Ketchum, Idaho – Our Covid Bubble
After spending 3 months in New Zealand during the initial lock-down stages of Covid, Jim and I were a little hesitant to come back to the U.S.
New Zealand is the country that banned assault weapons within a month of a rare mass shooting in 2019. The U.S. has a mass shooting almost every day of the year.
New Zealand closed its borders before they had even one death from Covid. Since then, 26 people in New Zealand have died from the disease. In the U.S., Covid deaths are currently over 600,000.
Yet our good luck overcame our fear. A six-month housesit in Ketchum, Idaho turned into 11 months and we are not finished yet. Neither of us was familiar with Idaho or Ketchum, known for its sunny weather and outstanding skiing.
Since July 2020, we’ve followed the habits of the locals – which is basically….. Get Outside. In the summer and fall, we hiked and biked. In the winter, we downhill skied, cross-country skied, and snowshoed. It’s been glorious. Jim tried fly-fishing in Silver Creek, a nearby world-class trout stream. I tried making pottery, with emphasis on the “tried”. We even got a permit to cut down our own Christmas tree in the Sawtooth National Forest.
That’s my Jim! 
We are also caring for two adorable dogs and two “cute as” (a NZ term) cats. They bring structure, joy, and amusement to our days. When you are with your spouse 24/7, it’s important to have other beings in your life – even the four-legged kind.
Ketchum has been the perfect re-entry place for us. It’s super easy to stay socially distant since there are only 1,800 residents in town (plus a bunch of tourists). It is true community bolstered by higher than average education and wealth. But the most important trait of the people we’ve met in Ketchum, which is reflected in the town motto, hangs over the main street in huge letters. The motto, shared with New Zealand, is simply………. Be Kind. That’s it….Just……Be Kind.
