On this day last year, our schools were closed. The boys were in the middle of virtual learning, which consisted of very little actual curriculum from school, and a great deal of reading and learning exercises that I came up with for them.
We were on day 58 of what was supposed to be a 15 day shutdown. I was past the mindset of “this is temporary and necessary” and in the midst of the mindset of “we need to think carefully about what is happening right now.”
The grocery store was still in a state of constant shortages, making it difficult to plan a meal. On this particular day last year, Brainy Bird was making beef stew because the store finally had the vegetables to make it, and beef stew meat was one of the few cuts of meat available on the day that we went to the grocery store.
This day last year was what hot, stifling hot.
Fast forward a year, and our state is fully reopened. There are still self-imposed restrictions at many businesses in the form of mask requirements and limited capacity. I am in full support of these restrictions as they are the choice of the owner. It is slowly becoming more and more common to see people without masks on.
Other parts of the country are still shutdown or operating at limited capacity. The travel industry is picking up rapidly. Hotels that were once barely $100 are now back to being over $300 per night. Airline prices have gone up significantly, and most airlines are not operating at full capacity.
Gas prices and gas shortages are on the rise. This is partly due to a significant up tick in consumer demand, and partly due to the cyber security hack that resulted in the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline. As of right now, the pipeline is back online, but the gas shortages for the states supplied by the pipeline are very real.
Here in Houston, we do not have shortages or lines at the pump. We do have a bit of panic circulating on social media suggesting that we should all run to the gas pump as soon as possible.
For our little family, life is starting to feel normal in good ways. This is the second week in a row that I have gone to a happy hour for work. Tonight, the happy hour was our company’s office, and it was a lot of fun. It is so good to see everyone.
The boys are at their dad’s house. During the pandemic, they stayed here every night except Saturday, so I am still adjusting to nights by myself. The fur kids seem to be adjusting as well. Potatoe is all big and fluffy from his much needed spa day. We are sitting together on the back porch. Storme is near by. Trooper and Pumpkine are running along the railing of the fence. I am not happy about Pumpkine being outside after her surgery, but she is.
Unlike this day last year, it is a beautiful, cool evening. A perfect night to be sitting on the back porch with the fur kids working on my blog. That is exactly what I am doing.