Here in Minnesota, a statewide executive order by the governor went into effect yesterday mandating masks when indoors at public spaces such as all stores and the common areas of apartment buildings. We just got back from a short vacation; my little bit of anecdotal evidence from the towns of Sauk Centre (where the boyhood home of Sinclair Lewis was closed to public tours due to Covid) and Melrose suggests that most people were complying, albeit sometimes casually.

Closing in on five months now, and I’m still seeing supply chain issues, sometimes for the most basic things. Before leaving on vacation, I had been looking for ammonia. Two grocery stores (different chains) and a hardware store — bare shelves all around. But I found some up north and bought three bottles just in case. I’m starting to feel like a shopper in the old Soviet Union. You never know what might be in stock at the store, so better to buy whatever you can, when you can. Ten kilos of collective farm beets? Sold! Take my soon to be worthless rubles.