When the world-wide pandemic first became a daily news item I figured it would be something that we watched from the center of the country as the coastlines dealt with it. I was fascinated by it. Having seen live animal markets in Southeast Asia on my mission, it didn't take me a full second to believe that the virus could be passed through zoonoses. Those markets are just frightening.
Then school was postponed for two weeks "out of an abundance of caution." Weird. But hurray? On that day I pulled a stack of newspaper from the faculty recycle bin to take home for the dogs (which I do sometimes) and the headline was "Utah Confirms Third Case of Covid-19." Can't say it hasn't been a pleasure to watch my dogs pee on those papers for months.
The day we left school we were smack in the middle of learning the choreography for The Drowsy Chaperone and I figured we could learn it from home with the videos we had taken. Brilliant cast. Just incredible. Region was the next week and we had just performed The Crucible and we were ready. We weren't in big trouble - dates would be pushed back. I could use the time to make costumes, get the posters printed, the program...etc...etc...etc... the quiet would be nice.
Then it seemed that every 24 hours the instructions changed. We got used to listening to the governor's daily press conference at 1:00. We learned to hang on every word of a woman named Angela Dunn who looks like she drinks lattes and shops at L.L. Bean.
Then they closed church. CHURCH! WHAAAAAT?!?!? Jesus take the wheel, I was convinced that The Man Himself was going to be presiding at the April General Conference of my church. He did not. Disappointing. But I'm still convinced that the Prophet, Russell M. Nelson, knows more than he can say. All the buttons to scriptural prophecies of wars, rumors of wars, plagues, and diseases were being done up.
As the numbers accelerated across the country I looked around and wondered why we weren't really taking it seriously here in the central part of the U.S. Of course, Utah is one of those fishy middle-ish states like Kentucky. Are we West? Central? North? Surely we would be fine - but I bought my toilet paper like everyone else.
Then they closed school until the end of the year. Then I filled my freezer. Thanks, Stokes in Payson. I felt as though the best use of my time was trying to get in touch with my kids and especially the kids that absolutely had not checked in online. That's a whole different post. Teaching theatre and film online...gah!
Instead of making 1920's fringy dresses, I made 150 masks for the Navajo Nation and some for my neighborhood, family, friends, colleagues...I was starting to get freaked out. I stole all the elastic out of the props room at the school after the stores ran out. Not going to apologize. We can give back. I used weird chunks of scrap fabric from the costume shop too. Those were some funky masks! I took everything the Governor and Dr. Dunn were saying to heart absolutely.
Andy and I have a cold storage room - we shelved it, re-organized it, and filled it little by little as I could find items. We also have a freeze-dryer and gardening is my crack cocaine so I now consider myself an honest to goodness "prepper in training." If anybody finds themselves dying for some strawberries or green peppers during Armageddon - we are stocked, come on over.
I digress.
Our good friend Olivia and her sweet family were moving out to Virginia and we offered to drive their extra car out there for them. SWEET ROAD TRIP. Just the two of us. Dreamy. We prepared by taking 14 masks - one new one for each day, 24 oz of hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes and spray...I felt a little nutsy, but I wanted to be prepared. Along the way, we noticed that people were here and there about mask-wearing but the further East we got, the fewer people were out. It seemed more real as we went along.
In D.C. we were basically alone. I have never been there, so it wasn't a great time to go, everything was closed, but I got to see the monuments and the incredible architecture of the Capitol, the White House (from a great distance and through chain-link fencing - he is holed up in there). We stayed in a hotel that was next to Dupont Circle and the mile-long road of international mbassies. That was amazing. Still good things to see. Mt. Vernon was open - sort of. Incredible.
We flew home. Plane was only 50% full on purpose. The restrictions and precautions we had taken to go across the country and fly home were second-nature. I'm to the point where I forget I have a mask on and when I don't have one - I'm panicked that I need one. It's like the seat belt feeling.
Andy has been taking his temperature every single day since school got out. He's obsessed a little over making sure we are not giving my 80-year-old parents COVID. We got home, and I spent the very next day making bite-sized treats for my niece's wedding shower and for the 4th of July party. My house would be full of my siblings and their families. I was pumped! I love it when there are people in the Hunsaker Hotel. It's my favorite!
Then on Thursday - Andy said he felt like crap and his temperature was 100.1. I was still non-symptomatic but life stopped. I literally screamed out loud. He drove immediately to get tested and they said it would take three to five days for results. Everything was canceled...my siblings stayed in a hotel and we waited.
Because Andy's only symptom was a temperature, I didn't get tested immediately. I had no symptoms and I thought maybe he just had a cold. Kept making food for the weekend and then while we waited, Andy got sicker.
At first, he felt weak and tired. Then his temperature went up. And down. And up again. Then more weakness and now he is couch-bound. He has a sore throat and a heavy chest. He is popping Tylenol because that is what he was told to do. And that is it. There hasn't been any more dialogue about it. We got a pamphlet from the testing site, but other than taking Tylenol, drinking water and staying home, there is nothing else we can do. I would consider it pretty mild right now. I hope it stays that way. I'll let you know!
I got tested this morning, Sunday. I woke up with a temperature of 99.5. I think everyone ought to be checking their temperatures on their own EVERY DAY. This would be very helpful. Because even if your spouse has Covid - they won't test you until you exhibit symptoms. I have had a sore throat and a heavy chest but no temp until today and I couldn't get an appointment until today.
What's hard about it? Seems like it would be fun to have a reason to shut out the world for two weeks? Are you still trying to convince yourself that it's not real, you flat earthers? Just kidding. But I know there are people that don't think it's real and to you I say - ALL THE GOOD STUFF ON NETFLIX IS OVER.
Couple of things:
1. We have been running our Couch to 5K App nearly every day this summer and now we can't go up the stairs without stopping half-way to take a breath. (And the good TV is downstairs damnit!) That is REAL. That part is, quite honestly, terrifying. If that gets worse for me tomorrow or the next day, I will get to see a doctor about getting on a steroid. I heard that's a thing. My chest, from my ears to my stomach feels like it's full of little stokers from the Titanic just flaming the fire. It is getting worse by the hour. I have two earaches and my throat is an inferno. I have a fever and it goes up and down, up and down.
2. Andy has had the varying temperature too - steady now. He tells me he feels like he has "bugs crawling on his insides." That's fun. I don't have that. (Oh please, if I can avoid that...).
3. Every joint in Andy's body aches. I'm a few days behind him, but I am noticing that my arthritic hands and feet are tightening up. So far though - I'm good there.
4. All that food storage that we organized? That will be great when we can't get food - but when you have no energy to make food - what use is it? We did let our neighborhood know about it because we are a tight group of people and they already have a meal schedule set up. Of course they do! They are incredible! At first, I felt embarrassed by it - but by 6 o'clock tonight when the Cleggs brought us gourmet teriyaki chicken, I cried.
5. We don't have our own children so we feel blessed that we aren't having to take care of other people right now and we can just take turns re-filling our water bottles for each other - but can you imagine how whole families are dealing with it? OH MY GOSH PEOPLE - we have to stay in, wear masks and check our temperatures every day. PEOPLE ARE DYING and grieving. It's just a tragedy no matter what.
We don't notice everything we touch. We have to be CRAZY AWARE of what we touch, how close we are when we are speaking to someone or how clean a restaurant table is before we sit down and put our hands on it and then rest our hands on our face. YIKES!
The flip side is - IF this Covid is a definitive one-time thing -we will get to go back to school as IMMUNE TEACHERS!!! WOOT! Have no fear signing up for a Jandy class... but that's a big IF.
Let's pray for that and for a vaccine.
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