Hi everyone! I am sitting out a self-quarantine until I get my Covid test results. Why? Because we threw caution to the wind and went to visit my sister and BIL in New Orleans. I was supposed to make this trip over St. Pat's day, then postponed til Easter, then to last weekend (over my birthday). We should have canceled but my sister, who has a plethora of medical issues (CP, 20 year survivor of stage 4 colon cancer, serious lymphedema and cellulitis in her legs, diabetes), has had a leg infection for about 4 months. Her doc treated it remotely for 3 months before she could get in to see a wound specialist. In that time, it never cleared up, and just after seeing the wound guy a second infection site ruptured. She has almost no use of that leg and given her other issues, amputation was being discussed- and she does not do well with surgery, and healing after doesn't go well either. I HAD to go. FORTUNATELY it seems like she's turned a corner and things are looking much better; discussion of amputation is off the table. SO... we had 4 days in NOLA, where almost everything is closed. Airports are empty (I see more folks at the grocery store), flights are empty (25 on one leg). French Quarter is pretty much shut down, no bars open, no to-go cups. There are restaurants open at 25% capacity, and some hotel lobby/lounges, so we went out for my birthday for brunch and afternoon drinks (answer is YES they'll still feed me now that I'm 64, hahaha). We were masked and distanced the whole time, with sanitizing wipes for everything in the plane and airport, and stayed at my sister's home (they are both working from home still so very little outside contact). I feel we were pretty safe, but DH and I decided to be tested, just to make sure. Results should be in by Monday.
There's another reason we needed to get away. On top of everything else this year, we had to have our kitty put to sleep. Weasley was 20, and age got the better of him. It was a hard decision, but it was the right one. I like to think he's off playing with his brother, Potter, again; we lost him 3 years ago. It's weird to have no pets for the first time in 20 years, but we aren't ready for another cat right away. We've all adjusted to the loss, but still sad sometimes. We needed the "pick me up" of seeing my sister and BIL after what has been a long, hard year for everyone.
I have been getting ready for fall semester. ALL of general chemistry and organic chemistry at UMaine is being taught online, so I've been working on lecture notes for the lab. It's a challenge- lots of writing, fact checking, etc.- and I don't know who the course TAs will be yet so I've been working on my own. At least I have something "interesting" to do while waiting out my test results, hahaha! DH is working on setting up his class, too, but he only has 13 students so will be teaching face-to-face. We are both a little nervous about this, but it's easier than redesigning the entire course. He is on sabbatical this year from his primary teaching position; this class at UMaine is an adjunct position, taught once an academic year, and he loves doing it (and the pay doesn't stink, and it gives him access to his own research lab space, so worth it). We are already planning on where we'll go in December, as UMaine is sending kids home to stay at Thanksgiving, so the last 2 weeks of class will be taught online for everyone. YAY! A chance to travel before the hoards of Christmas vacationers- not that we'll go to Disney, necessarily, but early Dec. prices are cheaper everywhere than they are over the holidays.
We are also prepping for our actual vacation. We'd planned to go to CO/UT and Yellowstone, but there was just too much that couldn't be determined... will hotels be open, will restaurants be open, what will the virus be doing, quarantines... just too much stress. Instead, we'll stay in Maine; we have rented a cottage on the beach, in the town where my sister and brother (and their kids) all live. I am going to spend a week walking on the beach with my coffee in the morning and with my wine at sunset and just relax in the ocean air. If nothing else, it'll be 4 new walls to look at, right? I'm bringing fans, though; there are a/c window units in the bedrooms, but we are having beastly hot weather this summer (it's 92 right now, in northern Maine) and I don't want to spend the week roasting!
I hope everyone is finding something enjoyable and worthwhile in this summer. I think we are going to be doing a lot of masking and distancing until maybe April or May, so try to keep your spirits up. I keep thinking that the US had four YEARS of serious food rationing during WWII, and Anne Frank lived in a 2 room garret with her family and others for two years, hoping not to die. I think we can all do masks and distancing for a while longer, don't you? Take care everyone!