August 17-23, Week 23 COVID

This was a very eventful week for our family. Allison had found herself a wonderful apartment, filled out all the paperwork, purchased renter's insurance, paid the rent and security deposit and signed up for cable and internet and it was time to move in! She and Tom were off on Friday, so she rented a Uhaul to move the big furniture, just like when she moved to her condo at Salisbury University. As a matter of fact, Friday was her anniversary of going back to school. So it very much felt like she was headed back to college. I decided to switch my day off so I could help with the move and worked on Saturday instead. Early Friday morning, Tom and Allison went to pick up the Uhaul truck. When they returned, Allison and I headed over to pick up the keys, make copies and gain access to her new place. This was the first time seeing the place and it was just like the model(minus the  new furniture). But very roomy with a full washer and dryer, high ceilings, nice lighting and ceiling fan, wood floors and carpet in the bedroom and a huge walk in closet. 

Allison has been busy packing up boxes of her belongings for the past few weeks, so while we were picking up keys and finishing up paperwork, the guys were busy loading my van and the Uhaul. We had all of her bedroom furniture plus a book shelf, her desk and hutch, the kitchen table and chairs, lamps, computers, rugs, our big leather couch, coffee table and end table, large screen tv and tv stand with built in electric fireplace and two recliner chairs. Practically a full house! In my van she packed all her clothes and shoes, posters and kitchen items. Since she lived in a condo at school, she had lots of kitchen items, but still needed a few more things. During the week we dropped into a few stores to pick up bathroom linen like a bath mat, towels and shower curtain. She also needed cleaning supplies, plastic wrap, broom and mop, trash bags, etc. Pretty much everything you could imagine in your kitchen pantry. I even packed up some of her favorite food items from our pantry like snack tuna salads and chicken noodle soup since we had extra when she moved back in the house. I thought she could use some starter food!And since I usually have two or more of everything, especially since I shop at Costco, I was able to donate extra items to her kitchen. Plus I was able to do some downsizing in my own kitchen and gave her a set of mixing bowls. banana holder,  and extra casserole dish. She already bought some cookie sheets and a new set of pots and pans, plus she has her cast iron skillet.  We had an extra toaster oven, tupperware set, knife block and she had a blender, and her electric tea kettle.  And no kitchen is complete without a George Foreman grill which she used quite a bit at school!  Although she could use the outdoor grills by the pool as well for cooking when they open again. I'm sure she'll figure out any other items she may need along the way. She already knows she needs some bar stools for the high countertop. 

Anyhow, after the Uhaul was loaded, we all drove over and met Gabe at the apartment. He came to help move everything in and even managed to find himself a coffee table and small desk someone was getting rid of during another move at the complex! It took several hours to empty the Uhaul and set up the apartment. We then took a lunch break and all headed over to a local biker bar, Daniels,  to eat outside in their back parking lot on picnic tables. We all enjoyed a beer and burgers(although I had a soft shell crab sandwich-very tasty!). They catch the crabs when they are molting during the summer months, so the outside is soft and then you deep fry them, with Old Bay of course, and you eat them whole om a bun with lettuce and tomato. Sounds gross but it is really good. And usually only in season during the summer months. Afterward we had to hang around the apartment to wait for the Comcast cable guy. Gabe took off but planned to stop in on Saturday with a bigger vehicle to pick up his furniture finds. The comcast guy was able to hook Allison's system up pretty fast and she was almost ready. We set the big screen tv up on the coffee table because the tv stand still had to be assembled. That was a job for another day! We helped hang up clothes and remove empty boxes, make recommendations for locations to hang pictures and then it was time to return the Uhaul. It was a very long day and we were all pretty worn out, so we left Allison to settle into her new space.. 

On Saturday morning I had to head into work for part of the day. Gabe stopped into Allison's place to pick up his furniture and they went out to lunch. They found a Pirate themed bar/restaurant called Mutiny nearby and loved it. They were able to sit outside on the deck and eat burgers. We'll all have to try it out next time we visit for lunch or dinner. We came over late in the afternoon and Scott got busy assembling the tv stand/electric fireplace. Tom was busy helping Allison with her electronic gizmos, and  it looked like she still needed her own modem, cable box, power strip and cords. So we planned on doing all that on Sunday. We were still pretty tired from all the moving on Friday. Instead, after Scott assembled her furniture, we set up the tv and picked up dinner to go back at Allison's apt. She was also putting up the rest of her pictures and framed posters and needed help eye balling locations. She decided she did not want to do anything that altered the walls like painting or putting in metal hooks so she could avoid fixing it when she moved out. So she stuck with putting up items with the command velcro strips and hooks instead. I think she had the most fun decorating!

On Sunday, we headed over in the afternoon to officially have Allison cook us dinner in her own place! This was also a great way to test out all the appliances and make sure everything was working so that she could finish up her move in inventory. Tom spent some time tweaking her electronic gizmos before dinner. I brought over a pork roast to cook in her oven-it was so clean(well dusty) I don't think it was ever used. Allison had found her new favorite grocery store and picked up supplies. We had some potatoes and sauteed zucchini for dinner. (Allison makes the best sauteed zucchini).  I also made some banana muffins and cookies that morning that I brought over. So we enjoyed the baked goods for dessert with some of the tea from my good friend Laura in Detroit that she sent when I was quarantined for COVID. Thanks Laura! It was delicious. Allison also picked up a new Beta fish for her little counter top tank in her kitchen. She needs some company! It was a very busy weekend, but it looks like Allison is settling in quite nicely to her own place!

 

Covid Week 22 August  10-16     Mandatory Masks in Maryland

So I was back to work on Weds after COVID quarantine. I could have returned on Monday per the Md Dept of Health, but our facility requests a 16 day isolation from the day you test positive. Which is rather silly since I had already worked 5 days from the day I tested positive. I found out that not only did I test positive along with the Physical Therapist I worked with on our isolation unit, but the head nurse on that unit and two residents in the nursing home that were not on the isolation unit. Not sure if they had symptoms, but the PT and I did not have any symptoms they list.  However, the head nurse was rather sick. He had a high fever and lost his sense of taste and smell. We three returned to work on the same day and now belong to an elite club. I spoke to my doctor about getting tested for antibodies and she said antibodies can take several days to several weeks to build up enough in your system. So she recommended I wait 1 month from my onset date to check, so Aug 27th I will drop into the lab for the test. Tom and the kids all tested negative and so did our neighbor Dan. But his wife has not yet received her results, and they were tested at the same place on the same day. Not sure about that. I did hear that asymptomatic people don't spread the virus as easily as symptomatic. Makes sense to me if you're not coughing on people. Anyhow, no one believes I had it anyway. They all think the test was a false positive. But now I am not required to get retested for 90 days. Guess I will have to see if I pop up with any antibodies. 

So I was back to work. Oh joy! At least it was a short work week. I had to catch up with my laundry. I stayed away from domestic chores while I was on isolation/quarantine to make sure I wasn't spreading anything to the family. I got busy washing all the  sheets, pillows and blankets on the bed and sprayed the entire bedroom with Lysol! I also had to wash clothes and towels, and I decided to rewash my mom's lingerie. I did not want to risk spreading anything to her. I recently received an email from her facility letting me know she tested negative during a facility wide assessment. So far her building has pretty much stayed COVID free. But it is attached to a nursing home, and they have had a few positive tests which sets their schedule back, including coming out of the rooms for meals or activities in the dining room and visiting with family outside. So I rewashed her clothes and dropped off a bag which included some tangerines and a large print Reader's Digest. Then I stopped into her storage room to pick up some kitchen items for Allison that are not being used. Mom really does not utilize her kitchen space, although it is well stocked with dishes and glasses and a small fridge and sink if she or we ever need anything. I also picked up a few of her summer decorations to drop off including a wreath for the door and pillow for the rocking chair as well as some summer themed paintings she did. Just to change up her environment a bit.  I tried calling a few times while I was home on isolation, but only got a hold of her once. 

Allison spent her Saturday helping her boyfriend Gabe move into his new house. He was finally able to close on a place of his own, north west of Baltimore city, closer to the Bay. Looks like a very nice, settled neighborhood with  a decent sized yard and trees in the back. Which is what he was looking for-close to where he works at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds near the top of the Chesapeake Bay as well as his parent's house. It is a sizable house with 4 bedrooms. Also a finished basement so his sister is moving in with him on the lower level. It will be a big help with the mortgage payments I am sure. So  Allison helped Gabe and his sister move in along with his family, and afterwards they all stopped for pizza. This way Gabe can now feel obliged to help Allison move into her new apartment next weekend! We decided it would be good timing to move her when Scott was around as well. Lots of furniture to haul and we can use the extra muscle. She is really excited and looking forward to having her own space to work and invite over friends-especially when COVID is done.

Since Allison will be moving out, and Scott will be heading back to school soon(for now), we decided it would be nice to enjoy a family outing on Sunday before summer is over. Our weather has been very rainy this August and we are quite soggy with rainstorms and lots of mosquitoes almost every day. One of the wetest months for many years. Usually our grass is pretty burned out by now, but so far it has turned very green after the roasting temperatures in July. Good for me since I don't have to water everything. Although, the temperatures have begun to drop into the 80s which is actually a bit cooler. I  asked the kids to take me tubing since I wanted to get an actual idea of what that activity should be like. Not the jam packed, boulder riddled activity we participated in during our vacation to Pigeon Forge(although I actually thought that was fun!). Instead, the kids told me they have been tubing near Harper's Ferry with summer camp and through Girl Scouts. Harper's Ferry is an historic National town/park that meets at the merging of 2 rivers-The Potomac and Shenandoah and 3 different states-Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.  The town was heavily involved in the Civil War, including the historical figure, John Brown, an African American who led a small raid on a US Arsenal in town. He planned on using the weapons for a slave uprising, but was caught and hung for treason, murder and conspiring with slaves to rebel. The railroad also played a significant role in the area with an amazing train tunnel cutting through the mountain and several rail bridges criss crossing the rivers, and the Appalachian Trail cuts through the area, so lots of hiking available too.  I found a Rafting group that advertised very family friendly, relaxing float down the Potomac River and it was exactly that! A bit more pricey than Pigeon Forge, especially on the weekends. We decided Sunday afternoon looked best and plenty of reservations available. We stopped into a nearby town for lunch beforehand-Brunswick, MD. Allison had stopped into this town on her way home from camping and was familiar with a burger and ice cream place. However, the burger place was not open before noon, so we went around the corner to a small cafe to eat outside and ended up having the best Cuban sandwiches we have eaten in a long time. Then it was time to head to the river. Tom opted out of the activity, and set up a chair with his book on the river bank. We boarded a bus with only 2 other small groups that dropped us off upstream and hit the river in our tubes. We had plenty of spreading out room and could take off our masks if we wanted. The company did a great job with safety measures and asked everyone on the bus to sit apart in your own group and wear a mask, including staff. The float only took about 1 1/2 hrs, but it was extremely relaxing, the weather was perfect-no rain storms and just the right amount of sun. It was easy to relax and just let the river take you-only a few big boulders to move around and over. There were a few large tubing parties that hooked their tubes together and placed a cooler on it's own special tube for picnics and beer. They all seemed to be having a great time. And so were we. When we got to the end, I was able to get out and swim a bit, but not much since there are still plenty of boulders under the river that were hard to see. Not like swimming in a lake. And it had a pretty decent current pushing you along. They had changing rooms when we were done. We could also have paid a bit more to take out a canoe or kayak, or float again, but we had enough of sun and river. So we headed back to Allison's place for ice cream after a quick drive near Harper's Ferry downtown. Usually you have to leave your car in the National Park visitor center and take a shuttle bus into town since there is not much parking, but all that is closed due to COVID. So we just drove down one side street and along the river and headed back to Brunswick. I noticed when we were sitting in a local park eating our ice cream that this is the town I was checking out to jump on the C and O Tow path for bike riding. They have lots of free parking near their train station for loading and unloading your bikes Now that there are more places open(like bathrooms), it would be nice to take the bikes out for a ride along the flat gravel packed trail and the historic C and O canal. 

We also keep checking on Busch Gardens web page. Looks like they recently opened for weekends only in August, 4 hrs at a time with reservations for a Microbrew Festival. They also look to be planning on opening this fall, but no activities listed yet. That is usually when they host Hallow Scream, and then Christmas Town in the Winter. However, they never opened their water park. So many events, concerts, activities that mark our seasons that have been closed or cancelled. Allison and I attended a virtual Girl Scout event-The Distinguished Women's Fund Raiser. Allison is usually invited in person to this $100.00 ticket event held in the spring since she was chosen as a Shadow Girl back in high school. She also sits on the committee that interviews the girls for the 5 positions. In high school,  Allison spent the day with the CEO and owner of The Maryland Chemical company, Jeannette Partlow who is a big supporter of the Girl Scouts and just loves Allison. The event chooses 5 girls every year to shadow a local female CEO/Business Owner and then hosts a fundraiser event where the girls and women give a brief description of their work life. They usually host the event at a local country club with open bar and hors d'oevres, as well as a Silent Auction. This year it was online and they had the girls and their sponsors give their speeches. The Auction was all online as well. Allison and I sat and listened to the speeches and joined a small zoom chat group prior to the presentations. However, these online events are just not the same. Although I did pour myself a glass of wine during the presentations! I must say I cannot get into most of the online, virtual computer events. Thank goodness I am not going to school. The kids are better suited for it. 

Tom seems to be too. He just finished his last formal PhD class. He turned in his rough draft paper during the week and the prof told him not to bother finishing or changing anything since he had already earned an A in the class! He certainly had a lot of extra free time to work on his papers since he is transitioning to a new position at work. He and Tom seemed to click and the Prof set Tom up with another advisor that he thought would be a great fit for Tom's thesis work. You have to have several mentors on a committee to assist with the thesis so it looks like Tom is all set. He will still have to enroll in classes while he writes his thesis, so that means he has to continue to spread out the work in order to get reimbursed.  Northrop only pays for so many credit hours per year. Hopefully he can pull it off in 1 or 2 years! And then he will finally be Dr Tom!

 

August 1-August 9, COVID Week 21.. Testing Positive

So on the first Monday of the month of August, I was up and dressed for work. I had been in to work the Saturday before and took that Friday off to run errands and drop off my van to check the air conditioner. I wanted to make sure it was functioning properly after a rough trip up and down the Smoky mountains. Fortunately the system was running fine according to the auto mechanic-no leaks spotted. 

But I was not. Before I headed out the door to work my boss called to tell me not to come in since I apparently tested positive for COVID. Great. The test was completed the week before on Monday, but they just got the results back. So technically I was "sick" for at least 7 days if not more because I had been tested the week before on a Monday after returning to work from our Tennessee vacation and that test came back negative. So not sure exactly when I was supposed to be infected. But officially the CDC counts 10 days of quarantine from the day of testing. And then they throw in 3 days extra for a buffer. However, my nursing home requests 16 days of quarantine before coming back to work(or 16 days off work). And naturally I no longer have any paid time off for COVID(or anything else for that matter) since our therapy departments were "sold" to a  contract company and we lost all our vacation and sick time.  I think it is amazing that I just had this conversation with the contract company's District Manager out of Virginia and HR out of Texas via telephone about the increased risk of catching COVID and no financial coverage. The government came out with the CARES ACT to pay essential workers for time off due to COVID, but only if your company has 500 or less employees. My fellow OT that was diagnosed back in the spring had two weeks paid time off  with funding from the CARES ACT and was asymptomatic. Unfortunately myself and another OT staff member were diagnosed with COVID in July after the contract company took over and we are not eligible for any funds. They did offer to let us take our paid time off "in the negative" meaning we would have to owe them for time off, but we only get two weeks of time off that includes vacation and sick time combined the whole year. We had more time off working directly for the nursing home. I mentioned my concern and increased risk about catching COVID, especially since our facility started taking in more patients from the hospital, and some patients came in positive for COVID while others seemed to pick it up a few weeks later  in our facility after being hospitalized. No rhyme or reason with this virus.I did see a note in the company's COVID manual that recommends those already diagnosed with COVID treat the high risk patients due to the possibility of increased antibodies and decreased risk of catching it again. Just like we used to keep the pregnant staff away from those with shingles, or those that never had chicken pox to decrease their risk of catching it. The company offered me a part time, on call position, but that does not guarantee I would not be exposed to someone with COVID, and they don't seem to be using the part time staff members that we already have. They would prefer to keep all of us working our full 40 hours or more, but I have not seen them pay overtime yet either. 

  I was not the only therapist that tested positive this week-also the PT I work with on the COVID isolation floor tested positive as well. So 4 out of 6 therapists now have been diagnosed with COVID. We are starting our own herd immunity. The only advice I got from our new managers was "stay socially distanced" and "wear your PPE". I asked how a therapist is supposed to stay socially distant, especially when I am assisting with a shower or toileting. I was told to "move in" and then "back away". Very scientific from someone who sits behind a computer all day. I did fill out an online Unemployment Application per their recommendation, although the benefit recently ended. So don't know if that will get me anything. But it was worth a try. A bit tedious however since you have to download your tax return and fill out lots of questions about your previous employment for the past two years(and I have worked for 3 different companies in the past two years!). A bit confusing. We'll see if it was worth it. 

Well I was not allowed to go back to work all week, and the MD Dept of Health called to tell me to stay quarantined for the rest of the week. The contact tracers called to ask me where I had been the week before. Mostly I go to work and come home. They did not have to be rocket scientists to figure out  where I could have picked up the positive test when I told them I worked in a nursing home with rehab patients brought in from the hospital.  But then they needed to know who else I was in contact with so I had to try and recall my previous week's activities including a trip to the grocery store(exactly which one and what time), a trip to the sofa store with Tom(we're shopping for new sofas in order to give our current set to Allison when she moves out). Fortunately no one else was in the large sofa store Saturday afternoon except the salesperson we talked to while perusing the couch options. I had also stopped by to see our next door neighbors, Dan and Gloria while taking Cookie for a walk, and had them over one evening for drinks. So the contact tracers have to do just that. Contact everyone they can to let them know they came in contact with me. Plus our family had to all get tested. I had emailed my doctor to see if I needed to be tested again, or if the family needed to be tested, but I did not hear from her for 2 days. Instead, the MD Dept of Health recommended Tom and the kids get tested immediately so they all made drive up appointments with our medical provider.  No resistance this time for appointments after they told the nurse that I tested positive. Apparently I did not need to be tested again at this time since it already was positive. Naturally everyone started feeling some type of symptoms-Tom was coughing and felt short of breath;, Allison had an upset stomach. Scott was fine. Turns out none of them tested positive for COVID. And I was not exhibiting any of the symptoms they look for including fever, muscle pains, shortness of breath, coughing. I usually have some slight cold symptoms or upset stomach normally. And it's rare if something doesn't hurt. It does not help constantly breathing into a mask, changing and wearing hot PPE, sweating and going in and out of the air conditioning at work and at home, taking 2 showers a day and skipping lunch most of the time. And recently I was treating a 300lb patient by myself- a lot of physical work getting the person dressed and out of bed which wears on the back and hip. But if I truly had the COVID virus, and the test was not a false positive, I thank God the symptoms were mild and that my family did not contract it from me! And maybe I have some antibodies built up in my system. Oh joy, now work won't have any trouble scheduling me to work with COVID patients!

So for the next few days, we all received a phone call from the MD Dept of Health checking up on us. I locked myself up in the master bedroom and everyone seemed to do a good job forgetting about me. I did not want to move throughout the house, including the kitchen and our food source. So the family forgot to feed me. I have been there before, unable to get up and down the stairs after knee surgery. I am pretty sure I could die upstairs and no one would notice. Except for the dog. I kept Cookie quarantined from me as it was recommended by the CDC and she just laid out in the hallway whining because I would not let her in the bedroom with me. Poor baby.  I used my time wisely while locked in the bedroom. I caught up on sleep for two days during Tropical Storm Isaiasis, It rained steady for two days, which made it very comfortable for napping. Fortunately we were not as affected by the storm as our eastern shore. They had some flooding, power outages and a few F1 tornadoes touch down with minor damage. Only 1 person in Maryland died in the storm when a tree fell on their car. I was grateful that we did not lose power. Instead I stayed in the bedroom and watched every daily court show from Judge Mathis to Judge Judy, The People's Court and Divorce Court to just name a few. I also caught up on a few tv movies I wanted to see including Ant Man and the Wasp, Dunkirk and The Scouts Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. I think rewatching Invasion of the Body Snatchers felt the most like living in the Pandemic.  When I wasn't napping or watching tv shows or movies, I was cleaning the bedroom. I have been slowly making my way through our master closet, but now I got down to business on reorganizing. The donation organizations like the Red Cross have begun to pick up items again, so I made a pick up appointment at the end of the month. I figured Allison might have some things to donate as she started cleaning out her bedroom for her upcoming move to her apartment. I got a bit distracted though as I have been sorting through old photos and letters from friends and family. It's fun to reread yearly Christmas letters and see how everyone's lives have changed, including our own! I am also separating some keepsakes for Allison and Scott including photos and school reports for them to take with them one day when we eventually move and/or downsize our living space. After Allison moves to her apartment at the end of the month and Scott returns to school, Tom and I will be a lot closer to empty nesters!  And the master closet will be a lot more accessible! I hope. 

By the way, thanks to Scott who finally started feeding me. I mentioned that I was not supposed to roam around the house, especially in the kitchen where everyone hangs out!  After that it was carry out the rest of the week. I can see how easy it can be to gain weight on house arrest when someone remembers to feed you. I diligently remained upstairs until the 10th day, and then snuck out occasionally on the following 3 days. Mostly to get outside for some some fresh air while taking out the recyclable trash. And while I was standing in the driveway, one of Allison's friends pulled up with her mom to drop off a chocolate cake and some ribs. Sadly, Allison was invited to her friend's birthday party, but since we were on quarantine, Allison decided to stay away, even though she tested negative. So they brought the party to us. Very nice. And Awesome 7 layer Smith Island Chocolate Cake! 

Being forced to stay home is not such a problem for our family. Tom and Allison have both started new positions at Northrop. Tom decided to switch to the Space program since he was not being challenged in his previous department. Allison officially starts her last intern rotation next week, so she has been trying to orient her replacement on the job requirements. Her current boss does not want her to leave! They even planned on giving her a gift and taking her out to lunch, but we are quarantined. Maybe later. And Tom also stays very busy with his last formal PhD class, writing lots of papers on different types of research surveys and tools. He said this has been the most helpful class he has taken in the whole program. Glad it worked out this way. When this is done, he will begin to concentrate on writing up his own thesis. Scott is just happy to hang out in his bedroom connecting with his friends via computer. And we drag him out 1x/wk to cut the grass! Allison and Tom are also very happy to have the hockey teams playing again. The Stanley Cup Finals will resume next week! It is very strange to be watching hockey, baseball and basketball all at the same time. With a few added extras including the PGA Golf Tournament and NASCAR racing. And the family can always find something interesting on Disney+. 

Mostly the family is well practiced in the art of quarantine. Maryland is still at Phase 2 so limited activities and no special place to go, except shopping. And masks are mandatory inside as well as outside now in crowded spaces. However, since we spend a bit of time on the computer, we are all very practiced in the art of online shopping. Maybe too much. I managed to find replacement planters for the front of the house that I have been looking for since we bought the original planters in Charlotte about 30 years ago. They were a particular pattern I really liked that I could not find. While searching for planters for Allison's patio, I managed to come across the exact match. Although the new planters do not have a full bottom, so you can't just dump in dirt and plant something. You have to put another container inside, so technically these are called plant boxes, not planters. Which may be why I never found them. Anyhow, I decided to pop out the bottoms from my old boxes and put them in the new boxes since they were the same size. They really did need replacing since they basically fell apart when I picked them up. So I got planters! Allison is on her own. On Sunday I was officially off quarantine per the state Dept. To celebrate, we decided to take Allison to Costco for some apartment shopping. She needed some kitchen and bath items including pots and pans and cookie sheets and bath towels and bath rugs. (She got her Grandma B. Christmas check early this year!).  She has some kitchen items already from her college condo days. We also stopped into our large outlet mall to pick up some hand soap and small hand gel for Allison and I as well as for Scott for going back to school. I waited too long to order from Bath and Body Works with my 20% coupon and everything was sold out online!  Or twice the price on Amazon. Looks like all the back to school shoppers have been busy. Fortunately they had a supply on sale in the store, and I was able to use my coupon, and get a free bottle of hand lotion for Allison! She also stopped into a book store to get the new Twilight series release, Midnight Sun. She got the last one on the shelf, but we should have waited to buy it cheaper at Costco. Who knew. We also dropped off Cookie at the groomers. I tried to make her an appointment online before we head to Michigan to drop off Scott at the end of the month while she stays with Ripley, but they were booked until mid September. Instead I called our groomer directly and she squeezed Cookie in on Sunday afternoon. Cookie was not in dire straights for a hair cut, but she was getting a bit shaggy, and it continues to be very hot. This time she only took 2 hours to clip, so we picked her up on the way home from our shopping trip. 

I was not able to stop into my Mom's place to drop off her supplies this past week. I tried calling, but no answer. I think they allow her to wander out of the room. Hard to keep some of the residents with dementia cooped up in their apartment all day since they don't understand the circumstances of quarantine. Mom didn't seem to mind wearing the mask though when we visited last through the outside door. Unfortunately, every time 1 person tests positive for COVID in the facility, it pushes the schedule back two weeks. So our facilities recently allowed  the residents to go outside and visit 6 feet apart with masks, but because they had staff test positive in my building and hers, visits were pushed back inside. chatting through the window only. And even though our facilities are testing weekly for COVID, the MD Dept of Health said nursing homes in our state are not doing enough. I wish we could get the rapid, self testing kits to use ourselves daily rather than take our temperatures. That would seem more practical. 

So I will let you know when I get to go back to work! 

July 20-July 31st, Week 19 and 20 Covid Mandatory Masks inside and out!

So we were back home and it was just as hot in Maryland as it was in Tennessee. Our plants and lawn were looking pretty sad. Thank goodness the weeds were doing well. We picked up Cookie on Saturday and the kids gave her a bath on Sunday.  I also got busy washing all our vacation clothes. We already unpacked the van Saturday and Sunday I was busy putting everything away(after my tv mass of course).  Then Scott and I got busy outside. He cut the grass and I was pulling weeds and trimming bushes(again!). We have a discount lawn care service for spraying weeds and fertilizing, but we have not been very happy with their service. Tom thought the lawn service would be able to keep up with maintenance better than he could since he spends most of his free time on his classwork. However, this company seems to do the bare minimum which keeps Tom and I running up to Home Depot for weed killer and sprays. The past several years I noticed a white fungus on my crepe myrtle leaves and it seemed to spread to several other bushes this summer, so I broke down and bought some spray that seems to really be helping. Maybe I will actually get some decent looking blooms this year. I've given up on my lilies and the tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. The deer seem to really enjoy our plant buffet. At least they don't touch the jalapenos! We are getting a very nice, diverse collection of peppers. I also decided to plant a few marigolds in my flower box to see if it might help keep the deer away(although over the years they have become less picky about what they eat). The worst thing I found was having to clean up deer poop in the back yard!  We certainly have quite a variety of wildlife. For the first time I spotted a big old raccoon crossing our neighbors backyard on Sunday morning! I wonder where he was headed. Looked like our shed! I hear they like hiding in the sewers in our neighborhood. I was also sad to find two dead bluebird babies in the nesting box when we got home. I noticed the parents were no longer around so I cleaned out the box. The babies seemed awfully big so not sure what got to them. Heat maybe? It seemed rather late in the year to be having babies still in the nest, and our temps in Maryland were in the upper 90s with no rain while we were gone. Fortunately I am sure the parents will return next year. And Tom continues the battle with the squirrels. He discovered the squirrel cage he bought at Home Depot was just too small. The squirrels could reach in and get a snack without actually going into the trap all the way. He got desperate and decided to add poisoned bait, which the squirrels dragged out and into the yard. Not so smart since Cookie also wanders around the backyard and eats just about anything she can find. So we waited for a big rain to hopefully wash away any remnants. You just can't win. The squirrels figured out how to get sunflower seeds from the non squirrel bird feeder and they empty it pretty quick. Faster than the birds.  One exciting discovery I had involved the milkweed I have been trying to grow. I was happy to see several of the plants were coming up nicely in my flower bed. The only weeds I really wanted to grow! But the big surprise was to see 4 monarch caterpillars munching away on the plants!  I was beginning to get a bit worried about the butterfly population this year. There seems to be a lot less butterflies this summer and I was wondering if the COVID got to them too!  Only now have I seen a few of my usual yellow swallowtails starting to visit my cone flowers and butterfly bush. So the monarch caterpillars are a real treat!

It's interesting to walk through the neighborhood  since there seems to be so much more activity. Since most everyone is home these days, there always seems to be a crowd out on the street-walking dogs, biking with kids, running or just walking and socializing. And everyone seems to go at the same time which makes sense-early in the morning or later in the day when it is not as hot. Or when people are not working. We spend a lot of time criss crossing across the street and sidewalks and dodging cars and bikes to keep our social distancing. There are a lot more home improvement projects going on and lawn work. More backyard gardens. Lots of new puppies. More family visits outside.  Maryland remains in Phase 2 Covid recovery. Our Governor just made masks mandatory for inside spaces, but also outside spaces where social distancing is impossible, like the beach. Ocean City was getting a bit crowded, and fights were breaking out on the boardwalk. They had to increase the number of police in the area which is unusual for that area. Maryland is looking at closing down indoor seating in restaurants and bars because of the widespread illness in warm states like Florida, Texas and California. We still have outdoor seating for restaurants and bars, but not every building has space for that set up. And sometimes the weather is not conducive to sitting outside-too hot or raining, stormy. Many small restaurants around Baltimore are closing permanently due to the pandemic and loss of business. They just can't keep up with the limited services. Most stores are still open however, but as I mentioned before, some businesses, including large retail stores are closing or going bankrupt. Definitely the Amazon, UPS and FedEx vehicles stay very busy in our neighborhood. Marylanders seem to be fairly comfortable with wearing masks, at least in our area. Many summer time activities have been cancelled though this July including all outdoor summer concerts, Baltimore's ArtScape Fair and Columbia's Festival of the Arts. Allison's Anime festival was cancelled as well as the upcoming Renaissance Fair. The County Fairs and State Fair have all been cancelled for August and September as well. Some programs have gone virtual/online, but I just can't get into that. Not the same experience. We would probably be coming home from work at this time and catching up with the Summer Olympics in Japan. Postponed to 2021, but they reported if they can't get it up and running safely by next summer, they will cancel altogether. What an economic catastrophe for Japan. 

We stopped in to our neighbor's house, Dan and Gloria, to catch up after returning from our trip. They were celebrating their wedding anniversary and decided to take a quick trip down to Williamsburg. Busch Gardens and Water Country USA have all been closed and do not appear to plan reopening at all this year. That may also include the very popular HallowScream Event and Christmas Town. Instead, Dan and Gloria walked around the near empty outlet stores and historic village of Williamsburg. They also ate out at the local restaurants which they also reported as being near empty. Not so great for the local economy. But they enjoyed a quick getaway. Dan has also been mostly working from home and Gloria is not taking on any more nursing jobs until the pandemic is over. Or maybe not even then! She would prefer to retire at this point. 

Allison enjoyed our trip to the mountains so much, she couldn't wait to get back  out with mother nature and her D and D friends. They had all planned a camping trip to West Virginia over the weekend. First she wanted to make sure she was COVID free since they were all sharing tent space. My COVID test at work came back negative the week we returned from our trip, but Allison wanted to make sure she was in the clear. She tried to schedule an appointment at our medical center, but they turned her down since she had no real symptoms or reason for testing that they could see. Instead she told them it was for work, and they scheduled her a drive through appointment after having a telehealth video chat with a nurse. She was very excited to learn her test came back negative and she had the all clear to spend the weekend with her friends that she hadn't seen in person since March at the start of our lockdown. So two vehicles showed up with all the camping gear and 7 friends and 1 very large, black labradoodle dog on Friday morning. I also decided it was time I met her friends, so I helped Allison pack her stuff in their SUV including my corn on the cob pot(which did not survive the cooking fire). Most of the kids are scout graduates, so they know how to camp. One actually is a manager of REI so he had a good time showing off his fancy camping equipment(why didn't he bring a cooking pot?) I must say though, they are a very nice bunch of "kids". They all hopped out of their cars to say hello, and I even brought Cookie out for a visit before they left. They had reservations at a campsite called Seneca Shadows in West Virginia, about a 3 hr drive. Fortunately they had beautiful weather and spent their time hiking the nearby Seneca mountain and splashing in the river, cooking all their meals over the campfire and gas grill and just relaxing. They even sampled some of Allison's butterscotch whiskey we bought in Tennessee(and loved it!). On Sunday they headed home with a stopover in Harper's Ferry for ice cream. They also had to help clear the camp road of a fallen tree(putting all those good scout skills to use).

And during the week, the group decided to take advantage of their COVID free screens and actually get together in person for D and D which they also  have not done since March. 

Allison continued to have  an eventful week after returning home from vacation with an apartment tour. She was interested in a few apartments near her work and was hoping for an available place this August. Unfortunately there were not any places available in the buildings we checked out back in April, so we decided to take a look online to see what else might be in the area. We were excited to find a very nice complex nearby that offered in person tours of their model. Tom, Allison and I ran over after everyone got off work during the week for a quick preview of the facility. The complex consists of apartments and condos with open parking spaces or rental garages. It has a beautiful Club house complete with exercise room, lounge, game room and movie room as well as a pool with grills, fire pit, fountain and eating area-looks like a resort hotel. Sadly, all the common areas are closed right now due to COVID. We're hoping we all can use the space next year. I am especially hoping to swim in the pool! We were excited to see they had some apt openings available in August which was the timing Allison was looking for since she wanted to move before Scott goes back to school. She thought he would enjoy spending some time at her new place and we thought we could use Scott to help move stuff! So when she got home from her camping trip she filled out the application and secured an apartment on the parking lot level! She really did not want a ground floor apartment for safety and noise concerns, but the upper levels did not have balconies in the 1 bedroom spaces. We thought it would be nice if she could enjoy some outside space, so now she has her own patio. Also, as an added safety feature, the front door is inside the building with a security entrance. So that made her feel a bit more secure. She has a large open kitchen with island, all appliances including fridge, microwave, dishwasher and gas oven/stove top, a large bedroom with walk in closet, linen closet, front coat closet, laundry closet with washer/dryer and large bathroom. Wood and carpeted floors. We are very happy that we won't have to carry all her furniture up the stairs or squeeze it into the elevator! Especially since we have to move some big furniture including her bedroom set and bed, a table with chairs, desk and book shelves, coffee table, end table, lamps and our leather couch, love seat and a few recliner chairs!(maybe she should have taken the bigger apartment!). This is actually in her budget and she really did not want a roommate. Too much drama. She plans on moving in on August 20th and has already signed up for cable and internet and renters insurance. I also mentioned to the facility manager during our tour that Allison works at nearby Northrop and that is why we were interested in the place and she said Northrop employees get  $100 off of their move in costs! It pays to be chatty! She can also pay extra at any time for a dog or cat. I may have to let Cookie spend a night or two since Allison has been so good about taking her out for walks everyday!

There has also been a lot of discussion about going back to school. Here in Maryland they have decided to start the fall session at the end of August online with all sports canceled. They are looking to have fall sports in the spring(not sure how that works if you need to share fields and gyms, but that's the plan.). The private schools are being allowed to go back in person, including the catholic schools. Some of our neighbors were considering transferring their kids to the catholic schools, especially high school. No one is very crazy about having all online. They feel they are not getting enough instruction. Some neighbors are talking about signing up for homeschooling and others getting creative and joining forces with a small group of kids in the same grade for study groups and learning sessions. Our neighbor asked me if I knew of any tutoring services.  Personally I am so happy Scott and Allison are done with elementary and high school. So much stress for parents and teachers. However, we still have college to contend with and Scott has most of his classes online as he received his Fall schedule.  However, he has several in person labs which are pretty important for engineering and necessary to take with the classes. So we plan on having him return to school at the end of August. WMU families have also been chatting online about plans for returning to school. Since some students only have online classes, parents have decided to keep their kids home to save money and to decrease the risk of infection. Or skip taking classes at the large universities and signing up for undergrad requirements at their local community colleges. Other parents have kids living in apartments and don't feel it is much different than staying home. We all feel comfortable having Scott in his own dorm room. Scott pretty much holes up in his own room in front of the computer here at home anyway. And he has his own car at school, so he can drive himself to the off campus Engineering building for his labs. No public transportation required. He has a plastics and a machine processing class this coming semester that include hands on lab work.  Dining Halls are mostly Grab and Go, but they plan on having some distanced seating available. Classes are scheduled straight through from Sept 2 to Nov 20th when students will return home for Thanksgiving holiday and complete the semester and take finals online through distance learning. The school does not want students leaving and returning with risk for picking up the virus. Recently parents have voiced concerns over the risk of students having off campus parties that could increase the risk of spreading the virus and cannot be controlled by campus police. The school is also recommending students be tested for COVID upon arrival on campus, but there is still the chance that they may pick it up at school afterwards. Mostly they are relying on students reporting any symptoms. And this is not just at Western, but all the large universities in Michigan and here in Maryland. I've seen reports that California plans on having all remote learning at their Universities. For now, we plan on taking Scott back to school at the end of August and I have been picking up hand sanitizer, masks, gloves and cleaning supplies for him to pack in his Back to School stuff.