Raincharm’s Weblog

Of Covid that is, and not me, but Carl. This is one of those times when being Negative is a positive.

I will find out if I have been negative late in this week. They are providing antibody tests when you donate blood. They call it a perk, but they are really trolling for potential donors of blood with antibodies to treat those who are sick. I would love to help, but don’t want to pay the price.

The next item on our medical agenda is to get the shingles vaccine. We need to get it at least 3 weeks before any other vaccine, like the Covid vaccine. I think we are safely a few months away. Unless there continue to be freezer failures or snowstorms that suddenly provide vaccines that must be used or lost. We obviously were not in the line of cars stranded by a storm with 6 doses. Car to car to dispense. But the few hundred doses at the UW medical center was close enough to consider getting in line, if we had been aware.

We got our 10,000 steps in this morning. Moving slightly south of our more frequent route we happened on a street that is “closed”, except for local traffic. I don’t know how it works on weekdays, but it was very quiet on this weekend morning. We were ambling along when I was startled by a critter. A chicken to be exact. Not sure which house she was associated with, but she seemed quite content.

Even before the fowl encounter, we had noticed quite a bit of bird song and activity. Maybe the light rain, following a wet night, set the table, so to speak.

We’re now in recovery mode. A little lunch, and maybe some work or bills or taxes. So many choices.

Work, work, work, work, work, work, work. That was my week.

There were some lunch walks, a Covid test for Carl, an online Dr appointment for me, and a new neighborhood block watch being formed virtually.

The Covid test is precautionary only, for a medical procedure on Monday. It was fine. Not much different than the test we each got in October. It does mean that we are locked down until Monday. Well not quite, we will still walk the neighborhood, but no entering businesses. Or seeing friends. But it’s only for the weekend.

My video visit was for a sore shoulder. Actually painful when moved in certain directions, and it’s been well over a month. After the “examination”, it seems like a rotator cuff injury. So I have another video appointment with a physical therapist in a week and a half.

The block watch is the result, at least in part, due to Covid. The homeless population in the city has really increased, with tent encampments showing up along the freeway and in parks, which all surround the neighborhood. These are not the working poor. These are folks with drug habits, and mental challenges. The encampments have significant sanitation issues, resulting in some rat infestations. And there’s a lot of theft, drug use, etc. And the “massage” parlor at the end of the block. It was busted as part of a sting a few years ago. This sounds bad, but we do still enjoy our neighborhood, and especially our neighbors. The takeaway is let people know you’re all aware of what is going on. And call to keep the cops and council members aware, even if they can’t respond to all calls.

So that sounded dark. The key is the current situation is not sustainable, especially after people get out and about again. It’s not as dark as all that. And the days are getting longer.

Among all of my work and non-work meetings, Carl is continuing to be a great caregiver. Clean clothes, witty repartee, and good food.

The frost was on the neighbor’s roof this morning. Based on that, long underwear made its 2021 debut. Our long morning walk was fairly comfortable. We shared our outdoor space with a friend, so the conversations were more wide ranging than usual. That’s a good thing. Talking and walking is usually okay, but we live, and walk near a freeway. There are locations where it gets decidedly difficult to hear each other. If it’s just the two of us, we may just pause for a bit. When we are sharing time with others nowadays you don’t want to waste a moment, because they are so few and far between.

Of course, we can mess up conversations within our home, with no outside noise intruding.

This afternoon I was reading an article regarding the 17-year return of insects that Carl watched as a youth. I was trying to impart a snippet to Carl, and said, “Brood cicadas.” He went off on some tangent. When we circled back to try and figure out what each other was trying to say, it came out that Carl thought I said, “bruised potatoes.”

On more mundane notes, the taxes have been started. And the next puzzle.

I do know I was told as I was growing up, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

Pence apparently subscribes to that rule as he did not mention the outgoing liar-in chief in his farewell address.

I don’t normally what TV during the day. Because, work. But it is on now – pre-work hours, and it will go on and off as I go in and out of meetings. By my schedule I should be able to watch the actual swearing in. Don’t worry, I have plenty of extra hours to use. Work will get the minimum 40 hours per week.

I was able to tune in for some of the inauguration, the early parts mostly on mute, but then able to turn up the volume. I sang, I clapped and cheered. This would have been nice to do with others, but such is our time.  Amanda Gorman. Wow, and such poise.

One of the failures of the outgoing person, now citizen, was his reaction to the pandemic. That will continue to haunt the country for the remainder of this year, and for many the lingering health effects will last their lifetime. One of our friends is a funeral director in the area, and needless to say, the past year has been busy and difficult. She is in this USA Today article about the past year, when the US story started right in our area. (If you see the print version, apparently Lisa’s picture is on the front page! It may be yesterday’s paper, Biden got today’s pic.)

And today, the last president, Washington, of our presidential advent calendar is removed. And our flag flies.

We managed to finish our latest jigsaw puzzle today. It was Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. The muted colors with subtle changes in color made it very challenging. A side challenge was the manufacturer holding back 3 pieces, and giving us an extra one.

I think the supply pressures for puzzles early in the pandemic led to a lapse in their quality control. The puzzle before this one was missing one piece.

Before the puzzle, there was a walk. The day was grey, so we looked for color.

The rest of the weekend was spent walking elsewhere, doing some work, and hanging out at the house.

Same old, same old.

I have probably referenced the post office in some disparaging terms over the last month. Two day packages taking two weeks, or even two Months.

When I was growing up we spent summers at our family cabin. In the woods, down a one-lane private road. We didn’t have indoor plumbing (well there was a kitchen sink, and a hose bib), a telephone, television or an address. It was heaven.

There were other cabins and houses, and it was a long time before addresses were assigned, and the road named. I recall stories of packages being delivered based on a basic description of how to get there and a family name.

Carl was looking at some old mail this morning and noticed this gem. This is from 1993, so not that long ago.

I do understand the Post Office has been impacted by our terrorist in chief, as well as the pandemic. So, as my daughter pointed out a few days ago, I am just happy to know the packages arrived. And all that I have been tracking, have arrived.

It has been raining on and off for several days now. The weekend may provide a reprieve, before the next 3-day deluge. It seems our snow was so 2020, a distant memory. Of course, there is evidence left of the snowman.

Today is President Pierce’s turn in our advance to sanity calendar.

Seriously, he can’t be allowed to just stay without repercussions. Stern verbal tongue lashings are not enough. A mere slap on the wrist that will continue to enable. If not him, one of his equally self-proclaimed self-important followers.

I apologize for the tone, but I am mad and sad to the core.

On the upside, I received these awesome RBG dissent earrings from Ashlan and Allen.

Once my hair gets cut, who knows when, they might show up.

Also known as 3 King’s Day.

Of course mr corrupto tried to make it 1 King Day.

Arrest the President

Seriously. I am spitting nails mad.

The definitions of Advent include:

• A coming into place or view
• Most frequently associated with the coming of Christ into the world, celebrated during the four Sundays before Christmas.

The Advent being marked in our house is celebrating the coming of a new president. This is not intended to equate, in any way, the president-elect or any president with Christ, or any religious figure. We strongly support the separation of church and state.

Our 2021 countdown has begun.

Back to a hope for sanity. I had written back to reality, but realized that, for me, the last four years have been a reality check. I don’t think my rather idealistic outlook has been so tested since the early 70s when I found out some of my friends parents were racist. And that not everyone understood that wanton littering was bad.

On Day 19 and counting.

Happy New Year