Finally (and in honor of this blog, taking my coffee black this morning)!  

Everyone seems to be on edge. On the road and in the stores as I experienced.  

Both Joanne and I have been vaccinated and were becoming comfortable with life as it used to be.  We returned to the gym, dined indoors and enjoyed breathing fresh air without the annoying hindrance of a mask.   And then along came this insidious Delta Variant and our world was thrown akimbo! What to do?  Who to listen to? It’s scary.  It’s complicated and it could be life and death. We are compelled to return to the annoying masks and outdoors become a safer haven. What next?

Last weekend we were at the beach. Have you ever noticed how many balls there are at the beach?There were kids kicking balls and grownups throwing them—on the sand and in the surf. There were people throwing balls to dogs who charged with glee to retrieve them in the waves. There were men smacking a little ball with paddles...trying to keep the volleys going.

The cultural world is changing quickly.  And, COVID has impacted how we consume movies, theater, museums, and books.  Using our screens to watch movies, plays, and museum shows has helped us cope.  But, how has the book business been impacted by COVID?   The Audible book market was exploding before COVID put a dent into car commuting and book listening.  In 2020, audiobooks were released at a record rate. Even after a slight dip due to the pandemic, the business is still growing, yearly, at a double digit rate.  

  OK, I’ll bite. Rona started a great conversation with her blog yesterday. I heard outdoor fun, just like before a pandemic.

My husband and I did something last week that we love doing. And we haven’t been able to do since the beginning of the pandemic. We went dancing! (what did you think I was talking about??)    

This is the blog Friday’s blogger pressed me to draft and post last week. I argued let the net “facts” occur first. In fact, I get to tout not only my newly promoted daughter but my son who shared word of a recent study getting issued last week in print.