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to do, what to do” ponders Clayton Adams regarding the ongoing pandemic.

Here’s an idea for Mr. Adams: formulate a coherent point about COVID-19 before putting pen to paper.

[Editor’s Note: Wow … if ever there was a column that I would have thought it would be impossible to offend anyone it would be Mr. Adams’ column from last week. No lie, I had to go back and read it again to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Was it that he did not side 100 percent with whichever side of the issue you’re on? Because he de_nitely did not do that. He pointed out that both sides of the political spectrum have mismanaged information or had to reverse course on protocols due to changing developments. Was it because he, unlike the experts, simply said, honestly “I don’t know” when it comes to the pandemic? Because we truly don’t know, can’t know, the exact right thing to do.

Maybe if you’re looking for an answer just look at his closing statement … “All you can do is all you can do. Have you done all you can do?] We throw out so much, so often and no longer think of the things we might have once valued. Like so many people, about six million apparently, I had an Apple II and the accompanying manual and spent too much time learning how it worked and occasionally referring to that manual. In time it was surpassed and thrown out as worthless or so I thought. Somethings do lose all of their value eventually, or do they? A copy of the manual (admittedly signed by Steve Jobs himself) has sold for about $800,000 so perhaps I have thrown out a fortune or was it just the signature that was valuable? What gives something it’s value in these times of disaster?

The Mona Lisa is actually quite a small painting really, gold is moderately common as are diamonds.

What we should be valuing is our lives, family, and friends and not our possessions. The COVID-19 virus may change the world in so many ways, already we value our right to freedom more than we used to.

When we are vaccinated and the pandemic goes, we will have the opportunity to consider what is really important and maybe that will be the silver lining behind this horrible cloud of doom. Let’s look to a better future. [Editor’s Note: Nice try, texter … You set me up to think this was going to be a cool story about come cool collectables or something an you turned it in to a coronavirus question!

Nope! As for your ideas about what has value, I’m lost these days. You’ve got the Bitcoin and the NFTs and you can buy a noble Scottish lordship or whatever else is out there. I’ve got a bunch of old comics and baseball cards! Anyone?] My favorite local coffee shop was shut on Friday but there was no notice on the door saying why so I am worried about its future. It and many others have closed on weekends because of the consequences of COVID and not being able to _nd staff. On the few occasions there is a reason to drive anywhere it becomes obvious that a few bigger shops and food outlets have moved to “Click and Collect” but there are far too many that have closed and given that there are “For Lease” signs they aren’t coming back. There are two main suggestions as to how to protect these mainly small businesses, we can open up and live with the consequences or we can shut down and hope it goes away. The _rst option of living with COVID is concerning as many people are no longer living at all and some of those that have it are living with long term consequences. The second option, my preferred choice, may lower the rate of spread but there are serious mental health concerns for a number of people. The general community attitude is one of feeling locked up, wondering if there is an end to it all and we are not happy. Solution – get double vaccinated, wear masks, don’t go out too often and isolate properly if you have to, ignore the social media trolls, and cheer for the scientists and all of those keeping us alive. I know I am not the only one that wants that coffee and the world in general to return to normal. [Editor’s Note: I saw Chick-_l-A was having to run reduced hours due to staf_ng issues. I’m surprised there weren’t riots …

I, too, have seen some of my favorite spots hit by the economic downturn. I recently saw LBOE, a really cool restaurant in Memphis, shut down, and here on this side of the bridge, Anchor Grill and the neat little skating rink in Marion seem to have been victims as well. A shame, really. I don’t really drink coffee, so I can’t vibe with you on your speci_c concern, but one by one, those “For Sale or Lease” signs are adding up]