2022 Life Logs, Day 268: No Better, No Worse
Date: Sunday, September 25, 2022
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High 70, Low 64 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

Shanah Tovah to all who are celebrating the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) tonight. I missed having challah and apricot glazed chicken. Heather wanted to bring some over, but I had already made spaghetti sauce, so I had spaghetti. I have been craving it for two days!

There was very little change in my situation today. Pulse rate was down a little further but went back up to normal this evening. Weakness and shakiness still with me, but maybe a bit better.
I am truly hoping for a step forward tomorrow.

2022 Life Logs, Day 267: The Two Step
Date: Saturday, September 24, 2022
Weather: Beautiful Day, Breezy, Warmer; High 68, Low 49 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

I should have been in bed two hours ago, but I decided to watch the first of the Lord of the Rings movies. It was long, but I loved it as much as the first time I saw it. I will watch another one tomorrow and another one on Monday, and I am hoping by then to be able to say that I am definitely getting better. I named this log The Two Step because I feel like a take one step forward, then a second step backwards, or maybe sideways. My breathing issues were definitely better this morning, so I think the Paxlovid is helping me fight this Covid. But just as I was getting excited about feeling better, I developed another symptom or maybe a side effect of the Paxlovid. Around noon I got really shaky. Heather came over about that time to deliver groceries, take my dirty laundry to do, and to take Shadow for a nice, long walk. I told her I thought I needed food, but that wasn’t it. I remained that way all afternoon and evening. And my stomach is a little off as well. During the afternoon I also kept breaking out in a cold sweat. It was just weird. So, I am going to head to bed and see if more sleep helps. I did nap today, but that didn’t help. Hopefully there will be two steps forward tomorrow.

2022 Life Logs, Day 266: Reverse That
Date: Friday, September 23, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, Cool, and Breezy; High 59, Low 46 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

Last night I decided not to take Paxlovid. This morning Covid symptoms were worse, so I reversed that decision. It was the pain in the area of the diaphragm when I cough that got worse, but actually tonight it feels just a bit better. I am keeping a check on my oxygen level, pulse rate, and blood pressure. Right now, everything is in the normal range. I’ll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

I had a nice long conversation with Justin about how things are going after the hurricane. They are fine but a bit overwhelmed by the amount of clean-up that needs to be done. There is cell service near the plaza in town, so that is where he was when he called. There is information being circulated that if the power grid is not back up and running in two or three days, there will be no cell service as there might not be enough fuel to run the generators that are keeping the cell towers going. Did I get that right, Justin? He has also heard that a few people have gotten back water, giving them hope that they might have water soon. The school the kids attend went with totally computer-based classes this year. Bad choice since there is no internet unless you have a satellite system. Which they don’t. The kids might go back to school on Monday, but it will be mostly for socialization until they figure things out.

Heather got home from Climate Week in New York City this afternoon just in time to take Sam to Camp Greenough in Yarmouth for a weekend of endurance camping. Jonah is fine but still testing positive for Covid. And so far, Sam and Ollie are escaping it. Sam had the booster two weeks ago, but Ollie is too young to get the booster at this time. Sure wish I had gotten it as soon as it came out. If you haven’t gotten it, please make an appointment tomorrow. You don’t want this.

2022 Life Logs, Day 265: Fall Has Arrived
Date: Thursday, September 22, 2022
Weather: Overcast, then Rain; High 74, Low 48 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

Today was the first official day of fall. So, welcome fall. The weather is changing with cooler days and much cooler nights. But it bounces back and forth between warm and a tad chilly . . . definitely a sign of fall on Cape Cod.

Day two of Covid for me was better in some ways and worse in others. Regardless, I have decided not to take Paxlovid. I did get a bit of a scare this afternoon. I laid down on the sofa and took a nap. After about an hour and a half, I woke up with uncontrollable coughing that shook my whole body. It took an hour of sitting up and walking around to calm down the coughing and it left me with some shortness of breath. And now when I cough, I have to hold my diaphragm because it hurts. I certainly won’t lay down tonight. I will find someway to prop myself upright and still sleep. I no longer have a fever, but the coughing and breathing issues lead me to believe my case of Covid is not as mild as I thought. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Friends and family are taking good care of me. Olivia brought over two different kinds of soup, and the Baranowskis contributed a third kind. I was so grateful as I really didn’t feel like cooking today. And Jed picked up my grocery order from Stop and Shop that Heather had to order for me this morning because I couldn’t get the app to work for me. Jed brought the groceries to me along with Shadow’s frozen food that was delivered yesterday from Farmer’s Dog. I only have room in my freezer for half of it at one time, so I have it delivered to Heather and Jed’s. And I heard from other dear friends checking up on me. Thank you, thank you, to all.

Tonight, I watched ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’. The setting is in a marsh, much more extensive and remote than the marsh here at the end of the Eel River, but much of the wildlife is the same. I loved the book, and I loved seeing the book come alive in the movie. It made me think of Shirley who loved this marsh so much. Her funeral is tomorrow. I am sad I will not be able to attend, but I was definitely communing with her tonight as I watched the movie.

2022 Life Logs, Day 264: Covid Strikes Again
Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 66, Low 61 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

Covid strikes in the family again, and this time it is me. Last night I went to bed early because I felt very tired and was starting to feel chilled. I didn’t have a temperature, but it was a restless night with severe muscle aches. This morning, I did have a slight temp of 100.6, so I tested and indeed found I was positive for Covid. I felt better during the day, but I am starting to fade. So, again, I will head to bed early and hope it is a better night than last night. I did have a telemed Zoom appointment today with a nurse practitioner. According to my symptoms, so far this is a mild case. But the NP did order Paxlovid in case I decide to take it. If I feel better tomorrow, I think I will skip taking it.

The good news today is that Jed tested negative, so he was able to drive Sam to rowing. As Jed said, it will be a miracle if Sam doesn’t come down with Covid next. He was exposed to Jonah on Saturday and Sunday and then me on the two days before I tested positive. I was masked the whole time while in the car with him yesterday and Monday and kept the windows open for ventilation as we have been doing every day. I guess we’ll see if that was enough.

Tonight I watched a live stream of a Climate Week session sponsored by Woodwell Climate Research Center. Heather moderated. She looked great and facilitated brilliantly. And the two scientists on the panel were very informative.

2022 Life Logs, Day 263: Phone Calls and Rowing
Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy; High 69, Low 57 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

My day was spent receiving and making phone calls concerning my sister’s health care. Now that I am her Medical POA, there is much to do. Many things went by the wayside since my niece, who was in charge of her care until recently, was battling her personal fight against cancer, and still is. I was literally on the phone for almost six hours. Ouch! Then I left to drive Sam to rowing. Looks like tomorrow might be more of the same.

2022 Life Logs, Day 262: Good News from PR, Not So Good News Here
Date: Monday, September 19, 2022
Weather: Overcast; High 72, Low 64 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

What a wonderful surprise to hear from Justin first thing this morning via text. Things are a bit of mess at Finca Maravilla. Trees fell, hordes of rain fell and is still falling, but in the end, all is well. Hurricane Fiona left them with no electricity or water, but Justin and Jo have learned to live with that. They now have a solar power back up and they drive about two miles to a roadside spring to get water. They have a Berkey water filter, so life is good. Branches and trees are everywhere, so clean up will take a bit, but they and their home are safe for now. I was so grateful to hear this first thing morning. Thanks and praises.

I drove Sam to rowing this afternoon. Sam and Ollie were in the driveway using the new forge when I arrived. Sam and I took off and returned home just after 7:30. So far, so good. Then the not so good news came in, At dinner time this evening, Jonah didn’t feel so good. Jed tested him for Covid, and sure enough, he was positive. Since Sam, Ollie, and I were in the car with Jonah yesterday for a couple of hours, and in the van with him on Saturday for a few hours, we have all been exposed. When Jed called me tonight with the news, he explained that he is doing his best to separate everyone in the house to keep further exposure down. Now we just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, I said I would continue to take Sam to rowing every afternoon and do what other things that might be helpful during the days. Heather won’t be home until Friday afternoon, so Jed will have to keep things going until then. I will certainly spend my day tomorrow cooking just in case I get Covid. I made soup today and will freeze some of that. I will make more soup and a few other things tomorrow. If I do get Covid, at least I will have something to ear. I know it is a big ask, but I hope that by some miracle none of the rest of us gets it.

2022 Life Logs, Day 261–Puerto Rico, Soccer, NYC, Forge in the Driveway
Date: Sunday, September 18, 2022
Weather: Beautiful, Sunny Day; High 76, Low 62 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

I spent my entire morning nailing down flights to Puerto Rico and home in November. The flight to Puerto Rico I wanted was no longer available and all the flight costs have increased since I started looking into this earlier in the week. I basically had to start from scratch and be creative. I booked two one-way flights to get as close to what I wanted as possible. Just as I sent the email to Justin and Jo, the phone rang. It was Justin, but it was not about the email I had just sent. It was his attempt to convince me that I didn’t need to worry about them as Hurricane Fiona was descending upon the island. They lost electricity momentarily while we were talking, and our call abruptly ended. Justin did call back. He wanted me know that they might not be able to contact me for a few days, but that he will call as soon as he can. After we hung up, I found out Fiona had strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane, but it is the rain, not the wind, that looks like it will be the biggest problem. Hope with me that all will be okay. I know Justin said not to worry, but that is just not possible.

After getting off the phone with Justin, it was time to take Shadow out for a little exercise before leaving for the afternoon. We played ball in the driveway, then I drove into town to pick up the Goldpebbles. When I arrived, they had their new forge up and running in the driveway. It is run on propane and works quite well. But it was time for us to head to drive the hour to the Monomoy High soccer fields for Jonah’s game. Jed promised they could continue when we got home, so off we went. We dropped off Jonah for pregame warm up and Sam, Ollie, and I walked across the street to the Harwich Harvest Festival. Right inside the gate, supporters of the Long Pond Rowing Club were selling shirts and had an erg on display. Sam couldn’t keep himself from getting on the erg and doing a bit of a workout. We walked around to see the arts and crafts on display and all three of us enjoyed the woodworking items the most. Then, it was off the to game which Jonah’s team won 3-1.

We stopped in Hyannis to get hamburgers at Five Guys for dinner and then headed back to 43 Grasmere where the forging continued. And when I drove into my driveway, I got a text from Heather saying she was at Wicked on Broadway. Lucky one! The Climate Week activities start tomorrow, so she was enjoying a bit of New York City tonight. Thankfully she is still testing negative for Covid.

2022 Life Logs, Day 260: Newport Boat Show
Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022
Weather: Beautiful, Sunny Day; High 68, Low 61 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

It was a beautiful day for the Newport Boat Show. Heather and family, plus myself, tested for Covid this morning. Thankfully we are all still negative. Jed is feeling so much better, but he is still testing positive. He went to the boat show, but he drove separately and stayed masked the whole time. We all had a good time. Heather and Jed were disappointed that that there were not as many vendors there with things they were interested in, but they learned about a number of new products that can help them with some of their boat issues. The boys enjoyed visiting the various booths and touring some of the many boats on display. We also really enjoyed our ride into Newport and took the scenic route through Newport on the way home. The coast is just beautiful. The boys have been to Newport to boat shows in the past, but they were so young that they really didn’t remember much about the town. They enjoyed driving past the beautiful mansions on Ocean Drive. We all decided we would return when we can spend a whole day just exploring Newport.

Heather leaves for New York City tomorrow for Climate Week. She will return on Friday. In the meantime, I will be doing what I can to help Jed keep the Goldpebbles on the move. And I am thinking of Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco as Tropical Storm Fiona nears Puerto Rico. Here’s hoping she stays a tropical storm and not a hurricane.

2022 Life Logs, Day 259: Busy Day
Date: Friday, September 16, 2022
Weather: Sunny; High 71, Low 49 degrees
Location: At Home in the Cottage, Falmouth, MA

This was a busy, and at times, a very frustrating day. My first stop today was at the UPS Store to send a FAX to my sister’s new physician. They tried and tried to send it, but the line was constantly busy. I called for the second time to make sure I had the right number. I did, but receptionist said it is always busy. Great. The young man helping me said he would keep trying and I could check back at the end of the day. (I did and it did finally send.) So, on we (me and my Shadow) went. I have needed to go to Costco for weeks, so I decided to do that today. I stopped in Buzzards Bay at a laundromat that I knew was on the way, filled two washers, and asked the woman that works there if she could put my laundry in the dryer for me while I ran errands. Sure, for a price. So, I paid and said I would pick up the laundry on my way home. Then on to Costco, back to the laundromat to fold clothes, and then back home. I had invited Karen Baranowski over for happy hour at 4:30, or so I thought. When I got home at 4:10, she was waiting in the driveway. Oops! I checked my text and saw I had invited her over at 4 pm. Despite my tardiness, we had a wonderful two hours sitting down by the dock eating shrimp cocktail, drinking wine, playing ball with Shadow, all while savoring one of the last beautiful days of summer 2022. Then tonight I have spent the entire evening struggling to make flight reservations to visit Justin and family for Thanksgiving. I won’t go into the gory details, but I still am not sure I have a confirmed flight. If not, I’ll have to continue that battle tomorrow night as tomorrow is the Newport Boat Show. Onward!