How to survive this quiet, lonely, holiday season with a capricious pandemic in a country that’s still ruled by a Mad King Baby — Our newly blended family kicked off our first holiday season together in early November, 1997 with me decorating a Christmas tree into the wee hours of the morning. …

Even in the movie theater you couldn’t escape the smell of smoke. But that’s not why my sleeves were damp and snotty after two hours of weeping my way through a movie I hadn’t even planned to see. California was on fire again, the power was unexpectedly out, and while…