The Blackstock Shorelines column is back! As you may or may not have noticed, I unofficially took the summer off. Covid-19 started the ball rolling, followed by moving, locally, and topped off with a relatively severe fibromyalgia flare up, triggered by said move. Thankfully, I am feeling much better. I do hope everyone is enjoying summer as best they can given the circumstances. We have gone through several phases since my last column. While much has reopened since the initial shutdown, there are several significant events our town has had to cancel. If not for the pandemic, this past weekend would have been the 155th Blackstock Fair. Photos of our previous fairs were shared on Facebook. If you missed the posts, they are still there to enjoy. Next week is officially back-to-school week. There has been a lot of contention on social media with regards to the plans. In particular, elementary schools. At the time of writing this, it seems much is still being sorted out with in-person classroom assignments as well as the distance learning and virtual classrooms. It was also recently announced by Durham Student Transportation Services (DSTS) that school bus services will be delayed until September 14th. I’ve certainly seen a lot of mixed opinions. But let’s remember that there are reasons that every family is making the choices that they have. We all need to choose what we believe is best for our families and our children. The next few weeks will be filled with mixed emotions. It is a difficult choice: be supportive without judgment. Now that the column is resuming, I encourage you to email news and items for consideration to link2tammy@gmail.com by 12 noon on the Monday prior to publication date.