They reopened restaurants for in-person dining at 25% capacity on Monday, but I still can't get past taking my mask off to eat. I miss going out to lunch or breakfast with friends. I can really relate to those of you feeling imprisoned these days.

With these new virus variants, I've been following health professional suggestions to double-mask, as I've known several people who were hit particularly hard with the virus, & my best friend's sister-in-law died from it. Given my age & the slow roll-out of vaccines here, I may not be able to break out of this cage until summer.

A big thank you to those of you still working in jobs deemed "essential," but not "essential" enough to qualify for vaccines yet. I'm thinking about grocery workers, & others. When I go to shop, I always make it a point to thank the cashiers & other folks I cross paths with. One particular sore spot for me is the people in meat packing plants. Many people working there would probably be deported immediately if they weren't so "essential," but since they can be used as grist for the mill, they are expendable in the workplace. Even if Covid wasn't in play, that's dirty, stressful labor. Their work should be acknowledged, too.