Black Ledge

Yesterday I was too tired to write about the day, which was a difficult one. The most extraordinary part was the the commute in to work. There had been snow during the night, and waking up it was continuing to fall. It seemed obvious there was going to be a delay in starting school, and the announcements starting rolling in for all the districts around - except us. As I hit the road the conditions continued to worsen, and for a stretch it was genuinely difficult to make out the road amidst all the blinding white of snow on the ground and blowing around in the air. Clearly the plows had barely been out, and it was really the oncoming headlights that allowed me to make out where my lane must have been. The ride took easily twice as long as normal, and when I got there everyone was gradually rolling in, many people half in shock from the stress of the drive. As it turned out, the worst part of the storm occurred right during the time people were coming in. It was atrocious, and perhaps that set the tone for the day.

Then last night the school board met and, per the latest guidelines from the state CDC, rescinded the mandatory mask mandate, effective immediately. For me, having been triple vaxed and recently recovered, this did not carry the anxiety it might have some time ago. I could obviously still wear a mask if I wanted to, but today elected to go without. Time will tell if this is just madness.

In any case, it must be said it made for a strange day, with hints of elation all round. The children came in with huge smiles on their faces. All day, when passing kids in the halls, you could feel their curious, giddy scrutiny as they stared at your face as they went by. Amusingly, I had just grown my beard back over the recent break, so I still felt like I was not looking my normal self. Some people I had seen unmasked during meals or over video conference calls, but there were still many people I have been around for nearly two years without ever seeing their faces. It was like nothing I have experienced before.

Two extraordinary days which I'm afraid my photos don't capture at all.