Especially with the theme of this blog, we are very thankful that no one we know has been devastated by COVID.

We know some people who have had confirmed cases, and have even been hospitalized, but no one has passed because of it. People we know have had people they know have more severe infections and even death in their circles. And people we nearly know, like families in the kids' school, have had to quarantine because of positive tests or close contacts. So we know it's a real thing, but we're thankful it's a little bit at a distance.

We're thankful for other things, too.

The kids' school is doing well with the pandemic, and a return to more normal things, just with extra space, masks, and hand-washing. They each have their morning groans of "not another school day," but that's more fatigue and cold weather than real school problems.

Our jobs are doing well dealing with the pandemic. Maybe even having a little extra success because of the things that have changed because of the pandemic. We're still working from home, but have worked out those little irks. Both of our offices have vacillated between hybrid and remote, with the fears and flows of variants. My office is available now, and some people have started meeting there. I'll probably start going a few days each week on Monday.

Our neighborhood is doing well in general. We're not far from some of the civil unrest, and too frequent reports of shooting, mugging, car-jacking, and worse crimes. Far enough, it seems, that level of thing doesn't happen around here. Sure, last summer someone stole my Jeep, but we got it back with very little damage. Our neighbor's car was stolen and destroyed (and was replaced by insurance). We heard from neighbors of crimes of opportunities, like tools or bikes stolen from garages left open. But no street muggings or house burglaries.

We're doing fine, and that is a lot to be thankful for in these days. I'm glad that our biggest problems are inaccessibility or inconvenience, because services are reduced, or things are closed or unavailable due to the pandemic. I'm thankful that one of our biggest struggles is that we have too much time we have to spend together. I'm even more thankful that we have a kind of large house, where we can spread out in the same room, or separate into different rooms, as the moment dictates. I find myself wishing we had a little bit larger yard, but am thankful for that, too, because maintenance is easier, and it does bring us a little closer to our neighbors when our outdoor seating is just a few yards apart. I wish we were doing it somewhere it wasn't so cold or about to plummet into a frozen wasteland for the next few months, but I'm thankful that we have the things and systems to be able to weather the weather.

The feast begins in about three hours. Naps shortly after.

Everyone's healthy.