Aloha!
I guess the good news is that I have NO news. Everyone here is staying safe. And all my mainland friends seem to be equally safe, albeit a little bored.
I've been reading the John Bolton and Mary Trump books. Bolton is dry; Trump is gossipy; so I alternate.
Here's some actual good news -- Thermo gave us a 20% paycut back in April, even though the company was thriving because of their involvement in COVID testing. And now they are giving it back. Not just reinstating our regular salaries, but they say they'll give back all the money they withheld. It's like getting a tax refund - it's not a gift, it's getting your OWN money back! But... still... good... news.
I'll use my back pay to put a new shower in the upstairs guest bath. We had a surprise leak back in February just before COVID blew up. I've been hesitant to bring workers into the house to fix it - and it's not as if anyone will be visiting until the world rights itself. It's not something I planned to replace anytime soon (or ever), but the new shower will be an upgrade and I'll try to make the most of it.
A couple of weeks ago, I had some worker dudes put a new cover on the lanai. Strong March winds (not hurricane related) blew off the old canvas cover. When the canvas got a small rip, the entire cover peeled like a banana. I figured as long as they stayed outside and Sophie and I stayed inside, we could safely manage that project.
In case you haven't been following... Hawaii is practically off limits to the rest of the world. Visitors are required to quarantine (essentially house arrest) for 14 days after arrival, and the police are serious about this. People keep violating quarantine and being arrested and/or fined and/or put on the first flight back to where they came from. Tourism is down to about 1% of what it would normally be. I don't see this changing until we have a vaccine, and then proof of vaccination will be required to come to Hawaii (and maybe anywhere else in the world).
Wearing a mask pretty much everywhere is the law in every county. Employees of the few retail businesses that are open are told not to confront people not wearing masks - just call 911. I personally have a lovely collection of colorful masks and I attempt to coordinate with my outfit when I go out -- which is RARELY.
That's all the news from Hawaii.
Stay safe! Stay home! And wear your mask!
Aloha y'all!
