Changes

The seasons have changed here. A couple of weeks ago, it’s like someone flipped a switch and suddenly it was the end of the rainy season and the beginning of what they call “summer” here, with less rain and a lot more wind. It still rains occasionally, and the wind doesn’t blow hard all the time – although sometimes I feel like I’m back in Oklahoma when the wind howls so loud!

This is also called “rainbow season” because there are some spectacular rainbows at this time of year – often double ones!

The other changes around here are related to the pandemic. Starting today, they have modified the nightly curfew. Formerly, it was from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., and now it’s from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. It gets dark here about 6:30, and I’m rarely out after dark, so the new hours are no big deal to me.

A slightly bigger deal is the holiday restrictions they have implemented. For the next two weeks, only women can shop inside stores on Monday and Wednesday, and men can shop on Tuesday and Thursday. My understanding is that we can freely move outdoors on any day, but they are attempting to reduce the number of people in enclosed spaces. I can understand that, and it’s not a hardship if you plan your shopping trips ahead of time to accommodate the new rules.

The biggest change is a total quarantine from December 24 at 7 p.m. until the following Monday at 5 a.m., and the same for December 31 through January 4. This means we are to stay home and not move from our property at all during Christmas and New Year’s weekends. I know this is an attempt to reduce the number of large holiday gatherings and avoid super-spreader events, but it feels like the covid grinch has stolen the holidays this year. It’s a good thing I had such wonderful Christmas and New Year’s celebrations last year to look back on, and I look forward to a cheerier holiday season in 2021.

Wherever you may be, I wish you a healthy and happy holiday season. Next year just has to be better than 2020!