Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 

Another place the Prisoner likes to curl up:  on top of the clothes I sleep in, on my bed.  Wednesday morning he was sleeping there when the guy came to deliver the water softener salt.  He woke up, took himself down to the sliding glass door to the deck and miaowed loudly, demanding to not be in the house if there were strangers here!

And yes, in my perusal of the Harry Potter magical world series of films, I got around to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, inspiring the title, but it kind of goes with the cat and dog stories... where to find them.  The invisible beasts from the film?  That would be the cats whenever anybody else shows up at the house, and especially if Carl does.

The second service guy came about 10:50 a.m. to change the furnace filter.  They became invisible again during his visit.

The local public health director did her news conference Wednesday morning, rather than Tuesday afternoon.  We are still in the red on the risk dial, 4th week in a row... essentially since the beginning of the year.

It's pretty normal for the national media to be declaring the surge has peaked when it peaks on the coasts, but it hasn't peaked here yet.  Hospitalizations, especially, were up this week over last week, so we're not done yet.

I'm feeling good about my "outage" from normal activities.  My working sibling in town let me know of others in her circle who had experienced a "four day cold, but negative for Covid 19".  Kind of matches my experience.  Still glad I stayed home and didn't share it!

Thursday

First day back at the trainer for a workout.  Took it kind of easy.  But back!

Picked up groceries.  Dropped off some donations of N95 masks to family members who hadn't got theirs yet.  

Friday and Saturday

Pretty much stuck to the home front, decompressing.  Carl and the kids, meanwhile, were out tramping some wetlands.  Might call this Saturday clip from a video "Carl ice skates"?  It's warm for January, but they did find ice in the wetlands.  You can tell it's sunny by Carl's shadow!

While they play outside, I'm prepping for the next season of Billions by streaming the last season.  Why is it I get into these dramas of rich, warped people?  I tend to get sucked into Succession, too... all really mentally warped and WAY beyond my level of personal greed.  But still I watch them!

Here's hoping my fellow Spark refugees are staying well and taking care of yourselves.  I may not have had a whole lot to say this week, but doing my best, too, to live one day at a time, and just relax into what has so far been a pretty OK Winter.

Life is Good.  Spark on! ✨💖🔥

I kept on isolating through day 7...

 

I'm also Trapped, with a cat on the lap

On Sunday, The Prisoner claimed his spot on my lap.  Purring loudly.  As long as I'm stuck with a cat on my lap, tuned the TV to find old Perry Mason episodes and remembered my mom... she loved that show.

Meanwhile, the kids were off hiking at a local lake.  Lacey (GF) caught a great action shot of my favorite grand-dog.

It's a great landscape / nature photo, too, but boy, does Carl look happy, with his ears flying as he runs.  Even while isolating, seeing the animals in nature is uplifting.

I felt pretty normal on Day 5 (Sunday).  Nose was a little drippy, but no more so than usual this time of year.  Monday made three days running of "feeling much better."   Monday (day 6) evening, I started draining and feeling queasy again.  

Still, slept well.  I took a hot shower Tuesday (day 7) morning, and was glad I had waved off the trainer for one more day of isolation.  He'd forgotten (or the message didn't click), and messaged me to come in at 10?  I asked whether that was for Thursday and reminded him that I thought I had cancelled for Tuesday!  To be honest, I was feeling good enough to be tempted to go, but did not muddy the waters further.  Thursday is soon enough to restart the lifting.

Meanwhile, it's a good time to put together ice box cleanout veggie soup.  I started cooking this potful on Sunday and it's still feeding me.

The weather continues its flip-flop with termperatures and clouds.  Still no "real" snow.  Facebook is popping up messages about the storm a year ago that dumped 15 inches of fluffy white stuff on us.

In Wednesday night's cold snap, my son tells me, their furnace decided to misbehave.  The local HVAC folks got them to a stage of limping along, and waiting for new equipment to arrive.  Supply chain issues.  I'm feeling good that they will be taken care of for a while, though, with new home environment.

And... I have been dragged in to Wordle.  Another game on line.  

Wordle 220 4/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜

🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜

⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

It is just enough different to let me justify playing.  One word a day, so it's "portion controlled" as my friends tell me.  The beauty is that since I play on the same site as my kid sis and several FB friends, we can compare results, because everybody gets the same word.

How does it work, you ask?  Five letter word... blind guess.  It lets you know if you have a letter that's IN the word, with a yellow if it's in the wrong position, or Green if it's in the right position.  You get up to six guesses, and you just build from your mistakes and correct guesses.

Anybody else play?

Now, let's all take care of ourselves, best we can, right where we are on this journey called life!  We are all issued ONE body, no trade-ins allowed, and it does amazing things for us!  I am in awe of how mine shook off whatever that was last week.  Ever notice how much better you feel after recovering from illness... even if it felt awful, when you get better you appreciate how good you've got it?

Life is good.  Keep on sparking!

Day 2 to 4 of "isolation"

Day 2:  Thursday

Having not taken a test, I was not a confirmed Covid case.  Not taking chances.  Since I COULD isolate, I DID isolate.

I was sick, but not THAT sick.  I had already cleared my calendar... the mammogram got put off for two weeks.  The trainer's been canceled for the next week.  The plumbing/heating guys delivering filters and softner salt also put off for a week.

Rubia offered to "help", quite vocally.  Having the kitties gives one a reason to get up and move about, at least enough to see that their needs are met.  It's cold outside, but supposed to get warmer, then colder, etc. as it has been doing for the past couple of months.  

Day 3:  Friday

Now whatever this is, was settling into my normal pattern of rejection of whatever is troubling the body.  It is my theory that we all have these responses, but we may not all match exactly.  With me, I often first notice the headache, swollen sinus, and drainage.  In the middle of Thursday night, I opted to take drugs.  I can't do decongestants (glaucoma is a contra-indicator), but for me antihistamines seem to help with the sinus issues. I took a Zyrtek and an Advil (for the headache), then slept a bit better.  In the morning, I did not have the oomph to get up, nor did food sound good.  I spent the bulk of the day in bed.  

I went downstairs a couple of times to deal with kitties and to bring the garbage can back inside.  One trip was not well advised... barely made it back upstairs to the porcelain goddess, but after that episode, felt better.  Took hot shower.  Put on real clothes.  Then took it easy, going out to get the mail, and brewing myself a cup of tea to sip while the news played.

The kids offered to drop off my home test kit this weekend.  That's the kind the hospital quiz says is right for my set of symptoms.  They are reserving the PCR tests for folks with chest pains,  shortness of breath, or fever of 100.4 or more.  They are telling folks not to go to the ER for a test unless they have those kinds of severe symptoms.  They would give you a rapid test if you made an appointment and drove across town.  The earliest appointment they had on their schedule was for Saturday afternoon.

Applying a bit of logical thought, if the local testing has a positivity rate of 25%, that means that 75% of the folks with enough symptoms to go get a test, are testing negative!  Given my symptoms and the odds, I'm anticipating a negative result when I get the tests in hand.

Day 4:  Saturday

Woke mostly human Saturday morning, and quite early.  Probably slept out, having stayed in bed nearly all day Friday.  But not as congested, and hungry.  Oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon tasted wonderful for an early breakfast.  

You can tell I'm feeling better because I was up for finishing watching the Harry Potter series, and the last two or three films are quite dark.  I don't usually go in for battle films when I'm ill.  I go after mindless background noises, music, or silence.

The kids were as good as their word, and delivered the covid at-home lateral flow antigen test.  I carefully followed the instructions, and it came out negative, reinforcing my "feeling better".  Still going to wait to make sure I'm not on one of those "better then worse" cycles before I decide I'm OK to come out from my little isolation episode.

But for now?  Life is good.  Take care of yourselves, and Spark on!

Abundance of caution, or just following the guidance?

 

I admit it's hard to find clear guidance these days.  It's also hard to find Covid testing, around here.  All the sites have moved to "appointment only", and the outdoor ones are closed today and tomorrow due to bitter cold temperatures.  I mean, after all, give their staff some consideration, here!  YOU might be in your car, but THEY are outside, conducting tests all day long!

At home tests?  Oh, I got the beta test link from Biden's initiative to mail them to every legitimate address in America... accessed it yesterday, and ordered mine.  But it will be at least two weeks before those arrive.

The kids ordered some to replace the ones I donated to GF's aunt, but so far, we haven't connected, so don't have that on hand at this point, either.

So when I woke up this morning, stuffed up?  I did what the alternative medical dudes on YouTube have said:  just assume it is Omicron, not a cold, and isolate, already.  Around here, the local health authorities have said, "don't assume it's just a cold or allergies, get a test".  But the docs who make YouTubes are saying, "if you can isolate, isolate, you don't need a test, assume it's Covid".  Much as I'd like to have a for-sure test, I AM doing what health experts have said for years, though:

"If you are sick, stay home!"  Doesn't matter if it's a cold, the flu, or Covid... if you don't feel well, don't expose others!  I rescheduled my mammogram (which was supposed to be this morning).  I texted the trainer and said "take me off the schedule for the next week".  And my kid sis, calling off the normal Wednesday walk.  

I'll just be here with my tea and my chicken soup (and my thermometer and my SpO2 sensor, etc.).  And my cats.  Baby, it's COLD outside today and tomorrow, with high winds... which could also be a contributing factor to my congestion... I tend to be sensitive to weather fronts.

Pep talk:  take care of yourselves.  Be sensitive to community conditions and be kind to others.

Life is still good.  Spark on. Gently!💖

Rest in flight, litte birdie

 

"Nestled

In your wings my little one

This special

Morning brings another sun

Tomorrow

See the things

That never come

Today.

When you see me

Fly away without you

Shadow on the things you know

Feathers fall around you

And show you the way to go

It's over, it's over."

---'Birds' by Neil Young

Some of you may remember my posting about the Christmas eve gather that my son's GF's dad left the gathering to go check on his little avian friend. Last summer, Skittles (the parrolet) lost Chumley, a female cockatiel and his best friend. Since about Thanksgiving, Skittles himself had been ailing. Last night, he passed on.

During his last weeks, the little bird was vetted by an avian expert, and comforted and nursed by his human household. His last day he was given the companionship of his humans and the birds that live with son & his GF, too, a couple of cockatiels names Scout and Kiwi. I'm touched by how much a part of their family the birds are. They have personalities and quirks and habits, just as the more common house pets like dogs and cats do.

Of course no bird would be safe in my house, where I harbor the genetic variants of lions and tigers, both of whom are stone cold killers and would only see winged creatures as "prey". But I recognize the bond that their human family had with them, and honor that they are all grieving the loss of the tiny bird with the giant personality.

If there's a rainbow bridge for the doggos, I hope there is also a rainbow over which these spirits fly, never tired.

Moonrise

I snapped this photo Thursday evening when I was trundling the garbage can to the curb.  The moon, rising above the rooftops... not quite full... it will be full Monday night.

I turned around, and snapped the sunset.  I find the skies fascinating this time of year, as might be observed from the photos I put up.  Darker in the East as the moon rises, still a bit lighter in the West, as the sun is setting.

Slept very well, after those views.  Friday morning, we became a community in a transition of weather.  The snow was not supposed to start until the evening commute.  Most everyone would be home safe and the snow, whatever amount fell, would accumulate on the weekend.  

Being a lagging state, we're only just starting to realize the magnitude of the Omicron surge of Covid-19.  At 10 a.m., a series of local news conferences started.  Can we turn the clock back nearly two years?  Seemed like deja vu.  Bottom line, leading to a collection of bottom lines:  local case rates for Covid are still rising, we are reaching new record highs on a daily basis.   

The first news conference was held by the public schools.  The pandemic is causing staffing issues.  41% of their requests for substitutes on Friday went unfilled.  So teachers and admins who did show up had to cover for them.  This has been happening since school started after the holidays.  Working with Public Health, they have decided to remain open for in person learning, but that during this surge, they will hold no classes for students the next three Fridays. The buildings will remain open on those Fridays so the teachers can catch up on planning.  They will also practice for if they have to take a class, a grade level, or a whole school on-line (remote) on short notice.  

As they have since the start of the pandemic, our schools are rolling with the punches.  They have done a good job of trying to stay open, in person, and stay safe... but let's be honest, omicron is busting our butts.

Next it was the governor:  he's issued a directed health measure that tells the biggest hospital system in the state they must suspend any non-emergency surgeries until at least mid-February.  This was in response to the hospital announcing it was activating its Crisis Standard of Care plan.  The hospital responded that what they were doing was within the rules of this "new" mandate.

At 11:30 a.m. it was the mayor's turn:  the local mask order is back in place, as of midnight Friday night.  She's asking folks to "voluntarily" reduce how much we go out and about:  work and medical appointments only.  I don't work, but kind of consider my trainer sessions to be my "work".  I don't do much beyond that.  I pick up the groceries at the curb.  And I walk, masked, with my kid sis once a week, both of us masked.  I am thinking carefully about what the switch would be to forego the gym sessions with the trainer.  

As predicted the snow started falling around 4 p.m.  The kitties are not so sure about this strange white frozen stuff.  Rubia looked back at me on her Friday evening outing.  The Prisoner tested its depth Saturday morning.  Neither one stayed out for long as the temperature has plunged after our mild start to the week.  

It's cold out there, but at least the sun is shining!  The snow is fresh and white, and shines in the sun.  Tomorrow will see warmer temperatures and melting.

May you all be well, and safe, and making decisions that support your health and well-being, this one and only Saturday, January 15, 2022 we will ever get!  And at the end of day, let it go... whatever we did, it was enough, sufficient to the day.  May the sunshine be that of hope in your hearts!

Life is good.  Savor it, and Spark on!  

✨💖🔥

Sunset, sunrise

 

Sunset on January 11, 2022

Love the sunrises and sunsets this time of year.  As a bonus, with the hours of daylight being the least, I'm awake for both!  😁

Wednesday offered a high temperature of 59℉ (or 15℃ for those of you who speak non-US).  It was a lovely day for the after work sister walk... and our trip around the park and neighborhood ended about sunset.  One more nice day, then on Friday the weatherman is using that dreaded phrase "Winter mix" which means this little old lady in training will be pretty much tucking up and being grateful for how nice it has been so far this season!  

Yes, we've had some cold temperatures that seemed even colder because of the contrasting mildness, but seriously, January 12, 1974 we saw our historically lowest temperature in measured history at -33℉ (translates to -36℃).  Brrrr!  You know it's cold when the F and C numbers get close to matching (they do so at -40 for us geeky folk).

I have to laugh at the expression on our faces in this Thursday morning selfie.  It might look as though The Prisoner and I have had a disagreement.  But in fact, that's my "trying to concentrate on taking the selfie" look.  Cats do make good lap warmers, as long as they behave with their claws.

Workout with the trainer was again the early slot, but there were clients both before and after me.  We were well spaced in the room, but still, I heard coughs from each of them!  I noticed the trainer has moved up to a KN95 mask.  We went with lighter weights for a couple of the exercises (hammer curls and shoulder lifts).

Still watching the various medical folks who post on YouTube about the virus trends.  One of the problems with getting your "news" via social media is that if you look hard enough, you can find someone who agrees with either your rose colored glasses or your panic anxiety.  Fortunately, I have found a few realists, who are neither alarmists nor deniers.  They admit that they really can't predict this thing, and here's their hope based on this evidence or that.  

Putting yourself in another's shoes

A fellow Spark refugee ponders sometimes on whether the Queen shares some of our normal troubles in daily life.  I don't envy The Queen of her current duties, which included today's stripping titles and patronages from one of her sons.  I truly believe that as well as having that hereditary title, The Queen is human, has emotions, and cares about her family.  Her heart must be breaking.  

I've thought the same as family members have had to turn in a relative when it became apparent that their relative had committed a crime.  The unibomber's brother turned him in, for example.  The inner struggle between family loyalty and citizenship... a code of honor.  

A snippet of poetry comes to mind, although this reverie casts it in a slightly different light than the original.  Richard Lovelace:  "I could not love thee (Dear) so much, lov'd I not honour more."  

When we're young, we might THINK we know what we would do, and where our duty lay... but on closer examination as I age, it would have been more difficult.  I am grateful that I have not been put in that kind of position in this life.  At least not that I know of or not yet.

Today's sign of the Covid times

Two of the major hospital systems in our state have announced they are going on "Crisis Standard of Care" plans.  Continue to hunker down, local friends.  I figure we're at least a couple of weeks away from peaking in this wave.

May we all do our best to take care of our health, one day at a time.  At the close of this one and only Thursday, January 13, 2022, let us declare "it was enough.  It was sufficient for today."  Now love yourself enough to rest.  You've earned it!

Life is good.  Spark on!

😴🛌🔥💖✨