Our Corona Virus Experience

Having successfully navigated the pandemic without contracting the Corona virus for over two years we may have given thoughts to being the rare exception and possibly even carriers of an antibody that when discovered could be harvested and save mankind. 

Key words:  may, possibly, could

We arrived home from our cruise at about 1am on Friday, May 6th.  Jason admitted as we drifted off to sleep that he wasn't feeling great and would take a covid test in the morning.  We agreed that we would all take a test.  

After a reasonable sleep, we woke up and tested.  He was positive and Lucy & I were negative.  

Jason made a video appointment with our doctor's office for later that morning and I made an extensive post vacation shopping list and masked up to gather provisions.   The thinking was that we would be stuck at home and maybe wouldn't have a lot of energy to make gourmet meals.  Oh, and of course vacation laundry.

He was given a prescription for an anti-viral cocktail and I was able to pick them up at the local RiteAid on my travels. The doctor suggested that he isolate from us and the fun game of masking in our own home began.   Paxlovid is a five-day regimen of 3 pills in the morning and 3 at night.  

With the groceries gathered (lots of extra great things for hydration, soups, ramen, a couple different pre-planned dinners) and about 8 loads of laundry I was DONE.  The time zone change was catching up with me and I was very tired.

So, off to bed with me.  Jason was in the basement for a night (or 4) in the guest room. First thing the next morning - a test.  That's my results up top.  You can see it's not a faint line, no squinting needed.  The day before 100% negative.   Lucy's test also had a positive result, but the line on that test was very light.  After two plus years of worst case scenario news stories, Lucy looked at me with genuine fear in her eyes and asked quietly, "am I going to die?"  Hugs were distributed, and I did my best to reassure her that the vaccine would help her from getting really sick and that we would all be ok.  

Our doctor's office is closed on Saturday, so I used the handy Doctor on-demand application that came with our insurance and had a quick chat with a medical person somewhere in the online world. I too was given the anti-viral prescription, but not Lucy.   This doctor also recommended that we three isolate from one another within the house.  So, we continued that path.

The energy I had Friday was gone. Saturday and Sunday I was one with the couch.  There were movies but mostly I was lightly napping all day, then pulling together a dinner type meal which we three ate away from each other.  Then, at bedtime - sleeping thru the night was not an issue.  

Symptoms included a terrible headache, low energy, some body aches and for a couple of days congestion (no cough, but we went thru multiple boxes of tissues.).  The Paxlovid had a terrible side effect of the worst taste in my mouth that I've ever experienced, and it went on for days.  Jason said it was like a moose set up camp and then died in his mouth.  We busted out the altoids. We knew it was the Paxlovid because Lucy had all the other symptoms but not the awful mouth. 

We did manage to come up with a pretty decent dinner for Mother's Day and we ate together that night.  Lucy managed to sneak home a 1000 piece puzzle from the cruise as a gift.   The following day was Monday, and both Jason and I worked a full day.  Thank goodness for online/remote work.  

Lucy was uninvited to attend school until Friday the 13th, but on Thursday evening when we took our 5 day follow up tests, Jason and I tested negative, but Lucy was still positive. That meant she was out of school for another five days.  She was not happy about the delayed return, especially since she was feeling just fine.

Mrs. W sent home worksheets and emailed us links to the lessons she was missing.   Yeah, so we managed to miss almost the entire school curriculum for sex ed.  But fun for Lucy we did those lessons together.  Anatomy, relationships, pregnancy, exploitation... all of it.  With charts, visuals, and worksheets.  It was fine, some of it was really awesome to walk thru at home - specifically the exploitation topic.  Since that happens to kids and it's almost never a stranger, we were able to explain that no matter what, her safety and happiness is more important than someone we know that is making her uncomfortable or hurting her. 

 There was a test today on the topics and I'll be interested to see how "we" did.   

Fret and Worry

We are packed and ready to leave for the long delayed Disney Cruise.  My bag weighs 43 pounds, but I think I don't need to bring anything else.  I'm sure I will only wear half of the items that I "had" to include.

Well, that is if we get to go at all. 

A child in Lucy's classroom tested positive for Covid over the weekend.  So my anxiety is through the roof.  She is not being sent home and we have been asked to test her at the 3 day mark - which would be today or tomorrow.   If she's positive - the trip is off.  

The reassuring information is that she was not noted as a "close contact."   Earlier in the year when she was identified as a close contact she was still able to attend school but we had to do testing to stay in the classroom.  She ultimately did not test positive and all was well.

Even though the mask "mandate" has been lifted Lucy has been wearing her mask at school, except when eating and when outside.  I hope that also works in our favor.  

As I write this, my throat is itchy - which I am sure is a product of anxiety and worry. 

I need a vacation.

Thursday, January whatever 2022

 BLAH.

Ok, it's not that bad.  We had our first direct Covid exposure the first week back to school after the holiday break.  School was closed the 4th, for bad roads.  They needed a day to plow parking lots.  The following day just our school was closed because there was no water.  No water, no toilets, no hand washing - big problems.  

The peanut mentioned that a friend's family had tested positive, but the friend had not using a home test so was going to school Wednesday.  hmmm....ok.  Naturally, we were not at all surprised to find that the friend tested positive when the test was conducted by professionals.  As a "close contact" Lucy was required to "Test to Stay" at school.   This involves meeting Lucy at the school's Covid Center (a portable on campus) and the schools "Covid Coordinator" also known as the Vice Principal.  He did all the paperwork and prepped the test, but a parent had to do the nasal swab.  Four times around the left and then a reverse swish around the right.  NEGATIVE.

We cancelled all weekend plans and decided to wait out the 10 day period.  10 days or 5 days with no symptoms and a negative test...the CDC changed their recommendation during our isolation but go to school window.  Anyway, to be safe we closed ranks and limited our time with others.  Lucy tested again on Monday - NEGATIVE and then we waited to hear about when the third test would be required.   The answer is never, but we were not informed until we arrived at the school to conduct test #3.   I love our school, but information like "she doesn't need the third test we talked about last week" could have been conveyed to us on the day we were there for the second test.  Yes, we live close to the school, but we also have these things called jobs. Grrr

Setting aside my complaints about efficiency, we were thankful that not only did Lucy never test positive but the pal has since returned to school and seems pretty healthy.  I'm sure it was a scary time for their family and we hoped for the best.

The news reports that Omicron is everywhere and is scary, but it also peaking in the northwest but still be diligent... wear masks, get vaccinated, stay distant, but go spend money in shops, don't breathe on anyone, wash your hands, but don't go anywhere.  I jest - it's still a pretty gloomy spread of information.  

The delay of services at the hospitals is the most worrisome.  Our friend had a much needed surgery scheduled for the 31st of December but due to the spikes in positive cases all non-emergent surgeries were postponed.  He is hopeful to get it done next week, but we will see.   

On the 🐀front - we may have won the war.  It has been days and days and days since we've heard any scratches.  It's raining at the moment and the sound on the window behind me makes me nervous, but I'm 98.44% sure it's just a water sound.  But, once you have the threat of pests your mind goes to the crazy place with each little tip tap....

Happy New Year 2022 - more of the same

It's a new year, we're headed into year three of this pandemic - which is possibly here to stay.  A new normal is the hope.  It seems like every time we relax and think we've got it managed but not eradicated, but have learned to navigate the ins and outs things change again.

Our May 2020 Mexican cruise has been rescheduled twice and we put a final payment on the May 2022 Miami-Grand Cayman-Disney Private Island cruise.  But now, the Center for Disease control is once again saying "don't cruise".  We are in a holding pattern, but with few options - we can reschedule again, but haven't talked about that.  We can't cancel outright and get our money back.  We just have to see what the spring brings.  My hope is that things calm down and we can go.

The COVID-Omicron variant is spreading very easily and we thus far we haven't been infected. We are told that with the vaccines that if we get it the likelihood of needing hospitalization is reduced by 81%.  Ok...but I still don't want it.  Masks and distancing it is - and what will be.

Schools in some areas are back online, but the politicians in Washington made some requirements that came with the funding to schools that they would offer in person education to every student.  Um... you shouldn't politic with our kids lives but here we are.

On the other topic - vermin.  We were confident that we had the upper hand, but we found evidence (mouse pooh) in the pantry and under the kitchen sink.   

Yesterday, Jason and I removed all open food items (half eaten bags of chips, munchies, crackers) from the pantry, washed all the surfaces and gave it a good cleaning.   It feels pretty good in there now, but I will not be confident that we don't have a friend until the rodent people come back.

Mom is still in Arizona and while it's not the warm oasis she thought it was going to be she's having a good time.   I wonder how long she'll last; I think the joy of doing nothing is starting to wane.  She updated all of her passwords this week and put them in the password safe.   That's a tedious task which to me indicates a bit of boredom.  She has a new man friend at home, and they are talking everyday - my guess is when he comes to visit in February that that will be the end of this "wintering in Arizona" business.  However, I get the impression that her co-traveler won't be on the same timeline and Nancy needs mom to help navigate the trip back home.  So...time will tell.

It snowed here on Christmas day and we've had 10 days of cold weather.  It's been beautiful and a perfect time to have the roads challenging.  But, school was supposed to start back up yesterday, but the kids got an extra day off, and this morning was a two hour delay to allow the roads to thaw out a bit.  So far, it's still cold outside and I'm not confident that the two hours will do anything to improve the situation.

It's back to work for me today, so I'd better get to it.  I'm here at my desk ready to engage, but maybe I should actually do it.  

One Month In...

In person school has been good on many fronts, Lucy is happy to go each day and we like her teacher.  Lucy is building good habits by completing her daily homework before doing the fun stuff.  

She did push back a little bit last night when solving a word problem in math.  "Why can't Shelly help herself?  Why is she asking me to figure out the age of her sister?"   She's a funny kid.  Thankfully, the delay tactic didn't take too long and soon she solved Shelly's dilemma. 

There have been two kids in her class that tested positive for Covid-19 and my anxiety is now lower than before on that front.   Both students were exposed outside of school, and the school does an assessment of who the student has been in close contact with and then sends them home for two weeks to incubate.   (There is no online option, so they are on their own for keeping up with the class.)    No one is told who tested positive, but a few simple inquiries to the kid and it becomes obvious.  The yellow kids are the ones who were out with the first infection, and the green with the second. 

Kids from the first round have returned to school, and only the center X seems to be experiencing any noticeable issues.  (Keep in mind our information comes from a 10 year old, but she's pretty reliable.)  

Lucy is excited to have her classmates back as the 'yellow' kids were also at her lunch table and she had to eat alone for two weeks.  I wouldn't have thought the distancing that the school mapped out would be effective, but thus far, I'm impressed.

We are anxiously awaiting FDA approval for the kiddo's vaccine.  I feel like we're playing darts.

July 30, 2021

The world was opening up again, we went through a phase where it felt weird to wear a mask into a store, as if people would think that we weren't vaccinated. However, anytime we are with the kiddo masks are on, since she can't get the vaccine and must wear a mask, we will do it out of solidarity. There are still plenty of people in the US who have free and easy access to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but won't. To be honest it makes no sense to me. Yes, it's scary, and who can really trust the scientists who managed to come up with these injections after only a year of research, but then again...this pandemic stuff is real. People are dying, we know people who have died. I get that it's hard to trust the "government" when messages keep changing, but this is a new thing, and the longer this virus is studied, the more we will learn. 

 What I predict is that this summer is a bit of a repeat of last summer, people are outside, they feel free, but this pandemic is not over. The Delta variant is bad news, and per the news today, it looks as though vaccinated people can still be carriers/spreaders of it even without being sick. By the fall, I expect that we'll be back to masks 100% of the time, and while school may happen in person, it will still be masks and distancing, and maybe even the half day crap from last year. 

What I don't understand is how the people who are exercising their personal freedom to not get the vaccine still feel it's ok to want to meet up and mingle with the rest of the world. Sure, technically, as a vaccinated person I am less likley to get seriously ill from a C-19 infection, but our unvaccinated child could get seriously ill and that's a frightening scenario. It's awful to say no to meeting with people who we really care about over this, but Lucy's health is more important. 

In shoulder news, I have been given the clearance to lift and do whatever as long as it doesn't hurt. I'm still building strength and range of motion, but am about half-way back to normal. I've been better about doing the home exercises this time and it shows in my progress. Reaching behind my back still hurts like heck and it's my least favorite thing to work on. Naturally it's the least progress I've made. That says a lot about my personality. It hurts, it's hard, I don't do it and there's little progress. DERP.

One year of dinner ideas

 

 Today officially marks one year since the Center for Disease Control identified Covid-19 a pandemic.

We've been home, distanced, careful and cautious, and we will continue to do so.

We haven't had a cold, didn't get the flu, haven't been sick.  Our mental health seems good, no urges to take out frustration on others or ourselves.

We've watched a LOT of tv, I've put together at least 2 puzzles per month, lego sets have been built.  

We've had this dreaded conversation every day:

"What should we make for dinner?"  

Sometimes the question comes before I can finish making lunch...When I don't have an answer it just looms out there like a future failure.  I'm not sure which is worse, having no idea, or having an idea and the other people in this house go "nah..."   

• Tacos? nah
• Lasagna?  nah
• Burgers? nah
• Salad? nah
• Chicken!? nah
• Pork!? nah
• Grilled Cheese? 

WINNER!!!  GC is always a winner with the kid.  I think it's a better lunch than dinner.

I found a recipe for enchiladas, so tonight's meal is managed.  There was a minor tussle over who got to go to the grocery store today, but since I got to leave the house yesterday, to sit in the car while the kid had tap lessons, he gets to go to the grocery store today.  Yes, that is really how it goes.

We don't have a timeline for when we might get vaccinated, but we are hopeful for spring.  We agree that we will probably still wear masks when out in public as  it has been nice not being sick from the regular communicable ailments.  I imagine that they will be required at medical appointments and in large gatherings.   

We have tickets to see John Legend at the Chateau St. Michelle winery (outdoors).  This show has been postponed for a year and is still on the calendar for September.   I'm hopeful that they figure a way to let it happen.  If he were willing to do two shows, they could offer half the people a seat at the second show and let the audience be 50% full.   Or, maybe just not resell the tickets that they refunded.  

When things are 'back to normal" I think I will miss the space between people that we have now.  Sometimes the extra space is downright awesome.  

So, it's been a year, somethings are different in a bad way, some are different in a good way.  All in all, we're ok.

the vacation not taken

 Planning and organizing vacations is as much fun as taking the vacation.  Or so I thought until the planned vacations never materialized.  

We cancelled our New York trip and New England / Canada cruise that was scheduled for August 2020.  We turned that trip into a snazzy patio couch and seats plus a twenty-two foot awning which makes being on the deck manageable.   I really love our western facing backyard, but when it's warm outside the deck was unbearable.   The awning has basically created an entire new living space for us during the warm weather months.   The vacation would have been great, but the redirection of those funds will have a longer lasting impact.  

We also had a Disney Cruise on the books for March of 2020.  This was a seven night Mexican Riviera cruise.   Sounds fancy right?  Well, the ports were Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo.  I was feeling a bit "meh" about this one.  I was excited about going with friends and how much fun Lucy would have on a cruise with a buddy; she was so great on the old person Panama Canal trip.   As COVID-19 started to amp up in the news, and cruise ships started to be the focus we began to re-think our plans.

February 5, 2020

Diamond Princess became the epicenter of the virus impact on the cruise industry in February 2020  (Photo via Princess)

2/5/2020

• Diamond Princess is quarantined off the coast of Japan after multiple reports of respiratory illnesses onboard. By February 13, there would be 218 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus onboard. By February 18, the number of confirmed cases would soar to 542.

We called and called and called Costco travel to rebook into a different cruise a year later, and that took a long time to complete.  The Costco Travel people worked incredibly hard during that time to help, basically every person in their programs.   We finally landed on a future cruise out of Miami in April of 2021.  I mean, the virus had to be under control by then right?

This change was a shorter cruise, but with a more appealing itinerary (to me anyway) and we were still meeting our travel friends on the ship.   We also took note that multiple ships had to deny passengers from leaving, and passengers were sequestered into their cabins for the majority of that time.  The idea of being in an inside cabin during a moment like that was not at all a risk I would be willing to take.  If we ended up having to spend extra days on the ship at least we would have fresh air.  Therefore while our trip shortened by two nights, we did select a room with a verandah.     My expectations are not that we would be able to soak in the sun on our luxurious balcony,  but we would have a window to open and an extra 80 square feet or so.   This did increase our trip budget by $2,000 it was worth it.

We tried for a brief moment to book a March 2020 trip to San Diego to enjoy that planned vacation time in a sunny place, but even that was cancelled after the national quarantine was announced.     Our original March 2020 cruise was eventually cancelled by Disney, and they offered every guest a premium for rebooking.   We had already done so, but for some crazy customer focused logic they extended the credit to us as well.   Thank you Mr. Disney.

Summer rolled around like it always does and we spent a week in Seabrook which was really fun, and then at the end of August, the in-laws came for a week.   The back yard inflatable pool isn't as awesome as the Caribbean ocean, but it will do. 

In December, during a fit of boredom I took a look online at future Disney cruise itineraries.   I found our current itinerary but in April of 2022 and saw that for about $200 (LESS) we could book into our same cabin but in the concierge class.  The perks aren't as fancy as a private butler and special restaurants like on the cancelled NY/Canada cruise, but it was less money!  After a frantic conference with the travel companions we are now booked on a ship in April of 2022.

We are still moving air fare credits around and I am hopeful that we will get to use them some day. 

The proactive move to change the Disney cruise proved to be a good one, as the April 2021 cruise has just been cancelled by Disney. 

Looking at the cost of the trip we're now booked on the amount of rooms available are considerably less and the cost of the concierge class has jumped by $2000.  Lucky us.

We have a replacement spring break trip planned to a resort in Palm Springs.  We're hopeful that even with COVID still being an issue that we can go, hang by a pool and get warm.

Fingers crossed.

Health...mental and otherwise

So it turns out that this pandemic thing is wearing on me.  I am go grateful for our home, these people who are here and a solid steady job.  My experience is really nothing compared to folks who have lost jobs, businesses and family.  I have this perspective - I am lucky, I am ok.  However, I am tired.

It is no secret that I enjoy traveling for pleasure and for work.  Those little jaunts to San Jose are good for my career and my well being.   I haven't been since January and I honestly don't expect to go at all in 2021.

We cancelled multiple vacation plans in 2020 - the first being a spring break cruise to Mexico, which for a brief moment was a week in San Diego hanging out at a luxury hotel.  We cancelled the cruise (before the cruise line cancelled the sailing) and booked ourselves on a Western Caribbean cruise out of Miami 1 year later.  That sailing is scheduled to leave Miami on April 3rd, 2021, but as of last week, the cruise line has cancelled all sailings thru February 28th.   Realistically, a cruise the following month is not wise, even if it did happen.   Ships sailing from other ports are being turned around after a single person tests positive.  No one wants a repeat of the initial ships that were stranded with people getting sick.  Especially not for something as optional as a pleasure cruise.

With the window of likelihood for sailing in April dwindling, I found a similar sailing in 2022 and moved our reservation.  Oddly, the cabin was the same (a balcony) but it's in the "Concierge Class" which comes with lots of perks.  The fair was actually cheaper, and do I love perks.   Unfortunately, our travel companions didn't book within the same haste as us, and while on the ship are not in the special category.   To be honest, I think their original fare was much less than ours and the move to the CC wasn't practical.   Provided the sailing occurs, we'll use the CC perks to reserve the activities we had little hope of being able to book as lowly new customers.    We could get our money back at this point, but I am looking forward to this cruise.  And, technically, our travel companions could book into the CC class, but they don't seem too interested in adding an extra $4000 to their vacation costs.  Sheesh, some people.

We are trying for an alternate activity to replace the now moved cruise.  We have two - two bedroom villas reserved in Palm Springs for the week of spring break this year.   I've never been to PS, but I love sunshine, a pool and not washing my own sheets.  It's been fun researching a new location for things to do, but I just looked at the travel restrictions in Palm Springs and unless things get better it looks like we won't be going there either.   

A lot can happen between now and April, I hope that people do their part and stay home for Christmas - like they didn't do for Thanksgiving, and that this vaccine works (and that it doesn't have long term ill effects that we can't foresee).   

Our summer travel plans have shifted quite a bit.  Instead of using my sabbatical to  go to New York as planned last summer, the rescheduled time off will include a 1 week house rental at Seabrook in July.  Fingers crossed for good weather.  Our good neighbors will come join us for some or all of the week which will be fun.  The rest of the time off will be spent doing other things - maybe time at the lake with Marty & Lynne or if Lucy can go to summer camp a few days that's just Jason and I somewhere.   

The sabbatical program is wonderful, but it is hard when your partner doesn't get the same time off.   I expect that I'll take the peanut to go camping with Grandma G.

The other activity I am mulling is to change the flooring in my office.  I was thinking a fabulous tile floor would be great, but Jason would be more comfortable extending the hard wood floors.  I agreed that if we can find the same exact flooring that I would agree to using it, but if not - I get to mix it up!  Tile or a different (darker) carpet.    It will be a big job - obviously we will hire out the actual floor material removal and replacement, but there is a LOT of stuff in this office.  (Especially at Christmas)  Some of it may be time to part with, but other stuff I love.  I do think better storage could make a difference.  So, the planning for that has begun to form in my head.  

Anyway..here we are, all plans and nowhere to go.

So this is crazy...

  Here we are, 263 days into the Covid-19 stay at home situation.  Lock-down is the wrong phrase, as we are free to go where ever we want and while our household is choosing to stay home as much as possible we still visit the grocery store at least once a week and do takeout food 1-2 times a week.   We are not locked in our house Anne Frank style.  

However, we celebrated the second of the big three family holidays with just the three of us.  July 4th is usually a big family gathering, Thanksgiving is the other 30+ people event and we will be passing on Christmas as well.  

Summer was easy to manage as we had lots to do outside, backyard pools, distanced hanging with the favorite neighbors and good weather.   Thanksgiving was a different event.  We made our own dinner and, honestly it was pretty good.  A bit too salty, but better than dry and tasteless.  

The picture shows the settings I've just allowed on my phone, which means that I should get an alert if I'm at the grocery store and someone who is positive is within 6 feet of me.  I cannot really accept that I'm giving others the ability to track me within 6 feet, but until we're clear of this virus, I'll keep it active.  I can turn it off (in theory.)   There is a small piece of me that wonders if it's a big plan to whittle away our privacy, but I know people in the medical field and they cannot be lying about deaths.  

We are doing well, planning for a quiet Christmas.  We will be mailing our holiday gifts to our beloved parents this week.  I wish they could come, but it's not smart.  

The good news is that the (sorry) fuck-tard trump did not win a second term and grown ups will be returning to the white house in January.   Mr. Biden was not my first choice, but I'm very happy.   He's packing his cabinet with qualified people and many of them are women.  I hope that we don't pay for this moment of sanity in eight years when the GOP elects a literal bag of shit.   Common ground would be nice, but tRump...what a nightmare.  I would hope the GOP could find a candidate that would stand for their values without being a racist, whorey bag of crap.   And, (while I'm at it) be against abortion, but maybe let's make it irrelevant vs. illegal.  The un-aborted baby is a human who will need support, especially if the mother wasn't in the position to have a child in the first place.   

Oh man... ranting.

We are safe, we are happy, the tree is up.  

The more things change

Summer camp is officially canceled.  I think I knew it was not going to happen this summer, but when the news came I was pretty emotional.  Lucy took it better than I did if we're honest. 

It softens the blow that we were able to change our week plans to all go to the fabulous lake house.  A week of being on the water, mini-golf, real golf (for Jason), and evenings on the patio will be delightful. 

We canceled our trip to Canada in July and rented a house at Seabrook instead.  With the borders still closed it seemed silly to hold out hope and end up with a week off and nowhere to go.   We will shelter in place in a different place. We will cook all the same meals but in a different kitchen.

The fun thing will be being at the beach, a change of scenery, and forced time away from work, home chores. Oh, and a hot tub.   Maybe the Seabrook pool will be open, and maybe I'll feel comfortable taking Lucy, but with a hot tub in our backyard we won't be forced to do it to get the waterplay in.

Our (rented) Beach House

Perspectives

The list of things I am grateful for is endless.  My partner in this mess is pretty easy to be with, and our home is comfortable enough for us to all have our own spaces to nest in when needed.   We are both working, and homeschool while not perfect is going better.

Still, I am worried, and bored and heartbroken for all that is lost and changed.  Two of my neighborhood friends were laid off this week as a direct result of all this change.  One, a cruise consultant (salesperson) and the other a property manager, both very qualified and lovely people. 

While our employment is solid, I am not eager to spend any extra money and have been putting extra into our savings each month just in case.  We're back up to where we were before I had to bail out a family member out of a mess.  Still, I worry about:

1) Food shortages 

2) Income loss for families

3) Health concerns that aren't covid related.  Will we be safe to go to the ER if needed?

4) Will Lucy's long term impacts be significant?

5) Will we lose someone close to us

6) Will this always be a politics issue?

7) That Trump will get re-elected

8) That even if he doesn't the new order of lies and deflection has hurt our country beyond repair

9) That I'll never get to hug family again

10) Vacations are a thing of the past.

and on and on and on

Covid Thoughts

April 4, 2020

Schools have been canceled and will not resume this year 2020. Lucy will finish third grade at home.
Cell phone companies are giving away months free so that people can stay connected. Internet data Gigs are being added so that people can stay in touch.
“Social Distancing” is the new norm and is expected to be happening long after this wave of COVID-19 is over...if ever!
Medicines are being fast-tracked to try and save lives. A vaccine is our priority!
Tape is on the floors at grocery stores and other locations to help shoppers remember to stay 6 feet apart.
Hugs are no longer felt but expressed!
We are lucky to be working from home. People deemed "essentials" have to go out and work, this is more than the police, fire department and hospitals. Grocery workers and delivery people are in an unfortunate situation where they have to be "out" in the word but are risking their lives each day.
Some stores are limiting the number of people allowed inside. Seniors are those most vulnerable to the virus and get their own private shopping times.
“Non-essential” stores and businesses are being mandated to close. Businesses that were thriving on the end of February of 2020 may never open again.
Unemployment is likely to exceed the Great Depression of the 1920s.
Parks and trails are closed you cannot camp, you cannot fish.
Entire sports seasons have been canceled.
Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - canceled.
Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - canceled.
No in-person church services. Sundays we tune into Facebook live and watch the pastor do her stuff.
It began as no gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, then 10 or more and now no more 3 people can be together if they stay 6 feet apart. At this point, it is regulated by information, but in places like New York the fine can be $1000.00
Children's outdoor play parks are closed.
There is a shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line medical workers.
People are making masks to donate to others.

I made 7 masks for our family this weekend.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
Healthcare workers are forced to make decisions about who lives, who dies. They are exhausted and broken!
Panic buying has taken place and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel, no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer, no meat, no dry beans or rice; grocery store shelves are empty. This is an area by area, day by day changing situation.
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses are switching their lines to help make hand sanitizer and again PPE.
The government closed the border to all non-essential travel.
Fines are established for breaking the rules.
All spring sports have canceled their season and winter sports their playoffs.
Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of COVID-19 patients.
Homeless people are sleeping in Las Vegas parking lots in painted spaces!
In Central Oregon, the homeless, the ignored, deposed and harassed are actually helping those that refuse to help them!
There are public service announcements telling people that when they see a tent pop up in a field, leave it alone because before this is over you may be there as well!
We are having daily press conferences from President Trump. He looks deflated, exhausted and not confident at all. He has been humbled in my opinion.
We are receiving daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
We are all being instructed to stay home. Some states are enforcing stay-at-home orders.
The roads are quiet.
People wearing masks and gloves outside.
Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.
People are dying alone in facilities without their loved ones. Final goodbyes are said on Facetime.
The people who have "those: jobs", the ones that you wear a uniform of some sort have become essential and the ones that move food and freight in trucks to get the food and goods to the public cannot find a place to get a hot meal.
We may be getting close to one of two things: the virus might go away with the warming weather and it may not or we may be closing state borders, hot spots may be under the control of the National Guard who knows...BUT we are Americans! We will rise to the threat, the occasion, to our duty and for each other. We will fight to get back the ground we lost just like we have since the birth of our nation.
Children are painting windows and making hearts to show solidarity and love.
Shut-ins, elderly and disabled people are communicating to their neighbors that they need help by putting a green paper for "I am good" and red paper for "please help me" in their windows and we all help when green turns red.
People are remembering that ALL lives matter, all jobs matter and that when things get really rough, in the end, we only have each other!
This is the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

We have so much!
Be thankful. Be grateful.
Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.
We are all one!

Cancel Everything

 What a bummer of a decision. 

April 5th marks 10 years of working full-time at my post-Mega-Bank employer.  One of the amazing perks is the sabbatical program, whereby after five years of employment the employee is encouraged to take a four-week sabbatical.  This is on top of the normal accrued vacation.   Now, we aren't allowed to take weeks of vacation and then the sabbatical, they don't want us to burn out our co-workers while we are away doing the lounging thing.

One of my favorite things to do is to plan trips.   When we took the cruise to the Panama Canal, I researched wonderful places to eat near our hotel in Miami, had lots of information about the places we would visit and enjoyed that part almost as much as the trip itself.     Therefore, knowing I had a sabbatical coming up in 2020, I've been planning and dreaming for a while.

We have enjoyed the two cruises we've been on and I thought taking one from the east coast would be fun.   I booked the three of us onto a 7 night New England/Canada cruise leaving NYC on Sunday, August 30th.   We would fly into NYC on the 25th to be tourists.   I've explored the neighborhood around our hotel, found a historic steak restaurant in walking distance and had started lists of the museums we (I) wanted to visit.

Current projections of the Covid-19 virus is that it will taper off over the summer, but chances are come fall it will spike again.   Clearly, August and early September are still summer and the weather should be amazing on the east coast, but getting on a cruise ship just doesn't seem wise.  

So... rather than risk it and tie up our considerable payments into a cruise that we may not take we opted to cancel.   This means a series of calls and visits to the associated travel sites.   Airfare - canceled.  Hotel - canceled. Cruise - canceled.

There are still some things planned for the sabbatical window.   The peanut has sleep-away summer camp booked and fingers crossed that we are not still in lockdown at that point.   While she survives in the wild (in cabins with guitar-toting college kids) I'll be visiting nearby Lake Roosevelt and getting some sun.  

There's time to visit Grandma G.  Now, with the NYC trip off the books, maybe we'll take the kid on a road trip to visit the Denver grandparents.  Maybe we'll rent a house in the Hamptons... maybe we'll fly to Switzerland...maybe not.

For now, the most disappointing thing is that we don't have something on the horizon.

Survivor

The upside, we are getting into our groove, and having folks in the house all day isn't so terrible.   We do a pretty good job of transitioning from "work/school" to "home".

There were two major shopping outings this weekend, a big Safeway run and this morning J took advantage of the employee-only hour at Costco to pick up a bunch of stuff.   We are planning on being home for at least a month.

I had to venture out today to go to the bank, which is not an activity that I normally would have to do, but it was necessary.    It's odd being "out and about".   Traffic is super light and parking is plenty.   People tend to give each other a lot of room and for the most part, everyone is very kind and in a pleasant mood.

I feel for the people in the bank, at the stores and even restaurants who are only doing delivery/take out.  I am sure they would rather be at home.   It's a balance, be home, stay safe or have no income.   We want to support our local businesses, but I'm more comfortable cooking our own food for now.

One would think that with all the home life that we were saving money, but so far whatever we save we seem to pay elsewhere.   Our housekeeping service has been "put on hold" for now, but I'm paying them for next week anyway.   I can't imagine that they are doing well. 

The President is a mess, his press conferences are an embarrassment.   He says one thing and it's pretty clear that he's just saying what he thinks "we" want to hear to make himself look good.   Then, the folks that actually know what they are talking about get to the podium and contradict what he says.

The Senate wants to approve a financial support package to help the people in this crazy time, but they can't decide if they are going to help individuals or big corporations.  I'm a people person and think that if a corporation gets financial help they shouldn't get any more than what they paid in taxes.   

I've stopped reading the news and social media right before bedtime because while I fall asleep right away I wake up around 3am and am spinning.  That's not healthy.

It's my turn to cook... again

I guess I didn't realize how much we chose to eat the fast way, by rotating thru our favorite restaurants in our area.  Af the workday winds down I think, what's for dinner and for the last eight nights it's been home-cooked. 

When this isolation thing is all done I hope we find a better balance between a dinner out at Casa Durango for amazing authentic Mexican food and the kitchen cuisine I've been cobbling together.

Tonight we will eat a South African Chicken Chutney that is very tasty and actually easy.  The hardest part was remembering to thaw the chicken.   That planning ahead thing will get you every time.

It would be nice to have staff around to plan, prepare and clean up meals, but I suppose I needed a different life for that to happen. 

Homeschool

School Schedule

Today is Wednesday, March 18th

School Activities

• Math pages 8,9,10
• Soduko P 11-14
• Crosswords #6, 9
• Spelling: Page 10&11 
• Writing:  O465 Topic:  The best thing about being home is...
• Computer time: 1 hour (your choice from Mrs. Henry's page)
• Reading:  30 minutes Alice

iPad time after completing the above.

Special Activity

LEGO CHALLENGE

Build a bridge

• The road must be 6 inches from the floor and 1 foot long
• Doesn't have to be beautiful, but we will test to see how much weight it can hold
• NO GLUE

Information

Mom has meetings (on the phone)9:30-noon1:30-4pm

Dad has meetings
8:30-9:00
2:30-3:00

If office doors are shut, please only come in for an emergency

SNACK TIME @ 11am (tv ok during snack)

LUNCH Chicken Noodle Soup & Grilled Cheese (I'll get more tomato soup the next time we go to the store)   Fruit

School gets out at 4pm today

A new world

Covid-19 has impacted our daily life.   School is closed, so we are making a daily list of homeschool activities to keep the Peanut engaged and in a school state of mind.   She loves Soduku and is having fun with the crosswords.  Spelling continues to be a struggle.

J's employer made the decision that they too can work from home when special circumstances are present.   The closing of school was the ticket for him to be allowed to do something that he has been able to successfully do for the last few years.   Sometimes it's management that needs to change.

For me, I've been working at home for the last 11 years, so the real disruption is all these people in the house 24/7.  I have always loved my quiet alone time, so this is truly an adjustment.

Thankfully, the weather has been spectacular for the last 5 days, so we have been able to get out and go to the park, get some vitamin D in the chilly sunshine.

I feel for the mom's in the neighborhood with younger kids.  Keeping the littles busy for days and days on end can be exhausting.  L is at the age where she can entertain herself, and reach out via facetime to hang with friends who we can't see in person.    She has one friend that they facetime and then login to a game called Roblox and they play together in that virtual world.   Thank goodness for out high volume Internet.  L isn't able to play or talk with strangers online, and I hope to leave it that way for the next 200 years.

Emotionally, this is rough.  The news is scary, and staying off social media is critical to not getting so much information that it feels like the virus is knocking on our door (but, honestly isn't it?)

We are lucky in that the closure of restaurants and other venus only impacts us as an inconvenience, rather than our livelihood.  It's hard to know how to help folks that are impacted.