Monday, May 24, 2021

I was up at 6 this morning. I find it difficult to get back to sleep when Mike gets up early for golf. I tend to start waking up around 5-5:30 anyway, so it is no big deal.

On the mask wearing question, like DD, I don't wear a mask when I don't have to but many people I know always do. One nephew with a baby requires EVERYONE (fully vaccinated or not) to wear a mask around his son except himself and the baby's mother. Which should be interesting when they go on a planned excursion to see friends later this week especially since Massachusetts is dropping all Covid restrictions after Friday. Also, the mother works outside of their home periodically and though she always wears a mask outside her home I am not sure why she is exempt from mask wearing while the grandmothers are not? My other nephew (also with a new baby) is fine with fully vaccinated family members being around the baby without masks. Of course everyone has to make their own decision about how comfortable they are with risk but I wonder if nephew number one will ease up eventually or will carry masks to hand out. The CDC says "A growing body of evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infection and potentially less likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others. However, further investigation is ongoing." Other research seems to indicate that with breakthrough cases the viral load is much less. But they haven't had enough time yet to study it systematically. I plan to not wear a mask from now on except where it is required (such as in healthcare settings and on public transportation).

I am worried about SIL. As you may recall she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer over 2 years ago and the initial treatment with immunotherapy essentially put her into a sort of "remission". She has been seeing her oncologist about every 6-8 weeks and now there is new evidence of disease spread. So she will start taking another form of targeted chemotherapy which can have debilitating side effects such as diarrhea that can't be treated. Very nerve-wracking. If she can't tolerate it, they will try the immunotherapy again but she will have to be closely monitored by a pulmonologist because previously when on it she developed one of the most serious side effects called pneumonitis which is sort of like pneumonia. Lots of unknowns. But at least she is physically in better shape now having regained 20+ pounds which she has lost prior to diagnosis and couldn't afford to as she is "naturally thin".

Not much else on the agenda today. It is beautiful out so I should get my act in gear and take Justice for a long walk.

Have a safe and healthy Monday!

Liz, sending positive thoughts for your SIL. I, too, am not wearing a mask except when required. DC's aunt from Charleston arrives this AM. She will stay here with Atlas and Sadie while we are in NY completing our packing. We only brought bare essentials for our initial trip. While there are things I definitely miss having, this minimalist approach is really growing on me. I see a few more trips to the dump in my future.

I love our clubhouse pool, and basically have it to myself early morning. I'm walking with my neighbors this morning. Atlas is successfully reacclimating to his service dog responsibilities. All of that time home and then making quick trips without him so he wasn't contacting infected surfaces caused some regression.

Have a great day !

It sounds like you have found a wonderful place to live!

Weight: 187.8. Eek. Getting better than where it was last week though

First full day in MI done! I pulled the slipcovers off the sectional and washed them - Ferg had left grime all over the back of it where he liked to sleep and it's cream colored. I also unpacked, disinfected the coffee maker that had grown algae (ack!), boxed up all the dog paraphernalia, and did a mammoth grocery store run. I saw went to see my folks' new boat. It's enormous (46') and so very fancy. 2 refrigerators, gleaming varnished teak floors, 2 sleeping cabins, a/c... They are totally nuts, but it makes them happy. At least it means I get no grief from them when I spend money!

DD, masks are no longer required here if you are vaccinated and the establishment doesn't have a rule of its own. So this was my first unmasked trip to the grocery store since all this craziness started. It was glorious to be able to breathe and not have that thing slipping up blocking my vision! There were still a lot of masked people in the store, but I didn't feel one ounce of trepidation or shame on my part nor did I roll my eyes at those still wearing them. To each their own. But life is way too darn short to do anything than I don't absolutely have/want to now that I'm vaccinated!

The veggie garden is a full-on stage 5 emergency disaster area. Good lord, I can't even begin to estimate how long it's going to take to weed it. Daunting and back breaking is an understatement. It's made up of 8, 8'x3-4' raised beds surrounded by 2' wide paths and every inch of all of it is covered in weeds. Heaven help me because no one else is going to! I took a before pic of the carnage of 20 months untouched:

Today though I think we are taking a ride up the coast to a town called Frankfort for lunch in the new boat. No need to twist my arm to get me to avoid the garden.

A ride on the boat sounds MUCH better than diving into that garden! I have a black thumb so I would find it overwhelming.

Black thumb! LOL! Never heard that before, but I knew immediately what it meant!!!!

From yesterday, candied bacon?! I didn't know you could buy it, I thought you had to make it. I've been warned, and will leave it be.

I feel relieved that other people are not wearing masks when that is permitted. I thought I was missing something, because again, I want to do no harm, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't do harm now that I'm vaccinated. How I would navigate all this if I was living with an immune compromised person would probably look different. The only vulnerable one in our household is the 19 year old cat. He seems so healthy though, I'm beginning to winder if he is immortal.

Cecily, glad you are safely in Michigan, and always choose the boat ride whenever possible.

Diane you know I envy your pool, but in a good way :) glad your new place is serving you well.

I wonder if I will ever be an early riser? Probably not. During summer vacation, I set an alarm for 8am so I don't sleep all morning, and shift to an Elvis type schedule. If someone wakes me up at 6, I usually have no trouble going back to sleep. :)

Today's drama at school was an organized mask protest. A statewide parent group tried to get a maskless Monday protest started and said, send your children to school without masks. It didn't get much traction at the high school, I don't know about middle or elementary. Whether you agree or disagree with the mandate still applying to school, why would you set your child up in opposition with their teacher, who has no choice but to enforce the rules? And why would you waste teachers time with this? Anyhow, my students were great. Thank heavens, because I think a bomb threat is enough drama for the rest of the year.

Liz, I hope your SIL has only good side effects from her new treatment, and none of the bad.

Thank you DD. Me too.