The shortest month of the year, February 2022, has ended and I, for one, am not sorry to see it go.
February starts with my birthday, which is now a mixed blessing. On the negative side, I’m a year older and a year closer to the Great Unknown.
On the positive side, I’m a year older, which is more years than many, many people are fortunate to reach. While I may have more yesterdays than tomorrows, I wake up every morning determined to make the most of every day have.
The US Population 65 and over
The World Bank estimates that, in the United States, 16.65% of the population reaches 65 or over. That means, only one in seven Americans will reach that age.
If you look at the statistics by state, they vary. Florida has a lot more senior citizens (20.1%) simply because older people move there for the climate. At the bottom of the list compiled by Senior Affairs, we have Vermont, North Dakota, Wyoming, District of Columbia and Alaska with 0.2% senior citizens in the population. Maybe that means they all just moved to Florida. Or they have inadequate healthcare. Or they just wander off into the woods to die.
A Plethora of Household Issues
Another reason I’m happy to wave bye-bye to February is that a lot of household issues cropped up last month. The trend started with our smoke detectors, which are hard-wired. They started going off at random times for no reason. (No fire, no smoke)
They took turns beeping and issuing dire warnings at regular intervals. My husband disconnected them but we did not sleep well.
An electrician solved the problem and the infernal devices have been quiet ever since. In the same visit, we took the opportunity to replace the under-cabinet lights in the kitchen. Ka-ching.
Trapped in the Garage
Last week I started out to meet a friend for lunch but the garage door would only go up a foot and then stop. We tried it on manual operation but the door still wouldn’t budge. Turned out a spring had broken and needed to be replaced. Alane picked me up and the door was fixed by the time she dropped me off. But ka-ching.
I needed a filling replaced (ka-ching) and I have a prescription for new glasses, which I am waiting another week to get. (ka-ching) If I believed in astrology, I would think our planets are out of alignment or something – whatever planets do that cause things to go wrong. I’m not waiting for Saturn or Mercury to call and explain.
Looking on the Bright Side
On the bright side, the Covid positivity rate in Massachusetts has dropped steadily and now stands at 1.89%. That’s very good news, indeed. We can now look forward to a vacation that doesn’t include masking everywhere or treating fellow tourists like disease vectors.
Also, I can see the light in terms of the upcoming tour season. The big cruise ships and other tours should return to Boston this spring. Tours mean I meet new people, enjoy showing Boston to them, and make some money for traveling. I look forward to it.
Roundup of February 2022 Posts
Okay, a short month means fewer blog posts, especially now that Suze is off doing new things. If anyone is interested in blogging on a temporary or regular basis, let me know. I’m flexible. I welcome new ideas and opinions.
The short roundup of February 2022 follows. It includes a new series I have started on Art Hiding in Plain Sight around Boston.
Boston and History
- The Fairmont Copley Plaza: Boston’s Grande Dame – Aline
- Art Hiding in Plain Sight: Sol LeWitt – Aline
- The Bedford Building: Red, White and Gothic — Aline
Business and Technology
- Five Reasons People Are Quitting Their Jobs and Starting Delivery Work — Guest
- Visiting the Mall After Covid – Aline
Entertainment
Environment
- A Walk in the Winter Woods — Aline
Lifestyle and Culture
- My Pronouns, My Business — Aline
Spiritual
- Lacking Inspiration in February – Aline
In Like a Lion
March came to New England like a lion with snow squalls and frigid air. Then it got warm and the snow melted. After that, it got cold again, followed by more snow.
I hope this means March will end with warm weather and bright sun. Fingers crossed.