Still Not Out of The Plague Woods

 March 13, 2020 was the day Wifey and I entered Covid lockdown. I remember being at a pizza place with Stuart and Allison, and hearing on the way home that crap got real. We began a long slog of keeping people out of the house, and only greeting people outside. When I took walks, neighbors and I would pass each other with a comically wide berth. I recalled this the other day as I walked with neighbor Evan, who is a Seinfeldian "close talker" and kept literally getting in my face as he told me things. During the early days --no way.

The side benefit is my anxiety took away my appetite, and caused me to walk 15-20 miles per day. D1 and Joey had a newborn, which was the source of my fears -- this was before it was confirmed that Covid was indeed Boomer Remover, and really the only ones dying in large numbers are the olds. Hell -- once you live past 65 -- you've LIVED, or hopefully have --no tragedy when you leave. But a newborn???

Turns out, eating less and exercising more really does work at weight loss. I dropped a good 30 pounds. As the anxiety lessened over the past years, my appetite has returned to college boy levels, along with the pounds. But I keep moving, and so for now have adopted the fat but healthy philosophy. 

Well, even though we've all been jabbed like pincushions, the damned thing is still around. Fortunately it's evolved, for most, into more an annoyance than life threatening disease.

Dr. Barry texted yesterday that the low level transmission lever we've enjoyed has bumped up -- which means suggested masks indoors again. D2 and Jonathan are leaving tomorrow for a wedding in Atlanta, and their host friend Ashley has Covid -- probably got it at her baby shower the prior weekend. The good news is that she'll recover before she gives birth to an antibodied baby! But D2 and Jonathan are now staying with other friends -- Cath and Jacob -- assuming they don't test positive, too. And the overarching hope is the wedding doesn't become a superspreader event.

Closer to home, Wifey's had nasty cold symptoms all week. She's getting better, and pre plague days, we'd have thought nothing of it. But our toddler grandson's 3 year old soccer party is this weekend, and so now I must employ strategy. I plan to give her an at home test today -- hopefully she's negative. If she comes back with the virus -- no party for her -- and I, asymtomatic, will test Sunday am before I even think about attending.

And the party needs me! D1 has tasked me with bringing water, beer, and wine, so we grownups can enjoy watching the little ones play soccer!

So -- given vaccines and prior exposure, the fear of the early days is gone, thankfully, but the strategy remains. Wifey still has a major travel bug, and may plan to go away with friends. With the current state, you have to hope you avoid catching the virus before and during the trip -- lest you get stranded in some airport hotel until you're safe to be around fellow passengers in the sealed metal tube that flies 8 miles high, as the great Byrds song goes.

Happy to be past the early days, but would love having to wait for the other covid shoe to drop. It'll be a relief when we can return to wondering about what OTHER ways we can die -- like the good old days before the plague.