Hola darlings! I haven't posted for awhile, I've been busy with seemingly never-ending projects around the house and of course the moment the first hints of spring appeared I was outdoors savoring getting my hands in the mud again! And then there was the yearly wrestling match (13 rounds) with the dreaded INCOME TAX RETURNS. Ugh! Every year there seems to be ANOTHER FORM that needs to be filled out and yet as a retiree my income doesn't change all that much and I always roll over my refunds to apply to next year's income tax liability and I don't have to pay in another penny. Sigh.
Southwest Chess Club, my adopted chess club, is reopening for IN PERSON play on August 5, 2021.
It's true the club members were holding weekly events online during this horrible pandemic but of course that's just not the same as face to face OTB. I'm thrilled for the club and its members, and I'm hoping that soon the Hales Corners Chess Challenge tournaments will be returning, too. Typically held twice a year, in April and October, the pandemic caused cancellation of the 2020 events, and it may be too late this year to book a playing venue for an October 2021 HCCC. But with the Club reopening, players will be able to socialize in person once again, and reacquaint themselves with OTB play, which is very different from internet play (no matter what the experts may say!)
Getting back to something approaching "normal," hooray! But I will never look at "normal" again in the same way. It truly is a blessing to be able to move around freely and without fear, and to interact with others without fear of catching a killer virus, something we took for granted. But we should never take our blessings for granted. Sometimes, I guess we need re-learn that lesson, and it can be a hard lesson to learn.