people out. Traffic has been light. Con: The ones who are, are a tad on edge. Pro: I actually have had very little cabin fever because I’ve been able to get out. Con: Seeing only Kathy & Sam on a daily basis is depressing. Pro: I have my weekends free. Con: I have my weekends free. Pro: There’s time to do yard work. Con: The weather has kinda’ sucked. Pro: I’m caught up on television shows and have seen plenty of movies. Con: We’re running out of Netflix. Pro: I’m getting more sleep. Con: Having some funky dreams. So, there you go. Taking stock hasn’t actual