This coming week will mark many two-year milestones for the beginning of the pandemic.

In those early days of 2020, the actions that made me realize the broad-reaching impact this could possibly have was when the NBA canceled the remainder of its season, just prior to tip-off of the Utah Jazz-Oklahoma City Thunder game March 11. Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the action. The next day, the NCAA canceled the March Madness tournament, which was already underway. Then Steve Wynn announced March 13 that he was closing his two luxury hotel/casino properties on the Las Vegas strip for two weeks. Within days, all of Las Vegas went dark.

Local bars and restaurants were closed for indoor seating and would not reopen until the middle of May. On March 25, Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued the stay-at-home order, two weeks to flatten the curve, which in reality wasn’t lifted until May 1.

In this column, two years ago this week, I had listed in Things to Do the following events (all of which were canceled within a day or two of publication): 18th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival at NIC, sponsored by the Kootenai Environmental Alliance; bell ringing to mark the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote in front of NIC’s Edminster Student Union Building; Coeur d’Alene Symphony presents the National Young Artists Winners Concert at the Kroc Center Theater; St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Coeur d’Alene; Coeur d’Alene Rotary Coeur d’Irish at The Coeur d’Alene Resort; CHS Viking Booster Club Country Auction; Big Man of Cd’A to benefit Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort, 100th Anniversary of the American Legion at the Steven H. Nipp American Legion Post 143 Birthday Banquet; Bingo, Brews and Blarney to benefit the Hayden Senior Center at the Greyhound Park Event Center.

In hindsight, it’s a blessing we had no idea how the virus would ravage not just our physical and mental health, but our relationships, our jobs, our schools, our families ... every aspect of our lives. Two years in and we’re still fragmented and frustrated, but I think I’m seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

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On 2/22/22 Chris and LeeAnn Cheeley welcomed grandchild No. 2. The bouncing baby boy, Atlas, is the second son of Augustin and Ashley Cheeley. That’s a lot of twos but wait ... Atlas arrived at 2:22 p.m.!

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In the 2/2/22 Main Street column, the story of Tad Leach’s gorgeous 1958 Lincoln Continental Mark III convertible, “Maybellene,” was featured. The car had fetched $735,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction, ending what Tad referred to as his “last bite of the apple.”

As Paul Harvey would say, now here’s the rest of the story: Tad announced a few days ago on social media that there’s a new girl in town, “Lucille.” Well, that didn’t take long!

The rare 1956 Lincoln Premiere convertible (only 2,500 convertibles built) hails from Edmonton, Canada. Tad said “Lucille” will receive a make-over, but this lady will be a driver, unlike her showy older sister, “Maybellene.” So we’ll be seeing Tad and Sue cruising Sherman Avenue with the top down, and no doubt, with Little Richard on the radio.

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Happy Birthday today to Karen Roetter, Bob Frazey, Giuliana Palmas-Rogers, Keith Van Slate, Debbie Myles Shawver, Joyce Connolly and Megan Round and tomorrow to Nancy Frazey, Mary Akers and Jon Dingman. On Friday Jim Booth, Heather Callahan, Mindy Newby, Jim Faucher, Travis Jank and Rachel Burkhardt put on their party hats. DeAnn Johnson, Will Henderson, Sylvia McCormick, Josh Vesser, Faith Hazard Wiley, Ali Hanson, Kim Maksen, Jan Daugharty, John Neirinckx, Christel Fredericks and David Wegner will have their cake and eat it, too on Saturday. Lucky March 13 birthdays will be celebrated by Kim Maksen, Paula Sharp, Robin Karrick, Laurie Boeckel and Erich Eickmeyer. On Monday Tom Capone, Wayne Cofield, Bud Evans, David Cehr, Candace McEnespy, Teri Rouse, Fabian Medina, Ina Bressler, and Sheila Kemmis do the birthday dance. Bill Haughton, Terie Huston, Len Crosby, Barry Rubin, Zack Yost, Pam Humphrey and Penny Brownell take another trip around the sun on Tuesday.

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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.