The craziness of 2020 is behind us, but America is still a fruit basket case, and the fruit fights don’t seem to be abating with the virus. For an example, let’s take a look at two fruit stands along Route 31 in Elk Rapids, Michigan, where life should be a bowl of cherries, but opposing views on mask requirements are making it feel like the pits. “Differences that had always simmered beneath the surface were inflamed by the coronavirus pandemic and pushed many people in places like Antrim County into their tribal corners. Now the molten flow of anger over the presidential election and virus mitigation measures is hardening into enduring divisions over activities as simple as where people buy their fruit.” NYT: Sweet Cherries, Bitter Politics: Two Farm Stands and the Nation’s Divides. (With the effectiveness of vaccines, life has given us lemonade. But some people still prefer to drink the Kool-Aid.)

+ Maybe this will help solve the dilemma: People who wore masks were less likely to get sick.

+ “The former president refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the election he lost. His party’s leaders are abandoning their commitment to democratic majority governance, and its voters insist that he won. Domestic terrorism threatens the nation’s tranquility, and ordinary violent crime is on the rise too. Relaxing about the state of the country feels irresistible, but doing so would be unwise.” This Isn’t Normal, Either.