Cold Snap

 Yes, we are in a cold snap. Don't laugh, you people of the northern climes, it does happen and it isn't pleasant as that is what we like to get away from when we travel over a thousand miles south. It is okay because it has to be and we know it will be relatively short-lived. We can still do our indoor activities such as pool and cards. Cold for us is anything in the 50 degrees and below range and that is where we are this fine morning at 7:15 am.

Many things are different from years past due to the pandemic. We still have park meetings on Tuesday mornings but now they are online and often outdoors if warm enough. We can play pool in the pool hall but there is a limit of 10 people, masks are required and there is a sanitation routine of cleaning and sanitizing equipment before leaving. They are playing shuffleboard outdoors with the same precautions as the pool hall. Linedancing is also being done outside on a lesser-used street. Card playing is taking place privately and those doing so know the habits and dangers of their cardplaying friends. We seniors are a relatively cautious bunch. It also helps that the local people here must also abide by the rules of mask-wearing and social distancing and yes, they are called on it. Entry is denied to anyone without a mask in all public places. In restaurants, masks are required unless you are actively eating. All this and even so the numbers here are spiking too but to a far lesser degree than other places. We hope things can return to normal next season but by then we should be totally used to the way things have been since March of 2020. It doesn't take all that long to form a new habit.

I am very happy with my Internet service. It seems almost as speedy as our Iowa service and we are enjoying so many options with our Amazon Fire that it is sometimes difficult to land on a choice for our evening's entertainment. Coba Systems is the name of the company and they are very accommodating. They have 3 levels of service based on your usage habits and expectations. $49.95, $79.95, and $99.95. I chose the middle one hoping our streaming would not bog it down and so far, so good! We expected the Internet availability to be the one stumbling block to being here. The park still offers Internet but you must be in or near the main hall to get it. As I have pointed out many times before, park-wide Internet rarely works adequately or consistently and is very costly for the park and a source of frequent complaints.

That's it for this morning...maybe more later.