after 22 years together, it's natural that sarah and i stay close,  but
covid-19 restrictions have increased the amount of time we spend together to
practically conjoined extremes. today we even journeyed 20 minutes to share catsitting
duties when either one of us could have done it alone--though taking a lake dip was an ulterior
                  motive. thus, when it came time to part ways, with her getting on the 8 towards capitol hill and
my waiting for the downtown bound 27, we felt a twinge of separation anxiety and texted back and forth within sight
                  of each other from our respective stops. call it covidependence. as if to highlight the agony, my transfer point
near pioneer square seemed exceptionally bleak, with social pariahs languishing on the sidewalk, boarded up storefronts
(either gone out of business or barricaded), plus a pigeon squashed in the gutter as if to confirm all bets are off and the
 social contract has been broken. even so, chances are we'll remember these as the good old days--if we live long enough.