Covid again

Covid hit us again - and not just my family, but the larger us, as in a great many folks in Anderson Valley. I guess with the relaxed masking rules it was bound to happen. We are social beings and I know I myself had started to stand closer to others than the recommended six feet; all it takes is a short conversation with someone who has it and your odds go up. Sigh. This time it was not I that got it but rather my husband and my mother.

It started Monday night with Van feeling a bit sick - chilled and achy; he went to bed early. All that night he sounded miserable. The following morning mom and I were on our way to Santa Rosa for her eye doctor’s appointment when he called to tell us he was positive. We turned around and headed back home. Once home we tested ourselves and found we were both negative, so we started the isolation protocols and the mask wearing began.

Van had the worst of it - fever, aches, chills, sweats, coughing, you name it. He was prescribed Paxlovin early on and that likely prevented it being worse, though undoubtedly having been vaccinated and having one booster at least also helped. Like me when I had it last fall, I really wondered how bad it could have been without the vaccinations.

My role in the house quickly became caregiver - with him isolated upstairs, the only thing I didn’t need to bring him was water. And did he have an appetite! We were fortunate that I had recently made a Costco run and picked up a variety of vegetables and we keep a freezer (or three) full of meat and fish, so I was able to manage cooking without having to go anywhere. I figured that I would get sick any day and thus did not want to go out in the world and expose anyone else.

My front yard showing my path and the wheelbarrow I planted with succulents.

In between cooking and running food to everyone I spent as much time outdoors as I could. We recently had our front yard fenced and I have been slowly putting in a path from the gate to the steps to the front door. I was able to get a lot more of this completed, though it’s still not quite done yet. I was also able to do a lot of weeding, mowing, replanting and various other tasks in the front yard. I also got on our quad and really did some mowing on the whole property, including in the vineyard, which took me most of one day. My other project is to build a biking/hiking path around the whole place, optimally getting two and a half miles of trail so in two loops I can do a five mile ride. I got some of that started, though this will be a long term project.

Last Saturday, the 21st, mom and I retested; this time she came out with a positive result. I, surprisingly, remained negative and continued to feel just fine. Up to this point I had been cooking for all of us but hadn’t worried as much about mom because she has a kind-of kitchen area in her space and she could come out to our space as needed. Now that had to change too. Unlike Van, though, she had almost no appetite, so it became more a matter of figuring out what she wanted and would eat rather than making sure she had enough.

At this time I had become pretty versed in what the new protocols were; another friend’s husband had it at the same time and she also remained negative and feeling fine. We would commiserate and keep each other’s spirits up; we also read through and debated just what the CDC guidelines are for people like us, in a household with positive cases yet testing negative and not feeling sick. By the time I had to go pick up my mom’s prescription I knew I could actually walk into a store and do this, wearing a mask of course. I kept my distance from everyone as well. The funny thing when you are around people who have the virus and you don’t really know how they got it (I know exactly where and when and from whom I got it last year) you start to look at everyone else who isn’t wearing a mask and think “are you crazy?” I laugh as I write this, because I totally get it, but it’s really how I was feeling at the time.

I think it was that Sunday that I hit the wall; I spent the day resting and mostly reading. My outdoor ambitions were done, at least for a while. I also broke the big mower, so that was not an option any longer while we awaited the replacement parts. Van finally tested negative on Tuesday, a full week after his first test, which brought some relief - at least he could now leave the bedroom and make his own coffee. However, his stints outside that room were short. He tired easily and most of the chores remained on my shoulders for a little longer.

Mom had a fairly mild case, thank goodness. She had both boosters and I credit that. She had a few bad days, but nothing like what Van went through. She tested negative on her fifth day and now just has a few more days of being masked around us.

My days are starting to look more normal. I went into the office one day, went for a bike ride with friends another. The mower has been repaired, so I spent a few hours on it yesterday - thanks to those late rains, the grass keeps growing. I also stopped by the AV Farm Supply and picked up a few more flowers for the yard. I have to give them a plug here - they have a wonderful assortment of plants this year and I recommend taking a look for yourself.

I hope you and yours remain healthy. Get your booster if you haven’t (I’m getting mine this week), remember to wear your mask if you’re going to be talking to someone for longer than 15 minutes up close - or keep your distance. Simple things to keep you healthy.