message 1 of 14
by John » Sun Nov 22, 2020 04:53 pm
We went to Florida in 2019 but Cheri doesn't really care much for it so I promised this year we would go to Branson Missouri, figuring every other year we'd trade off, but this year, things happened and we didn't have time to go. So, next year I owe her a Branson trip. Cheri refuses to stay in a tent, which would make a week long Florida trip much cheaper, but I kind of get it. A week is a long time in a tent. I did visit the Titanic museum in Branson and no, they didn't really have a lot, but the highlight for me, was that they had one of the original deck chairs, which have become so famous for pointlessly rearranging. It had been fished out of the Atlantic and kept in a barn in Canada for years before it was rediscovered.
The virus mandates are insanely complicated here, in that each county has its own rules and each city enforces them to a different degree. Even the various businesses enforce the rules to varying degrees. Just in Sedalia, some restaurants are drive-through only. Other restaurants require a mask and others don't require one at all, even though the city has mandated masks everywhere. The general expectation is, if you're standing, you need a mask. When you're sitting, you don't. The bars in Sedalia largely ignore any mask requirements. Some cities mandate 25% capacity for bars and restaurants, so they can't afford to pay us. Some schools are open and others are not. All the kids have to wear masks, except at lunch. Granddaughter Karly, 7 years old now and still going to school, was tested for the virus just a couple of days ago and doesn't have it, and since she lives with us 5 days out of 7, that's at least an indication that none of us do.
3 out of 5 people in the band have now had the virus. One is sick at the moment and can't go anywhere. One has never been sick but he's in the Air Force and the Air Force has mandated that they can't visit bars at all, so he's out for an indefinite period. I had what seemed to be a common cold last March, so if I've had it at all, it was then. The result of all this is of course, that bookings often get canceled, and I never know who I'm working with from one job to the next. Our next booking in about 2 weeks, we'll be down to a 3 piece band, but some weeks we may be 4 or 5. What it will be like as a 3 piece, remains to be seen. Right now, just about everything remains to be seen. John