Gardens, Grills and Dirt

My wife and I finished the other half of the gardens yesterday, and it was much easier with her help than the first two that I did on my own.  The front left garden is at a bit of an angle compared to the others, but I'm satisfied for now.  I put in an order last night for mulch and a few other things that I picked up this morning.  That's one thing that's come of this pandemic - much more ordering online for pickup.  Never have to get out of your car, just show up and they put your stuff in the back.  We'll likely keep this up even after these pandemic times.

So I picked up 4 bags of mulch, and it took two in the garden paths.  I knew 4 would be more than enough but it was dirt cheap and I know we'll have other uses and places for it this year.  I also spread grass seed around the outside of the gardens and the mulched area.  I have a few other places in the yard to get grass to fill in, too, but that's for another time.  After mulch and seed I gave it a good watering, trying not to wash away the seed.  I hate to do it, but I may have to put straw down in the seeded areas this year to get grass to grow, but we'll see.  

The unused dirt pile in the garage is bigger now.  I had my wife post about it on the neighborhood farcebook page, but no one has inquired yet.  If there are no takers then I'll be hauling buckets to the dump next weekend.  I'll have to go there anyway as I'll need to get rid of the remaining wood from the old gardens.  I've been putting a little in the bin each week for trash pickup, but these bigger boards will be cut up and hauled off.  I do want my garage back sometime soon, after all.  And my wife's not keen on the idea of enclosing the whole area with a fence again, so we'll see how it goes and I'll likely have to get some chicken wire for one or two of the gardens soon.

We had snow flurries on a couple days this past week.  Nothing stuck, but one day it did look like a blizzard for a short time.  April has been below normal in temperatures for us, but also below normal in snowfall.  We still have a few days left, but I don't see any low temperatures below freezing and the highs get much better, very nice and warm the next couple days, then mid-60's (ºF, or upper teens ºC) for the rest of the week.  

The new grill is put together and ready to go, so can't wait to try that out one of these nice evenings.  The old one is starting to rust out inside and very dirty so it was time to replace it.  We got it shortly after we got the house so has served us well for over a decade.  Both grills are made by Kenmore, but I like the new one because there is no side burner (that we never used anyway) and the side shelves fold down, thus taking up less garage space.  Getting rid of the old one now will cost us $35.00 for an appliance sticker to have the city pick it up.  I could put it out on the terrace and hope some metal scavenger picks it up, but 35 bucks to guarantee it goes away is fine with me.

This year's big spring project is now pretty much done, so I'll have to figure out something to keep me busy on my spring vacation coming up in a few weeks.  My vacation will just about be two weeks after my second shot, so I may go gallivanting about to stores, bars and restaurants that I've been avoiding for over a year now.  It will probably seem a little weird, but in a good way.  And people, friends, so many that I've barely seen, if at all, in over a year.  I want to socialize again!  Do I remember how?

Blogday This and Thats

I started this blog 12 years ago today, shortly before we bought our house.  It's kind of funny how I use this site to refer back to when we want to know when something happened.  Usually, if it's worth writing about, then I wrote about it here.  Of course, I've written a whole lot of nonsense, too!  Speaking of nonsense, time to type again and see what happens.

• I'm ready for spring, now.  I shaved for the first time since last October and got a haircut for the first time also since October - but 2019!  It was just time to shave off the winter face coat, and of course it was cool for a few days so my face got a bit cold, but I'm used to it now.  I'll probably grow my little chin beard again like I usually do.  And I remember starting to think about a haircut in March last year, but then everything got locked down.  Once I shaved, I knew I had to finally get that haircut.  It's as short as it's been in a very, very long time now, but it'll grow out.
• We got some rain last night and today, and there's some more in the forecast, so hopefully they will lift the local burn ban and I can have a fire this weekend.  As long as it's not raining.  That might also throw a wrench in proceeding with the gardens this weekend.
• I've been enjoying the concert livestreams since all this started.  No, it's not the same as going to a show, but for live music lovers it's at least something.  I've lost count of how many I've seen now; a few from Code Orange, Xordia, Richie Scarlet, Stephen Pearcy, Pain, Diamante a couple times, Steel Panther, Wednesday 13, and many others I'm forgetting now, both ticketed and free shows.  There's a couple more on my radar soon, Bruce Kulick on the 16th and Poppy on the 24th.  Rock on!
• Aside from the new car, we made another big financial decision recently and refinanced the house.  We've been paying off extra for some time now, but now we knocked off a third of the years left on the mortgage and have a much lower interest rate, which feels pretty damn good.  It was a good time to buy the house back when we did, and now it just keeps going up in value. So again, good for us!
• I get my first shot two weeks from today, the Pfizer vaccine.  I'm very much looking forward to it, actually.  Fully vaccinated, I will have much more confidence going out and about and getting some semblance of 'normal' back.  Live music, dining out, gathering with friends and family, shopping and even just stopping off for a drink somewhere has been missed greatly, but I'm hoping it all gets better as we go this summer.

Well, I thought I might have more but that's all I can think of at the moment.  The cat's have been well, and have been loving the few times we've been able to open the windows so far.  Here's a recent video of them and, if you couldn't tell by the coloring, they sure act like brothers here!

January This-and-Thats

We're well into the new year now and other than for a little insurrection review I've not posted in 2021.  We are entering the doldrums of winter here, and during a pandemic still, so there's not a whole lot going on for us lately.  Despite that, there must be a few things I could say so time to start typing and see what happens.

• First, let's get this out of the way:  I hope he gets the book thrown at him and dies alone in jail.  I don't care if it's from taxes to insurrection as long as he gets locked up.  He went from sideshow to embarrassment to disturbing to criminal psychopath and wanna-be dictator.  Enough said.
• That reminds me of a saying I heard recently.  "It's easier to fool someone than it is to convince them they are being fooled."  I thought that made a lot of sense, from what I've been seeing.
• Now, for a totally different thought, why does this rug seem so much harder to keep clean back here rather than when it was in the living room?
• I may have said this before, but I don't read books anymore.  Not really a conscious choice as I used to read every day on my breaks at work, now I don't go to work and I have different habits at home.  Probably just as well, I read mostly 'rock star' autobiographies and while some are very good some are very not.  I'm thinking of this because I was excited to see another one the other day and almost bought it - until I read the very unflattering reviews.
• I splurged on my computer setup.  I returned a 24 inch monitor to work and bought a computer stand with 2 heavy duty arms and a 32 inch monitor to match the one I already have.  It certainly helps for work having two same-size monitors, but my desk looks like a gamer station now.  I don't play a lot of games but I do watch a lot of videos, concerts and even sports on the computer.  Maybe concerts not so much anymore, but there hasn't been many new concerts now in a long time.
• And my 'good back' chair gave up the ghost recently, so now I work in lowrider style in my 'relaxing' chair to save my back until the new chair arrives in about a week.  Had to spend more this time for quality to support my back while I work and I want just one good chair that meets all my needs.
• Does it seem like I use too many commas and also not enough contractions when I write?  I think so.  I've been a little hyper-conscious of these things lately, for some reason.
• We've not gotten much snow since the last storm I wrote about, just a few overnight dustings, some of which was rime frost from the 10 straight days of fog and freezing fog we had.  Anytime now, though, it will start snowing and we're expected to get 2-4 inches through tomorrow.  We are fully in winter now, and this is what winter does.  On the bright side I got my vacation weeks for the year approved today, in May and September.
• While the Badgers football team had a disappointing and disjointed season during this pandemic, the Packers are the number one seed in the NFC for the NFL playoffs.  Hopefully two wins in Lambeau Field so they can go win the Super Bowl, starting Saturday afternoon.  Go Pack Go!

Well, only one workday left until the weekend.  With our new work contract we no longer get the christian holiday Good Friday off but we do get Martin Luther King Jr Day off now.  About time.  There might have been a few other changes, I can't remember, but this one just makes sense.  That means a long weekend this weekend so, for Monday, happy MLK Day!

Happy New Year 2021

The consensus seems to be good riddance to 2020 and that 2021 will be much better.  It's a nice thought, but I think it will be more of the same until we can get a majority of people vaccinated and work through the details of getting back to some sort of normality.  Going back to the office, dining out, having drinks at the bar and gathering with friends and family will likely not return to any semblance of normal until late in the year, or possibly 2022, I fear.

More important is that there is now actual hope for a vaccinated end to this pandemic.  Hang on to that, encourage it, do your part when called upon and let's work toward that future and it will come to be.  I believe that because I have to.  How about you? 

Happy New Year to you all.  The ones I read, the ones I love, all my friends and all of you who take the time to read me.  Whether you comment or not, I can see you're there.  Thank you.

Merry Christmas 2020

Yes, it's been a bad year.  Lockdowns, masks, sickness and death.  But we made it this far and there is hope with the new vaccines, but that doesn't help us yet this holiday season.  A basketball game on TV and a Zoom call with immediate family is pretty much all we have planned today.  My wife will see her dad, but that's not unusual as she's pretty much his full time caretaker these days.  Almost all our snow has melted so it's not even a white Christmas this year.  But we must to try to stay positive, and I do have hope for a vaccinated future.  It will take time and there will be more challenges yet, but we'll get there.

Wherever you are, I hope you're making the best of things today.  Merry Christmas, everyone.

Christmas Fire Video

Have you ever used one of those long, soothing background videos for something to put on your TV or computer monitor?  Like hours of watching fish in an aquarium, or a babbling brook in a woodlands setting?  Around Christmastime a full screen roaring fireplace is popular.  I've seen and used all of the above at one time or another, and now I found one for 2020.  Enjoy.

Thanksgiving 2020

 

Halloween 2020

This pretty much sums it up.  I found this sign online, copied and printed, and taped it to the door yesterday.  I was going to get a picture of it from outside but I guess I couldn't be bothered.  We didn't get any trick or treaters, but I don't think there were many out.  I think the families in the neighborhood may have visited other families in their local group, but that's about it.  No sweets, no decorations, and no fun for us this year.  But also no snow.  Last year we had several inches on the ground for the holiday.

On the bright side, while today is cold and blustery with a random snowflake here and there, at least the sun is shining now and the forecast looks like we'll stay above freezing with much more moderate days for the next week or so.  There's not a lot to do outside again until all the leaves are done falling, so a quiet day in today with the Packers starting at noon and newspaper to catch up on.

How was your Halloween?

Mask Up*

A. Do you wear a mask?  

    Yes, thank you, go to paragraph B.  

    No.  Really?  Go to paragraph G.

B. Do you wear a cloth or paper mask?

    Cloth mask, go to paragraph C.

    Paper mask, go to paragraph D

C. How often do you wash your mask(s)?

    Often, constantly, or similar go to paragraph F.

    Rarely, if ever, go to paragraph G.

D. How much wear before disposing of your mask?

    Constant, multiple days, go to paragraph G.

    Minimal, disposable is disposable after all, go to paragraph F.

F. Thank you.  You are doing well but always strive for better.

G. What the hell is wrong with you?  Clean up and respect your fellow man, for a change.

Okay, you get the idea, but there's more here and elsewhere.  Blue Witch brought up the topic recently on her blog, and she is correct, this should be talked about more and correct protocols discussed.  And I don't think either one of us is above mask-shaming.  Masks are nothing but icky things on your face if not used correctly.  And by correctly I also mean covering both your nose and your mouth.  At the same time!

On the other side of the fence is another blogger who I shall not name, but is in my right column*.  I've followed them for a very, very long time now so while I still check in over there I usually refrain from commenting.  I have a feeling I would be shouted down anyway as I'm not really debate team material. At all.

One of my favorite sayings about masks likens it to pee:  Imagine you're standing in front of someone, facing each other, and you're both naked.  If he pees, you get wet.  If you wear pants and he pees, you still get wet, but not as bad.  If he wears pants and pees he gets himself wet.  We can't help but pee, or in this case breathe.  Respect others and keep yourself contained, for chrissake.

I've not addressed my own mask wearing here yet, but I will now.  I don't wear a mask 98% of the time, but that's because I'm at home 98% of the time now, if not more.  I don't wear a mask outside in my own yard, but I don't run into other people in my own yard.  I don't wear my mask on neighborhood walks, unless we have to get near people, which is a good reason to avoid the bike paths.  I don't wear a mask in my car, I wear a mask when I get to my destination, outside of home.  Anywhere I have to go outside the home, like just regular errands, I wear a mask.

We've had exactly 10 friends over to the house effectively all of this year, and all for firepits.  Social distancing is pretty easy in the back yard as the most at a time we have over is 2 other people.  I have required masks if they need to go into the house, and all have happily complied or not had to go inside.  No large gatherings here, and not likely for the holidays, either.

When this first started I ordered a pack of cloth masks, and used them, and washed them.  But the washing made them shrink so they were tight and uncomfortable, so I bought a box of 50 individually wrapped black paper disposable masks.  Much more comfortable for my big head.  Now, if I only use one for a few minutes then I have been known to throw it in the glove box and use it again,  but keep in mind that one I used for just a few minutes one day may sit for over a week until I use it again.  I'll probably get some grief for that, and it may be deserved.  But at only 40-50 cents a pop I have no qualms about tossing them and using a new one for most things, either.

How is your mask use?   How's mine?

*Update:  I removed this link from my right column on November 18, 2020.  I can no longer support or promote his writing by leaving it there.

September This-And-Thats

Barring small mammals and firepits there's not been a lot to write about over here the last several weeks.  One day blurs into the next as we work and rest while barely ever leaving the house.  But life moves ever forward and I needed a vacation from, well, work.  Not working for a few days will be the only difference as I still will barely leave the house.  Good times, eh?  Well, here I go typing again, so onward we go.

• We set a record yesterday with a high temperature of only 57ºF and expect to set another record today with the same high temperature.  Both days have been cold, gloomy and wet, most especially for the date.  I've now worn socks, long pants and long sleeves again for the first time in several months.  Not the best week to take a vacation and try to get things done, but at least I'm not working.
• It doesn't always happen that my birthday falls the same week as Labor Day.  Usually it's the week after so I benefit from a short week in addition to a week off.  This year it is the same week, this week, so while I am using up less time I will miss the extra day off.  And my Mom's birthday is a week and a half later.
• For the holiday weekend I drove down to Dubuque on Sunday to spend some time with my Mom.  We enjoyed talking and relaxing, spending much of the evening sitting by her (gas) firepit.  Yes, we tried to social distance.  I know she's been careful and so have I, but it was nice to talk in person and not on a video call.  I left for home late the next morning, very thankful there was not the usual holiday traffic.  Thanks for having me over, Mom, it was a lot of fun.

• The above is one of my favorite pictures from spring, I used it as my background all year.  On another of our walks recently I got an updated view, below, and now I use that as my background.  If you look all the way down to the end of the street you can just make out the yellow left turn sign, which is right next to the canoe/kayak slide on the creek.

• The rest of Monday was spent being lazy, and looking back I wish I would have done more but the driving is tiring.  Yesterday, being so gloomy, the laziness continued.  And while today is much like yesterday there is no water in the basement so I got to work on the cat box area.  I have the structure of it as square as I can, installed the drawer slides and took all my measurements needed for building the drawer.  Hopefully with a little nicer weather I'll be working in the garage tomorrow.  Cutting and assembling should go quick but the paint may take longer to dry.
• I've been watching the Bucks again since they restarted the season, but I stopped when they were down 3 games to nothing in the playoffs.  Why put myself through the anguish?  I told myself that if they come back and win 4 straight then maybe I'll watch the next series, but, of course, that didn't happen.  And after a short training camp and no preseason games the Packers will play this Sunday.  It will be interesting to see them play in an empty stadium, but I don't think the home viewing part will change much, especially if you've already been watching other sporting events without in-person fans.
• We had another couple over for a fire last Friday, the sixth and seventh people we've had over for essentially all year.  The most we'll have is a couple at a time so social distancing is easy, and masks are required if they need to go into the house.  I do miss seeing other people, socializing and catching up.  This Saturday, Terry and her sister Becky are coming over to celebrate my and Terry's birthdays, just days apart.  Eight and nine, and there are others I still wish to have over this fall at some point.

That's all I can think of at the moment.  I think I'm in a little bit of a pandemic funk, despite being on vacation.  The weather is supposed to get better, so hopefully my mood will, too.  Be smart, stay well and stay safe, everyone.

Neighborhood Fireworks on the 4th

I had a firepit the evening of July 4 (surprise, right?) despite the current heatwave and was treated to a show that I wasn't fully expecting.  Oh, we always have some fireworks in the neighborhood, but with all the municipal fireworks cancelled due to the pandemic I was surrounded by pops, bangs and flashes for hours on end.  They came from all over,  but mostly to my right, and behind me to the left, but the biggest was in front of me and about a block away.

Here's a couple minutes of video I took of the fun - and illegal* - fireworks I enjoyed.



*Laws change wherever you go, but I believe the only things legal within Madison are snakes and sparklers, and absolutely nothing that goes into the air.  Thank you, neighbors!

Happy 4th!

Happy holiday, everyone!  If you're like me, though, you're probably just staying at home.  The pandemic has made a comeback yet I see more and more people out and about and not wearing masks.  Alas, will it ever end?

I've been out by the fire the last two evenings despite the heat and humidity.  If I go out shortly before sunset both are falling so it actually isn't as bad as you'd think it would be, sitting by a roaring fire.  Maybe I sat a bit further back from it, but no other issues - except mosquitoes.  They have fully arrived now and will be with us for the duration of the summer.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!

Warning - Signs!

As I was beginning my summer-long ritual of cutting grass today I saw some new additions down the street by Starkweather Creek.  Actually, my third time mowing today but the first two times were only partial mows as grass in some areas grew faster than others this spring, so my first time mowing the whole lawn this year.  Anyway, the new signs were notable because we had just walked past the area yesterday and hadn't noticed anything different then.  Yes, we started going on short daily walks together this last week.  Both for exercise and to get out of the house more.  Now, how many more subjects can I add to one paragraph?

The sign warning of PFAS in the creek had been swapped out for a more durable metal sign, and a sign was added to encourage social distancing on the bike path.  I've heard that hardly anyone wore masks while on the bike path, but that was a few weeks ago so I hope that's changed.  Staying six feet away could be an issue on the narrower parts of the paths but usually there's room to step to one side.  Oh well, Wisconsin got a grade F on following the CDC recommendations of social distancing, mask wearing and gatherings for a reason.  Even though we Americans apparently are allowed to get 20 cm closer to each other than most of the rest of the world.

I almost didn't notice it, but off to the left of the slide area is what looks like a camera, facing south along the creek.  It didn't look like it was hooked up yet as it had a wire coiled around it and tape over the front, but still it made me wonder why?  Is it a trail cam to capture canoeists, to monitor activity on the creek, or to see if anyone is using the canoe/kayak slide the city installed last year?  Maybe I'll find an article in the paper on it soon.  Once it seems to be in use I may have to find my Halloween mask and get up to some hijinx down by the creek.

After the break are some closer pics if you're interested in reading the signs.  And I had a fire last night and I always seem to take pictures so I'll throw some of them in there, too.

Wings Over Wisconsin

Yesterday was Wings Over Wisconsin, a flyover of several hospitals in the lower part of the state as a thank you to all the healthcare workers.  Yes, the orange one ordered these flyovers through Operation American Resolve without realizing the cost of such flights, so our local Air National Guard integrated this into one of their usual training exercises.

By coincidence, the day before I finally got lucky and got a short video of one of the F-16s we have now based at Truax Field.  Yesterday I had the schedule, same as you see above, but I had no idea which way they would be taking off or landing or if I would even catch a glimpse as all the Madison hospitals are on the other side of the isthmus.  And jets are powerful, they get up and down much quicker than passenger aircraft.

As I was outside waiting I decided to take video of a squirrel romping around in the treetops.  Of course as soon as I started he settled down, but a few seconds later a passenger plane came in for a landing so I got a pretty good shot of that.  Later, as the jets were due to arrive back to fly over the Madison hospitals I actually did see them, though at a distance.  At one point I could see all 4 through the trees.  It was brief, but I finally got video of the F-16s!  I will keep trying for better.

Below is all 3 videos; a jet from Monday evening, passenger plane from yesterday evening and the jets in the flyover later last evening.  Best in full screen, jets are small in the last part.

Virus Update, Fourth and Final?

I may have been a bit overly optimistic when I posted last Sunday.  I posted the timeline that day, and then in the wee hours of Monday I had my worst night of this whole ordeal.  I was up for almost all night just trying to continue breathing.  I was so, so cold and couldn't warm up for the longest time, then when I finally did I was so very hot.  All I could think about was getting pneumonia, and I really didn't want that.

When my alarm went off at 6 a.m. I emailed my boss and told him I had a very bad night and was still too sick to work.  We got in touch later and I said I needed to schedule the next two days off, he suggested the week, which is what eventually  happened.  So all this past week I've been off work.  Not exactly how I wanted to spend my spring vacation time, but so be it.  Better to spend the time now and get healthy than not spend the time and, well, you know.

Today is day 24 since my first symptom.  All week I've been resting and have slept a couple hours more a day than usual.  Shortness of breath and coughing has gotten better day by day, and is at its worst when I roll over side to side at night and also right after waking, but even that has gotten better day by day.  And my resting heart rate is almost back to normal.  I often still have that underlying feeling of being unwell, and can still feel the inflammation in my lungs with every deep breath.  I have a feeling this might linger for a bit, but as long as it keeps getting better and better one day I'll notice that I don't notice that anymore.  Back to work for me tomorrow.  The worst I foresee is taking a couple hours off in the middle of the day for a nap, otherwise I hope all goes well and I don't have too many things to clean up after all this time off.

One thing that I've purposely not mentioned about this whole thing so far is how I notice so many people not taking this seriously.  And I've not left the house in over 3 weeks, this is just in the neighborhood.  I've seen neighbors having friends over, one daily, answering the door for deliveries - and the delivery driver not flinching even though their restaurant is touting contact-free delivery in all their ads.  Even when we've gotten groceries or food delivered most drivers still seem surprised that we don't open the door for them.  No wonder infection rates are still rising.  Not to mention all the protests across the country breaking all social distancing and gatherings rules.  Don't even get me started on the orange idiot.  People are just being plain stupid and it'll be a wonder that we survive this despite ourselves.  Don't be stupid, please.

My COVID-19 Timeline

March 27, Friday:  First symptom, coughing up yellow.

March 28, Saturday:  Noticed a little more of the same that afternoon.

March 29, Sunday:  Woke to headache, bodyaches, and likely fever.  Much worse than should be expected for the drinks I had the night before.  I had my first thoughts that I might have this.

March 30 to April 3:  First full week working from home.  Thought I felt normal, coughing up less though shortness of breath worsened day by day.  I grew more concerned as the week went on.

April 4, Saturday:  Like a ton of bricks.  Everything.  All doubt was removed from my mind that I had this terrible virus.

April 6, Monday:  Informed work, said I would work normally as nothing else to do.  Put in a full day and it was apparent I overdid it.  Contacted my doctor's office, they had advice but it was pretty clear I was not going to be tested unless I got much worse.

April 7, Tuesday:  Relinquished all work duties but one.  Let them know I was very sick, would continue to do what I could.  Put in part time hours through Thursday but looking back it was still too much.

April 9, Thursday:  Contacted my doctor again, let them know I felt the same and requested a note for the hours missed at work.  Received note and comments, more on this later.

April 10, Good Friday:  Holiday from work.  My first real appetite since the Friday before and all symptoms, even breathing, seemed to be getting better.  I finally felt I was getting over the hump.

April 12, Today, Sunday:  Day 17 since my first symptom.  Feeling much better, I am surely on the mend.  Coughing less and breathing better, but still tired.  I have to build up my strength and stamina again.  If I had to say, I'm probably about 80%.


If you missed it, I also wrote in more detail on April 5; I Have It, and April 8; Virus Update.

There are a few things I haven't mentioned yet.  Working from home I've been wearing my Fitbit all the time rather than just for sleep, and it shows my resting heart rate went from 59/60 when I was healthy to 70/71 while I was so sick.  And the dreams I had were just outrageous.  Maybe during or caused by fever spikes while I slept, but I've never had such vivid and off-the wall dreams.  This is definitely not a normal 'flu,' and while my symptoms would be considered moderate, I can certainly see how this kills people.

My doctor's office seemed to agree that I had all the signs, and mostly they wanted me to monitor my symptoms and if my breathing got too bad to go to the hospital right away.  Thankfully, it never came to that.  On Thursday my doctor responded:  "Sorry you are not feeling better yet, but from what we are seeing, this typically starts out mild, gets more prominent, and then will calm down over another week.  Typically, people are 2-3 weeks before they feel back to baseline."  This made a lot of sense to me as that first week I mostly was fine, then it really got bad and lasted almost another week like that, and now I'm slowly getting better.

I would like to again thank everyone for their well-wishes and offers of assistance.  I hope this is my last post on my personal experience with this virus.  Stay well, everyone.  Please.

Virus Update, Blogday

Tested positive, not an actual count.

It's been a week and a half since I started showing symptoms, and when this posts it will be 5 days since all doubt was erased from my mind that this is what I have.  I'm writing this on Tuesday night to post tomorrow, on my 11th blogday.  Happy Blogday to me.  Yay.

I contacted my doctor's office first thing Monday morning and they got back to me later with advice.  Fluids, rest, continue to monitor my symptoms and go to the hospital if necessary.  I did let them know that my wife is caretaker to her elderly father and saw him on Wednesday, they advised the same; keep monitoring their health.  My wife shows no symptoms though she has been cooped up with me this whole time, and thankfully her father shows no symptoms as well.  Testing was not mentioned, and I believe I will not be tested unless I get worse and have to go to the hospital.  From what I hear, only those that go and health care workers are being tested, which means you can throw all the numbers you see right out the window.  Real counts of those infected are probably much, much higher.  And my wife is no longer seeing her father, there are others who can fill in for a couple weeks.

Second thing Monday, after messaging my doctor, I messaged those I work with.  I let them know I was ill and that I believed it was this virus, but since I had nothing else to do I intended to continue to work as normal.  I put in a full day's work Monday, even signing off for an hour to take a nap at one point, but that still turned out to be too much.  Tuesday morning I messaged those I work with again.  Except for one part of my job that no one else can do at the moment, I relinquished all my daily duties.  I let them know the day before was way too much for me and I needed a lot more rest.  They do seem to understand and wish me well, and I know they will shuffle things around a bit and manage without me.  I wound up working less than half a day Tuesday and got some good rest.

I'm still getting headaches though not quite as bad (and I'm taking Menstrual Pain Relief pills because that's all we have that has acetaminophen).  I'm not coughing quite as much, and while I'm still expectorating yellow/green sputum it does not seem to be as much as a few days ago.  Even the shortness of breath seems a little better, or maybe I'm getting used to it.  The fever spikes and malaise continue and my appetite is not good.  I have to make myself eat, and it isn't much.

So, overall, I'm in no worse shape than when I wrote about it the other day.  Thank you to everyone who sent their well-wishes and offers of assistance.  We're otherwise still in pretty good shape at the moment, thankfully.  I just need to get better, and I think that will just take time.

Make no bones about it, this is a nasty, nasty virus.  My only solace is that when I get over this I (hopefully) will be immune.

Stay safe, stay in, and stay well, everyone.

I Have It

What's more, I believe I've had it for more than a week.  I've not been tested, but it would be an amazing coincidence to have an upper respiratory infection right now that checks off so many boxes that's not this virus.

Before I continue:  WARNING for the squeamish.  I may go into more detail than you'd like.

My first sign came a week ago Friday as I was enjoying my firepit.  I expectorated.  Not unusual for me, I often cough and have sinus issues more than the normal person.  Something I attribute to smoking cigarettes for close to 30 years.  But this time as I expelled it I was shocked at the bright yellow color.  Having felt something in it, I just dismissed it as perhaps a piece of food got down the wrong pipe and this was my body getting rid of it.  The next afternoon I noticed more of the same yellow color.  At this time I did not suspect anything related to this virus - yet.  Saturday night I had several drinks and woke Sunday to a terrible hangover, highly unusual and much more than one would expect for the amount I drank.  I had a terrible headache and, looking back, probably a fever.  I also think I was getting just a little shortness of breath, and my sputum became more yellow/green.  I was getting concerned, and shared this with my wife.

Over the course of the week my sputum seemed to return to a more normal color, but the shortness of breath continued to get a little worse day by day.  It's hard to say if I was really feeling normal otherwise or not as it was not a normal week.  Working from home had really thrown me off from what was normal and what was not.  But as the days passed my concern grew.

Two days ago, Friday, I again stayed up and had several drinks.  I woke up in the middle of the night in a coughing fit, and my wife awoke and noticed my fast, shallow breaths.  My alarm went off at 8 a.m. Saturday morning as I was going to go into the office to do a few things for work that cannot be done from home.  Again, I awoke in a fit of coughing and expectorating, this time it was a dirty, pale yellow/brown/gray.  Not the best description, but the best I can do.  I felt like I had been run over by a truck and my head ached terribly, I didn't even want to move it.  We also took my temperature this time and I had a fever of 100.8ºF.  I emailed my boss, telling him I would not be going into the office as I think I have it.

I spent most of the day in bed yesterday, alternately sleeping and watching TV, which is part of the reason I'm up so early today writing this.  I felt absolutely terrible.  I didn't want to move, everything hurt and I had no appetite whatsoever.  The shortness of breath has been the worst part.  Not too scary for me yet, and as long as I stay calm I can control it.  Most of the last several hours in bed I was awake enough to avoid the uncontrollable coughing fits by making myself expectorate when I felt it was coming.  And the feeling of malaise has continued.

That brings me to now, 5:30 in the morning on Sunday.  My head hurts and I feel generally terrible, but I had to get out of bed as laying down so much has just been killing my back and I don't need my back to go out on top of this.  Today will be very interesting to see how I feel and if I will even work come Monday.  I'm sure I'll have to answer a lot of questions for my work, and I do plan on contacting my doctor's office, but what more is there to do but ride it out?

Local Updates, More

Madison is in Dane County

It's been over a week since I last posted and it's still going to get worse before it gets better.  Since that time, schools have closed, retail has closed, restaurants are carryout or delivery only and gatherings of over 10 people is barred.  Now, as of tomorrow, all non-essential businesses in the state are to be closed.  Still not sure if that would only leave grocery stores open or what else.  We're one step away from a stay-at-home order.

The good news is we were finally able to get a grocery order in on Thursday, for Saturday morning delivery, and the toilet paper actually came.  Truthfully, we were still probably a week away from being out, but it was on our minds due to all the hoarding.  We're pretty set for food, if need be.  With the full freezer we could probably eat for months, but that's normal for us.

I forgot one key thing I needed for Friday to work at home so I had to go into work.  Today I went in for a little more than an hour then came home and worked the rest of the day - and made sure not to forget anything this time.  This was the first time I worked from home.  Tomorrow I'll have to go in again at least for a little bit to get others up to speed in the change of our procedures due to everyone working at home and not being able to print or scan anything.  (This is due to the nature of the work, not printing or scanning capabilities from home.)  Like today, I hope to be there for only a little while but it may turn into a half or all day as I know there are some things that need to be done that can't be done at home.  The good news is it's even more of a ghost town at work so at least there's much fewer people to come into contact with.

That's the state of things now and, like I said, it's going to get worse before it gets better.  Screenshots are from the site everyone has likely seen by now, CSSE/JHU.

On a different subject, I considered a fire on Friday and again on Saturday evening.  Friday was too breezy and Saturday was pretty cold.  Plus, the grass has not started growing yet and even though we got an inch or so of rain since my last post the rabbit pellets in the back yard are intact.  I think my only hope is for the grass to grow and hide the pellets until they can break down.  I've been yearning for good weather and a good fire but I think I need to put that hope back on the shelf until it is actually a more realistic time.

Overall it was a pretty cold weekend with highs just over freezing, but the extended forecast looks much better, thankfully.  Last night it snowed some, so I woke early to a light dusting still showing on cars and in grassy areas.  It may officially be spring but, indeed, winter has not left the building.  And neither should you, if you can help it.  Stay well, everyone.

Pandemic Panic?

The sudden burst of evening sunlight that comes with daylight saving time has been nice.  The mornings are still dark when I get to work, and once there I'm too busy to note when the sun rises, even with plenty of windows in view.  In fact, I shouldn't say I don't notice because I remember noticing a few times this last week. It was the orange reflecting off the next building's windows.  If not for that glare, though, it's no matter to me.

The warmer temperatures have been very welcome lately.  Almost all the snow has melted so now we are in the time of dirty grays and browns, waiting for the green to burst forth.  While it was above freezing yesterday evening the breeze was a bit much to have a fire.  The dirty brown lawn was also still pretty soft for lawn chairs and still covered in rabbit poop.  We need a couple good rains to wash away the remnants of winter and encourage growth and greenness.

Everything seems to be just about on track this spring, so why not drop everything and panic?

Okay, maybe not everyone is panicking, but many people seem to be.  And I saw it come to a head on Thursday, when seemingly every sporting event, concert tour and other events were canceled.  I've heard the stories of hoarding toilet paper and other toiletries, empty shelves and limits on items, and now we're advised not to go out to eat or order food in.  I even heard a bunch of people were lined up outside a local grocery store this morning waiting for it to open.

Also on Thursday, everyone at work who had the capability of working from home was required to stay home.  A friend at work was going to fly to Texas soon for vacation, he was told if he did he would have to self-quarantine for two weeks when he got back before they'd let him come back to the office.  It was a little odd at work on Friday as only about half the people were there that would normally be in the office.  I'm not set up to work from home, and there's much of my job that I can't do from home, so it looks like I'll be going to work as normal.  It was certainly the topic of discussion on Friday, and many jokes were made, but I guess if you don't laugh you'll cry.  "Social distancing" was discussed, and while I normally wash my hands several times a day I found myself using a big bottle of hand sanitizer a whole lot more.  This huge bottle was bought for my 50th birthday party and sat in a closet for a while and has now been on my desk at work for a year.  I had to hide it now so it won't get stolen.  Seriously.

Locally speaking, we had only one case in the area several weeks ago until another one was confirmed about a week ago, and now I hear several more in the last week.  Sorry, I don't know many details as I tend to not watch a lot of news.  I seem to get a lot from hearsay, the newspaper a couple times a week, or my wife who is much better at keeping up on things than I.

How else has it changed our life?  Well, normally my wife and I like to go out for food and drinks on the weekend, but we will most likely stay in this time.  And any stops at the local bar and grill any time of the week may end for the time being.  Otherwise, not a whole lot.  I can be content at home, home is my favorite place to be anyway.  At least I don't work in the service industry - what will all those people do?  They don't have a choice but to mingle with the great unwashed and take their chances.

Stay in if you can, wash your hands and don't touch your face.  Not a whole lot else to do - but panic!