Cold weather has come to southern Oregon and tonight snow is expected in the mountains which ring the valley where I live. The mushrooming and ballooning rise in Covid infections, hospitalizations and mortality seems almost normal now, which is surprising in and of itself. Going to the market in the nearby town of Ashland, all shoppers and staff are wearing facial masks as I was myself; but to my surprise, I saw that the stuffed simian - aka the plush toy monkey - who normally perches above the fruit and banana section in the market - is finally now also wearing a mask--
