The COVID Chronicle, January 16-31, 2021

 

January 16 [Saturday]

I visited the Safehouse [my parents’ abode] this morning, solo from San Dimas, arriving with a package of delicious snacks from Panera, retrieved en route. Patrons are required to wear a mask even at the drive through. I did abide.

It was a nice Safehouse visit, my first since before Christmas. Uncle Joe and dad are on board with getting vaccinations. They are uncertain, however, where or how to get it done or where to find information. Mom’s concern is over a potential adverse reaction to the vaccine. I will follow up with a phone number for dad and Uncle Joe by which they may make arrangements for their vaccination. For mom, I’ll continue positive conversations regarding vaccines hoping for eventual persuasion.

 

[The boy] and I made an apple pie this afternoon. It was an effort to brew up positive Division Weekend playoff mojo for my Cleveland Browns in tomorrow’s game. The pie, incidentally, was tasty and uncomplicated. I enjoyed the teamwork with my guy.

[Follow up: The Browns lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Defeat despite our apple pie effort in hopes of gaining positive game mojo, but to no avail.]

 

January 18 [Monday]

We’ve been teasing Ghost Dog lately. Pre-Covid everyone was away from home during the day with school or work and he would patiently wait outside. He’d sleep all day [the Life of Reilly, as Grandma Tedesco used to say, whoever this Reilly was] or lay out by the rear fence looking down the hill. But now, with Shelter In Place, everyone’s always home, all day, and he wants more action, but we’re occupied with our own tasks and not playing with him. So he lies out on the backyard grass and watches us through the kitchen window, like he’s watching TV. There are multiple windows and he changes view from one window to the next, like he’s changing channels, pending who’s inside and what we’re doing. We tease that he’s changing monitors as he scrolls back and forth between windows. Wave to him simultaneously for interactive TV to see who he watches, which ‘monitor.’ He’s a good dog, Ghost Dog, despite having a long kill list of wildlife with whom he’s managed to interface . . . and end.

 

January 20 [Wednesday]

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been inaugurated and their term commences. Going forward will be interesting to hear what Covid angles get attributed to Trump and which ones to Biden. I’m rather burned out on the inflamed political purlieu and will not expound further here. Regardless, from here we move forward.

 

January 23 [Saturday]

Sounds like vaccine enthusiasm is possibly waning. There are virus variants that are not expected to be defeated with the current Covid-19 vaccines. People may be weighing whether to get this or wait for the next generation of vaccines. Either way, Wife Klem’s totally into this, and I’m into her, so we’ll get vaccinated for whatever’s being offered when we’re eligible.

 

January 26 [Tuesday]

The normalization of Covid gained a foothold today. I had a Skype meeting scheduled with a work colleague and received an email from him that he’s got Covid. So, we just rescheduled our meeting two weeks out. He’s still working virtually when he can, despite being afflicted. When he’s overcome with fevers and fatigue, he conks out and goes to bed. I’ll seek details in two weeks when we Skype up.

 

January 27 [Wednesday]

Mom’s girlfriend, Mrs. H, got vaccinated today. Mom is monitoring for feedback regarding any unpleasant after effects. I’m hoping Mrs. H issues a favorable review, that it may enhance the prospect of mom subjugating herself to the vaccination urgings from family. We’re quite fond of her and conspiring for her elongation.

 

January 28 [Thursday]

I selfishly admit to be progressing through Shelter In Place in good spirits. Wife Klem, mostly, too. Sure, we’d like to visit family and a handful of close friends, but we have most of what we want right here in lock down. We’ve got the four of us, plus Ghost Dog adequately playing the roll of court jester. But Shelter In Place is not amenable to the kids, for different reasons. One immersing himself in his reclusion, the other fraying from the burden of it. Look, I know, this sounds grim, but there is hope. They’re both delightful in their own way. They both sound happy when interacting with their virtual friends. Maybe this is nothing, but I worry about my monkeys and want them to be happy and good. 

 

January 30 [Saturday]

I saw my first ever double masker today, a pair of them walking together wearing a mask over another mask. There had been a recent recommendation, maybe the CDC [Center for Disease Control], for people to wear two masks. This was at Bonelli Park, I was wearing a bandana at the time, the face covering preference for my daily walks.

 

January 31 [Sunday]

There was a vaccine protest at the Dodger Stadium drive-through vaccination site. Baffling. Have people nothing better to do with their time? It shut down the vaccinations for an hour. Vaccinations in California are reportedly not going great, people are not emerging in the hoped for prolific numbers. At this pace Wife Klem and I may be pushed back from a March vaccination to early summer.