City street crew keeps busy with alley clean-ups and picking up Christmas trees

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I know Santa was probably better to me than what I deserved.
 Like a lot of folks this year, Cathy and I spent the holiday by ourselves. I know I was in good company. Whether or not Cathy would say the same thing, I’m not so sure.
 It’s kind of hard to believe Christmas has past and that we are at the end of 2020. What started out as a nice normal year, quickly turned into something strange and surreal. Remember how the last part of March and into April, a day seemed like a week and a week seemed like a month or even two months?
 From the predictions made, it sounded like everyone would soon be catching the virus and that half of us would die in the process. Of course, at that time very little was actually known about the virus and what was known was cause for concern. But, as more became known, we learned how to live in spite of this deadly little bug. So we adjusted, life began to take on a sense of normalcy, and time began to flow, again.
 Other events in 2020 caused a great deal of disruption in our lives as well.
 The death of a man in Minneapolis in May led to protests in all major cities and many other areas in the country. Some of the protest literally lasted for months.
 In addition, we experienced the most divisive presidential election that I can remember in my 60 plus years of life. Many historians considered this election to be the most divisive since 1860, which led to the Civil War.
 Appropriately, Cathy and I were given a dumpster fire 2020 Christmas tree ornament as a gift this year by one of our kids.
 In spite of all of these events, there were also good things that happened in 2020.
 The first, was that we learned to adapt and go on with our lives by wearing masks, distancing, and washing hands.
 The second, was that, as a people, we tended to look inwardly to see what was inside and how we treated each other, what prejudices we harbored, and how to make a difference. Since this introspection is a process it is unclear at this time what changes will be made. We will never be a perfect world, but maybe we can make it a better world.
 The third, is that we survived the election without tearing the country apart and the country will survive.
 The fourth, is a COVID-19 vaccine that is considered to be 95 percent effective.
 When the virus was first realized to be a threat, a vaccine of 50 percent efficacy was not expected until mid-2021. Instead, we have not just one, but two that were developed in record time with nearly twice the effectiveness. Even if the vaccine is not fully effective, if you are in the five percent, the doctors say the virus will not cause as much damage as it would have without the vaccine.
 The fifth is that you and the City of Weiser employees survived my first year as mayor.
 Speaking of the city, for those of you who have a natural Christmas tree, the city will haul those off for you if you take them to the curb in front of your house. Please do not include the trees with the yard waste in the alley.
 Also, the alley clean-ups are expected to take another two weeks before this project is completed. With all of the yard work people did this year while staying at home, there was a lot more waste that ended up in the alleys.
 Well, that’s it for this week. Let’s hope 2021 is like a quiet fire in the fireplace – and not a dumpster fire.