I’ve always hated winter, and the older I get, the more I dislike it. Part of the reason is how long it is – much longer than the other seasons. The Chinese divide winter into two seasons: Early Winter and Late Winter. And this year, unlike last, we’re having a “real” winter. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 19.
All this is compounded by Covid. I was exposed by a friend last Monday and I’ve been lying low ever since. I have no symptoms at all. The testing sites here are jammed, and therefore quite dangerous, so I’ve opted to wait before I use the one test kit I have. I’ll do it this Friday, before I have a scheduled massage. My masseuse asked me to test before I saw her. New kits should arrive on Saturday. It’s been very hard to find them anywhere.
In addition, there’s politics. I found the anniversary of January 6th very difficult. As a historian, I have to go back to the War of 1812 to find a similar event — when the British invaded and burned the Capitol to the ground. The Confederacy never reached Washington, D.C. The first time Confederate flags were raised in the Capitol was on January 6, 2021.
But I’m very glad Biden finally spoke out. His speech, where he continually referred to “the former president” but never used his name, was excellent. I especially liked when he said, “He’s not just a former president, he’s a former defeated president.” However, it continues to be shocking that almost every Republican in Congress, regardless of how they themselves were menaced, continues to downplay the event and support Trump. Hopefully this will change. The rate of people getting, and dying from Covid is far higher in Republican districts than in Democratic ones. The Republicans’ platform now consists of opposing vaccinations, opposing voting, and opposing women.
I believe this is a losing strategy. People have voted under even more arduous conditions than those the Republican states are creating. I hope that the Supreme Court will not overturn Roe v. Wade. In addition to stare decisus (the principle that the court not reverse long-established policies), Chief Justice Roberts cares that he has a good reputation. He does not want to preside over a court that makes political rather than juridical decisions. Let’s hope his view prevails.
Also, this outbreak of Covid may decline as rapidly as it arose. It did that in South Africa, which does have a much younger population. But we can hope that it will diminish within a month or so here.
Finally, with regard to Covid, politics, and the weather, remember the end of the quotation with which I started this piece. Shelley wrote, “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind.”