People in the U.S. are taking COVID-19 a little more seriously. I see more masks being worn in our town when I go out. Most people with the opportunity to obtain the vaccine are doing so. The numbers in Ohio and our country are trending downward.
However, the numbers aren't dipping as fast nationwide. Total known COVID-19 infections in the U.S. reached 26,440,519 today. Total known deaths have reached 446,267.
So far, my immediate family has not been hit by the virus, and I knock on wood that it stays that way. But people around us are starting to get a little stir crazy. I understand the feeling. A week from today will mark a year since the last time I was at a movie theater, which is why there hasn't been any Monday Movie Mania posts.
Nor am I going anywhere anytime soon thanks to Winter Storm Orlena. She made up for our lack of snowfall this year by dumping five inches on us between 10 p.m. Saturday night and all day Sunday. Now that we're on the backside of the storm, we're getting lake effect snow off of Erie.
So, I'm sitting on my recliner with a puppy nestled on my lap. She sleeps while I watch snow fall in the backyard. The squirrels are nestled in their nests, and both sound and motion are muffled in a blanket of white.
It finally feels like winter has arrived.
