Covid Strkies Again!

 Ken and Don came home from their Mexico birding trip with COVID.  They didn't know they had it.  They got up on the last day and went to breakfast at Waffle House in Tuscan.  Both were fine.  They flew home on separate flights.  Both later reported coughing and coughing on the way home.  Ken was sure it was just his sinusitis flaring up.  He flew in at about 7:00 pm.  We had dinner and then watched a movie.  His cough worsened, and by bedtime we both knew he had something.  He didn't feel well on Wednesday.  After we watched a show on Wednesday evening, he got a text from Don saying his experience had been similar to Ken's.  He had fever and chills and had tested positive for Covid.  Ken went right upstairs and tested as well.  Positive.  He took his things and moved downstairs, but by then we had been together for a day.  He felt really lousy.  On Friday, I felt a sore throat and tested.  Negative.  All in my head, I guess.  But by Friday evening, I was not well.  I tested again on Saturday.  Positive. Ada also came down with it.  Well at least Ken got to move back upstairs! 

We were both pretty sick and stayed quarantined as directed. It took a good two weeks before we felt better.  We both had lots of congestion, persistent coughs, headache, and lack of energy.  We were supposed to go up to Logan to tend the Cameron kids while Shonna and Blake went to Prince Edward Island, Canada. When we got sick, Blake asked his dental assistant if she could do it, and luckily she could.  We were so grateful.  Though we missed that time with grandkids, it would have been very difficult considering how sick we were.  We hope we are done with Covid for awhile.

COVID Strikes Again

 Well, it finally got me.  Where did I get it?  I have no idea.  I didn't ever catch it from Ken when he had it.  But Sunday, July 10th, I started not feeling too well.  In fact, I went home after sacrament meeting because I really wasn't feeling well.  I took a nap and felt better, but that afternoon, I developed a slight cough. Then other upper respiratory symptoms began to appear. I tested on Monday.   Negative.  Oh good, it's just a cold.  I was very sick on Tuesday.  Other than to go to the bathroom, I didn't get out of bed all morning and most of the afternoon. I just couldn't.  I couldn't even make myself walk to the kitchen to make myself a piece of toast. 

 I was sick the rest of the week, but just like when you have a cold.  I stayed in all week.  I went to church on Sunday.  I taught the gospel doctrine lesson. But I was careful not to get too close to anyone.  I didn't want to give them what I thought was my cold.  Later, I tested again. 

Positive!

I have to assume the first test was a false negative.  

The week before I came down with it, we had been to the temple and we went to dinner with Ken's siblings. I also exercised at my fitness center several times.  But I only went to the pool, which is outside.  I don't remember getting too close to anyone in the pool.  So, I guess I got it one of those places?  I guess that's the mystery of this disease.  You never know.

But it has been really hard to get completely over it.  I am mostly well, but still have headaches and congestion, and it has taken a long time to get my full energy back.

I was blessed that it never went into my chest.  There was lots of congestion, but it was in my head.  I also think it was a blessing that I thought it was just a cold, so I didn't worry all that week when I was most sick.

My biggest concern was that I went to church and that I had possibly exposed others.  But the two people I got closest to did not get it.   I was so relieved.  I really only talked to those two and even then not too close.  When you teach, you are up front and far away from people, especially in the room I was teaching in that day.  I was really careful.

Finally, almost three weeks later, my Covid test was negative.

Wahoo!

COVID Strikes!

 

We got home late Saturday night, May 21st.  Our friend, Dean, picked us up at the airport. By Sunday afternoon, Ken was not feeling too well.  He felt like he was coming down with a cold.  If you have been following this blog, you know we have been extremely careful about COVID.  And we were very cautious on this trip.  We wore masks in public, used lots of sanitizers and avoided crowds when we could.

On Friday morning on the ship, before we left for our excursion to Paris at 7:00am, we had to go down to a lounge at 6:00am to to stand in a very long line to be tested for COVID in order to fly into the US the next day.  We both tested negative.  So, we know Ken didn't have COVID then, but by Sunday afternoon, he was not feeling well.  We had a home test kit so he tested himself.   It came back negative.  So, we assumed he had a common cold.  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, he did not feel well.  There was so much to be done on those days.  He worked hard, despite not feeling well.  He mowed, trimmed, and cleaned the yard.   He also went to the doctor to get a much needed and anticipated epidural treatment on his back.  We slept together, ate together, lived together.  

On Thursday morning, he tested again.  This time the test was positive.  Oh dear.  I tested as well.  My test was negative.

So, we separated.  We had made a plan a couple of years ago of what we would do if this happened.  We put our plan into place.  Ken moved downstairs; I stayed upstairs.  He came upstairs in the mornings while I stayed in the bedroom.  He shaved, etc in his bathroom (which was off limits to me) and ate breakfast. He then sanitized everything he touched and headed downstairs for the rest of the day.  He also spent a lot of time outside.  I prepared his other meals and left them on a chair at the top of the stairs and called him when they were ready. We talked on the phone frequently.  We did this for two weeks.  In the evenings, we set out two deck chairs far apart and visited and did our Come, Follow Me study out there.

We were supposed to travel to Logan for Hannah's baptism on the weekend of June 4th.  We both went to a testing center to have a PCR test the Wednesday before we were to leave.  I was negative, but Ken was still positive.  It was a no go.  It was sad to miss the baptism, but we didn't want to infect others, and Ken didn't want to infect me.  It wasn't until the next week that Ken finally got a negative test.

It was a difficult time, but we are so very grateful it wasn't worse.  Ken was pretty sick those first few days, but then felt it was pretty much like a cold.  I was blessed to never get it.  Cross your fingers, or better yet, pray, that we are through our COVID experience.

COVID Preparation Central

 I walked by our kitchen desk the other day and just started laughing at what has become of it.  It is a COVID ground zero preparation site now.  Little by little over the last two years, it has developed into  COVID preparation central.  There are several kinds of masks, COVID rapid test, and even a game to play when we are bored in a lock down.  I don't often use it as a desk anyway, so it's okay.  It's just funny to me what has happened to my used to be clean, organized desk.

And Now the Camerons . . .

 Yep, the Cameron family got COVID too.  They have been so very careful.  Blake is a dentist and ALWAYS wears a mask.  The rest of the family also always wear a mask in public.  Masks are not mandatory in their school, but the kids ALWAYS wear one, except when they are eating, of course.  They are the least likely people to get the virus, but they did.  The first indication was Gabe had a fever of 101 for just one day.  He then was fine.  The others had very slight symptoms until Shonna, who got very sick for a few days. She thought she just had a cold. One evening, they had pizzas in the oven.  She expected to smell pizza, but everything smelled metallic.  When she told Blake, he said, "You don't have a cold.  You have COVID."  They had just received their government issued tests that very day, so Shonna took the test.  Positive.  So now they assume that everyone else had it before her.  Where did they get it?  What they figure is that Hannah got it from her best friend, Millie.  Millie tested positive.  They eat lunch together every day- when they take off their masks to eat.  They figure Hannah got it from Millie before she knew she had it, then the rest of the family caught it from Hannah.

So us and the Mackrory family (except Sammy)  are the holdouts.  Let's hope it stays that way.  🤞

COVID Strikes the Prince Family

We have felt so blessed that our family has been spared this virus for the most part.  Little Samuel had it a few months ago, but none of the rest of his family got it.  But our luck ran out in January.  

 The entire Prince family caught Covid-19.  Because Kenny was the first to get sick, they think he may have brought it home from school, but who knows?    They were blessed as no one got horribly ill.  Jaron tested positive but was asymptomatic.  The other kids had light symptoms.  Brian and Michelle got it the worst, but they said it wasn't much worse than a cold with a lingering cough.

They were all quarantined for a little over a week.  The kids were creative and planned an "at home" date night for their parents during their quarantine.

All set up for spa treatments

Jaron provided delicious chocolates

Jaron rigged up a spotlight and had Brian sing a romantic love song to Michelle.

The kids made and served a delicious brownie dessert

The date planners.  They even put William to bed so their parents didn't have to.

The kids said their goal was to see a smoochy kiss.  It is undisclosed whether or not they met their goal!  💋

I think this was pretty clever use of family quarantine time.

Just Between You and Me

 Just between you and me, now, let's keep this between us:  I am a COVID junkie.

That does NOT mean I want Covid.  Just the opposite.  What it means is that I click on and read everything I see about Covid in my newsfeed.  If the headline has the words omicron, covid, virus, mandate, vaccination, mask, coronovirus, delta, WHO, Fauci, CDC, cruise canceled, hospital, death, quarantine, etc, etc, or anything of the like . .. I click on it.  I am a confessed COVID junkie.

I think I must be the minority.  It seems like others must be uninformed or they would not be going on in life as if nothing has changed.  Sometimes I am just amazed at the crowds I see at games, concerts, in restaurants, at church.  Most of them are not masked.  Click on the above words, people.  Information is power! I sure would like to put an end to this craziness! = Rantings of a confessed COVID junkie.  Over and out.

Another Canceled Cruise

 

We were supposed to set out of Las Angeles on a Mexican Riviera Princess cruise on January 8th.  Though it wasn't canceled, CDC guidelines recommended that people not cruise regardless of vaccination status.  We decided we best postpone our cruise.  This is the sixth scheduled cruise canceled due to COVID.  We hope to go on this cruise in a month or so when this omicron variant calms down.  

We Got Our COVID Vaccination Boosters

 We are so happy to report that we got our COVID vaccination boosters on November 15th.  We both got very sore arms and I didn't feel well for a couple of days.  I was overwhelmingly sleepy.  But it is so worth it.  We are so very grateful for the vaccinations.

Samuel Gets COVID

 

Our five-year-old grandson had COVID-19.  Ken and I have talked many times about who might get it first in our family.  Hope against hope was that none of them ever would.  But Sammy did.

Kristen was putting on a huge birthday party for Audrey in their home last Saturday.  Jared took the little ones to the park so she could get it all ready without distraction.  When they got home, the guests were there for the party.  Sammy came up to Kristen and said, "I want you."  She picked him up and immediately noticed he was very hot.  She took him upstairs and took his temperature- 101.3.  She put him to bed.  They checked him an hour later and his temperature was 103.  Kristen called all over town until she found a drug store that had self tests for COVID.  Jared went and bought one and tested him- positive!  

He was in the room with the party people only briefly, so hopefully they were not exposed.  Right now all the rest of his family tested negative.  We hope it stays that way.

He said a kid in his class threw up at school, and since he hadn't really been anywhere else, they are pretty sure he contracted it at school.  

Kristen called their pediatrician and she was most reassuring and told Kristen how to isolate and care for him.

I think their isolation solution was brilliant: They have a lovely room they call the library just by the front door of their house.  Right next to that is a bathroom.  The room has glass doors, so Sammy stayed in there. It is where they hold their Come, Follow Me discussions usually.  It has a nice flat screen tv, a large table, a piano, and is very comfortable.  He slept in there at night and Kristen slept on the couch near there.  When she went in, she masked up and no one else was allowed to go in.

The other kids were so loving and solicitous of him.

These pictures that Kristen sent of his siblings serving him really touched my heart:

Nathan and Audrey made him his favorite scrambled eggs on toast

 They were creative in helping Sammy through this.  Daddy went and bought happy meals and they had a happy meal picnic outside.

They  let him play outside on the deck and in the backyard.  Little Lissi couldn't understand why she couldn't go out and play with him.

Kind friends brought over treats and activities to help him pass the time.

Playing with bubbles outside.

One friend brought over a Halloween house for him to decorate.

We "tended" him one morning while his mom went to a yoga class.  I told him I was going to read him a story that my mom used to read to me when I was his age.  "What?" he said.  "You used to be five like me?"  "Yes," I said, I used to be five like you.  I can remember when I was five."  "Ahhhh!" he laughed, "I thought you were always a grandma."

Another fun craft from a ward member:

The quarantine is over as of today!!!  Yea!  All the rest of the family took COVID tests today and none of them got it!  That truly is a miracle.  We truly feel blessed.  It was not an easy two weeks, but they all feel blessed that it ended well.  

Post-COVID Hair

 I had a cute mom in our neighborhood cut my hair shorter.  She has a salon in her home.  So, for now at least, my long hair is gone.  I'm kind of missing it! 

Bye, Bye, COVID Hair

 After over a year, I finally felt safe to go back to my hairdresser, Cami to get my hair cut.  My hair was pretty long.  I kind of liked having long hair again.  I was known for my long hair in high school, college and the early years of our marriage.  

These are the before pictures

And the after pictures.

I may cut it shorter later, but I am liking it this length for now.  Bye, bye, COVID hair!

We Are Free!

 Tuesday, April 13th was a very lucky day for us!  It is the day we were free! Having both of our COVID-19 vaccinations and waiting the two-week period, we were free!  We were faithful in sheltering from others and following all of the rules.  We got our reward of freedom on April 13th.  We actually jumped the gun a bit and attended a neighborhood gathering on the evening of the 12th.  

It was fun to gather and visit without masks and enjoy perfect weather and root beer floats.  Thank you to our great neighbors, the Adams, for hosting this get together. 

Stay tuned for more freedom adventures!

A Year-Long Goal Accomplished

 Soon after this shelter-at-home started, I set some goals. I didn't know how long we would be sheltering at home. I'm glad I didn't. But I didn't want to just waste time. So, I set some goals of things to accomplish.  One of those was to learn every song in this piano book and  "pass off" every one.  To pass a song off,  I had to play through it with five or less mistakes.  I finally accomplished my goal.   I practice the piano a few minutes each day.  Poco a poco/ little by little, I learned every song.  I loved it.   It brought me great joy during a difficult time.  

This is actually a book I played from when I was young and taking piano lessons.  I have pulled it out and played from it through the years, but I had not learned the majority of the songs in it.  Now I can play them all. 

We are now playing a game.  On our family group text, I asked them to name a number between 1 and 80.  They name a number, then I record the song that is on that page on Marco Polo so they can listen to me play it- hopefully with five or less mistakes!  I also challenge my grandchildren to play a song for me on Marco Polo.  It is a fun game!

Huge Project #2

This Covid-19 shelter-at-home time has given us time to accomplish some big projects. We finished the bookshelf project, and now are working hard on our personal histories/ Grandpa and Grandma Stories projects.   Ken finished writing his Grandpa stories (70 of them!)  I am still working on mine.  I have over 50 done and have at least that many left to write.  Ken spent many days going through each room of our house looking for pictures and memorabilia to photograph to put in his personal history. He went through every drawer, cabinet, shelf, closet, nook, and cranny.  In doing that, he cleaned out rooms and closets, throwing away lots of stuff, and giving a lot to DI.  We worked together in some rooms, disposing of a lot of junk and sorting stuff to give to our kids.  

We then borrowed Don and Ada's shot box to digitize pictures and memorabilia.

The shot box is a great tool for digitizing pictures and memorabilia in a controlled, lighted environment.  

The pictures and memorabilia Ken gathered to photograph in the shot box.  It completely covered the bed.

He sorted pictures as best he could by year.  Our yearly Christmas letters were a big help in figuring out when each picture was taken and event took place.

Here, Ken is dating pictures he has chosen to digitize- about a thousand of them.  Ada did a great service for us as she offered to scan all of these pictures on their scanner.  What a blessing and time saver!  Thank you so much, Ada!!!

This shot box is such a great idea.  I may be asking Santa for one this year- either that or a scanner.  How about both?

This is all the stuff taken out of closets, etc. ready to take to our three daughters as we visit them in the next few weeks.  Prepare yourselves, people.  You can't tell, but it's three piles- one for each daughter.

We are both now working on dating and labeling all the pictures and stuff we shot boxed.  Did I mention this is a huge project?